Glad he's up and about again. If you haven't done so already, please fill out this form and share pics of your chameleon so members here can do a husbandry evaluation for him.
Chameleon Info:
- Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
- Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
- Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
- Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
- Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
- Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
- History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
Cage Info:
- Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
- Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
- Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
- Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
- Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
- Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
- Location - Where are you geographically located?
Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
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Please Note:
- The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
- Photos can be very helpful.
Chameleon: Named Dexter, Veiled Chameleon, young male (not sure of exact age), been in my care for 2 weeks.
Handling: I do not handle him very often at all. I handled him only to clean the cage once a week or when I need to move him somewhere else.
Feeding: I feed him twice a day through the bowl. I put about 4 wax worms, 5 black soldier ant larva, 5 dubias roaches. He is still very tiny, so I always try to find the smallest ones to feed him with. I dust them with calcium without D3 daily. If he doesn't eat them, which he hasn't I just leave the bowl in there until the end of the day, then remove it. I gut load the bugs every night with kale, potato, carrot and mango.
Supplements: I dust the bugs in calcium without D3 everyday/feeding. I dust calcium with D3 once every other week and mulivitamins once every other week.
Watering: As of right now I am handmisting until I have his new cage set up. I mist 3 times a day roughly 2 min each. Once in the morning, once in the afternoon and once right before lights go off. I also have a dripper. I have seen him drink when I first got him, but I haven't recently, then again, I have been trying to give him his space so I've been trying not to peer into his cage too often.
Fecal description: As of right now, his fecal is orange, so I am misting him more often with warm water. I have not tested him for parasites yet.
History: I've only had him for 2 weeks, so I don't have much history on him yet. He ate 4 crickets the 2nd day we brought him home. Then didn't eat anything for a week, then he finally ate again 4 days ago, he ate 3 wax worms. Those were the only times he ate since we got him.
Cage type: Screen, but I taped up a background on 3 sides to help maintain the temperature and moisture. Right now the cage is 16x16x24 but I am building a new cage for him that is also screen and I will also tape up the 3 sides again and it will be roughly 24x24x48.
Lighting: I have a store bought 75w lamp for heat. and the reptisun t5 ho. Lights are roughly 12 hours on and 12 hours off.
Temperature: Basking area is around 84, not exactly the floor but it's around 70 during the day. At night it can cool to maybe 60 the lowest. I have 3 thermometers, one by the basking area, one in the middle under the leaves and one at the base of my lowest plant.
Humidity: Levels range from 50 to 90 depending on how much I mist. 50 is usually the lowest it goes. I have a humidity gauge.
Plants: I have a pothos plant, a spider plant and a monstera deliciosa plant, I don't know much about plants, but I think that's what they are called.
Placement: Cage isn't near any fans or vents. It's not in a very high traffic area, but I do come and go in front of it every now and then. It's in my room, which is the most quiet area in the house. Right now it's sitting on top of my dresser which puts the top of the cage about 3/4 the height of my room, I'd say the top of the cage is about 6' tall give or take a few inches.
Location: I live in the US in Minnesota.
Current problem: I was just concerned about the amount he is eating or not eating. I saw that his poop was orange, so he is dehydrated and his eyes were a little sunken in and he had them closed during the day so I was a bit worried. He is also shedding by the way. Maybe I was just too concerned and forced fed him when I shouldn't have, I don't know. After I fed him, he went limp and didn't want to move. He had shut down and turned a pale green. I tried to put him back in his cage but he was so weak he didn't want to hold onto the vine. I left him on a leaf near the top where I could place the heating lamp over him. He didn't move for a while, I would see him move his head every now and then or he would take deep breaths of air every now and then. When I went in to mist, that's when he started to move and started climbing the vine a bit. Still seemed weak and didn't want to move or open his eyes. After an hour or two, he opened his eyes and was looking around, finally started grasping things a bit more and now he's moving around a bit more. Now he is finally upright on the vines instead of hanging upside down. I think I probably just traumatized him with the forcefeeding. Should I just leave him be not worry about him not eating? If so how long can a young chameleon go without eating before I need to start worrying?
