Chameleon taking naps

[Progrmor]

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Veiled female, 2 months old i´ve been told. Been on my care for 3-4 weeks now.
Handling - So for, I have been forced to do it 2 times. When I got her I removed her from her travel cage to the maincage. And once when I had to clean the enclosure.
Feeding - Ive been feeding her (current)fruit flies, pinheads, mealworms. She has been eating kind of little.
Supplements - Im using exoterra calcium+D3(once a month), exoterra multivitamin(once a month), and calcium without D3 every feeding.
Watering - I got a dripper going a couple of hours a day. Im misting 4 times a day.
Fecal Description - darkbrown poo with clear white urine.


Cage Info:
Cage Type - Exo terra 45x60x90cm.
Lighting - uvb 5.0, 2.0 daylight, 100w basking lamp. They are on 12 hours a day.
Temperature - basking: 82-86F, otherwise: 72-73F during day. During night the temps are the same except for the basking area, drops to 77F.
Humidity - 40-60%. Misting 3-5 times a day. Using two different types of hydrometers.
Plants - 1 Benjamina ficus, 1 Pothos, 1 Dracella, (Spelling?).
Placement -It is located in my bedroom on a table. I got a big fan running a couple of hours a day since the airflow in here gets really bad sometimes. No traffic except when im sitting in her on the computer silent.
Location - Sweden.

Current Problem - I have now seen her sleeping during daytime... I know this i really bad and I need your help to keep her alive First time I saw it was yesterday evening, it was 1 hour before her lights were about to go off so I though she might just have been tired. But now this morning I found her again... Sleeping behind the pothos. She wakes up when I go check on her but I saw from distance that her eyes were closed. Worth meantion might be that she did only eat one mealworm beetle yesterday and have not yet so far been eating today.

Appriciate all the help I can get.! Thanks //Prog
Pics:

 

[jannb]

Welcome to the forums. Sleeping in the day is not a good sign. I recommend you drop her temps to the low 80's. I've never use a 100 watt bulb on a chameleon. Even my adult males get to their correct basking gems with a 40 to 60 watt. Why 2 UV bulbs?

She should be eating larger feeders. From the pictures she looks like she could easily handle 1/4 inch crickets.

Attached below is my blog for how I keep young veileds.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html

 

[Decadancin]

Hey Prog,

I've got one idea that may help. (Its not "health" related, so I don't want to rule that out) I would put the lighting above the ficus. It offers a lot more coverage and secure hiding places, and if it is too dark in there your girl may be turning in earlier or staying in bed later. Just a thought. My boy has been turning in quite a bit earlier than lights out recently. This time of year the days are shorter and he adjusts to the light outside no matter when I have the lights set for. I usually don't get to see him in the evenings anymore because he is already sleeping when I get home. (Not sure how daylight is in Sweden)

As for the napping, if it more serious than just staying in bed a bit longer, or turning in a bit earlier, check to see how her breathing sounds. (any wheezing or popping sounds? Any excess saliva? Sitting with her mouth open?) Temps and everything seem O.K. to me, just make sure the fan in the room isn't blowing directly on the enclosure. If all else fails, you may need a vet visit. Best of luck with her!

 

[Progrmor]

Welcome to the forums. Sleeping in the day is not a good sign. I recommend you drop her temps to the low 80's. I've never use a 100 watt bulb on a chameleon. Even my adult males get to their correct basking gems with a 40 to 60 watt. Why 2 UV bulbs?

She should be eating larger feeders. From the pictures she looks like she could easily handle 1/4 inch crickets.

Attached below is my blog for how I keep young veileds.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html

Hey Prog,

I've got one idea that may help. (Its not "health" related, so I don't want to rule that out) I would put the lighting above the ficus. It offers a lot more coverage and secure hiding places, and if it is too dark in there your girl may be turning in earlier or staying in bed later. Just a thought. My boy has been turning in quite a bit earlier than lights out recently. This time of year the days are shorter and he adjusts to the light outside no matter when I have the lights set for. I usually don't get to see him in the evenings anymore because he is already sleeping when I get home. (Not sure how daylight is in Sweden)

As for the napping, if it more serious than just staying in bed a bit longer, or turning in a bit earlier, check to see how her breathing sounds. (any wheezing or popping sounds? Any excess saliva? Sitting with her mouth open?) Temps and everything seem O.K. to me, just make sure the fan in the room isn't blowing directly on the enclosure. If all else fails, you may need a vet visit. Best of luck with her!

I must have been unclear. I got one uvb bulb and just a regular 14w bulb that is suppose to provide good daylight for reptiles. I will try replace her basking bulb with a 45w. And also try moving her uvb over the ficus! Ill keep you updated. Please come with more ideas!

 

[jannb]

What are you using to check her temps? I've also had a young veiled that the new UVB light bothered her eyes. Any of the lights can bother their eyes. Moving them up of the cage might help.

 

[Progrmor]

What are you using to check her temps? I've also had a young veiled that the new UVB light bothered her eyes. Any of the lights can bother their eyes. Moving them up of the cage might help.

Im using a exo terra thermometer to check her basking temp and a common swedish thermometer in the middle part of the cage. I got the uvb in a compact so the bulb is located 7cm above the top mesh. But should i remove the uvb maybe?

 

[Decadancin]

But should i remove the uvb maybe?

Don't remove it. You still need it. You could add a spare piece of screen between it and the top of the enclosure to cut down the penetration.

 

[Progrmor]

Okey I got home from work now, caught her sleeping under her basking spot

But now I have change the position of the uvb, so it is over the ficus now. Also, got a 40W bulb for basking instead. And also, put in a 11W bulb in the compact next to the uvb so there will be more light in her cage. Lets just hope this helps!

 

[Progrmor]

Atleast I found that she have been eating the 20+ fruit flies I gave her this morning. So she is eating and drinking atleast.

 

[camimom]

I think you have too much light going on in your cage.

she could be shutting her eyes because it hurts.

I found that the young ones cant handle as much brightness as the adults can.

try removing any unnecessary bulbs.

 

[Progrmor]

I think you have too much light going on in your cage.

she could be shutting her eyes because it hurts.

I found that the young ones cant handle as much brightness as the adults can.

try removing any unnecessary bulbs.

But I do need the uvb and the heat lamp? She cant be without either of them? Or wich one should I remove in that case?

 

[camimom]

You stated you had like 3 bulbs on her.

you need a uvb and a basking bulb.

maybe try raising the bulbs a bit higher from her spot.

 

[Progrmor]

You stated you had like 3 bulbs on her.

you need a uvb and a basking bulb.

maybe try raising the bulbs a bit higher from her spot.

I did, but removed the 11w daylight bulb. Now I only got her basking bulb and a uvb.

 

[Decadancin]

Part of the reason I mentioned moving the light over the larger plant is so she can get into the shadows better. If the light is not filtered by the leaves it can be hard to get away from. Has she been doing any better since moving the lamp over the ficus or still the same?

 

[RichardSwe]

have you seen her drinking the last days and you can take a picture where you see the hip bones and the tail? would in no way play any champion on the subject but could indicate that she is dehydrated. sorry bad english lol

 

[Progrmor]

I think she have gotten better. She have been really active today so I hope it worked. She is drinking fine.

 

[RichardSwe]

Ok good

 

[Progrmor]

It does really look like she is feeling better now! Haven´t seen her naping the last days so I guess it was the uvb light that was a bit to much for her!

Just another question: If it is too cold on the lower part of the cage, will she go up to the basking area by herself or do I have to introduce it to her? Im a bit worried that she is cold.

The temp in the middle part (where she got her hiding spots) is about 70F, and her basking spot is 77F. Or can I tell if she is cold in some way?

 

[camimom]

Her basking spot should be 83-85 deg.

 

[Progrmor]

Her basking spot should be 83-85 deg.

Can you trust the exoterra digital thermometer? because that one and my household thermometer shows different temp by +- 5 when I put them in the same spot. So wich one would I trust in your opinion?