Can i get some advice?!

[napoleon2411]

I bought a helmeted (high casqued) chameleon nine days ago. We were told that it was approx 6 months. the cage is a reptibreeze 41.41.76 whch we were told was perfect size for him to grow into. viv is sprayed liberally at least 3 times a day. there is a fruit fly culture in the viv and we have been trying to feed him crickets. he is still so small so how many crickets should he be eating per day? he seems more interested in the fruit flies now. whats the best way to give him the crickets? i find they just fall to the bottom and he never goes down there. im so worried about not providing enough calcium etc.

Also over xmas we had to move him (only a few days after getting him home) as we were going away for a few days and wanted to be the ones looking after him. he has a small travel box we were given him in. some of trip he spent in that but seemed agitated so he spent some of it on my hand. on the way back (4 hr journey) he would NOT go in the box at all so had to hold him. he was fine all the way back then right at the end he suddenly got very black on his head and sides. he started shaking his head upwards almost like a fit. when we put him back in at home, he almost looked... a bit wonky... he has done it once since but only when i have handled him. should i be worried? he has been eating fine, moving around to top of cage when uv light is on and sleeping under leaves. he just doesnt seem quite the same...

please help!

 

[camimom]

I have a male hoehnelli as well.
Personally, I would mist him more, they like alot of water.
My guy is 6 months old (though small for his age) and he eats about 6-10 small crickets most days.
As for the head shaking thing., he could have been warning you off. maybe trying to 'scare' you. though i cant say for sure.
How hot are his temps?

 

[napoleon2411]

Thanks for reply, i will def start misting more. as i said he seems more interested in the fruit flies. maybe just put crickets in? how do you feed yours? i did think that about trying to scare me. i imagine the travelling must have been massively stressful and he'd just had enough. his temp ranges between 70-80 F never below. and we put the uv light on about 8 hrs a day.

 

[camimom]

Yea, as a montane species, they enjoy alot of water.
I leave a dripper running all day, and he is misted 4-5 times a day.
ANd when I shower him, he drinks for like twenty minutes straight.
As for feeding, I currently cup feed. a deli cup about 3 inches deep filled with small crickets. I wanted fruit flies bc hes so small, but i cant find any locally and dont have the energy to deal with them.
I plan to however, begin feeding him using this https://www.chameleonforums.com/my-new-feeding-method-72935/

just slightly modified to a smaller version for him.
the temps seem ok, though you want ot make sure they dont range so much unless the top is 80 and the bottom is 70 (of the cage)

how are you supplementing, how often?
and you should leave his uvb light on for 12 hours a day, just like his basking,

 

[napoleon2411]

well ive been dusting the crickets with calcium only, and have tried to get in one vitamin supplementation a week. i have only had him for 9 days as well and he is just so much more interested the the flies than the crickets that im finding supplementing him hard.

 

[camimom]

well ive been dusting the crickets with calcium only, and have tried to get in one vitamin supplementation a week. i have only had him for 9 days as well and he is just so much more interested the the flies than the crickets that im finding supplementing him hard.

Well yoll have to switch him to crickets eventually, ff wont sustain him forever.
I supplement with an all in one powder and do it every other feeding, since they dont need as much as panthers and veileds.
You may want to not give him ff for a a day or two, and then see if he will eat some crickets.

 

[napoleon2411]

ok i will do. the feeding thing you posted looks awesome so will give that a go.
you dont think there is anything seriously wrong with him then? ive been very frightened about him being a bit... different last few days after travel. but like i said he's been eating and moving around ok. he just sometimes looks like he is sitting a bit... wonkily...

 

[camimom]

Can you post a picture of him, a coupld from each side?
and yea the feeding thing works great, bugs stay in, until Kink my veiled decides to eat them. Im going to get a little bottle of milk and make a small one for my hoe Kermit.
If its just stress from being moved and him defending himself, I wouldnt worry.
Just keep an eye on him for the next few days.
if you have any other questions or concerns, you can post again in this thread (im on daily) or PM me.

 

[napoleon2411]

both of these were taken before i got worried about him. will take some tomorrow morning when he is awake and share them on here for you to see. thanks for your help.

 

[napoleon2411]

ps i call it he.... but we were told it was too soon to tell if it was a boy or girl... so we called him napoleon and stuck with him being a boy!

 

[jcarlo17]

If you are worried about him not eating the crickets cuz they go to the bottom id start cup feeding him. I was worried about the same thing with mine and now my cham is used to getting his food in the cup every so often a cricket will sneak out and he will hunt it down but when hes hungry he knows where to look. That and you dont want the crickets staying there overnight, so this is another easy way of getting the ones he doesnt eat out.

 

[napoleon2411]

this is a picture i took of Napoleon this afternoon.

 

[camimom]

He looks fine. I do think it is a he btw.
All i can say is that the head shaking was him trying to scare you away, and the shaky walk was probably the leaf walk they do.
I say hes perfectly fine! And very cute.

 

[napoleon2411]

So glad to hear you say that set up a dripper earlier and he's been drinking like mad. thanks for all your help. and he is cute isn't he!! Im proud!!

 

[camimom]

So glad to hear you say that set up a dripper earlier and he's been drinking like mad. thanks for all your help. and he is cute isn't he!! Im proud!!

No worries! we all freak out.
ANd hes very adorable, I love th teal color, thats what my guy looks lke too.