Abnormal shedding

[Amberbluefrog]

I understand that you said that I should moderate, and control how much my cham eats, but how do I get the right amount of crickets into my cage without them jumping everywhere?

So finding different feeders right away might be hard because a lot of us either breed bugs or buy from companies who ship to us. I was in a pinch with shipment times and actually found calci worms (25 for $3-4) at Petco. They don’t jump and you can easily put them in a $3 bird feeder for you Cham. Going forward I would looking into other feeders like what is on the care guide.

 

[Blippi the Cham]

Jubanman get a cup feeder or they got YouTube on how diy so you can put bugs and crickets in there dust crickets with the calcium put them in a bag shake it up then put them in . Hope your chameleon pulls thru

 

[kinyonga]

This should help...
One way to set up a good laybin. IMHO it's a good idea to keep it in her cage at all times...


Your chameleon has a pretty bad case of MBD and it would be best if you can start her on the liquid calcium ASAP...it should be just calcium...no D3 or anything else. You will need to use it and do the other supplements properly too until the bones are strong again. MBD not only affects the bones but it plays a part in muscle strength and egg laying issues and other systems in the chameleon.

One way to do the supplements is to dust the insects lightly just before feeding them to the chameleon twice a month 2 weeks apart with a phos free calcium/D3 powder and twice a month once once a week on opposite weeks to the powder I just mentioned....then every other feeding you should use a phos free calcium powder. I use Repcal for the two calcium powders and Herptivite for the vitamins. You may have to give her a dose of prEformed vitamin A (retinol) once in a while too since herptibpvite only has prOformed vitamin A (beta carotene) in its he only needs to be fed every second day now...3 to 5 crickets...or other insects that would make up those calories.

In addition to this you need to feed the insects well...I think @MissSkittles attached the greens, etc chart to her post.

You need proper UVB and basking lights and temperatures as well. I think that's been covered by @MissSkittles too.

To slow egg production or even stop it the feeding of 3 to 5 crickets and the basking temperature of 80F should help. It may take a bit of time.

If you need more info on how to get the right number of crickets/insects into the cage...just ask.

A vet will be able to give get you the liquid calcium and tell you when the bones are strong enough to stop it. I'm not sure if younger buy the right calcium on your own.

Hope this helps and that she will be ok.

 

[jubanman]

This should help...
One way to set up a good laybin. IMHO it's a good idea to keep it in her cage at all times...


Your chameleon has a pretty bad case of MBD and it would be best if you can start her on the liquid calcium ASAP...it should be just calcium...no D3 or anything else. You will need to use it and do the other supplements properly too until the bones are strong again. MBD not only affects the bones but it plays a part in muscle strength and egg laying issues and other systems in the chameleon.

One way to do the supplements is to dust the insects lightly just before feeding them to the chameleon twice a month 2 weeks apart with a phos free calcium/D3 powder and twice a month once once a week on opposite weeks to the powder I just mentioned....then every other feeding you should use a phos free calcium powder. I use Repcal for the two calcium powders and Herptivite for the vitamins. You may have to give her a dose of prEformed vitamin A (retinol) once in a while too since herptibpvite only has prOformed vitamin A (beta carotene) in its he only needs to be fed every second day now...3 to 5 crickets...or other insects that would make up those calories.

In addition to this you need to feed the insects well...I think @MissSkittles attached the greens, etc chart to her post.

You need proper UVB and basking lights and temperatures as well. I think that's been covered by @MissSkittles too.

To slow egg production or even stop it the feeding of 3 to 5 crickets and the basking temperature of 80F should help. It may take a bit of time.

If you need more info on how to get the right number of crickets/insects into the cage...just ask.

A vet will be able to give get you the liquid calcium and tell you when the bones are strong enough to stop it. I'm not sure if younger buy the right calcium on your own.

Hope this helps and that she will be ok.

Cant I buy the liquid calcium from the store, and give him doses of that?

 

[jubanman]

I ordered 1000 crickets from flukers, but chose 5 day delivery. My local pet stores don't have any crickets (all sold out). Is it ok if I feed my cham wax worms for those 5 days?

 

[chamnoodle]

I understand that you said that I should moderate, and control how much my cham eats, but how do I get the right amount of crickets into my cage without them jumping everywhere?

I would suggest attatching a plastic bowl to the screen cage with fishing line or something, and when you are getting the amount of crickets you need, put them in a plastic cup that has a lid, lightly dust them with calcium and dump them in the bowl, they might climb out but thats probably ok since she has her tongue to shoot.

 

[chamnoodle]

I ordered 1000 crickets from flukers, but chose 5 day delivery. My local pet stores don't have any crickets (all sold out). Is it ok if I feed my cham wax worms for those 5 days?

If you feed her anything else I would suggest getting some dubia roaches or silkworms. Those are the best choices for a varied diet (other than crickets)

 

[jubanman]

I would suggest attatching a plastic bowl to the screen cage with fishing line or something, and when you are getting the amount of crickets you need, put them in a plastic cup that has a lid, lightly dust them with calcium and dump them in the bowl, they might climb out but thats probably ok since she has her tongue to shoot.

Thanks!

 

[jubanman]

Okay, so you need to make quite a few changes. Putting my feedback in red. I’m going to sound critical and please don’t take me as mean...I’m not and don’t mean to be. I’m just blunt. I understand that this is the set up you received with her, and that your brother received. You are here which is absolutely wonderful and we love helping new keepers make things better for their chameleons.
I am pretty sure it is a female, and is around 1 year old. Are you aware she will be laying eggs regardless of whether she’s been mated? I’ll go over that separately. I'll include some pictures so you can determine. I got it last October, I am feeding my cham crickets from petsmart. I don't know what gut loading is, but if that means what am I feeding the crickets, it is the flukers orange cube diet. Technically true gutloading is feeding the bugs within a hour or few before giving to your cham. However, many of us don’t practice that precisely. I keep my feeders well fed with fresh produce all the time so that they are healthy bugs, and therefore a better source of nutrition for my cham. Attaching feeder and gutloading sheets. The cricket cubes aren’t good for more than hydration.
I barely take him out of his cage, maybe once a week. I put crickets whenever I don't see any in his cage. And I just grab an egg carton, and shake some into his cage. You really need to give only a certain number of feeders. Obesity is a real problem for chams and especially veileds. Also, for females over feeding can lead to serious complications with egg laying. I don't dust my feeders with anything, I just give them the orange cubes. Your cham needs supplements. There’s many different regimens but I’m going to give you the easiest to follow. Every feeding lightly dust the feeders with a phosphorus free calcium without D3...except one feeding every other week. That one feeding you’ll want to use Reptivite WITH D3. This is one of the reasons that your chameleon has mbd and possibly some other issues that aren’t visible. To help him drink water, I spray the leaves with a spray bottle, and he licks the droplets off of the leaves. I do this 3 times a day. Perfect! I haven't seen him poop recently, I just cleaned his cage out. My brother got him for free off of a Craigslist ad, and he couldn't take care of it so he gave it to me. He hasn't been to a vet check up. As I think you do have a female and she does have mbd, I suggest a vet visit. She may need a calcium injection or special supplementation to get her body recovered. i included pictures that include cage info, but the temps and humidity I am not sure. It’s essential to know and monitor temps and humidity. Basking temps should be no higher than 80* with a drop at night. She can handle a night time temp drop as low as 55-60. Humidity during the day should be between 30-50%, which is actually much drier than you’d think. I don't have anything to measure it.my cage is inside of a closet with no vents. My only concern for being in a closet is air ventilation. Stagnant air can lead to respiratory infection. My chameleon is in my room upstairs of my house. He is on the same level as me. I live in Lansing, Michigan
Looking at your enclosure, it’s quite bare. All of that empty space needs to be filled with branches, vines and live plants. It needs to look like a tree. The best/easiest plants are pothos and philodendron. Your cham will eat at her plants, so they need to be real and safe. Attaching plant list. The Repti carpet is just a bacterial breeding ground...bare floor is best. It looks like you have a chameleon kit enclosure...you’ll need a larger one...a minimum of 2x2x4’.
The other contributing factor to mbd is the uvb is inadequate. The screw in bulbs aren’t capable of providing the proper range of uvb except for just a few inches away. You need a T5 fixture as long as the enclosure is wide with a 5.0 or Arcadia 6% uvb bulb. Basking area needs to be approx 8-9” below basking light and uvb. Now, the red bulb. Colored lights are bad for sensitive chameleon eyes. Many of us use an old fashioned incandescent light bulb for basking. They are getting harder to find and led don’t put off the heat. I’d say start with a 60w bulb and see what temps that gives you. No lights or additional heat at night (unless your room temps get below 55*.
I need to get ready for work but will be back later to go over the egg laying stuff.
In the meantime, check out all of the modules here https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/ and Neptune the chameleon on YouTube is another great source of info.
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Where can I find a good, but cheap lamp and plants

 

[jubanman]

If you feed her anything else I would suggest getting some dubia roaches or silkworms. Those are the best choices for a varied diet (other than crickets)

I asked my local pet store, and they said all they had was that.

 

[jubanman]

I asked my local pet store, and they said all they had was that.

Wax worms

 

[kinyonga]

Cant I buy the liquid calcium from the store, and give him doses of that?

As I said in my post...I don't know if you can buy the right one on your own since I don't know what's available where you live. If you can find it you can...but how will you know how much to give her each day or when to stop using it?

 

[jubanman]

As I said in my post...I don't know if you can buy the right one on your own since I don't know what's available where you live. If you can find it you can...but how will you know how much to give her each day or when to stop using it?

Online, it says use 2 doses a month, but I want to make sure with some experts.

 

[kinyonga]

Is that a maintenance dose or a dose they use correct MBD?
What do they say is the size of a dose?
BTW I'm not a vet and am just telling you information fm my experience.

 

[Sarahalahmar]

hey Jubanman, I set up a go fund me for you. If you guys can, please donate. I don't want this chameleon to die, and I know how it is to want to care for something but not have the right amount of money. I included what I think the total would be to help your chameleon. Contact me for the payment info JuBaNmAn. gf.me/u/zfdshx

 

[Sarahalahmar]

hey Jubanman, I set up a go fund me for you. If you guys can, please donate. I don't want this chameleon to die, and I know how it is to want to care for something but not have the right amount of money. I included what I think the total would be to help your chameleon. Contact me for the payment info JuBaNmAn. gf.me/u/zfdshx

gf.me/u/zfdshx

 

[jubanman]

gf.me/u/zfdshx

Thank you SO much. I'll message you now.

 

[jubanman]

Is that a maintenance dose or a dose they use correct MBD?
What do they say is the size of a dose?
BTW I'm not a vet and am just telling you information fm my experience.

Im not sure where I found it from, but it was from one of the threads

 

[kinyonga]

I would think you need to know the dose based on the size of your chameleon. If you buy it at the store you will need to have some way of knowing that.

 

[jubanman]

I would think you need to know the dose based on the size of your chameleon. If you buy it at the store you will need to have some way of knowing that.

Okay, anybody here know the dose for a almost year old female?