Chameleon stress

[Lys368]

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - Veiled chameleon, female, and 3 months old. 2 Months in my care
• Handling - Was handling twice a day for medication, but now twice a week.
• Feeding - Eats small crickets, will eat fruit flies if she was them. Can eat 3 to 4 crickets at a time. Fed once in the morning and once at night, will throw in one or two in the middle of the day. I gut load my feeders with fruit and veggies.
• Supplements - Repti-calcium without d13 6 days a week and with d13 once to twice a week.
• Watering - Misting about 3 to four times a day. I don't have a mister so I will just use a clean spray bottle. I do see my chameleon drinking.
• Fecal Description - Fecal is soft, and urates are healthy.
• History - Nothing needed to note.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Screen cage, 16x16x30
• Lighting - Reptisun 10.0 in the process of changing to T5 HO. Day light blue basking light. 12 hours each during the day.
• Temperature - Basking spot: 88. Temp in day, 70 to 80. Night: 65-75.
• Humidity - Day: 30 - 50%. Night: 70 - 100%. I am using a humidifier and I have a temp gauge at the bottom of the cage.
• Plants - Live plants. Schefflera arboricola
• Placement - Cage acted in the corner of the room. Theres a fan on the ceiling and no vents near the cage. The cage is about 2 to 3 feet off the ground.
• Location - Arizona

I am a new chameleon owner, and Ana turned black yesterday and hid in the corner. After doing a little bit of reading stress was the answer I came up with, now how do I fix it? Can i put a blanket over her cage to conceal commotion? She stayed black all day but when she goes to sleep she lightens back up again. I know stress is really bad for them but I am doing the best I can, even not bugging her. She turns brown occasionally could she just be basking? Any tips for this?

 

[PoseidonTheChameleon]

What are your temperatures? I think you missed thar part

 

[Lys368]

What are your temperatures? I think you missed thar part

88 in basking, lowest temp at night in the house 70. Normal temp in cage about 70 to 80. About 65 at night to 70.

 

[PoseidonTheChameleon]

88 in basking, lowest temp at night in the house 70. Normal temp in cage about 70 to 80. About 65 at night to 70.

Can you post a pic of the entire enclosure lights down

 

[CasqueAbove]

Every thing seems high to me, at least for babies. It seems like a lot of supplements for a baby.
My babies are just over 3 months. I just raised the the basking to 76. I feed daily of course, but Ca only 2 feedings a week and D3 /MV alternate every other week . Standard schedule , just not every feeding.

 

[kinyonga]

Why was she on medication?

Temperatures...for young veileds I keep the basking temperature at 80F.

Amount she is eating...u,Neil she's about 4 or 5 months of age she can be eating as much as she can eat in a couple of minutes at each feeding.

Supplements...I dust lightly with phos free calcium powder at all feedings a week but one. That one I alternate between a phos free calcium/D3 powder and a vitamin powder (dusting lightly).

Being that it's a female, as she approaches sexual maturity you will want to keep her basking temperature at 80F and cut her feeding back to about 3 or 4 feeders every 2 or three days to keep her from producing huge clutches of eggs.
You will also want to have an egg laying bin in her cage at all times so she has a place to lay the eggs. Over feeding her and keeping the temperatures too high will make her produce large clutches, may cause MBD and prolapses and lead to follicular stasis or egg binding...and dearh

 

[Ambilobe123]

Don’t use coloured lights- white light only. D3 only every other week. Multivitamin w/o d3 once every other week you don’t use d3.

 

[Lys368]

Every thing seems high to me, at least for babies. It seems like a lot of supplements for a baby.
My babies are just over 3 months. I just raised the the basking to 76. I feed daily of course, but Ca only 2 feedings a week and D3 /MV alternate every other week . Standard schedule , just not every feeding.

Drop temperature and supplement got it.

 

[Lys368]

Why was she on medication?

Temperatures...for young veileds I keep the basking temperature at 80F.

Amount she is eating...u,Neil she's about 4 or 5 months of age she can be eating as much as she can eat in a couple of minutes at each feeding.

Supplements...I dust lightly with phos free calcium powder at all feedings a week but one. That one I alternate between a phos free calcium/D3 powder and a vitamin powder (dusting lightly).

Being that it's a female, as she approaches sexual maturity you will want to keep her basking temperature at 80F and cut her feeding back to about 3 or 4 feeders every 2 or three days to keep her from producing huge clutches of eggs.
You will also want to have an egg laying bin in her cage at all times so she has a place to lay the eggs. Over feeding her and keeping the temperatures too high will make her produce large clutches, may cause MBD and prolapses and lead to follicular stasis or egg binding...and dearh

When I got her we got into a car accident, which was pretty bad, but somehow I found her alive and fine. Her foot however was a little messed up but the vet said she was very healthy and gave me Silver Sulfadiazine, twice a day. She's doing better and even turned green again toward the end of the night. Her cage is covered on the front half with a light sheet. The less commotion has her moving and being active but she's still dark.
I have backed up her light and the temp lowered.
She's a real good eater so I've never had a problem getting her to eat in a sitting unless it was when I started transitioning her from fruit flies to crickets. She will no longer take fruit flies as often.
As for supplements, will be looking into those today, thank you for that.

 

[Ambilobe123]

When I got her we got into a car accident, which was pretty bad, but somehow I found her alive and fine. Her foot however was a little messed up but the vet said she was very healthy and gave me Silver Sulfadiazine, twice a day. She's doing better and even turned green again toward the end of the night. Her cage is covered on the front half with a light sheet. The less commotion has her moving and being active but she's still dark.
I have backed up her light and the temp lowered.
She's a real good eater so I've never had a problem getting her to eat in a sitting unless it was when I started transitioning her from fruit flies to crickets. She will no longer take fruit flies as often.
As for supplements, will be looking into those today, thank you for that.

Don’t use a blue basking light either. They don’t see colours the same way we do, and this can be harmful for their eyes.

 

[kinyonga]

Sorry to hear you were in a car accident. Hope everyone is ok.

She is likely too big to bother with fruit flies now. There are lots of options though...silkworms, roaches, crickets, locusts, BSFl ...and once in a while waxworms and superworms.

Hope she will be ok.

 

[Lys368]

Don’t use a blue basking light either. They don’t see colours the same way we do, and this can be harmful for their eyes.

any recommendations ?

 

[Lys368]

Sorry to hear you were in a car accident. Hope everyone is ok.

She is likely too big to bother with fruit flies now. There are lots of options though...silkworms, roaches, crickets, locusts, BSFl ...and once in a while waxworms and superworms.

Hope she will be ok.

Everyone was okay, its a miracle she survived the roll over. I actually found her on the ground alive and well.

Noted. A trip to the pet store tomorrow will be due.

She's actually doing better. No longer black but brown now, so i assume basking. Gave her a few romaine pieces out of my hand and she ate them just fine, even got comfortable enough to come into my hand. I'd say she's gonna be fine, with time!

 

[CBee7726]

any recommendations ?

Most people just use a regular incandescent house bulb. You may have to try out different wattages to see which puts out the desired temperature (most people are in the 40-75w range).