Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my 8 month old calyptratus male reduced his diet to 0 to 2 bugs per day about five days ago and it acts shyer than usual e.g. hides behind twigs when i approach it's cage.
up to now he was a strong eater (up to 10 medium bugs) and would not leave any insects in his bowl.
at first i thought he would be about to shed his skin.. but since he is still not doing so i'm starting to get concerned.
when i look at him i get the feeling that he is getting skinny but it's hard to tell since he in- and deflates himself being shy.
any advice or comfort?

Several things may be going on. He's probably feeling some hormones and is teetering on the edge of maturity. Might make him moody and unsure of his territorial status. Also, at this age his growth rate is slowing down. Try switching to a snack one day and more food the next. It may keep him interested a bit more. Also, are you trying a variety of foods? They do get bored with just crix. If you try new items go for green ones...most chams can't resist a green insect. Change the gutload to change the flavor of the insects. Also try house flies or moths.

I've gone thru this with several of my Veileds as they mature. Its like Carlton said he is growing up and possibly looking around for a mate. Green insects are a good appetite sparker. A lot of my Veileds started to eat vegetation about this time. Has he been chewing on his plant leaves? You could offer him some vegetation such as collard, mustard or turnip green, slivered squash or some berries and see if he responds to that or get him a Pothos plant to chew on. I use moss in my potted plants and lots of my Veileds and even some of the Panthers(not suppose to eat vegetation) eat it. None of them have ever had any problems. Get him outside for some good old fashion sunshine. Look for some insects outside. Stay away from beetles, ants and ladybugs. Try anything on him besides crickets, they have so many crickets tossed at them that they have no choice but to get bored with them. When they get moody and ready to mate they sometimes eat very little or not at all for a while. I wouldn't get too worried about him unless it goes beyond two weeks but do try to find him soemthing else for a change. Good Luck.

thank you for your answers!
as a matter of fact i really only had crickets left to feed my little bugger.
the store where i get my insects from is really far away and i don't dare giving him wild insects since here in switzerland (where we live) every field and lawn is agriculturally used. so i cannot be sure if these animals are chameleon safe.
so i drove to the store and re-tried a variety of bugs. the grasshoppers did the trick and he is back eating again.. not as much as before but enough to survive.
unfortunately my store does not carry any green insects like that green roach (forgot the scientific name).

@kokopelli:
i have live (chameleon safe) plants in his cage and he takes bites from them from time to time - since he was a lil kid

Sometimes you can cheat and cover the "regular" insects with ground up dried green peas...it will give them a slightly green look.