Overweight chameleons may not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about a chameleon’s health problem. You rarely see a big fat chameleon walking around the house. Or do you?
Is being overweight a problem chameleons, or you as the owner, have to worry about?
Chameleons can become overweight if their diet isn’t monitored properly. Obesity can cause very severe health issues to a chameleon, especially if it is a female. If you suspect your chameleon is overweight, switch up their diet.
Being overweight shortens the lifespan of any living thing, not just people. Understanding the problems that could come with obesity will help you to understand the severity of the issue. With that said, what are the issues a chameleon may face being overweight?
Issues Chameleons May Face Being Overweight
Obesity is a huge issue among animals in general, but especially so in chameleons. This is because most people don’t have the right knowledge on how to feed their chameleons.
They tend to think that feeding them constantly is a sign of love and a way to satisfy their fascination with chameleons.
What they don’t know is that this well-intentioned action will lead to an unhealthy situation where our little lizards can become seriously obese.
There are other factors as well when it comes to a chameleon’s weight, but typically it is due to overfeeding by pet owners.
Below are some of the complications to take note of when a chameleon becomes overweight.
Rise In Blood Pressure
Obesity causes complications in the heart. This is because a chameleon’s body will become larger in size. When a body is larger, it will require more blood to run properly.
To do this, the heart will have to pump more blood at a faster rate to keep up with the requirements. Blood pressure rises in the blood vessels due to this more intense pump.
An increase in blood pressure will not only strain the heart more, it will also put the creature at risk of rupturing a blood vessel. Having increased blood pressure isn’t the only issue though.
Obesity also tends to cause high cholesterol. This is also why obesity is a leading cause of heart attacks as well. Fat may accumulate inside the blood vessel, blocking the vessel completely.
When blood isn’t properly supplied through to the heart, the heart will slowly die due to a lack of oxygen from the blood.
Breathing Problems
Breathing also becomes an issue when a chameleon is obese. Fat cells or pads in the body will put pressure on the respiratory system, causing it harder to get air in.
Not only that, the diaphragm will have to work double-time to help get as much air in as possible. This will weaken the muscle over time due to overuse.
Relating to the heart problem discussed above, lesser blood running through the body also affects the respiratory system.
When there isn’t enough blood being pumped through the system to supply it with oxygen, the brain will make the respiratory system breathe more often. This is what we usually refer to as shortness of breath.
Trouble Moving
It should go without saying that a fatter chameleon will have problems moving. The increase in weight means that their muscles will have to move more weight around.
This is why obese chameleons will often show signs of lethargy. Not only that, but chameleons tend to spend a lot of time walking among branches on top of trees.
Being too heavy will become problematic when it comes to climbing. Imagine a fat chameleon trying to stay on a very narrow branch. It’s kinda hard for them to hold on to the branches as well with their excess fat.
This puts them at risk of snapping the branch while on it, causing them to fall from high places. These issues are towards chameleons in general, but did you know that females are especially at risk?
Problems Laying Eggs (Only for Female Chameleons)
Female chameleons that are obese can be especially life-threatening. This is because their large fat pads will grow so large that it makes their eggs unable to pass through from their oviduct to the laying nest.
This causes something we call egg binding. Egg binding causes internal problems which will eventually kill the chameleon.
Complications range from inflammation, scarring of the reproductive system, to decreased fertility, which are all deadly to a female chameleon.
Female Veiled Chameleons are a special cast that should be taken care of very carefully. Their basic instincts drive them to eat as much as possible to mature quickly and start the egg-laying process.
This is because they have to do all this before the dry season starts and kills them all. Due to that, no female Veiled Chameleon in the wild will ever worry about obesity as they will never live long enough to be affected by it.
Captive ones, on the other hand, will just eat everything and get fat. They will overfeed themselves and develop a ridiculous amount of eggs.
This, together with the fact that their fat pads will be huge makes it very difficult for them to lay their eggs. It’s all concerning and all but, is it likely that chameleons would become overweight?
How Likely Will A Chameleon Become Overweight?
Obesity isn’t as common as you think between chameleons though. Just because something can happen doesn’t mean it will. It is very unlikely for a chameleon to become overweight.
This is because their basic instinct won’t let it happen. These creatures have been roaming the Earth for millions of years and have learned to conserve to survive in the harsh environment of the wild.
They are programmed to eat only what is needed. Chameleons usually won’t stuff their faces with food by themselves. As previously mentioned, it is typically the pet owners that overfeed them by gut loading them with unnecessary amounts of food.
Signs That A Chameleon Is Overweight
It is very easy to tell when a chameleon is overweight as opposed to underweight, which we all know is pretty hard. They are simply chubbier and larger in certain areas.
Chameleons have fat pads in their bodies that store any extra flubber. The area where they store it will vary, so the only way you can tell is by knowing how your chameleon looks normally.
Just pay attention to it and notice the small changes in certain areas such as their head, back, or belly. Knowing that, what can you do as an owner to prevent them from becoming overweight?
How Can I Prevent My Chameleon From Becoming Overweight?
The best thing you can do to keep your chameleon from becoming overweight is by feeding them properly. It’s not hard to feed your chameleon, but you’re gonna need the right knowledge to do it.
These creatures are insectivores which means that their diet will consist mostly of insects. Crickets are one of the staple foods when it comes to a chameleon’s diet.
Baby chameleons should be fed as often as possible because they will grow at a very rapid rate. If crickets are too big for your baby chameleon to eat, feed it smaller insects and adjust accordingly.
However, when a chameleon becomes an adult, things change. They only need to be fed every other day. Give them a 10 to 15 minute period of eating where you give them a few crickets at a time.
Continue feeding them as long as it is within the time frame. Stop immediately once the time frame is over to prevent overfeeding.
Conclusion
Chameleons can become overweight and it is very problematic when it happens. Complications will arise that will shorten the lifespan of your chameleon.
You will need to be extra careful about obesity with females chameleons. We say that they can become overweight but it is pretty unlikely that it will happen.
These animals are very smart when it comes to surviving with as little as possible. This makes them less likely to eat more than what is needed.
Even so, there are a few things you should do to ensure that they don’t get overweight. Prevention is always better than cure, so don’t wait until your chameleon is too fat before you do something about it.
