Another random question

Hi everyone it seems like as soon as a question gets answered I have another Anyway so my question is about the winter this will be the first winter I've owned a cham and my mom mainly had the question if chams hibernate? I looked it up in the forums but didn't get very far. Echo eats and drinks well and haven't had a problem, but my mom noticed he hasn't eaten much since it got cold. He stills drinks just fine and will eat flies when we catch them and a few crickets here and there, but is the winter months having an affect on him not wanting to eat as much? Oh, and also with him not eating as much as he normally does will that change his suppelments Sorry for asking so many questions....again I just want Echo to be healthy and happy so any help is greatly appreciated
Thanks

no they do not go into hibernation but can you fill this out to be safe?
thanks




Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

From what I've read they do slow down considerably in cooler temperatures and some handlers semi-hibernate them by giving them shorter days, longer nights and over all cooler temperatures.

I should have filled this out to begin with lol better late than not

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care? Vieled male about 4 maybe 5 months old I have had him 4 months
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? When I'm home since I'm in college it's usually everyday or every other day.
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? Crickets mainly medium to large but not too large, flies when available (I think these are his favorite too), waxworms not very often though, supers and mealworms same as the wax not very often. He usually eats like 5 or 6 crickets a day, but has eaten less since it got colder to maybe 2 or 3. I try gutloading with a mix I made that has carrots, mustard greens, collard greens, oatmeal, apple, red pepper, and a few other ingredients I can't remember since it has been awhile since I made it last. That gets alternated with Flucker's orange cubes and calcium diet. I know not the best money has been a little tight but I try and gut load really well. Any suggestions here would be great too.
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? I'm at school at the moment so I can't remember what the supplements are right now but I have a calcium w/o D3, which is running out so I need to get some more, a calicum w/ D3 and a multivitamin. When I get home I'll check to see what kind they are
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? Right now, and don't shoot me down, but he has a water bowl in there that gets cleaned out everyday and he is misted with a hand mister multiple times with warm water. The main reason for the bowl is he had one at Petco and it's just something I've used to make sure he as water. Mistings are usually for about 2 minutes. I have seen him drink multiple times from mistings and the bowl.
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? Brown firm and urates are mostly white with a little yellow on occasion that is when his mistings are uped. I have not tested for parasites but plan to in the near future.History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.Not that I can think of other than I got him at Petco

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? He is now in a Reptibreeze 16x16x20 I'll be getting a much bigger one next year for him. He has a towel on the back side to help keep humidity up and I will be putting cork up as well when I get up this weekend to help with humidity.
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? I can't remember the brand right off bat, so I will edit this when I find out. Lighting schedule is 12hrs on 12hrs off. When my mom watches him while I'm at school his lights are off around 6 or 7 and on about 5:30am or 6 because that is when she goes to work; when I am home I try to have the lights about the same schedule as her but sometimes lights are out around 9pm and on around 9am. I have a UVB bulb and 45watt Day blue basking I think I know it's 45watts at least.
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? I have a temp and humidity thermometer and the temps are usually in the 70s and maybe 50s at night I'll look this weekend and see to give a more accurate reading. I will be getting a temp and humidity gun soon...maybe a X-mas present
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? Humidity is usually around the 60's sometimes higher. I maintain them through hand misting right now. And I have a humidity gauge on the temperature monitor I got with his first enclosure.
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? No I have a ficus for him but not in his cage. He has a biovine, some sticks, and various fake tropical plants from Petco.
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? He is in my room on top of a desk. No fans in my room to worry about he has a vent beneath him but it is turned off so no air comes out and he is about a foot away from a window; I have a book shelf between him and the window. Low traffic; I'm hardly in there except to feed and water him and get him out to sit in his Ficus.
Location - Where are you geographically located? I'm in Southeast Idaho; Idaho Falls if want to be specific
Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
I'm not too concerned about him just that he is not eating as much as he did during the spring and summer when I got him and thought maybe the winter had something to do with it. I plan on ordering some different feeders in the near future for him though. I want to try roaches but mom doesn't like them so I will have to order them on my break to feed them to Echo . Sorry this was so long and my answers should be in green.

Elizadolots said:

From what I've read they do slow down considerably in cooler temperatures and some handlers semi-hibernate them by giving them shorter days, longer nights and over all cooler temperatures.

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I still too inexperienced to do that but I know I house tend to get colder than maybe most it's a fairly older house from maybe the 60s or 70s. I did read about a burmation thing on the forum before I posted this. The thread was back in 2008 but didn't last very long there were only two pages of postings it sounded interesting too.

70F is too cold if that's the warmest area of the cage. Cold temps will slow digestion and thus food intake. A good accurate temp guage is a must. You might also invest in an inexpensive timer for the lights, so that he has consistency.

They will also eat a little less as they age and growth slows

you need a cermaic heat bulb for night chams are typically if i remember can only handle 60 some one correct me if im wrong and you should get a little dripper they sell it at petco and stop buying the orange cubes fresh vegies are the BEST thing and can you post some pics of him,cage, ect. thanks

Thanks for the help everyone I have a few things to add to my Christmas list this year and I will get some recent pics up soon

is it just me or is he way under eating my guy around 3 to 4 months eats 10 to 15 or more crickets and a couple small meal worms a day (as a treat for coming down to me)

chameleoman said:

you need a cermaic heat bulb for night chams are typically if i remember can only handle 60 some one correct me if im wrong and you should get a little dripper they sell it at petco and stop buying the orange cubes fresh vegies are the BEST thing and can you post some pics of him,cage, ect. thanks

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they can take down to 55 at night, some species a bit lower..i keep mine at 72 or so ambient, with a couple basking sites at 85, at night it drops to 60, sometimes a lil higher, sometimes a lil lower..


personally, ied keep them at 65 or so at night if you can..