carl the chameleon sleeping way to much!!! help

[Adam b]

hi my name is Adam i bought a baby veiled chameleon about a month ago, he has grown very fast, i have put alot into his cage so that he has a great home.

Chameleon info:

I handle him very little about twice a week other then two days ago i had left him out for about 1.5 hours to give him a new cage.

I feed him meal worms and crickets covered in calcium powder. about 10-15 large crickets a day.

Im using flukers calcium with vitamin d3 (should i use more)

im watering him with a dripper that runs down branches but ive never seen him drink, also a mini waterfall

his poop looks like white and dark black and very big for such a little guy

Cage info:

his cage is a 48"x30"x14" glass cage with a screen top ( i live in colorado so its very dry so i felt like glass could hold the humidity (about 75%) better which i pump in with a humidifier) also has a water fall and lots of vines

I have 2 24" 10. uvb lights for the day with two infored 100w heat lamps which i run all the time, i also run the uvb lights at 12 hours on 12 off

i am using live plants whith look like tall grass which my reptile place said wont hurt the chameleon

I have him next to my tv in the base ment the cage top is about three feet off the ground

He (carl) has been sleeping during the day which began immediatly after i upgraded his cage he seems to be moving slower and not very reactive to me reaching in the cage, hes about 5" long on his body and 10 including his tail he is eatting but it has slown down, please help!

 

[KarmaChameleon1337]

hi my name is Adam i bought a baby veiled chameleon about a month ago, he has grown very fast, i have put alot into his cage so that he has a great home.

Chameleon info:

I handle him very little about twice a week other then two days ago i had left him out for about 1.5 hours to give him a new cage.

I feed him meal worms and crickets covered in calcium powder. about 10-15 large crickets a day.

Im using flukers calcium with vitamin d3 (should i use more)

im watering him with a dripper that runs down branches but ive never seen him drink, also a mini waterfall

his poop looks like white and dark black and very big for such a little guy

Cage info:

his cage is a 48"x30"x14" glass cage with a screen top ( i live in colorado so its very dry so i felt like glass could hold the humidity (about 75%) better which i pump in with a humidifier) also has a water fall and lots of vines

I have 2 24" 10. uvb lights for the day with two infored 100w heat lamps which i run all the time, i also run the uvb lights at 12 hours on 12 off

i am using live plants whith look like tall grass which my reptile place said wont hurt the chameleon

I have him next to my tv in the base ment the cage top is about three feet off the ground

He (carl) has been sleeping during the day which began immediatly after i upgraded his cage he seems to be moving slower and not very reactive to me reaching in the cage, hes about 5" long on his body and 10 including his tail he is eatting but it has slown down, please help!

Your supplimenting is wrong, it's calcium without d3 everyday, calicum with d3 2x a month, and multivitamins 2x a month. You need to mist regardless of a dripper and waterfall. Waterfalls only gather bacteria and can drown the chameleon, so they're useless. What type of humidifier do you use? What brand lights do you use and schedule? What live plants? What kind of glass is the enclosure made out of? Mealworms are not a good feeder at all. They're hard shelled and have low nutritional value.

 

[kinyonga]

He shouldn't be sleeping during the day for sure. Not sure what the cause is but some of your husbandry needs to be changed IMHO.

Most people use a phos.-free calcium powder at most feedings to dust the insects with....and only use the one with the D3 twice a month lightly.

You also said you have 2 UVB lights on the cage...and they are 10.0's while most people use 5.0's. I understand your cage is large and might need them, but the chameleon also needs to be able to get out of the UVB and perhaps the tall grasses aren't giving him a place to get away from it? Overdosing the D3 might be contributing to the problem.

Waterfalls are difficult to keep clean/germ-free so they aren't usually recommended.

You also said you use 2 100 watt infrared bulbs...what is the temperature in the cage in the warmest area? Coolest part of the cage? Do you turn them off at night? Most people only use a regular incandescent household bulb in a domed hood for heat during the day. Unless the temperatures drop to the mid 60's F or lower you don't need any heat at night...and certainly no light.

 

[brooklynelizabeth]

hi my name is Adam i bought a baby veiled chameleon about a month ago, he has grown very fast, i have put alot into his cage so that he has a great home.

Chameleon info:

I handle him very little about twice a week other then two days ago i had left him out for about 1.5 hours to give him a new cage.

I feed him meal worms and crickets covered in calcium powder. about 10-15 large crickets a day.

Im using flukers calcium with vitamin d3 (should i use more)

im watering him with a dripper that runs down branches but ive never seen him drink, also a mini waterfall

his poop looks like white and dark black and very big for such a little guy

Cage info:

his cage is a 48"x30"x14" glass cage with a screen top ( i live in colorado so its very dry so i felt like glass could hold the humidity (about 75%) better which i pump in with a humidifier) also has a water fall and lots of vines

I have 2 24" 10. uvb lights for the day with two infored 100w heat lamps which i run all the time, i also run the uvb lights at 12 hours on 12 off

i am using live plants whith look like tall grass which my reptile place said wont hurt the chameleon

I have him next to my tv in the base ment the cage top is about three feet off the ground

He (carl) has been sleeping during the day which began immediatly after i upgraded his cage he seems to be moving slower and not very reactive to me reaching in the cage, hes about 5" long on his body and 10 including his tail he is eatting but it has slown down, please help!

First off welcome to the forums,
Second: As you have said you recently changed to a new enclosure, you may want to give up to two weeks for a total transition, as long as you can tell he has been staying hydrated and is eating occasionally, you should always shy away from getting to worked up, activity within two weeks will return to normal. If you are not seeing any changes for the better within the two weeks, really try to monitor temps, humidity ...etc to see if you can find the upsetting factor. Try to post a pic of both him and then the enclosure also, it will give us some better ideas to direct you.
3rd: The water fall MUST GO (its a non negotiable item) Chameleons drink running water, and although they add the exotic look, they also breed bacteria and are subject to mixing with fecal matter, as you have probably noticed your cham poops everywhere.
Once again, welcome to the forums, and we look forward to some pics of your little man.

 

[camimom]

I saw you said you run the 100w heat lamp all the time..
Do you mean you leave it on 24/7?
If this is the case, that can easily mess with his sleep schedule.
THe uvb and heat lamps should be on the same scheudle, 12 on, 12 off.
ALso, why do you have 2 10.0 uvb bulbs?
This much light can be hurting his eyes. and he may not be sleeping, so much as keeping his eyes shut from the intensity of the lights.

I hope this helps. and good luck!

 

[lindawaz]

I just wanted to say welcome to the forum!

When I first came here everything was so overwhelming. I thought i had everything right and then Bam! I had a bunch of bad information .

Take it one step at a time. The Calcium without D3 will need to be ordered most likely. Most pet stores do not carry it. So order it and done with that
Lights are your next priority if you ordered the calcium that quickly- if not still - do lights and waterfall

The lights as they said could be too much and causing harm.

here is a Blog I copied from Pilotman
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/pilotman800/548-new-chameleon-owner-information-husbandry.html

Good reading for you! Now most important- these keepers on here really know their stuff and have been doing it for years so I am sure with some guidance and patience you and your Cham will be fine! Now get cracking you got work to do