Chameleon Info:
- Your Chameleon - Veiled Chameleon, Male . Age: ~4-5 years old. Owned since juvenile.
- Handling - Never if possible. Otherwise use a stick to get him out of possible with as little fuss to keep his stress down.
- Feeding - Dubai roaches with occasional hornworms. Feed 6-8 1 1/4 inch - 1/5 inch roaches every other day. Gut loading with roach chow meant for feeders. Occassional veggie scraps thrown in.
- Supplements - Rep-Cal Herptivite Multivitamins and Zoomed Repti-Calcium w/ D3. Yes I dust the feeders every time with a mix of both supplements.
- Watering - Mistking misting system that mists 3 times a day morning afternoon and evening for 5 minutes each time. No we haven't seen him drink since he was a juvenile.
- Fecal Description - Dark brown and white. They are usually dry and hard. Can't tell which are fresh or not though or if fresh have been falling below the grating.
- History -We just moved but he's been like this since before the move. Had a mild respiratory infection 3-4 years ago. Had exotic vet diagnose and give treatment schedule. Have not been able to tong feed since illness.
Cage Info:
- Cage Type - Screen and wood. Interior Dimensions Approx. 41 inches tall x 28 inches wide x 21 inches deep . Full height: 83.5 inches.
- Lighting - Reptisun 5.0 UVb and All Living Things 100 watt basking bulb. Schedule: Lights on from 7 am - 7pm
- What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
- Temperature -Not sure of temp range. Lowest range at night should be no lower than 70 F since thats what I have my house temp. set to.
- Humidity - Not sure need to get hygrometer. House humidity averages 61-65% according to Nest App. Any suggested brands for a digital one? Maintained by mistking misting system that mists 3x a day for 5 minutes each
- Plants - No
- Placement - Office /bedroom. Two computer desks on opposite wall. Cage is by window (he seems happier now that he can look out a window. I.e he doesnt hide as much) There is a floor vent by the cage but it is kept closed or partially closed. Top of interior of cage is ~77.5 inches from floor.
- Location - Geographically located in New Jersey USA in rural settings.
Current Problem - Chameleon tends to hide and seems insecure or not as happy as he could be. Would like to update enclosure so he feels more comfortable. Would also like a recommended digital hygrometer
That's great - thanks for filling out the form! I'm not an expert but I will offer some feedback and others can correct me if I am off.
First off, it looks like a nice size cage! The fact you have nice, high branches is a great feature!
Regarding supplements, it seems more correct to dust feeders with calcium without D3 almost every day, a multivitamin only once every two weeks and calcium with D3 once every two weeks.
I hand mist, so others probably have better advice regarding automated misters, but from what I have read here, a couple of mistings a day (one in the morning before lights go on, one at night just after lights off or close to) rather than 3 would be sufficient, as it's good that your enclosure dries out between mistings. Also, your home's humidity is already 60% or so, so you are already starting with a fairly high humidity and that needs to be taken into consideration. It sounds like it might be good to measure with a hydrometer and see where humidity is.
What I do feel more confident giving feedback on, if you are looking for ways to make your chameleon more comfortable is the cage setup in terms of branches and plants. A great resource is the Chameleon Academy:
https://chameleonacademy.com/setting-up-a-chameleon-cage/ In a nutshell, I think you want to make sure you mostly have branches that he can easily wrap his feet around (not too large) or otherwise he will feel uncomfortable walking around. Your branches look pretty thick. In the Chameleon Academy link it talk about the different kinds of branches - structural, basking, security, feeding/drinking, and lots of network branches. A nice basking branch 9 inches distance from his UVB light is the norm, as I understand and make sure your temps are decent on the basking branch e.g. around 85 (some people may recommend slightly higher or lower) ?
Also, you want to plan to have all live plants in your enclosure, as chams are at risk for ingesting plastic plants and getting impacted. There are lists of safe plants for your cham - Golden Pothos and spider plants are hardy if you want something cham safe and doesn't necessarily need a grow light to start.
If you read through some of the Chameleon Academy modules on setting up the cage, you will get some ideas to help you make some good changes.
My gut, just from your pictures, is that Richard feels exposed and unsure of footing because all the branches seem quite thick and also he doesn't have network branches to get around so he might not feel secure moving from one area to another. I'm just going from the pictures I have seen - I could be wrong.
I hope other people offer their feedback and I'm sure Richard will appreciate any upgrades you make for him!! All the best!!
