Help in taking care of chameleons...

[lunatic]

Hi guys, hope someone can answer or help me. I'm from the philippines and got veiled chams but died. i know i got some faults. my cage is not appropriate for the chams. i'd like to ask how to avoid respiratory infection for chams and i just mist the enclosure 1-2x a day and how to know if the cham is dehydrated? her size is about 3inches mouth to body length.

I felt sad when she died. i'm hopeless in saving her since i don't have much knowledge still. not like mammals which i can give first aid.

Hope someone can help and enlighten me. i'm thinking not to takecare of another cham since i can't perfect the husbandry for the creature

 

[kinyonga]

Welcome to the forum and the world of chameleons.
Sorry that you lost your first one. Its never easy losing one.

You said..."my cage is not appropriate for the chams"..can you describe it or post a photo of it please?

You said..."i'd like to ask how to avoid respiratory infection for chams"...if you keep it at the right temperature, keep the cage at an appropriate humidity and make sure that the cage is cleaned regularly so bacteria won't build up in it and don't let water lay stagnant in the cage it will help...but I'm sure there are other things I should have included in the list.

You said..."i just mist the enclosure 1-2x a day and how to know if the cham is dehydrated?"...if you look at her urates "the white part of what comes out of her with the feces) and its white she is likely hydrated. If its quite warm where her cage is you may want to mist more frequently.

You said..."i'm hopeless in saving her since i don't have much knowledge still"...I'm sure it wasn't easy to lose her, but if you learn proper husbandry your next one should do better.

Here's some more information I hope will help you ....
Appropriate cage temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part indirectly in nutrient absorption.

Exposure to UVB from either direct sunlight or a proper UVB light allows the chameleon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system to make/keep the bones strong and be used in other systems in the chameleon as well. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic no matter whether its from the sun or the UVB light. The most often recommended UVB light is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light. Some of the compacts, spirals and tube lights have caused health issues, but so far there have been no bad reports against this one.

A wide variety of insects that have been well fed and gutloaded should be fed to it.

Since many of the feeder insects we use in captivity have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in them, its important to dust the insects just before you feed them to the chameleon at most feedings with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it. (I use Rep-cal phosphorus-free calcium).

If you also dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. It leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of what it needs through its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system but D3 produced from exposure to UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it. (I use Rep-cal phos.-free calcium/D3).

Dusting twice a month as well with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while. (I use herptivite which has beta carotene.)

Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs. I gutload crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms, etc. with an assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.)

Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon (muscles, etc.) and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.
Please note that various supplements have various amounts of D3 and vitamin A and so some can be given more often than others. The idea still is not to overdo the fat soluble vitamins like D3 and prEformed vitamin A.

Here are some good sites for you to read too...
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200605020...Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200406080...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://web.archive.org/web/200601140...ww.adcham.com/
If you can't access the sites above that have the word "archive" in you can do it through the WayBackMachine.

If you describe your cage and fill in the "how to ask for help" questions in the health forum here we can help you sort out the husbandry so you will be able to keep one properly.

 

[lunatic]

Hi Kinyonga, thanks for your fast reply. I know that my enclosure is not big since it is just the largest critter keeper. I don't have the time to make the best cage for her since I got busy lately. May i ask what cage measurement is best for a 3-4inches chams for the mentime? I will not post the picture of the cage since a lot of people will definitely judge me of cruelty right away. Hope you understand. I saw white part with the feces always. Our weather here is unpredictable even our weather forecast is insane

Last 2 days it's quite rainy for the whole afternoon. But not a strong rain. I have her indoor and do not have any basking light since it is hot here. I already lost 2 jacksonii previously putting them outdoor to get sunlight but died of heat. Since they require cooler temperature a friend told me lately but already too late. So my fault again. That's why I'm not putting my veiled outdoor any more but died as well of unknown reason. Expect for my bearded

 

[DavidBuchan]

Hello, welcome to the forum This is the best caresheet I've found for keeping Veileds, it has all the basic info you need to keep them healthy - https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/chameleonsinmyhouse/395-veiled-chameleon-care-sheet.html Part 2 has important info on laying bins and gutloading insects...........

 

[lunatic]

thanks so much man. great help from you sir.

more info and experiences from all of you guys are highly appreciated. thanks very much