Begginer Cham Questions

jvcursino

New Member
Okay, I've seen a form thing on another post, so ill do it before I say exactly what my questions are:
My Cham's name is Loki and im not sure if its male or female
Chameleon Info:

  • Your Chameleon - Veiled Chameleon, sex i dont know , its around 3 months old. Its been with me for 4 days
  • Handling - I have handeled Loki probably 3 times but i am going down to probably once a week to weigh him
  • Feeding - I feed Loki small crickets, 10/day (if they are consumed, gonna get to this at the end of the post), for gut loading im using "Fluckers Cricket Quencher Calcium Fortified" and "Fluckers High Calcium Cricket Diet"
  • Supplements - For the Polyvitamins i use "Zoo Med's Reptivite w/ D3" and for the Calcium i use "Zoo Med Repti Calcium w/ D3" My goal is to alternate them on my feeding schedule
  • Watering - I have a Repitirain and a Fogger. The rain goes off every 6h for 1min. Ive seen him drinking water on the 1st day. The fogger is just to keep humidity, but it is doubleing as a dripper as well
  • Fecal Description - I haven't found any droppings from him. i did see a little dark thing but im unsure if it is actually poop. I dont know if Petco tested him for parasites.

Cage Info:

  • Cage Type - I have a ZooMed ReptiBreeze. It is an All Screen Cage. 24x24x48
  • Lighting - I dont remember the brand of the basking lamp but the uvb is a 18w 10.0 uvb fluorecent 24in from reptizoo. I have both lamps going on and off at the same time 7am-7pm (on time)
  • Temperature - Basking spot goes up to around 85F where the thermometer is... (he hangs a little closer to the lamp) i havent checked the temp on the lower part of the cage because i havent seen him adventuring there. The lower temp it gets at night is around 70. for the bottom i plan on mesuring with a IR Thermometer gun but on the basking spot i have a sensor from a Thrive thermo/hygrometer (im waiting on another one to replace this one probably)
  • Humidity - my humidity during the day is around 45. at night it goes up to around 70. created with the fogger and the mister.
  • Plants - All artificial plants
  • Placement - The cage is located in my room. on the oposite side of my heater vent and my fan (that also double as a humidifier) im most of the day not home so there is no high trafic where it is. it is placed on the floor for the moment
  • Location - I live on Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Current Problem - Loki has been hanging out on his basking spot for the whole day and night. he hasnt eaten yet. first day i tried free rangeing food on the cage but figured it was too big of a cage for the little guy to find all his food so i switched to cup feeding. but even so, all crickets i put in the morning stay there overnight. from last night to this morning i threw these out and put new ones in because my mister probably was aimed where i placed the bowl (opss) so i drawned the crickets and washed all the coating i had put on them.
 

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Okay, I've seen a form thing on another post, so ill do it before I say exactly what my questions are:
My Cham's name is Loki and im not sure if its male or female
Chameleon Info:

  • Your Chameleon - Veiled Chameleon, sex i dont know , its around 3 months old. Its been with me for 4 days
  • Handling - I have handeled Loki probably 3 times but i am going down to probably once a week to weigh him
  • Feeding - I feed Loki small crickets, 10/day (if they are consumed, gonna get to this at the end of the post), for gut loading im using "Fluckers Cricket Quencher Calcium Fortified" and "Fluckers High Calcium Cricket Diet"
  • Supplements - For the Polyvitamins i use "Zoo Med's Reptivite w/ D3" and for the Calcium i use "Zoo Med Repti Calcium w/ D3" My goal is to alternate them on my feeding schedule
  • Watering - I have a Repitirain and a Fogger. The rain goes off every 6h for 1min. Ive seen him drinking water on the 1st day. The fogger is just to keep humidity, but it is doubleing as a dripper as well
  • Fecal Description - I haven't found any droppings from him. i did see a little dark thing but im unsure if it is actually poop. I dont know if Petco tested him for parasites.

Cage Info:

  • Cage Type - I have a ZooMed ReptiBreeze. It is an All Screen Cage. 24x24x48
  • Lighting - I dont remember the brand of the basking lamp but the uvb is a 18w 10.0 uvb fluorecent 24in from reptizoo. I have both lamps going on and off at the same time 7am-7pm (on time)
  • Temperature - Basking spot goes up to around 85F where the thermometer is... (he hangs a little closer to the lamp) i havent checked the temp on the lower part of the cage because i havent seen him adventuring there. The lower temp it gets at night is around 70. for the bottom i plan on mesuring with a IR Thermometer gun but on the basking spot i have a sensor from a Thrive thermo/hygrometer (im waiting on another one to replace this one probably)
  • Humidity - my humidity during the day is around 45. at night it goes up to around 70. created with the fogger and the mister.
  • Plants - All artificial plants
  • Placement - The cage is located in my room. on the oposite side of my heater vent and my fan (that also double as a humidifier) im most of the day not home so there is no high trafic where it is. it is placed on the floor for the moment
  • Location - I live on Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Current Problem - Loki has been hanging out on his basking spot for the whole day and night. he hasnt eaten yet. first day i tried free rangeing food on the cage but figured it was too big of a cage for the little guy to find all his food so i switched to cup feeding. but even so, all crickets i put in the morning stay there overnight. from last night to this morning i threw these out and put new ones in because my mister probably was aimed where i placed the bowl (opss) so i drawned the crickets and washed all the coating i had put on them
I cant go through you're whole sheet but chameleons take a bit to adjust and your guy looks tiny. Make sure you're offering the right size feeders, they should be small enough to fit between his eyes. You only want to give D3 and vitamin twice a month.

I'd also raise the cage from the floor and put it where the top of the cage is taller than you. Animals above the chameleon = threat to the chameleon. Not to mention you'll need something under the cage to catch water.

Adding some more pathways / vines us always a good idea. Consider live plants too.

Did you mention where you got the chameleon?

Ditch the fogger during the day. Fogger + heat can lead to a respiratory infection. Fog at night when the heat/light is off.
 
I cant go through you're whole sheet but chameleons take a bit to adjust and your guy looks tiny. Make sure you're offering the right size feeders, they should be small enough to fit between his eyes. You only want to give D3 and vitamin twice a month.

I'd also raise the cage from the floor and put it where the top of the cage is taller than you. Animals above the chameleon = threat to the chameleon. Not to mention you'll need something under the cage to catch water.

Adding some more pathways / vines us always a good idea. Consider live plants too.

Did you mention where you got the chameleon?

Ditch the fogger during the day. Fogger + heat can lead to a respiratory infection. Fog at night when the heat/light is off.
I've ordered more plants, waiting for it to arrive. As for the fogger... I'm scared the humidity will drop too much during the day if I leave it off. But definitely i don't want an infection, so that will be fixed right away. will also fix the placement of the cage asap. as of for the fact that he hasnt left that spot really... would that be normal? i got him from petco. ill check if the feeders i have are that small, if not ill go back to the store to get more. should i stick with only crickets?
 
I've ordered more plants, waiting for it to arrive. As for the fogger... I'm scared the humidity will drop too much during the day if I leave it off. But definitely i don't want an infection, so that will be fixed right away. will also fix the placement of the cage asap. as of for the fact that he hasnt left that spot really... would that be normal? i got him from petco. ill check if the feeders i have are that small, if not ill go back to the store to get more. should i stick with only crickets?
A variety is best. You could try very small silkworms or dubia roaches. Also get a fecal exam done by a good vet. If you gave live plants that will help keep the humidity in. It's okay if he is not exploring his cage so much right now. They can take time to adjust. Ms Skittles will go through your form.
 
I’ll be putting my feedback in red. For those things already mentioned, I’ll give more detail if needed.
  • Your Chameleon - Veiled Chameleon, sex i dont know , its around 3 months old. Its been with me for 4 days
  • Handling - I have handeled Loki probably 3 times but i am going down to probably once a week to weigh him You really need to let him adjust and settle into his new home first.
  • Feeding - I feed Loki small crickets, 10/day (if they are consumed, gonna get to this at the end of the post), for gut loading im using "Fluckers Cricket Quencher Calcium Fortified" and "Fluckers High Calcium Cricket Diet" It’s possible the crickets may be too large. Anything bigger than the space between the eyes is too big for him to eat. You may need to order the correct size feeders. I’m going to guess that he should be able to handle 1/4” sized crickets/feeders. Also, adding more variety is needed. Bsfl (aka calci worms, Phoenix worms) would probably be a good size for him and are available at just about every pet store. Roaches and silkworms are my favorite feeders, but you’d probably need to order them. Check the forum sponsors for feeders. At such a young age, he should be eating much more...like 20+ daily.
    While the products you have will keep your crickets alive for a little while, it doesn’t really keep them healthy and they don’t offer your cham as much nutrition. I don’t gutload, but keep my bugs well fed with fresh greens, veggies and a little bit of fruit. I supplement it all with Repashy bug burger. Attaching graphics for feeders and gutloading.
  • Supplements - For the Polyvitamins i use "Zoo Med's Reptivite w/ D3" and for the Calcium i use "Zoo Med Repti Calcium w/ D3" My goal is to alternate them on my feeding schedule This is incorrect and can quickly overdose your little one on D3. You’ll want to use a phosphorus free calcium without D3 at every feeding. Then one feeding every other week you’ll use the Reptivite with D3.
  • Watering - I have a Repitirain and a Fogger. The rain goes off every 6h for 1min. Ive seen him drinking water on the 1st day. Consider yourself lucky! Many chams (all of mine) are secretive about drinking. It would be better to mist for about 2 minutes, 2-3 times a day. Mid day instead of a misting, you could add a dripper for about 20 minutes if you wanted. The enclosure needs time to dry out in between. The fogger is just to keep humidity, but it is doubleing as a dripper as well You only want to fog at night and when temps are below 70f, other wise you risk a respiratory infection.
  • Fecal Description - I haven't found any droppings from him. i did see a little dark thing but im unsure if it is actually poop. I dont know if Petco tested him for parasites. Most likely he has not been tested. Due to the conditions your little guy has been exposed to thru the breeding facility and Petco, there is a good chance he has contracted a parasite. A wellness vet visit with a fresh fecal for testing is always a good idea.

Cage Info:

  • Cage Type - I have a ZooMed ReptiBreeze. It is an All Screen Cage. 24x24x48 Perfect size!
  • Lighting - I dont remember the brand of the basking lamp but the uvb is a 18w 10.0 uvb fluorecent 24in from reptizoo. I believe ReptiZoo only makes T8. You’ll need to ensure that your basking area/back of your chameleon is about 6-7” below your lights to get the correct range of uvb. I have both lamps going on and off at the same time 7am-7pm (on time) Perfect!
  • Temperature - Basking spot goes up to around 85F where the thermometer is... (he hangs a little closer to the lamp) This is a bit too warm for a young one. Usually 80f is a good temp. You’ll want to elevate your basking light off the screen top as little ones love to climb up there and he risks getting burned. Raising it should lower the temp to a good range. i havent checked the temp on the lower part of the cage because i havent seen him adventuring there. He will as he gets bigger. The whole thing is to have gradients of temps and humidity, which unless your home is really hot/cold, should happen anyhow. The lower temp it gets at night is around 70. for the bottom i plan on mesuring with a IR Thermometer gun but on the basking spot i have a sensor from a Thrive thermo/hygrometer (im waiting on another one to replace this one probably)
  • Humidity - my humidity during the day is around 45. at night it goes up to around 70. created with the fogger and the mister. Very good! Ideal daytime humidity is between 30-50% and at night when it’s cool it can go all the way to 100%.
  • Plants - All artificial plants This needs to be changed to all live and safe plants. Veileds nibble their plants, so this is important. Some have eaten a fake leaf and become impacted, which without immediate treatment can be fatal. Attaching a safe plant list graphic. You’ll also want to gently wash the leaves and repot any plants you get to remove any pesticides or fertilizers. Many place river rocks too large to be eaten over the soil to prevent accidental ingestion.
  • Placement - The cage is located in my room. on the oposite side of my heater vent and my fan (that also double as a humidifier) im most of the day not home so there is no high trafic where it is. it is placed on the floor for the moment Really need to get that as high up as you can. Height=safety & security for chams.
  • Location - I live on Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Current Problem - Loki has been hanging out on his basking spot for the whole day and night. he hasnt eaten yet. first day i tried free rangeing food on the cage but figured it was too big of a cage for the little guy to find all his food so i switched to cup feeding. but even so, all crickets i put in the morning stay there overnight. With crickets it’s a good idea to either remove all uneaten ones at night or provide them something to eat, as a hungry cricket will bite your cham. It may be the crickets are too big for him. It may be the stress of moving to a new home. Most need time to settle in to their new homes and relax from the stress of it all before they’ll eat. Make sure you have your feeding station within easy view from basking area and try to keep it in the same spot. I use and love these. https://tkchameleons.com/products/shooting-gallery?variant=30018608595032 If you have a small plastic tray, you could craft your own, just be sure to soften the sharp edges with either a lighter or apply hot glue to the edge. from last night to this morning i threw these out and put new ones in because my mister probably was aimed where i placed the bowl (opss) so i drawned the crickets and washed all the coating i had put on them. I hate crickets, but ohh…poor nasty things.
I hope some of this helps and your little guy started eating better. Just need to double check one thing…are you positive Loki is a boy? This is super important as Petco usually has no clue and girls will lay eggs when grown even if not exposed to a boy. Males have prominent nubs sticking out of their back feet called tarsal spurs. Some females have been found with tiny spurs, so if you aren’t sure, you can post a pic of his back feet and we can figure it out. Do feel free to ask as many questions as needed aand again, welcome. :)

3409D2D1-0AB0-4379-968B-42542C82ECA3.jpeg
B0E72719-2484-42AE-96D4-3A046B16849D.jpeg
1F772675-A7AE-4AE0-AE14-E70D2C78772D.jpeg
 
Oh gods, I thought I was mostly good, I got a lot to do then… ill try to get this fixed asap. Plus, the live plant thing… do you think I can find them online? i was always told to avoid live plants because of the soil scare of the cham eating it. also, im not sure if loki is a boy or girl. im at work right now. will try to find a better picture of their back feet for you to help me sex them
 
Oh gods, I thought I was mostly good, I got a lot to do then… ill try to get this fixed asap. Plus, the live plant thing… do you think I can find them online?
You can, but shipping will be a killer, and I prefer picking my own from a garden/big-box store (Bring a tape measure. ;))

This is the end of the season for dedicated garden stores, so there should be clearance sales. (Worth a day/road trip, IMO).

i was always told to avoid live plants because of the soil scare of the cham eating it.
I think there may be as much or more risk of impaction from eating artificial plants.

You can repot, or remove a little soil from pots and fill in with smooth river pebbles large enough not to be a choking/impaction hazard. Alternatively, pots can be covered with something like these:
https://www.amazon.com/Flower-Repellent-Safety-Protect-Children/dp/B07NTX5FDF
(or make some out of screening or plastic mesh :))
 
I’ll be putting my feedback in red. For those things already mentioned, I’ll give more detail if needed.
  • Your Chameleon - Veiled Chameleon, sex i dont know , its around 3 months old. Its been with me for 4 days
  • Handling - I have handeled Loki probably 3 times but i am going down to probably once a week to weigh him You really need to let him adjust and settle into his new home first.
  • Feeding - I feed Loki small crickets, 10/day (if they are consumed, gonna get to this at the end of the post), for gut loading im using "Fluckers Cricket Quencher Calcium Fortified" and "Fluckers High Calcium Cricket Diet" It’s possible the crickets may be too large. Anything bigger than the space between the eyes is too big for him to eat. You may need to order the correct size feeders. I’m going to guess that he should be able to handle 1/4” sized crickets/feeders. Also, adding more variety is needed. Bsfl (aka calci worms, Phoenix worms) would probably be a good size for him and are available at just about every pet store. Roaches and silkworms are my favorite feeders, but you’d probably need to order them. Check the forum sponsors for feeders. At such a young age, he should be eating much more...like 20+ daily.
    While the products you have will keep your crickets alive for a little while, it doesn’t really keep them healthy and they don’t offer your cham as much nutrition. I don’t gutload, but keep my bugs well fed with fresh greens, veggies and a little bit of fruit. I supplement it all with Repashy bug burger. Attaching graphics for feeders and gutloading.
  • Supplements - For the Polyvitamins i use "Zoo Med's Reptivite w/ D3" and for the Calcium i use "Zoo Med Repti Calcium w/ D3" My goal is to alternate them on my feeding schedule This is incorrect and can quickly overdose your little one on D3. You’ll want to use a phosphorus free calcium without D3 at every feeding. Then one feeding every other week you’ll use the Reptivite with D3.
  • Watering - I have a Repitirain and a Fogger. The rain goes off every 6h for 1min. Ive seen him drinking water on the 1st day. Consider yourself lucky! Many chams (all of mine) are secretive about drinking. It would be better to mist for about 2 minutes, 2-3 times a day. Mid day instead of a misting, you could add a dripper for about 20 minutes if you wanted. The enclosure needs time to dry out in between. The fogger is just to keep humidity, but it is doubleing as a dripper as well You only want to fog at night and when temps are below 70f, other wise you risk a respiratory infection.
  • Fecal Description - I haven't found any droppings from him. i did see a little dark thing but im unsure if it is actually poop. I dont know if Petco tested him for parasites. Most likely he has not been tested. Due to the conditions your little guy has been exposed to thru the breeding facility and Petco, there is a good chance he has contracted a parasite. A wellness vet visit with a fresh fecal for testing is always a good idea.

Cage Info:

  • Cage Type - I have a ZooMed ReptiBreeze. It is an All Screen Cage. 24x24x48 Perfect size!
  • Lighting - I dont remember the brand of the basking lamp but the uvb is a 18w 10.0 uvb fluorecent 24in from reptizoo. I believe ReptiZoo only makes T8. You’ll need to ensure that your basking area/back of your chameleon is about 6-7” below your lights to get the correct range of uvb. I have both lamps going on and off at the same time 7am-7pm (on time) Perfect!
  • Temperature - Basking spot goes up to around 85F where the thermometer is... (he hangs a little closer to the lamp) This is a bit too warm for a young one. Usually 80f is a good temp. You’ll want to elevate your basking light off the screen top as little ones love to climb up there and he risks getting burned. Raising it should lower the temp to a good range. i havent checked the temp on the lower part of the cage because i havent seen him adventuring there. He will as he gets bigger. The whole thing is to have gradients of temps and humidity, which unless your home is really hot/cold, should happen anyhow. The lower temp it gets at night is around 70. for the bottom i plan on mesuring with a IR Thermometer gun but on the basking spot i have a sensor from a Thrive thermo/hygrometer (im waiting on another one to replace this one probably)
  • Humidity - my humidity during the day is around 45. at night it goes up to around 70. created with the fogger and the mister. Very good! Ideal daytime humidity is between 30-50% and at night when it’s cool it can go all the way to 100%.
  • Plants - All artificial plants This needs to be changed to all live and safe plants. Veileds nibble their plants, so this is important. Some have eaten a fake leaf and become impacted, which without immediate treatment can be fatal. Attaching a safe plant list graphic. You’ll also want to gently wash the leaves and repot any plants you get to remove any pesticides or fertilizers. Many place river rocks too large to be eaten over the soil to prevent accidental ingestion.
  • Placement - The cage is located in my room. on the oposite side of my heater vent and my fan (that also double as a humidifier) im most of the day not home so there is no high trafic where it is. it is placed on the floor for the moment Really need to get that as high up as you can. Height=safety & security for chams.
  • Location - I live on Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Current Problem - Loki has been hanging out on his basking spot for the whole day and night. he hasnt eaten yet. first day i tried free rangeing food on the cage but figured it was too big of a cage for the little guy to find all his food so i switched to cup feeding. but even so, all crickets i put in the morning stay there overnight. With crickets it’s a good idea to either remove all uneaten ones at night or provide them something to eat, as a hungry cricket will bite your cham. It may be the crickets are too big for him. It may be the stress of moving to a new home. Most need time to settle in to their new homes and relax from the stress of it all before they’ll eat. Make sure you have your feeding station within easy view from basking area and try to keep it in the same spot. I use and love these. https://tkchameleons.com/products/shooting-gallery?variant=30018608595032 If you have a small plastic tray, you could craft your own, just be sure to soften the sharp edges with either a lighter or apply hot glue to the edge. from last night to this morning i threw these out and put new ones in because my mister probably was aimed where i placed the bowl (opss) so i drawned the crickets and washed all the coating i had put on them. I hate crickets, but ohh…poor nasty things.
I hope some of this helps and your little guy started eating better. Just need to double check one thing…are you positive Loki is a boy? This is super important as Petco usually has no clue and girls will lay eggs when grown even if not exposed to a boy. Males have prominent nubs sticking out of their back feet called tarsal spurs. Some females have been found with tiny spurs, so if you aren’t sure, you can post a pic of his back feet and we can figure it out. Do feel free to ask as many questions as needed aand again, welcome. :)

View attachment 313760View attachment 313761View attachment 313762
About the UVB pretty sure they have t5 and t8. I have a t8, is that not best? Because if not i could probably get the t5 when the t8 is dead
 
About the UVB pretty sure they have t5 and t8. I have a t8, is that not best? Because if not i could probably get the t5 when the t8 is dead
T5 HO is newer tech; T8 is the older tech. The T5s are more powerful (~twice the range) and last longer (1 year) before they need changing.
 
Oh gods, I thought I was mostly good, I got a lot to do then… ill try to get this fixed asap. Plus, the live plant thing… do you think I can find them online? i was always told to avoid live plants because of the soil scare of the cham eating it. also, im not sure if loki is a boy or girl. im at work right now. will try to find a better picture of their back feet for you to help me sex them
Plus one with what Klyde said. But if you do need to order online try Amazon.com you can get nice plants on there but it doesn’t beat going to the store and picking what you’d like in person. Sometimes the shape and size of the plant ranges and some shapes and sizes will serve you better than others.
 
Oh gods, I thought I was mostly good, I got a lot to do then… ill try to get this fixed asap. Plus, the live plant thing… do you think I can find them online? i was always told to avoid live plants because of the soil scare of the cham eating it. also, im not sure if loki is a boy or girl. im at work right now. will try to find a better picture of their back feet for you to help me sex them
It’s not easy figuring out what is right and what isn’t for chameleons as there’s so much misinformation out there. Plus, as we learn more about them, things are always changing and we’re improving our care. A great place to learn everything you ever wanted about chameleons is https://chameleonacademy.com/
As for live plants, some have been proven safe for chameleons. Using an organic soil with no additives like perlite keeps your soil safe too. Most Home Depot & Lowe’s carry houseplants such as pothos and weeping fig. In some stores you may find them inside the store. Some grocery stores carry a few houseplants and of course, you could always check with florists.
 
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