A few issues not sure what to do(new owner)

[JohnDoe]

Chameleon Info:
•Your Chameleon - Veiled Chameleon, Male, pet store said about 2 ½ months. I have had it for 4 days
•Handling – Have not handled him yet
•Feeding – Just started with crickets. Between 6-8 as of right now. I feed him once in the morning and let the crickets FR. Mixture of fruits and veggies and a cricket food & zoomed cricket care.
•Supplements – Picture attached for supplements. I follow the schedule on the veiled care sheet from this forum.
•Watering – Zoomed habbaMister. Every 3 hrs for 45 secs. Sometimes mainly just looks at it?
•Fecal Description – Only saw one his first day it was brown and a little watery
•History - None

Cage Info:
•Cage Type – All screened enclosure( pictures attached) 20x18x12
•Lighting – I have a5.0 reptisun bulb for UVB 18inch and two 5.5 ceramic domes with one 75 watt and 50watt UVA bulb. I have the light schedule on a 12 hour rotation from 8am to 8pm.
•Temperature – Lowest in cage is around 70 degrees, middle range is around 80 and basking spot is around 93 degrees. Lowest overnight temp is 64 degrees. Have 2 digital temps in cage one on basking and between middle to low level
•Humidity – They were between 40-50%. Having issues maintain humidity. I have a humidity gauge.
•Plants – Just got a Ficus and soaked the leafs and re potted the plant
•Placement – Located in dining room( that we don’t use). No fans, 12ft from air vents, and not really high traffic area
•Location – Northeast PA

Current Problem – I have three problems. First is I have had him now and he will not chase or eat crickets( maybe the stress of a new cage?) Its been 4 days since he has eaten. 2nd is I am not sure if the ficus is irritating his eyes. They don’t look swollen but he does this thing were his eye kinda goes in and back out and blinks he didn’t start doing till I got the plant.(I know they have been know to be mildly toxic). 3rd i am having issues with the humidity. the 50 watt incandesant light was only keeping my basking spot at around 80 degrees so I got the 75 Watt which keeps it around 93 degrees to 96 degrees. I am running both incandesant lights and it is drying out the misting should I take the 50watt out of there or what? Anything helps. Our house stays at around 68 to 70 degres through out the house so I was worried I needed more heat.

 

[pssh]

First of all, 80-85 is the perfect temperature for a baby. 93-96 can actually cause him to burn himself very badly or dehydrate and die. Remove the higher watt bulb until he is older (6+ months.) He may not eat for the first week, and if he does, you may not even see him do it because he is shy. At the end of the day remove the uneaten crickets and see if he ate any that way. Also check for poops (which can be hidden in the foliage) because if he is pooping he is eating. When he does start to eat, he should be eating at least 10 small crickets a day (and quite probably more.) At this age (when he starts eating,) feed him as much as he can eat within 5 minutes or so. the most important thing right now is that he is drinking enough water.

As for the eye thing, does it look like he buldges it out and sucks it in a few times? This can be how chameleons clean their eyes (especially after being misted.) if you can post a video of him doing it, we can help you be sure that is what he is doing and its not something else.

 

[JohnDoe]

Thank you very much for the input. Will do and its sounds about right with the cleaning of the eye because he really only does it after a misting. Thank you again

 

[ChameleonMom]

It is normal for your cham to roll his eye around, that (as mentioned above) is how they clean their eyes or get rid of scooby snacks that come sometimes get in the eye socket. Nothing to worry about!

It can sometimes take a cham up to 2 weeks to become used to a new home and to overcome any shyness it may have...sometimes it may never overcome the shyness and may remain hidden in the plants whenever it see's you come near. It is not unusual for a new cham not to eat within this time period, so please don't worry. As long as your cham is drinking, then its all good. Remember, he won't starve himself and will eat when he's ready!

One thing I would suggest...if the 50W bulb is only keeping your temps at 80 and the 75w is keeping temps in the 90's, I would suggest trying a 60W bulb. This may be the happy medium that will keepyour temps in the proper range. Also, you will want your cage to completely dry out between mistings - if it is constantly wet your cham could develop a respiratory infection and if that happens, its never good. You may want to invest in a Big (or Little) Dripper. Zoo Med sells them and they provide a constant drip that you angle over your plants so the drip goes over the leaves. After a few days of observing the drips, your cham will know exactly where to go for a water supply, when needed.

Good luck - he's a real cutiepie!!

 

[JohnDoe]

Thank you guys very much. He is eating like a champ now flying through the cage. His urate and poop look fine and he is getting fat. He may be getting ready to shed not sure but thanks again