So we acquired a new flap neck, and would like to make sure he’s thriving as he should be. He arrived very thin and withered and almost emaciated looking – very bony and sickly. He looked awful, didn’t seem to be having any bowel movements and was spending a LOT of time on the floor of the cage, which I know is a bad sign. Less than 2 days after he arrived we awoke to find him looking as though he was about to croak. I was worried that he was dehydrated because of how awful he looked so I gave him an emergency shower which really seemed do wonders for him. He’s been much more active, relaxed and social since then and a good appetite.
I think he's starting to settle in and we're encouraged to see him more active, relaxed and looking more robust. We have yet to handle him directly, and are trying to give him space while he gets used to his new surroundings and the tempo of our family life. We’ve only taken him out of his enclosure once since he arrived last week, and that was for his emergency shower. He’s eating and drinking regularly now and has calmed down enough to let us stick our hands in the cage to adjust vines, add crickets, etc. without immediately heading for cover. We’re encouraged to see that he seems be doing 100% better than when he first arrived, but I wanted to check in with the forum for some feedback to make sure we’re on the right track.
Now that he seems to be filling out and putting on a little weight, our concern lies more with his skin and coloring. His color has been a very dark pavement-like hue and remains relatively consistent whether he's basking or just climbing around. We haven't seen any changes in his color or any patterns with the exception of a brief moment the first day he arrived when his color was lighter and black spots appeared, which I understand to be a sign of stress. The spots didn't last long, but he's still a very dark, dull color which I understand can also be attributed to stress. Sometimes he gets a lighter brown and we can see some darker patterns coming through, but mainly he’s just really dark. We've also noticed that his head seems to have a chalky, scaley almost ashy-like quality about it. Could he be starting to shed? What signs should we be looking for and how long does the shedding process take? Also, his body looks as though he has scratch marks on it - the marks tend to stand out in contrast to his dark, dull color. Not sure what those could be attributed to. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he’d been in a fight.
We've never had a chameleon before so we just want to make sure he's healthy and is acting/looking the way he should. I'm assuming we'll see more of his colors (blues and greens as shown in the picture from the dealter) once he's gets acclimated to his new environment and grows more comfortable around our family…or at least we hope. I'm attaching pictures of both the chameleon and his enclosure and welcome any feedback/suggestions. Sorry the quality's not better.
Here's the official breakdown:
Your Chameleon- Male Flap Neck- Approx 1-2 years old. Arrived from CA on 2/22.
Handling - Has not been handled yet
Feeding – about 4 to 5 gut-loaded crickets/day
Supplements –We’ve been dusting crickets with calcium and vitamin supplement daily, but are about to cut the calcium dusting back to 2x/wk.
Watering - Mister currently set for 60 seconds every hour. Periodic hand misting throughout the day.
Fecal Description - Looks normal and healthy compared to pictures others have posted on the forum.
History - We were told he was a WC but long-term captive.
Cage Info:
Cage Type – Reptibreeze screen cage 18x18x36
Lighting - Full spectrum lighting 12 hours/day, ceramic heater 24/7
Temperature - 85-90 degrees in basking area, 75-78 degrees in middle of the cage, high 60s in lower area
Humidity – 50-60% bottom of cage, 25-30% at top
Plants - Fake ficus, real philodendron, sticks, vines
Placement - Living room, near window receiving natural light
Location - Ohio
I think he's starting to settle in and we're encouraged to see him more active, relaxed and looking more robust. We have yet to handle him directly, and are trying to give him space while he gets used to his new surroundings and the tempo of our family life. We’ve only taken him out of his enclosure once since he arrived last week, and that was for his emergency shower. He’s eating and drinking regularly now and has calmed down enough to let us stick our hands in the cage to adjust vines, add crickets, etc. without immediately heading for cover. We’re encouraged to see that he seems be doing 100% better than when he first arrived, but I wanted to check in with the forum for some feedback to make sure we’re on the right track.
Now that he seems to be filling out and putting on a little weight, our concern lies more with his skin and coloring. His color has been a very dark pavement-like hue and remains relatively consistent whether he's basking or just climbing around. We haven't seen any changes in his color or any patterns with the exception of a brief moment the first day he arrived when his color was lighter and black spots appeared, which I understand to be a sign of stress. The spots didn't last long, but he's still a very dark, dull color which I understand can also be attributed to stress. Sometimes he gets a lighter brown and we can see some darker patterns coming through, but mainly he’s just really dark. We've also noticed that his head seems to have a chalky, scaley almost ashy-like quality about it. Could he be starting to shed? What signs should we be looking for and how long does the shedding process take? Also, his body looks as though he has scratch marks on it - the marks tend to stand out in contrast to his dark, dull color. Not sure what those could be attributed to. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he’d been in a fight.
We've never had a chameleon before so we just want to make sure he's healthy and is acting/looking the way he should. I'm assuming we'll see more of his colors (blues and greens as shown in the picture from the dealter) once he's gets acclimated to his new environment and grows more comfortable around our family…or at least we hope. I'm attaching pictures of both the chameleon and his enclosure and welcome any feedback/suggestions. Sorry the quality's not better.
Here's the official breakdown:
Your Chameleon- Male Flap Neck- Approx 1-2 years old. Arrived from CA on 2/22.
Handling - Has not been handled yet
Feeding – about 4 to 5 gut-loaded crickets/day
Supplements –We’ve been dusting crickets with calcium and vitamin supplement daily, but are about to cut the calcium dusting back to 2x/wk.
Watering - Mister currently set for 60 seconds every hour. Periodic hand misting throughout the day.
Fecal Description - Looks normal and healthy compared to pictures others have posted on the forum.
History - We were told he was a WC but long-term captive.
Cage Info:
Cage Type – Reptibreeze screen cage 18x18x36
Lighting - Full spectrum lighting 12 hours/day, ceramic heater 24/7
Temperature - 85-90 degrees in basking area, 75-78 degrees in middle of the cage, high 60s in lower area
Humidity – 50-60% bottom of cage, 25-30% at top
Plants - Fake ficus, real philodendron, sticks, vines
Placement - Living room, near window receiving natural light
Location - Ohio
