can someone help?

[christineacero]

Chameleon Info:

Your Chameleon - T. Sternfeldi female x 2. Both a little over a year old. Been in my care for about 2 months or so.
Handling -Asha (never). Zuri (almost every day, sometimes more. She always wants to come out)
Feeding - Mostly crickets (3/8s or 1/2s). Trying to get them to eat worms but neither of them seem interested. Feed them everyday with crickets loaded with cricket food, carrotts, spinach, potatoes or any other veggie i have at the moment.
Supplements - Zoo med calcium every feeding, multivitamin every 2 weeks. Need to buy D3.
Watering - mist 2 or 3 times a day. Had a fogger set up for their terrarium but have since moved it to my baby enclosure to help with their humidity (i have 6 babies born last sunday)
Fecal Description - Never been tested for parasites while in my care. Feces and urate look normal for both chams.
History - Zuri (the one I'm concerned about currently) is gravid.


Cage Info:

Cage Type -Exo terra special edition enclosure. I'm not sure of the dimensions but it's their largest one. Possibly 2'x2'x4"?
Lighting - 12 on 12 off everyday. Repti sun 5.0 UVB tube lighting. I can't remember what my basking bulb is, but it was the lowest output because these guys don't like hot temps.
Temperature - Ambient temperature in the enclosure is around 21 degrees celcius (approx 73F), not sure of basking spot temp. Air up there is warm to the touch. Temp drops to about 18 degrees celcius overnight.
Humidity - humidity is between 70% and 90% on a consistent basis. Hygrometer is used to measure these levels.
Plants -I have a spider plant in the middle of the enclosure, 2 pothos, and a mini orchid. 1 artificial vine attached to the corner of the enclosure in the back.
Placement - sits in the far corner of our kitchen at the back of our house. Low traffic area. Top of cage sits about 5'6" off the floor.
Location - Ontario, Canada


Current Problem - Zuri always has nose rub. She always wants to come out and visit, but is just as happy to go back into her enclosure when I put her back. Is this normal? How can I get her to stop rubbing her nose on the glass so her nose can heal?
Also, I'm a worry wart and I'm concerned that she may have RI. Can someone give me some symptoms to look for? When she yawns, her mouth looks normal and doesn't look like theres a buildup of mucus, but sometimes she looks like she shudders and I'm wondering if thats what they look like when they cough? Her nostrils also look a little swollen, but I might have just not ever noticed them before until now. Shes eating and drinking normally, and is going about her business the same way she has since i brought her home.

 

[Carlton]

Chameleon Info:

Your Chameleon - T. Sternfeldi female x 2. Both a little over a year old. Been in my care for about 2 months or so.
Handling -Asha (never). Zuri (almost every day, sometimes more. She always wants to come out)
Feeding - Mostly crickets (3/8s or 1/2s). Trying to get them to eat worms but neither of them seem interested. Feed them everyday with crickets loaded with cricket food, carrotts, spinach, potatoes or any other veggie i have at the moment.
Supplements - Zoo med calcium every feeding, multivitamin every 2 weeks. Need to buy D3.
Watering - mist 2 or 3 times a day. Had a fogger set up for their terrarium but have since moved it to my baby enclosure to help with their humidity (i have 6 babies born last sunday)
Fecal Description - Never been tested for parasites while in my care. Feces and urate look normal for both chams.
History - Zuri (the one I'm concerned about currently) is gravid.


Cage Info:

Cage Type -Exo terra special edition enclosure. I'm not sure of the dimensions but it's their largest one. Possibly 2'x2'x4"?
Lighting - 12 on 12 off everyday. Repti sun 5.0 UVB tube lighting. I can't remember what my basking bulb is, but it was the lowest output because these guys don't like hot temps.
Temperature - Ambient temperature in the enclosure is around 21 degrees celcius (approx 73F), not sure of basking spot temp. Air up there is warm to the touch. Temp drops to about 18 degrees celcius overnight.
Humidity - humidity is between 70% and 90% on a consistent basis. Hygrometer is used to measure these levels.
Plants -I have a spider plant in the middle of the enclosure, 2 pothos, and a mini orchid. 1 artificial vine attached to the corner of the enclosure in the back.
Placement - sits in the far corner of our kitchen at the back of our house. Low traffic area. Top of cage sits about 5'6" off the floor.
Location - Ontario, Canada


Current Problem - Zuri always has nose rub. She always wants to come out and visit, but is just as happy to go back into her enclosure when I put her back. Is this normal? How can I get her to stop rubbing her nose on the glass so her nose can heal?
Also, I'm a worry wart and I'm concerned that she may have RI. Can someone give me some symptoms to look for? When she yawns, her mouth looks normal and doesn't look like theres a buildup of mucus, but sometimes she looks like she shudders and I'm wondering if thats what they look like when they cough? Her nostrils also look a little swollen, but I might have just not ever noticed them before until now. Shes eating and drinking normally, and is going about her business the same way she has since i brought her home.

She may just not be adjusting to the glass enclosure walls. Chams don't realize why they can't walk through the clear barrier. It can bother some individuals more than others. The first thing I do when a cham is rubbing all the time is put visual obstructions between it and the glass...stick sprays of fake foliage across the glass where she tends to paw at it, add climbing routes all over the cage, and add hiding areas in case the cham may be feeling too exposed. There may be some place in the room she can see and keeps trying to reach, as her cage isn't suiting her for some reason.

I don't think she has a respiratory infection. Sick chams don't move around, eat or drink normally.

 

[Trace]

A bit of history about your Trioceros sternfeldi before we begin: The Trioceros sternfeldi are primarily exported from Tanzania and in 2011 Tanzania closed all exports of their flora and fauna. Very recently (like within the last few months) they have started to export again. Previous to the ban, very few people in Canada were working with the T. sternfeldi and I highly doubt any exist (or generations thereof) of animals imported before 2011. There seems to be a large number of the T. Sternfeldi in Canada right now, like out of nowhere, and I suspect it is because of a recent import. (If Cait0420 is reading this, it applies to you and your animals as well)

This would explain a few things about your animals. The people who sold them to you could not sex them properly as they were sold as a ‘pair’. This shows they don’t know much about the animals they are selling. Your females have come in gravid; the sternfeldi breed throughout the year. They don’t like eating worms. My wild caughts and F1’s never understood the soft bodied worms like silks or horns probably because they don’t encounter them in the wild. My sternfeldi preferred crunchy bugs and flies. Finally a wild caught animal will have a harder time acclimating to captivity. The Trioceros sternfeldi are a fairly calm and somewhat outgoing species in my experience but your Zuri might be taking a bit longer to settle in. I agree with Carlton that blocking the glass with foliage, creating more hiding spots will help with nose rub.

In regards to the open mouth and shudder; she is doing it in the morning after she has warmed up a bit right? I call that the morning stretch and it’s perfectly normal. All chameleons do that but I find the lowland ones do it more often.

I have written a blog about wild caught chameleons. It is geared for chameleons that are in bad shape and yours aren’t but there are parts you might find helpful: https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/trace/776-dealing-wild-caught-chameleon.html

I have also written about how I kept my bitaeniatus complex chameleons (The T. sternfeldi is part of this group). They are a bit trickier than the more common species like Veileds and Panthers: https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/trace/780-random-musings-seasonal-cycling.html

 

[christineacero]

Thanks to both of you for the awesome, informative responses! I will be sure to add more to their terrarium. I'm hoping to be able to build an all screen enclosure with drainage for the two of them this weekend as I'm having a really hard time with flooding in my current enclosure. I'll post some photos once i have it up and running.

Trace, I will definitely read both of the blogs you've posted here. Sounds like I could stand to learn a lot from you!

 

[Cait0420]

A bit of history about your Trioceros sternfeldi before we begin: The Trioceros sternfeldi are primarily exported from Tanzania and in 2011 Tanzania closed all exports of their flora and fauna. Very recently (like within the last few months) they have started to export again. Previous to the ban, very few people in Canada were working with the T. sternfeldi and I highly doubt any exist (or generations thereof) of animals imported before 2011. There seems to be a large number of the T. Sternfeldi in Canada right now, like out of nowhere, and I suspect it is because of a recent import. (If Cait0420 is reading this, it applies to you and your animals as well)

This would explain a few things about your animals. The people who sold them to you could not sex them properly as they were sold as a ‘pair’. This shows they don’t know much about the animals they are selling. Your females have come in gravid; the sternfeldi breed throughout the year. They don’t like eating worms. My wild caughts and F1’s never understood the soft bodied worms like silks or horns probably because they don’t encounter them in the wild. My sternfeldi preferred crunchy bugs and flies. Finally a wild caught animal will have a harder time acclimating to captivity. The Trioceros sternfeldi are a fairly calm and somewhat outgoing species in my experience but your Zuri might be taking a bit longer to settle in. I agree with Carlton that blocking the glass with foliage, creating more hiding spots will help with nose rub.

In regards to the open mouth and shudder; she is doing it in the morning after she has warmed up a bit right? I call that the morning stretch and it’s perfectly normal. All chameleons do that but I find the lowland ones do it more often.

I have written a blog about wild caught chameleons. It is geared for chameleons that are in bad shape and yours aren’t but there are parts you might find helpful: https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/trace/776-dealing-wild-caught-chameleon.html

I have also written about how I kept my bitaeniatus complex chameleons (The T. sternfeldi is part of this group). They are a bit trickier than the more common species like Veileds and Panthers: https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/trace/780-random-musings-seasonal-cycling.html

The petstore I got them from said they ordered them from a breeder, and they said the breeder told them that they're male and female. The petstore owners didn't know how to sex them but I have a reptile rescue guy I got ahold of and he said he can come sex them this week so I'll know for sure.

 

[Trace]

Right, because pet stores never lie.

Not doubting your rescue guy but the T. sternfeldi are hard to sex at a young age. There are several people on this board that have extensive experience with the Trioceros sternfeldi and related species but you need to provide them with clear photos and more information so they can steer you in the right direction.

I have seen your photos on the other thread and will weigh in there when time allows today. It does look like you have a pair but I’ve only given the pix a cursory glance.

 

[Cait0420]

I know they lie I was just letting u know what I was told. I know not to believe everything u hear, especially coming from a pet store

 

[Cait0420]

Right, because pet stores never lie.

Not doubting your rescue guy but the T. sternfeldi are hard to sex at a young age. There are several people on this board that have extensive experience with the Trioceros sternfeldi and related species but you need to provide them with clear photos and more information so they can steer you in the right direction.

I have seen your photos on the other thread and will weigh in there when time allows today. It does look like you have a pair but I’ve only given the pix a cursory glance.

I Havnt met with the rescue guy yet but will b meeting him in the next couple days. Thank you for taking a look at my pics! I appreciate your help