Graceful information plz

kianna2118

kianna2118

New Member
Hi i just want some information on my chameleon. He is 9 months old he is a graceful chameleon and i just want to know the temperature of the cage. the right basking light? What they feed off more? How long does sheding happen? Everything that has to do with this kind of chameleon please? Like mood swings, breeding etc? Thanks, and also he trys to get out of a cage but he can't lol.

mlo.jpg
 
Here is the pix of his cage.. (16x 24) I'm thinking its a little to small. I just bought him the cage 3 weeks ago. And plus he use to be in a smaller cage thats why so thats why we urgraded him to a much bigger cage. His other cage was 24 x 16
 
He looks a little small for a 9 month old. Are you sure about his age? Also it's really hard to say for sure, but in the pic his eyes look a tad sunken in. May need to hydrate him a tab bit better.

At his size your cage should be fine.
 
NO WE ARE SURE HE IS 9 MONTHS OLD THATS WHAT THE LAST OWNER TOLD US. IS THERE A WAY WE CAN FIND OUT HIS AGE IF HE ISN'T 9 MONTHS OLD? ALSO THE PIX OF WHEN HE IS BLACK IS THE MOST UPDATED PIX OF HIM NOW, I CAN SEND A PIX TO U NOW AND SHOW U . HE KINDA DOES HAVE PROBLEMS DRINKING WATER. LAST TIME HE DRANK WATER WAS THIS MORNING. HOW OFTEN SHOULD HE BE DRINKING WATER?

http://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/d2c7e8ffdd.jpg this is him now thanks for everything again. I really appreciated.
 
Yeah, they are ever so slightly sunken in. It isn't bad though. I've never kept them so I can't say for sure how much he should be drinking. But if he were mine, I would be misting him at least 3-4 times a day until he his well hydrated. What color are his urates? They should be white, if he is getting enough water.

Try misting with warm water (hot water in the bottle) and for longer periods. Some Chams need to feel water falling on them for a few minutes before they drink. Some also never drink in front of you. So keeping an eye on his urates will tell you if he is drinking. Adding a drippier that will drip at least 4 hrs a day can also help.
 
I do mist his cage 3 times a day. I even put him in the shower on his branch with luke warm water on.( i notice that helps him eat a little more) Also your right he don't like to drink or eat in front of me. I have to be doing something with out him knowing i'm watching him eat or drink. He does urate white. Sometimes i do have to let the water hit him for him to drink the water. Thanks .. Anything else will be greatful helpful .What kind of cham do u have ?
 
I keep Melleri and a Veiled ATM.

If I had to guess I would say the previous owner didn't water him enough. Seeing others on here with hydration issues, it is possible you can hydrate them enough but if they were dehydrated at one time, it can take a little wile for the eyes to fill out. Keep up what you are doing and he should be OK. If hydration is what caused the eyes to sink in, (there are other health reasons for that happening.) he should be OK in time. I wouldn't worry unless there isn't any improvement over the next couple of weeks.
 
I think his other owner was cruel to him. When i got him he was in a hugh cage with other chameleons male and female. We have had milo for 3 months and they told us he was 9 months old. but someone on here told me he is to small to be 9 months. How can i tell how old he is? Is there a way? Also when we first got him we tryed holding him he was VERY agrresive and MEAN and was always hissing at us. So now he is better. He is a little still scared but that is going to take time for him to get to kow us. Other than that he is amazing pet. We spolied him too much. last month he was having a a bad time eating and drinking. the month before he was eating fine and drinking. He is VERY picky on what he eats. He barley started eating his Goliath worms and silk worms. I had to take away the crickets cause i wantd him to eat something else. I'am a first own of a chameleon and i'm trying to learn everything i can about them. There wonderful pets. And if i could i would own another one. but how do u do it owning two? I have always want a veil cham they are so bad looking.
 
You said..."he was VERY agrresive and MEAN and was always hissing at us. So now he is better"...you shouldn't be handling the chameleon more than absolutely necessary. Gracefuls suffer from stress more than most chameleons when being handled. You are likely "breaking its spirit" and its very likely to die IMHO. You are already saying that its not eating as well as before and its sunken eyes are an indication that something is wrong.

Also...do you know if its a male or female? If its female do you have a place in its cage for it to dig to lay eggs if it needs to?
What are you (specifically) supplementing with and how often with each supplement? What specifically do you gutload with/feed your insects? What UVB light are you using? Is it a compact, spiral, long linear tube, etc.?
 
kianna2118 said:
I do mist his cage 3 times a day. I even put him in the shower on his branch with luke warm water on.( i notice that helps him eat a little more) Also your right he don't like to drink or eat in front of me. I have to be doing something with out him knowing i'm watching him eat or drink. He does urate white. Sometimes i do have to let the water hit him for him to drink the water. Thanks .. Anything else will be greatful helpful .What kind of cham do u have ?
Click to expand...

When your misting, fill the bottle with hot water. Then extend your bare arm as far as you think your cham will be from the spray and test how warm the water is when it hits your arm. If it isn't too hot your fine. From there, you can mist ABOVE your cham making sure YOU DO NOT SPRAY HIM DIRECTLY. If you spray for long enough your cham should be covered with some droplets of water, if he's wet enough he may start licking his lips, this is a sign of drinking. Other then that keep your eye on his urates, and please i can't stress it enough, DO NOT spray your cham directly it should be like rain on him if you mist ABOVE him.
 
The following is information about the care of chameleons and maintaining their health....(it doesn't apply 100% to all chameleons.)...
Exposure to UVB either from direct sunlight or an appropriate UVB bulb (most highly/often recommended being the Repti-sun 5.0 long linear tube) will allow the chameleon to produce D3 which in turn will allow it to use the calcium in its system. The UVB from the sun or the light should not pass through glass or plastic. Some of the compact/spiral lights have been known to cause photo kerato conjuctivitus and this may cause the chameleon to try to get away from the light to avoid damage to its eyes. Also, by allowing the chameleon to be outside of its cage for long periods of time its not likely going to be exposed to the UVB long enough to produce enough D3. Lack of D3 can lead to MBD because the calcium can't be used.

Appropriate basking temperatures will aid in digestion and thus play a part in nutrient absorption. If the chameleon is allowed to be in an area where the temperatures are too cool, its digestion will slow down and it follows that it would absorb less nutrients.

Since most feeder insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorous, the insects should be dusted before feeding them to the chameleon with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it. This is not interchangeable with dusting with the calcium/D3 powder...its meant to balance the ratio of calcium to phosphorous and to work with the D3 acquired from exposure to UVB.

Dusting twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that it gets enough vitamins without overdosing the vitamin A. Beta carotene is converted into vitamin A as needed and won't build up in the system. Excess prEformed vitamin A (from animal sources and supplements usually) can build up in the system and prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. Using the powder with a beta carotene leaves the control of how much prEformed vitamin A it gets to the chameleon's owner...so its less likely to get an overdose (I hope).

Dusting twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder (not necessary if the chameleon gets exposure to direct sunlight) will ensure that it gets enough D3 without overdoing it. D3 FROM SUPPLEMENTS can build up in the system and cause problems too....so just dusting lightly is enough.

Gutloading and feeding the insects a nutritious diet also plays a part in the nutrients available to the chameleon. I gutload/feed crickets, superworms, roaches a wide assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, zucchini, sweet red pepper, celery leaves, etc.). I don't usually like commercial products because I can't always be sure of what's in them so IMHO its harder to balance things.

Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are the main players in bone health (and serve other important purposes in the system too) and the need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed to the chameleon and what you feed to the insects.

Water is important too...as for all creatures.

Here are some good sites that you might like to read...
http://adcham.com/
http://web.archive.org/web/20060502...als.com/vet/index.php?show=8.Gout.Basics.html
http://chameleonnews.com/
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/

Hope this helps.
 
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