Any suggestions on setup

[kkagy]

First off, my little guy is not into cup feeding. I had a cup of little crickets and he walked right by it to catch a small fruit fly on the side of the cage. So, now I have to kill the crickets put them on a leave so he can stalk them. I hope after a while he will start cup feeding.

I have the dripper drip into a little green cup, then from there onto leaves leading down to a collection cup at the bottom.

He is drinking, which is good. I mist often and he seems to enjoy drinking off the leaves after. The humidity goes from 50- 85%.

Any suggestions are welcome.

Oh, I am going to pick up a basking bulb that puts out UVB. As of right now, I dont think the one im using does. I just have a 10.0 tube.

 

[Heika]

Hello,

I am surprised your little cham will eat a dead cricket. Why don't you free range a few at a time, like 2 or 3? Or, release them on the screen right next to him. That usually gets them shooting pretty quick. If you are afraid there may be a stray left over, you can leave a bit of apple in the cage. The crickets would rather eat that than a chameleon.

If you are using a reptisun 10.0 made by ZooMed, it is producing all of the UVB your cham will need. They continue to produce UVB for about 6 months. After that, you will want to consider changing it out to another one. I am not sure what you mean by a basking bulb that produces UVB, I certainly hope you aren't referring to a Powersun UV light or one of the others that are made. They produce ALOT of UVB and can cause significant problems if you aren't careful. There are some people who use them with success, but most of those folks own a guage that measures light waves to ensure they aren't frying their lizards. If you are using a 10.0, your cham is going to be just fine. Are you also dusting the feed with supplements and gutloading?

Heika

 

[kkagy]

I do supplement his food.
I did the free range thing but the crickets have horrible grip and fall to the bottom. I am going to try a little larger crickets that I know would be safe. Maybe a small silkworm?
Being that this is my first cham. I am constantly watching him. He changes colors all the time, which I hope is normal. I am very curious to how he will look when his older.
Also, is it normal for him to drink throughout the entire day, not constantly, but whenever I mist(about 4-5 times)? Or does that mean its too warm in the cage? I keep his basking area around 95 F. He also climbs on the screen, sometimes right underneith the basking light and I read somewhere that is not good.
Sorry for all the questions, but I just want to avoid as much as possible having to post in the health clinic forum a week from now.
Thanks

 

[Heika]

Hi..

Sounds like you are doing well. It is normal for him to go through a variety of shades in a day. Alot of it is response to light, need for heat, need to cool off, etc.

It sounds like your cham has a good drinking response, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Do you have a dripper set up for him in addition to your misting? He may need to just drink longer than you are misting him. A dripper going during the daylight hours would provide that. Some chams just prefer a misting. I have never actually seen my cham use the dripper for drinking, but I have seen him stand under it to be dripped on.

Silkworms are a good feeder, and you can get them in any size.

Heika

 

[lele]

yes, your setup looks good! As Heika mentioned about the lights your best bet is to get regular incandescent light bulbs for basking (don't waste your money on "basking bulbs") and use a repti-sun 5.0 fluorescent for UVB. There seems to be mixed thoughts on the new ZooMed 10.0. I would also steer clear of Power Sun and other mercury vapor bulbs especially with a young cham. They need to be at LEAST 18" away from basking branch and can be difficult to use properly. Most of us just stick to the reptisun 5.0. As noted change it every 6 months. it is a LOT cheaper to buy them online than in a pet store! I have seen them $32-$52 depending on length. There are online vendors that sell any size for about $18 and some give a break if you buy 3 or more. Good to have them on hand. I use a Sharpie marker and write the date I put it into service right on the end of the bulb so I can easily check - sure don't trust my memory!!

What are you gutloading his crickets with and what (brand and type) supplements are you using with what frequency?

 

[kkagy]

I already bought a 10.0, which you think might be putting out too much UVB. It says that if its over a screen, 50% of the UVB gets blocked out, so I thought the 10.0 would be better. I might move it a little above the cage.

As for the feeding, I picked up some larger crickets today...MUCH EASIER TO FEED. They are a little smaller than his head. I dust them with miner-all, herptivite, and Rep-Cal--alternating throughout the week.
Do you dust all the crickets you feed or just one or two?
I order some gutload from cricketfood.com and some bee pollen so I can make my own in the future. I think 10 lbs should last a while though.
As of right now, I am feeding ceral, fruit and cyclopeez(a really great fish food).

Well, today was his first big meal which I hope he enjoyed.

Is there anyway you can know for sure that your cham is getting enough water? Just dont want him to get dehydrated.
Thanks

 

[Brad]

I order some gutload from cricketfood.com and some bee pollen so I can make my own in the future. I think 10 lbs should last a while though.

The food from cricketfood.com will be a big improvement upon the fish food and cereal. Don't forget a moisture source for your crickets. A lot of people use orange slices.

Do you dust all the crickets you feed or just one or two?

Over supplementation can cause serious problems. I dust the majority of my feeders very lightly. Sometimes during the day my cham will give me 'the look', and I will offer a snack or two. I don't dust the snacks. What kind of supplement schedule are you using?

Is there anyway you can know for sure that your cham is getting enough water? Just dont want him to get dehydrated.

Do you see him drinking? An automated watering system is always the best way to go. If you are not ready for that, giving your cham a shower a few times a month can really help out. In my experience, chameleons react differently to manual misting. One cham might have no problem drinking from their leaves and vines, where as another cham will require heavy misting or an automated mister.

 

[kkagy]

Well, so far I have been lucky with his drink response. In the morning around 10am the lights come on and I mist the cage to wet all the leaves. He is usually just waking up and starts drinking.
How old does he have to be for a shower?

I supplement on a three day rotation with one day off. I am going to start dusting the crickets a little less. I think I over do the dusting.

 

[Brad]

He is usually just waking up and starts drinking.

That is good to hear

How old does he have to be for a shower?

I usually wait until 5-6 months. If I had a better shower head (more options), I would probably start at 4-5 months.

I supplement on a three day rotation with one day off.

I do the same thing for juveniles. Adults do not need as much, especially the vitamins.