A chameleon is an animal to keep as a pet as it is cute to look at and small in size. They are a calm and quite animals so that is why they are preferred as pets. They can easily bond up with humans and even humans also love to have their company when they start understanding them, but they love to stay alone so we should respect their privacy and should not intrigue in it.
The chameleon has a very unique feature and that is they can change colours according to their surroundings. Even they have long sticky tongue in order to catch their prey. But sometimes there are chances that your chameleon stops eating food and there are many reasons behind it and we will discuss about those reasons in this article.
There are many reasons that your chameleon will stop eating food and you have to figure out what is the reason and how you can take any step in order to make them feed them again. There will definitely a time will come in the life of a chameleon that it will stop eating, it is your duty as an owner to be sensitive towards their needs and take some measures.
Do not be careless towards their needs and observe their behaviour carefully, if proper attention is not given we can lose their life as they will starve to death if proper feeding is done. Also be aware and careful about feeding your baby chameleon.
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Why is my chameleon not eating?
There are too many reason that why is your chameleon not eating and you need to know, observe and understand those reasons and take some action in order to prevent it. Some of the reasons why your chameleon is not eating food are given as below:-
Shedding of skin
When a chameleon is about to shed its skin then also they stop eating food. You need to notice this period in the life of a chameleon. The chameleon will shed more skin when they are young and lesser as they grow older.
This leads to decrease in their appetite and in some cases they will also stop eating. So do not worry much as this is a natural phenomenon and they will start eating food once this shedding skin period will get over. In this case you have to be observant and check the shedding of the skin is taking place or not, otherwise some other reason is there.
Age
The age plays a major factor in the food habits of the chameleon. As we know that the young or baby chameleons are very choosy about their food so they tend to stop eating food as it takes time to get used to new temperature, space, food, etc. and that is one of the reason that new owners are not advised to pet baby chameleons because of their unstable mood. So you should be used to their unstable mood and find the ways to feed them and understand their mood fluctuations. When the chameleons are young they tend to eat more, but as they grow old they tend to lose their appetite and sometimes they stop eating.
Stress
The stress is caused to the chameleon like it is caused to humans and this also leads to the loss of appetite and they suddenly stops eating. This stress can be due to the change in space, location or scenery. Even the terrarium is small then also the chameleon feels suffocated and which triggers stress in them. Also they do not want to share their terrarium so they are territorial in nature and because of these reasons they feel stressed out and that is why they stop eating. As an owner you have to understand the reason behind their stress and try to eliminate it, thy will naturally start eating food.
Type of food
When you will feed the chameleon with the same food regularly or on the regular basis, then also they tend to lose interest in food and stops eating food as they do not enjoy eating food anymore.
So do feed them with variety of food as this will excite them up and treat them with various variety of insects, then only they will not lose the interest in food and will start eating food again. Do provide the chameleon with variety of food as same old food served daily to them is quite boring and no one wants to eat the same food daily. They need variety in food as we humans need it. Also make sure you are feeding right food and make sure you are aware of what vegetables can chameleons eat.
Gender
The female chameleons will eat less when they have to lay eggs and once the female chameleons reach the sexual maturity they lose their appetite. So do not worry about this just be careful with their diet and try to give them a high nutritional diet as they need to have energy at this time and there should be no weakness at this time in the female chameleons. Even the male chameleon stops eating at the time of mating period and this normal side effect of the mating period and this is also seen in the case of the female chameleons also at the time mating period.
Poor digestion
The poor digestive system also causes loss in appetite and that is why they tend to stop eating the food. The reason is that their digestive system gets blocked due to the undigested food or some outside stuff and they are not able to defecate properly. In this case you need to visit a vet and take the appropriate measures so that they get normal and eat properly and become healthy again. Do observe your chameleon properly and check for the digestive blockage symptoms and visit the vet as soon as possible.
Parasites or infection
There are chances that in the gut of the chameleon there are parasites and this leads to the loss of appetite and the chameleon will lose interest in eating of food.
Many infections are also caused which leads to the diseases and that also leads to lost appetite in the chameleon and they stop eating the food. The infections and parasites enters the body of chameleon through food, air or unclean space. So do sanitise the terrarium and the food of the chameleon and if the infection is severe to contact a vet.
Pain
When the chameleon is feeling any kind of pain in their body they do not feel like eating as they might have some internal injury, fracture or some kind of muscle rupture. So do check for all this and if you are not able to figure out visiting the vet is the best option and after the treatment of pain is done right, they might start eating properly.
These are some of the reason regarding your chameleon when they stop eating, you have to observe them properly, know the reason and take appropriate actions in order to make them eat properly.
You can also try feeding best worms for chameleon
Summary
The chameleon sometimes tends to stop eating so it is the duty of the owner to understand them and take some measure and visit vet because careless attitude towards them will lead to even losing their life. So it is better to take some actions in the beginning and make them eat properly.
