Dehydrated Juvenile Chameleon

[hein]

Hi,
I got my chameleon about 2 months ago and he was fine up until now. I just moved into a new apartment and the air ventilation isn't the best. I'm not sure if I should get an air purifier? I also think that my chameleon might be dehydrated because his poop is orange. I've been misting his cage and leaves every morning but he doesn't want to drink. Since he is so young, I heard that it is risky to give him a shower because of the risk of drowning. Should I use a syringe and inject water into his mouth? I have a dripper that drips on the leaves but my chameleon doesn't drink the watered leaves and it ends up just spilling water everywhere and making a mess. I'm really concerned because he was doing so well up until now

 

[carol5208]

Can you post some pictures of him? How long are you misting for? Try doing it for 3-5 minutes. Sometimes it can take that long to get them to start drinking.

 

[hein]

I've attached a picture of his cage (He's outside right now because I wanted him to get actual sunlight, but I do have a UVB and basking light along with a dripper). He looks a lot dryer than when I first got him and I also uploaded his poop. You can see it's very orange and I don't know what to do

 

[MamatoElvis]

It doesn't look like enough leaves or branches to me. My Cham likes to get under the drips. He would need to be on the bottom of the enclosure to lick the leaves. IMHO you need many more horizontal branches going all over the enclosure and leaves to hide and drink from much higher up where your Cham likes to be. Also try hornworms or silkworms that very high in moisture content as feeders. One medium hornworm a day would make quite a difference. I'm sure members with more experience can chime in.

 

[carol5208]

You need to make a few changes to the cage. As already advised, you need way more branches, vines and foilage in the cage, especially at the top. How is he supposed to bask when everything for him to climb on is 2 feet down from the top?? You should have atleast one branch that runs horizontally(you can attach through the screen with push pins) about 8 inches down below your lights. How can he ever warm up when he is so far down??? Also, I would remove the mulch at the bottom of the cage. You chameleon can injest that accidentally or intentionally and it could cause severe problems. His eyes don't look sunken in or anything. I would continue to run the dripper and have something to catch the water in below. Something shallow enough that if you chameleon fell or climbed in, he could get out. You could also use something deeper and cover it with screen to prevent a drowning hazard. He should not have to hang on the side of the screen to get to the top of the cage.

 

[hein]

Where would I buy silkworms? And I just removed the substrate and replaced it with carpet. If I add more foliage to the top and mist it 2-3 times a day do you think that will do the trick?

 

[MamatoElvis]

Try the hornworms first. They come in a cup with food. I just jeep mine in a cooler(not a refrigerator). I change out the ice pack in the morning and before bed. Make sure the cup is not touching the ice pack. they grow quickly so order the small ones under an inch, the cooler slows their growth. My 6 month old Cham only eats one per day possible two so just order the smallest amount. 20 or 25 count otherwise they will get too big to feed before you run out. I got mine from Mulberry farms but you can just google hornworms for sale. Mulberry farms has the hold a the post office option so I like them. I've never done the eggs but if he eats enough you could try that later. Silkworms are a little bit more work. Try Coastal silkworms. They have a care sheet. I made the mistake the first time thinking my Cham would eat them like crickets ( 8 to 12 per day ). Mine never ate more than one or two ( I ordered 200 my first time ). Most people do eggs so they can hatch out what's needed. Hope this helps. I think as long as your Cham doesn't have any underlying health issues all these suggestions should help.

 

[MamatoElvis]

By the way, skip the carpet. Just leave the floor bare. It's much easier to keep clean. If you provide enough branches and foliage up top he will probably never go to the floor. Mine has never touched the floor.

 

[Kayroxyoursox]

I use puppy pads on the floor of both of my cages. That way I can just pull them up and change them every other day. Super easy cleaning.

 

[carbyville]

I use puppy pads on the floor of both of my cages. That way I can just pull them up and change them every other day. Super easy cleaning.

I just started doing this, only with medical bed pads rather than puppy pads. It has made a world of difference. And helps with the humidity between cleanings.

Hornworms are definitely a good suggestion. I had worries about my juvenile cham's hydration early on and I got her a batch of hornworms. Not only did she LOVE them, but her urate has never been whiter A quick Google search will lead you to a bunch of places that will ship them to you. I use Rainbow Mealworms, but I've also heard great things about Mulberry Farms.

Good luck! Cute little cham you've got there!

 

[hein]

Ah thanks so much guys you're great! I just went out and bought a bunch of vines to put at the top of his cage so I'll post what it looks like afterwards.

 

[hein]

This is his new cage with more vines. Do you think this will be enough? I think I'll just end up misting all the leaves in his cage