Search results

Why would a creature intentionally chew on one of their own extremities? Many animals will self amputate a constantly painful or non-functional toe, even a limb. If old dry shed is stuck to the sensitive pad on the end of her tail, the constriction may be itchy or painful. She's trying to get...

Whatever type of confinement you use, it will need to provide a hiding area for your cham and be sturdy enough wind or some curious critter can't knock it over. Your cham will be quite stressed by the change in surroundings at first and want to retreat out of sight. Imagine how stressful being...

Don't forget moving/garage sales! I've scored huge Pothos and a wonderful, mature Schefflera at them for just a few dollars. Buying such large plants at a retailer would have been expensive! The people moving couldn't take their houseplants. My greatest plant find was due to a mistake. I was...

Take your jackson's to an experienced reptile vet. They can examine, remove, and analyze growths on your cham. Could be abscesses, could be some sort of viral growth, a tumor, encapsulated parasite.

There will always be a few who claim that ranching will replace importation of rarer desirable species that are vulnerable to exploitation. Take the collection and smuggling pressure off species such as the Parson's shown in the link. Well, just how extensive does anyone think the desire for pet...

Have to agree about all that complicated substrate, the moss, and the water feature. Loose substrate can get picked up on the cham's tongue. Depending on the type of moss, there are sharp spiny bits in it. Substrate should be simple to clean. The more you have to work carefully around it, the...

Sounds as if he' s experimenting with his big boy intimidation repertoire. I've seen individual chams doing variations on rocking, shaking, clutching at their branch and leaves, along with inflating, gaping, tail curling as part of making themselves look more threatening to something intruding...

All but one of my free range Melleri strolled through the house on the floor pretty regularly. Of course, once they learned the floorplan they would march from one sunny window to another during the day. They would insist on taking the same "safe" route each time. If there was an obstacle in the...

I've free ranged multiple chams in a bedroom. 24/7. I've known other keepers who've free ranged their chams in a spare room too. I did suspend heat and UV light fixtures from the ceiling but not perches. I do know of others who did. I built my free range out of a cluster of large potted Ficus...

I'd agree with trying to rub or rinse a pad first. Look closely at the skin itself. If the skin shows the normal texture of a foot pad it probably is staining. If there was some disease process going on, most likely you would have noticed swelling, redness, sores, disharge, or peeling before the...

Well, that's one advantage of one of the off-the-shelf RO systems instead of doing DYI. You don't need a degree in water engineering and all the equipment fits neatly out of sight under a kitchen counter. All you'd see is the secondary faucet on the counter. Be aware you'll probably need to...

This would also be my concern. Chams detest change. It's only been 2 days. Change in surroundings as well as the view. Not only did the view outside her cage change, you also added new plants. She's reacting. Adjusting to the change will take time. You might try attaching panels of window...

Little chams can feel vulnerable, so they tend to prefer being out of sight. Providing a variety of hiding spots isn't a bad thing, and there are lots of surfaces to hold water droplets. Certainly, better than the typical newbie setup that's bare as a few sticks! As long as he can access the...

Update on my remaining honeycreeper. Her behavior definitely changed for a while after the male died. I watched her like a hawk, hoping I wouldn't see her just sitting quietly somewhere uninterested. To liven things up for her, I began playing environmental soundscape CDs from around the...

This. If you really want to find out if your tap water has anything concerning or what the concentrations of various elements are, get it tested by a water lab. High level minerals, hardness, pH, organics, treatment chemicals, etc. Call your municipal water utility for recommendations where to...

Individual chams are just that...individuals. Even though species share some common tendencies, some individuals are more tolerant of other chams than others. There are mellow veileds, nasty panthers, totally neurotic jackson's, on and on. Agree with the comment that a bigger issue than ever...

The skin patches could be thermal burns. Most seem to be where a too-hot basking bulb (and a cage without a decent temperature gradient forced him to bask too long too often) would hit. There's also a patch on one side that looks a bit like one too, but would need to inspect closer up. Poor...

Unfortunately, not being able to find a vet is a sad lesson learned by too many newbies. At the worst possible moment, they find out they don't have decent or any vet support for the new exotic they just bought. Before I decide to bring home an exotic, I call vets within a reasonable driving...

Well, if you let some warm solution drip into the eye, that could encourage him to work buildup out of his eye by himself. And, it will lubricate the eye and keep residue from drying out, which will keep it from getting crusty and harder for him to get rid of. As for which saline product, I'd...

I probably wouldn't chase him. I'd cup a hand around him to restrict his movement instead. Instead of using plain water to rinse/flush his eye, I'd try some gently warmed sterile contact lens saline instead. It will sting less. I'd also wear a colored glove while trying to corral him for...