So I bought a Senegal Cham...1st time cham owner

I didnt know i was giving false info im sorry its just what the reptile expert at pet extreme gave us(for vitamins) when we first bought them and she told use that we should get the terrarium pact which came with the lil heating pad for the bottom of the cage i didnt know they didnt really kneed it it just came with it,
 
The bulb I have in there is a "Zilla" brand full spectrum bulb, it's blue.. I leave it on about 12 hours a day, then at night I turn it off. I have a red bulb, but I've been reading that they need a temp drop at night. I was wondering about handling.. Is it ok to handle her gently? Usually I just put my hand in front of her and she gets up on it then I just let her hang out for a bit... Is that ok? I've heard that the less handling, the better. What do you all think?
 
Hi, Sara!

Do you still have the box the bulb came in? That would tell us a lot. There are many "reptile" bulbs that don't provide the right UV spectrum so really specific information is best. If not, maybe you can look at the bulb when it's cool and see what letters/numbers/code/mystical runes are there.

From what I've read, Senegals are quite social and don't shy from being held. I would definitely keep it short, but you should be fine handling her every day or so.
 
Welcome fellow Senegal owner. Great chameleons in my opinion that get too little credit!

I'll agree with the fact more foliage would be good. Senegals in general love a lot of foliage. I have three plants in my 16x16x30 and my little guy loves weaving through and exploring in the dense foliage. plus it gives him a good place to hide out if something in the environment is not to his liking.

Also I wouldn't use distilled water. Purified is good, distilled is bad because it has no trace minerals or anything in it. It might be fine I don't know for 100% certain but I do know regular purified water is fine.

At Yoshi and Daredevil: Don't worry about giving wrong advice once in awhile, especially here you will be corrected and learn. Were not all experts here but if we stick with it and pay attention one day we will be! I personally want to encourage participation of everyone so don't give up!
 
The bulb I have in there is a "Zilla" brand full spectrum bulb, it's blue.. I leave it on about 12 hours a day, then at night I turn it off. I have a red bulb, but I've been reading that they need a temp drop at night. I was wondering about handling.. Is it ok to handle her gently? Usually I just put my hand in front of her and she gets up on it then I just let her hang out for a bit... Is that ok? I've heard that the less handling, the better. What do you all think?

they are ok down to like 60 at night and you still need a uvb 5.0 (very important) the zilla blue is only a heat source
 
Couple more pics of her. She was in the sun in the window for awhile, then we sat outside on the patio. :) So all I need is a UVB 5.0 bulb for her and some live plants and she should be good? I also need to get stuff to dust her food with...
 

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@JustSara This is something I do know. If your chameleon starts turning black or becomes black it means that they are stressed out. If the chameleon is stressed out it can lower its lifespan. So I would keep an eye on that if they become dark, I usually set mine back in the cage and they'll calm down. I have no clue what to do if they turn black inside the cage. They shouldn't but they might.
 
Welcome fellow Senegal owner. Great chameleons in my opinion that get too little credit!

I'll agree with the fact more foliage would be good. Senegals in general love a lot of foliage. I have three plants in my 16x16x30 and my little guy loves weaving through and exploring in the dense foliage. plus it gives him a good place to hide out if something in the environment is not to his liking.

Also I wouldn't use distilled water. Purified is good, distilled is bad because it has no trace minerals or anything in it. It might be fine I don't know for 100% certain but I do know regular purified water is fine.

At Yoshi and Daredevil: Don't worry about giving wrong advice once in awhile, especially here you will be corrected and learn. Were not all experts here but if we stick with it and pay attention one day we will be! I personally want to encourage participation of everyone so don't give up!
I really appreciate the encouragement I just got a little discouraged. Purified is what I meant to say, sorry about that.
 
I think Patchouli looks okay. There are definitely some scratch and bite marks on her back and flanks but those should go away in a few sheds.

Yes you will need to get a proper UV bulb for her inside enclosure but if the weather permits do take her outside; nothing is better than real sun for lizards. I know this may sound silly but do make sure that her outside cage is escape and predator proof. Every summer I see countless threads from people who 'only looked away for a minute' to find their beloved pet missing.

Here are a few more things for you to read:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/92-hydration-importance-water.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/ferretinmyshoes/560-frequently-asked-questions-nutrition.html

Cheers,
Trace

P.S. Yoshi and Daredevil, glad you decided to stay. I'd like to see your chameleons and I should be able to ID and sex them. Start up a new thread when and if you can.
 
I think Patchouli looks okay. There are definitely some scratch and bite marks on her back and flanks but those should go away in a few sheds.

Yes you will need to get a proper UV bulb for her inside enclosure but if the weather permits do take her outside; nothing is better than real sun for lizards. I know this may sound silly but do make sure that her outside cage is escape and predator proof. Every summer I see countless threads from people who 'only looked away for a minute' to find their beloved pet missing.

Here are a few more things for you to read:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/92-hydration-importance-water.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/ferretinmyshoes/560-frequently-asked-questions-nutrition.html

Cheers,
Trace

P.S. Yoshi and Daredevil, glad you decided to stay. I'd like to see your chameleons and I should be able to ID and sex them. Start up a new thread when and if you can.
Yup you guys were all just trying to give correct info and I got a little upset cause I couldn't haha. I'm very eager to help sometimes too eager. I'll have to do that with the thread. Would you need a side shot up close or what?
 
Yup you guys were all just trying to give correct info and I got a little upset cause I couldn't haha. I'm very eager to help sometimes too eager. I'll have to do that with the thread. Would you need a side shot up close or what?

Full body side shots are the best, kind of like what Sara has posted here, but also close ups of the head can be beneficial as there are subtle differences between say the Senegals and Graceful Chameleons. Also pics of your cage and such will also be good. There are many members here that can help you fine tune any problems and get you on the right track if needed.
 
Yea I noticed the marks on her and wondered what they were. Poor thing was in a TEENY enclosure with NO climbing, with like 10 other chameleons AND they would spray mist directly on them for like 30 seconds, 3 times a day. AND the guy said he had had them for 2 weeks. All the other ones were really sluggish and most of them were sleeping. Patchouli was at the front of the cage looking at me and like pawing at the glass with her front feet (PLEASE HELP! GET ME OUT OF HERE!) And I knew right then, I had to get her out of there. I did take her outside for about 30 minutes today. She climbed around a bit then settled on my arm. When we came back in I set her drip back up. Soon as she saw that water she ran over and took some BIG drinks and then put her head up really high and let it splash on her. It was SUPER cute. OH! And I found a little moth outside last night and put it in her cage, she ate it for breakfast. Tomorrow I am going to get her a UV bulb and a couple of live plants. I'm going to put the plants in there in pots and take the bark out of the bottom. :)
 
Full body side shots are the best, kind of like what Sara has posted here, but also close ups of the head can be beneficial as there are subtle differences between say the Senegals and Graceful Chameleons. Also pics of your cage and such will also be good. There are many members here that can help you fine tune any problems and get you on the right track if needed.

Alright i'll be sure to do that.
 
Yea I noticed the marks on her and wondered what they were. Poor thing was in a TEENY enclosure with NO climbing, with like 10 other chameleons AND they would spray mist directly on them for like 30 seconds, 3 times a day. AND the guy said he had had them for 2 weeks. All the other ones were really sluggish and most of them were sleeping. Patchouli was at the front of the cage looking at me and like pawing at the glass with her front feet (PLEASE HELP! GET ME OUT OF HERE!) And I knew right then, I had to get her out of there. I did take her outside for about 30 minutes today. She climbed around a bit then settled on my arm. When we came back in I set her drip back up. Soon as she saw that water she ran over and took some BIG drinks and then put her head up really high and let it splash on her. It was SUPER cute. OH! And I found a little moth outside last night and put it in her cage, she ate it for breakfast. Tomorrow I am going to get her a UV bulb and a couple of live plants. I'm going to put the plants in there in pots and take the bark out of the bottom. :)
Haha That's funny that you'd say that about the pawing. Our little yoshi did the same thing. We had actually gone once before and he did it. Then the second time we went in he was doing it again. I couldn't resist and that's the story of how I got both of my chams. About the moth, I've heard from a bunch of different user's about feeding them wild caught insects. What I heard from them was not it's not a good idea because they can carry parasite's, So you have to be careful. If i'm wrong please someone correct me. If i'm correct please let me know. I actually have a bunch of moths that like to come in my room at night, I just catch them and put them back outside. I wouldn't feed them wild caught insects though. (If I sound rude at all I apologize That isn't my intention, I'm just trying to be helpful.)
 
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True about the insects.. I thought about that today. She won't be getting more. I will be posting pics tomorrow when I am done redoing her cage, so you all can tell me what you think. :D BTW, I checked out those 2 articles you posted Trace. REALLY informative, thank you SO much! :D
 
Patchouli update!

So here is Patchouli in her newly remodeled home! I put 3 live plants in there.. A Pothos, a Ficus and a Schefflera (or however you spell it). Got her some Rep-Cal Herptivite multivitamin to start off with and got her a Reptisun 5.0 UVB lamp. Here are some pics!!! :D
 

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So here is Patchouli in her newly remodeled home! I put 3 live plants in there.. A Pothos, a Ficus and a Schefflera (or however you spell it). Got her some Rep-Cal Herptivite multivitamin to start off with and got her a Reptisun 5.0 UVB lamp. Here are some pics!!! :D

The Herpivite is a good start. Check the supplementation blogs and posts you can easily find here. There is ALOT to learn and absorb on the subject and it is important for a healthy cham. I'm still learning though and won't try to give advice on the subject.

I love your plant choices, looks a lot like my Senegal set up. The Pothos will grow up fast. The other thing I would do is make sure there are more climbing spots higher up. Mine absolutely loves being as high as possible and only ventures lower on his daily wandering and to poo from the ficus.
 
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