Babies, now what?

[Mikey1two]

Ok, so my eggs are hatching and I need some input on what to do next to ensure a healthy bunch.
For the first baby, I had a small glass cage with a screen top. One live plant and a piece of driftwood to crawl on. Lighting was a 25W reptile light which Im thinking might be too low. Chameleons look much better since I took them outside today for some real light.
I have yet to see them eat. I am offering pin head crickets and fruit flys.
Need ideas on cage. I live in Southern California where I keep the adults outside year round. Is that safe for the babies with ample shade and misting?
Am I on the right track? Babies are my weak point!
Mikey

 

[Fearaffect]

You knew you were gonna have babies and just now your wondering what to put them in and how to overall care for them??

 

[robmd1]

wow first babies an there quads? where in so cal are you?

 

[Mikey1two]

You knew you were gonna have babies and just now your wondering what to put them in and how to overall care for them??

My question was more of inside/outside! Inside would be glass as I have been doing right now, out side would be mesh of course. I will do what I was prepared to do and all will probably be fine, I was asking for info from people that have raised clutches of baby quads, as I have only raised a couple (not a whole clutch)!!

I have many choice on where I could put them, but what works best for the babies. Inside I could run my mini humidifier and observe their eating habits. Outside I can't but then lighting would be better.

Robmd1, I live in LA County

 

[laurie]

You knew you were gonna have babies and just now your wondering what to put them in and how to overall care for them??

wow first babies an there quads? where in so cal are you?

Ok play nice, i am helping with the babies and have been for a while. He just want to know what others are doing, since I am no longer located in so cal.

 

[Fearaffect]

Ok play nice, i am helping with the babies and have been for a while. He just want to know what others are doing, since I am no longer located in so cal.

Yes ma'm......

Sorry I got on ya.......quads are awesome......Ill be more then happy to "relieve" you of a few if you cant handle them all.....

 

[laurie]

Yes ma'm......

Sorry I got on ya.......quads are awesome......Ill be more then happy to "relieve" you of a few if you cant handle them all.....

Yes I know somewhere way back you & I are related. Just can't handle a cham not taken care of properly. But he really is trying and wants the best for his babies. I know nothing about taking babies outside everyday but it sounds wonderful to be able to do it.

 

[JRchameleons]

My question was more of inside/outside! Inside would be glass as I have been doing right now, out side would be mesh of course.

I don't think you can really keep babies in a mesh cage because the pinheads and fruit flies can get out.

I have yet to raise babies of my own, but I feel like it might be best to keep them inside (at least at first) where you have more control over the temps and where you can watch them more closely. Since you'll be keeping multiple babies together, you need to keep a close eye on them and make sure all of the babies are getting food. From what I've read, it's not uncommon to have a few weaker babies that aren't able to get food because the others eat it all first (if you have any of those, they will need to be separated from the rest).

Also, I think a 25W bulb is probably plenty for hatchlings. But rather than the wattage of the bulb, the more important question is what are the temps? Babies are very sensitive to temperatures and I think it's actually more dangerous for them to be too hot than too cool. I have talked to some breeders that have successfully raised baby veileds without using a basking light at all for the first month or so (using a UVB light, of course). (I know we're talking about different types of chams here, so correct me if the temp thing is different with quads. But if I remember correctly, don't quads actually require lower temps than most other chameleons?)

 

[Fearaffect]

Right now our weather is good....go ahead and keep them outside for the most part....what part of So. Cal. you in....? If in LA county, doesnt help much.....big ass county...lol

I kept my sternfeldi babies outside in mesh cage for most of the time, only bringing in for a few nights when it dropped below 50degs when I lived in Anaheim.....I live in Lake Elsinore now, and temps get down to 25degs so cant do that anymore...sucks

 

[Mikey1two]

I stay near the Long Beach area, bringing them in at night would be a must though. Still seems kind of cold for hatchlings. I set up my mesh cage outside, I still have to seal off a few sides to keep the humidity up. Its well planted and should serve well for humidity. I will move them as soon as I figure temp range outside. What temps should I aim for? Im running anywhere between 70-75* right now indoors. Do they need a basking area? Only one of the three I have so far show any real use of it.
Feeding will be hard to monitor, but I do have a scale for them and will monitor weight. Speaking of feeding, I still have yet to see them eat! How long does it take for them to start eating?

Mikey

 

[Fearaffect]

They should start eating within a day....they might be shy eaters....my female n male multi(male especially) wont eat with me watching them....

As far as temps go......a night drop does wonders for these chams....dont be shy on letting the temps get low.....Id say 55degs max on the low end for a Quad(im not an expert on Quads though) since it is a montane species....

My stenfeldi babies handled 85degs no prob.....but they def. liked the 70s better....

What again are u feeding them??(sorry if u mentioned it, I forget easily..lol)
I used pinheads and put them in a cardboard tube with one end capped off and leave it in the cage......that way when they climbed up, the babies would eat them whenever they wanted.....put the tube n the middle of the plant...that way they will climb on the branches and let the babies hunt them......and less likely goin on the screen and getting out.
They also ate FF whenever I had them.....I had sent u a link to a great FF seller.....

 

[laurie]

I stay near the Long Beach area, bringing them in at night would be a must though. Still seems kind of cold for hatchlings. I set up my mesh cage outside, I still have to seal off a few sides to keep the humidity up. Its well planted and should serve well for humidity. I will move them as soon as I figure temp range outside. What temps should I aim for? Im running anywhere between 70-75* right now indoors. Do they need a basking area? Only one of the three I have so far show any real use of it.
Feeding will be hard to monitor, but I do have a scale for them and will monitor weight. Speaking of feeding, I still have yet to see them eat! How long does it take for them to start eating?

Mikey

If it were me I would have then inside in tubs or butterfly cages and worry about keeping humidity WAY high and the FF's and pinheads available. Mine did not eat pinheads for at least 2 weeks. If they are in the sun it could get way to warm for them. jmo

 

[Mikey1two]

they are being offered pinheads and ff inside, for sure i will have crickets in a little container when outside in the bigger cage.

Chams will only go outside while im able to watch and observe them. It will be a good time to get some good natural light. Im looking into the Butterfly cages you use Laurie, until then I think I could use what I have now.

Laurie, could you again go over the temps I should have?

Thanks

 

[laurie]

they are being offered pinheads and ff inside, for sure i will have crickets in a little container when outside in the bigger cage.

Chams will only go outside while im able to watch and observe them. It will be a good time to get some good natural light. Im looking into the Butterfly cages you use Laurie, until then I think I could use what I have now.

Laurie, could you again go over the temps I should have?

Thanks

Sure I can, but remember i am know for cooler and more humid. But i haven't lost a quad or deremensis baby, so far.

the low end of my temps go to 64 the top end is 70/72 never above that. I alway have at least 60% humidity and more often 80%. I get up to 100%. My babies had mistkings from the day they were born. Most people will never do that so maybe I was just lucky.

 

[camothe]

Usually babies eat almost right away. They might just not be hungry riht now, but they will be soon! Babies/ juvies are pretty much bottomless pits!