# chameleon not eating right....



## paulskin (Jul 5, 2007)

the last few days he is jus not eating like he usally does.do they usually go off food for no reason??hes fine in every other way,bright colours,very active,and drinking from spray bottle.imat home most of the time just lately so it cant be that im just not seeing him eat..there is quite a few locusts left inviv from previous feedings.


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## paulskin (Jul 5, 2007)

anybody?


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## littlefoot (Dec 6, 2007)

how old and how big is he? When did he last shed?


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## paulskin (Jul 5, 2007)

hes around 7/8months old.his last shed was about a week ago but that wasnt right either(i posted about it)http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/lizards/91599-chameleon-still-shedding-help-please.html#post1300524
he kind of shed bit by bit and it took about a month.


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

i always changed up the food items... crickets, superworms and other things including field caught bugs... they can get bored with one food.... then when you think that they are sick, you toss in a moth and they lose their minds!!!:lol2:


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## paulskin (Jul 5, 2007)

i currently have crickets and locusts but he wont touch the crickets he hasnt done for ages now so i moved to locust,also wax worms on occasions but not to often because i hear of some getting addicted not eating anything else then getting sick.i gave him 5 wax worms the other day,maybe hes addicted n having withdrawal symptoms lol.im putting fresh locust in because the old ones in there have cleaned them selfs of the dust!


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## the chameleon man (Jan 31, 2008)

*variety..*

: victory:my veilds are fussy eaters.... they will do anything for a wax worm...
show them a cricket and oh no.... they wont touch it unless they are starving..
try some flies, moths, snails, worms, waxies, roaches and even silk worms...
also my chameleons never shed in a one piece...
they take time to shed, mine shed over a month to... i spray them to aid there shedding..
it happens on all my chameleons and ive got different set ups etc..
also is yours a male or female? males generally eat less than females and my adult mellors around chrimbo time only eats 1-5 insects a week till jan...
no matter what you offer him... the veilds are the same around spring time...
keep at it matey, i had a female mellors once that didnt eat for 4 weeks, drunk every day and had vits in the water, she just didnt want anything...
shes still the same now, my mates got her and she just goes off food..
shes fine and in perfect health, in fact shes just got pregnant......
anyways hope it starts munching again soon....


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

they do slow down on the chow as they get older and not growing at an insane rate anymore. i wouldn't worry if the set up is good and he IS eating. try some superworms.


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## paulskin (Jul 5, 2007)

thanks cham man u give me hope!hes still so lively and coming out being handled ect so couldnt understand wats wrong....now there is like 8-10 locust wondering his viv should i take em out or jus wait til he eats them.will he be ok not getting his calicium and vits while hes not taking the freshly dusted food?


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## the chameleon man (Jan 31, 2008)

*take them out..*

take em out pal.....
you are going to laugh now but if your worried about a bit of vits getting into him, then give him a bit of fruit juice.. or cold tea.. that perks em up no end and brings out the colours on the male brillant...
i always give mine a once a fortnight and mine love it....
id wouldnt put any food in for a day or 2...
also my chameleons dont like any food being left in overnight.. it seems to bother mine in their sleep...
ive had mine not eat if ive left locusts in etc...
took em out, starved em for 2 days and hey presto.. they eat again...


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## paulskin (Jul 5, 2007)

mite try the cold tea or fruit juice soon then!!!ok on a locust hunt then!thanks


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## paulskin (Jul 5, 2007)

actully maybe u could help me out on a few other things atm i dont hav a buld guard in the viv but lately i keep catching him reaching for the bulb,if i put a bulb guard on will he climb on it and burn himself becaause he is so close to the bulb??


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## the chameleon man (Jan 31, 2008)

*tricky one..*

i dont have any bulbs in my flexis.... 
i put mine outside...
if you can put the bulb safe then you should be ok buddy... if in doubt move it and get a guard to...
The road to keeping reptiles is long and a windy one.. you think you`ve got t sussed then something mad happens......and throws you all out...
dont question your own care if its worked for a long time, you`ve done well to get where you are...Chams can be tricky to look after...and they always do something out the norm....lol:lol2:


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## paulskin (Jul 5, 2007)

i know what u mean!my cham is in a wooden viv with a custom mesh front.it wasnt til i was a member on here that i found out bout every1 using flexis.like u said.....u will always do somthing then wish you had done it different.:lol2:


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

the chameleon man said:


> i dont have any bulbs in my flexis....
> i put mine outside...
> if you can put the bulb safe then you should be ok buddy... if in doubt move it and get a guard to...
> The road to keeping reptiles is long and a windy one.. you think you`ve got t sussed then something mad happens......and throws you all out...
> dont question your own care if its worked for a long time, you`ve done well to get where you are...Chams can be tricky to look after...and they always do something out the norm....lol:lol2:


 
that's what i always did, put them outside all summer. they thrived for the years i kept them. nothing like natural sun to motivate them. the way i approached things was to just let them be chameleons... pure and simple. all they want is a bush, bugs, warmth and sunshine.... oh and for it to rain mow and then... mine were semi-wild i suppose. i tried to stimulate them by handling and a varied diet also i re-arrainged the cage decorations routinely.... just keeping them as close to their natural environment is what made me look good and i ended up with beau-coup babies and only had two health issues for all of them. we have long, hot summers here where i live. very condusive to keeping semi-arid veileds.


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## paulskin (Jul 5, 2007)

i think cham man means he puts the bulbs outside the flexis not the flexis outside....were in england :lol2: would be ok to take a cham outside during the summer wen we have that like whole week of hot sunshine then its all over back indoors


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## the chameleon man (Jan 31, 2008)

*let them be...*

i totally agree pal...
get them outside when you can, i put my bulbs on the outside of my flexis.. on a sunny day even in winter i`ll put my flexis in front of the window with a u.v bulb on them as well....in summer theyre out most days...
ive got a chameleon rooom so i dont go in there until i have to, i leave them alone to do there own thing...
as little disruption as possible...
then i tend to find when you want to get them out, they are more curious and less aggressive then when i used to have them on display for all and sundry to see...
i love my chams to bits.....
im moving bk to South Africa after ive had a op and im taking my chams with me to give them a better life in warmer sunshine 24/7.. i dont care how much it costs me.. lol


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## paulskin (Jul 5, 2007)

that will be expensive i bet.hope u can arrange it tho ,u dont wanna leave them all behind


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