Hi everyone,
Just brought home a new baby senegal today... He is in the middle of a shed with some dead skin on this back, armpits and head. He seems active at a normal level, but the thing that is concerning me is how much he is showing his dark colors. With the exception of a few fleeting seconds here and there he has been a pretty solid brown color :/ The temp in his cage right now is 86 on the floor, and he is residing about 4 inches above there. He felt really cold to the touch when I put him in there, so I don't know if he could just have gotten really cold and is taking a long time to warm up?
Is it typical for a cham to stay dark for a while when moved to a new cage? The pet store said they had JUST gotten him off the UPS box only about 10 minutes before we got there. I noticed when he pooped on me that the part of his feces that is supposed to be white was a dark yellow, so I assumed he was dehyrated and offered him water from a dropper right away (the store was out of drippers
He wouldn't drink at first, so I offered him some about an hour later and he drank about 3-4 drops. I'm not sure how much a baby his size should be drinking.... (his body is about 2" long WITHOUT including his tail) Anyone have an opinion on this? I offered him more water a half hour later but he wasn't interested. Should I wait until he has another poop to check the color or should I force hydrate him? I don't want to stress him out but I also don't want to wait until it's too late if he is not drinking enough. I read that senegals drink a lot that makes me worry even more....
The humidity in his cage is currently 70 percent and there are TONS of both fake and real (pothos) leaves and branches for him to climb on/hide behind.
He has eaten at least 2 small crickets in the last few hours maybe more and I did notice the he quickly lightened up when he saw the crickets, but then darkened again right away.
He doesn't seem to be frightened or angry as he will readily climb onto my hand and up my arm and hasn't hissed at anyone at all. I did notice he curled his tail a few times, is that a sign of aggression also?
So what could cause the dark colors if he's not frightened, angry or cold? Could it be the dehydration? Could it be related to shedding his skin? Something else?
Another strange thing I noticed was when we had it outside in the sun earlier the would suddenly flinch and close his right eye. He did this about 3 times and I haven't seen him do it again. The last time I'm certain it was only his right eye but I could see both eyes the first two times. He also seemed to take a little nap a little while ago, just lied on a branch and closed his eyes for a few minutes - is that normal? I didn't think they slept at all during the day? Do the babies take naps like human babies do?
Thank You everyone.......
Just brought home a new baby senegal today... He is in the middle of a shed with some dead skin on this back, armpits and head. He seems active at a normal level, but the thing that is concerning me is how much he is showing his dark colors. With the exception of a few fleeting seconds here and there he has been a pretty solid brown color :/ The temp in his cage right now is 86 on the floor, and he is residing about 4 inches above there. He felt really cold to the touch when I put him in there, so I don't know if he could just have gotten really cold and is taking a long time to warm up?
Is it typical for a cham to stay dark for a while when moved to a new cage? The pet store said they had JUST gotten him off the UPS box only about 10 minutes before we got there. I noticed when he pooped on me that the part of his feces that is supposed to be white was a dark yellow, so I assumed he was dehyrated and offered him water from a dropper right away (the store was out of drippers
He wouldn't drink at first, so I offered him some about an hour later and he drank about 3-4 drops. I'm not sure how much a baby his size should be drinking.... (his body is about 2" long WITHOUT including his tail) Anyone have an opinion on this? I offered him more water a half hour later but he wasn't interested. Should I wait until he has another poop to check the color or should I force hydrate him? I don't want to stress him out but I also don't want to wait until it's too late if he is not drinking enough. I read that senegals drink a lot that makes me worry even more....The humidity in his cage is currently 70 percent and there are TONS of both fake and real (pothos) leaves and branches for him to climb on/hide behind.
He has eaten at least 2 small crickets in the last few hours maybe more and I did notice the he quickly lightened up when he saw the crickets, but then darkened again right away.
He doesn't seem to be frightened or angry as he will readily climb onto my hand and up my arm and hasn't hissed at anyone at all. I did notice he curled his tail a few times, is that a sign of aggression also?
So what could cause the dark colors if he's not frightened, angry or cold? Could it be the dehydration? Could it be related to shedding his skin? Something else?
Another strange thing I noticed was when we had it outside in the sun earlier the would suddenly flinch and close his right eye. He did this about 3 times and I haven't seen him do it again. The last time I'm certain it was only his right eye but I could see both eyes the first two times. He also seemed to take a little nap a little while ago, just lied on a branch and closed his eyes for a few minutes - is that normal? I didn't think they slept at all during the day? Do the babies take naps like human babies do?
Thank You everyone.......
