IrohtheVeiled
Avid Member
What you’re describing is classic chameleon sleep pose. That’s good.
Do you have a way of measuring your temps in the cage
Help me! New chamleon owner!
- Thread starter ThatOneDisease
- Start date
Do you have a way of measuring your temps in the cage
ThatOneDisease
Member
I have a temp gun and a hydrometer/temp thing inside the enclosure (you can probably see it in the pictures of his enclosure-)
IrohtheVeiled
Avid Member
What’s the temp at the highest point your Cham climbs? As mentioned earlier by someone else the highest temp for your friend should be about 80-81 at the highest branch
ThatOneDisease
Member
Yup, his highest branch where he goes to bask is 80-81. That's actually the only correct bulb the pet store sold me-
IrohtheVeiled
Avid Member
Does your Cham screen climb to higher points beyond the highest branch? This is a common behavior in younger Chams.
If they do, you can raise the fixture slightly off the cage top to address this.
If they do, you can raise the fixture slightly off the cage top to address this.
ThatOneDisease
Member
No, he doesn't. Before he did but keep in mind that was before I added that higher branch. I've only seen him do it once when I did add the branch.
Also I have a picture of his poop now so you all can evaluate(the lighting though makes it a tad difficult to tell- the whiter part is a white-creamish color with a little yellow at the end.
And I will be making that little feeder thing. That was helpful, thank you and I know it will help alot better when it comes to him eating.
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IrohtheVeiled
Avid Member
Your basking distance looks good at a glance 8-9 inches is good practice for uvb exposure (this is assuming mesh top and the lighting fixtures that were recommended on this form
ThatOneDisease
Member
I am going to get a new uvb that Skittles said as it was a need. The heat bulb is a 50watt. This the list I've been kinda going down(ignore the checks). And yes, it is a mesh top. The whole cage is and I actually do plan to get covers to go on the back of his enclosure to keep water from spraying out the back on my wall.(also to help keep humidity at night)
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IrohtheVeiled
Avid Member
There’s a lot of diy hacks to make solid enclosures for much cheaper than prefab options
When you do upgrade to a 2x2x4 if you ever want to look into making it a hybrid cage, you can install pvc panels on the sides that’s just one example.
When you do upgrade to a 2x2x4 if you ever want to look into making it a hybrid cage, you can install pvc panels on the sides that’s just one example.
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
As it is nearing the holiday season, it’s almost a certainty that the chain pet stores will be having some fantastic sale prices on ReptiBreeze enclosures. Or maybe you could even have Jax ask your family’s Santa’s for one…I’m positive he’s been the best boy ever this year. 
When making a feeding station, do be mindful of sharp edges which can cut. I’ve made my own versions of the shooting gallery feeder from plastic food containers. I sand the sharp edges until as dull as possible and then run a very scant line of hot glue along the edge as a bit of insurance. I take care to ensure that the glue is well stuck to the sanded edge as it can easily come off of smooth plastic. Tape would be ideal, but we can never use tape around our chameleons. Somehow they always manage to get it stuck to themselves and that can cause serious scale/skin damage.
Here’s the original shooting gallery…and my feisty little love, Stella (hoping for more food to magically appear). Note the fake plants are now providing a bit of extra privacy as they are attached to the outside of the enclosure.
Side view of the inside of the door. It’s hard to see but it has clear rubber stoppers protecting the pointy ends of the pins. They are similar to earring backs, but larger. There is also a plastic protector at the bottom edge of the opening, to protect little mittens.
Wish I could remember where I got this plastic from…probably a frozen dinner or something. The size is perfect so I used it and made my own ‘shooting gallery’. This one is larger than Stella’s and equivalent to the large size original. It’s for my male veiled and fits his high casque well. In the background you can see where he’s been eating his money tree leaves as soon as they bud. This is primarily/only a veiled thing to eat plants. Panthers may chew on branches, but don’t eat anything but their live bugs.
I side view. I tried bits of hot glue, both cut from a stick and melted to protect from the sharp pin ends, but that didn’t work. So, I got some eraser sticks from the dollar store and cut them into little cubes. They work great, but when reused, they break. I have extras though so I can remove the feeder for cleaning.
Better pic of Stella. She was my second chameleon and while I was still very new and making mistakes, she’s done wonderfully and has been stealing my heart daily for six years now.
When making a feeding station, do be mindful of sharp edges which can cut. I’ve made my own versions of the shooting gallery feeder from plastic food containers. I sand the sharp edges until as dull as possible and then run a very scant line of hot glue along the edge as a bit of insurance. I take care to ensure that the glue is well stuck to the sanded edge as it can easily come off of smooth plastic. Tape would be ideal, but we can never use tape around our chameleons. Somehow they always manage to get it stuck to themselves and that can cause serious scale/skin damage.
Here’s the original shooting gallery…and my feisty little love, Stella (hoping for more food to magically appear). Note the fake plants are now providing a bit of extra privacy as they are attached to the outside of the enclosure.
Side view of the inside of the door. It’s hard to see but it has clear rubber stoppers protecting the pointy ends of the pins. They are similar to earring backs, but larger. There is also a plastic protector at the bottom edge of the opening, to protect little mittens.
Wish I could remember where I got this plastic from…probably a frozen dinner or something. The size is perfect so I used it and made my own ‘shooting gallery’. This one is larger than Stella’s and equivalent to the large size original. It’s for my male veiled and fits his high casque well. In the background you can see where he’s been eating his money tree leaves as soon as they bud. This is primarily/only a veiled thing to eat plants. Panthers may chew on branches, but don’t eat anything but their live bugs.
I side view. I tried bits of hot glue, both cut from a stick and melted to protect from the sharp pin ends, but that didn’t work. So, I got some eraser sticks from the dollar store and cut them into little cubes. They work great, but when reused, they break. I have extras though so I can remove the feeder for cleaning.
Better pic of Stella. She was my second chameleon and while I was still very new and making mistakes, she’s done wonderfully and has been stealing my heart daily for six years now.
IrohtheVeiled
Avid Member
As for worrying about overspray when you do mist there’s a lot of creative solutions that won’t break the bank. Especially as it gets cold and dry with winter, you get the added bonus of humidity retention too. People use cut shower curtains, PVC panels or even just wrapping 3 walls with plastic wrap works
IrohtheVeiled
Avid Member
I get envious of other people’s feeding stationsAs it is nearing the holiday season, it’s almost a certainty that the chain pet stores will be having some fantastic sale prices on ReptiBreeze enclosures. Or maybe you could even have Jax ask your family’s Santa’s for one…I’m positive he’s been the best boy ever this year.
When making a feeding station, do be mindful of sharp edges which can cut. I’ve made my own versions of the shooting gallery feeder from plastic food containers. I sand the sharp edges until as dull as possible and then run a very scant line of hot glue along the edge as a bit of insurance. I take care to ensure that the glue is well stuck to the sanded edge as it can easily come off of smooth plastic. Tape would be ideal, but we can never use tape around our chameleons. Somehow they always manage to get it stuck to themselves and that can cause serious scale/skin damage.
Here’s the original shooting gallery…and my feisty little love, Stella (hoping for more food to magically appear). Note the fake plants are now providing a bit of extra privacy as they are attached to the outside of the enclosure.
View attachment 366997
Side view of the inside of the door. It’s hard to see but it has clear rubber stoppers protecting the pointy ends of the pins. They are similar to earring backs, but larger. There is also a plastic protector at the bottom edge of the opening, to protect little mittens.
View attachment 366998
Wish I could remember where I got this plastic from…probably a frozen dinner or something. The size is perfect so I used it and made my own ‘shooting gallery’. This one is larger than Stella’s and equivalent to the large size original. It’s for my male veiled and fits his high casque well. In the background you can see where he’s been eating his money tree leaves as soon as they bud. This is primarily/only a veiled thing to eat plants. Panthers may chew on branches, but don’t eat anything but their live bugs.
View attachment 366999
I side view. I tried bits of hot glue, both cut from a stick and melted to protect from the sharp pin ends, but that didn’t work. So, I got some eraser sticks from the dollar store and cut them into little cubes. They work great, but when reused, they break. I have extras though so I can remove the feeder for cleaning.
View attachment 367000
Better pic of Stella. She was my second chameleon and while I was still very new and making mistakes, she’s done wonderfully and has been stealing my heart daily for six years now.
View attachment 367001
My veiled is so food motivated at feeding time he bum rushes the door so fast I wouldn’t even be able to add bugs to one
ThatOneDisease
Member
I'm back here to ask questions and provide a slight update-
First of all, it's late as hell right now for me(I'm I'm Florida) because of crickets. Is there any way to- make them stop being so noisy? Or can I just put them somewhere else in the house? I currently still live with my mother because easier access to college and she has been helping me with Jax.
But the crickets are very noisy and are keeping me up having their cage in my room. Ideally I wish I had a separate room for him but I don't and he's actually a pretty heavy sleeper until I put a light near him- I do sit at my desk to work sometimes or do anything and he isn't bothered by that desk light whatsoever.
Anyway- I did get Tupperware to make a feeder, secondly I know what food he needs and now I need to ask what kinda roaches can I get? I know people use dubia and im....90% sure that's the one illegal here(go figure). Just saying crickets do smell, not too bad, for me though it's just the jumping around and...noise (help me). I've already had 3 escape and it was a pain in my ass to catch and get rid of each one.
Next, I'm gonna retry superworms. Again, like I said, he never took them although keep in mind I was trying to do that via tongs and maybe he just didn't like it that way? But he took crickets fine from tongs. I'm not using tongs anymore and I even told my mother DO NOT use it. She's been using them instead to place crickets in a visible place for him for now until I get that feeder set up. Yeah, that's another thing- crickets are just generally a pain and before I could dump them in and they'd stay out alot and he'd catch every single one but lately these pinheads I got hide allll day and that's why I'm really stressing now to make a feeder when I wake up. I want to make sure he is eating the right amount.
Lastly, to not make this post so long can anyone tell how old he is? And maybe when chams shed? I wanna make sure I get a rough idea of when that happens and maybe some insight on shedding(you can link me to like a thread on this forum if need be to answer this)
First of all, it's late as hell right now for me(I'm I'm Florida) because of crickets. Is there any way to- make them stop being so noisy? Or can I just put them somewhere else in the house? I currently still live with my mother because easier access to college and she has been helping me with Jax.
But the crickets are very noisy and are keeping me up having their cage in my room. Ideally I wish I had a separate room for him but I don't and he's actually a pretty heavy sleeper until I put a light near him- I do sit at my desk to work sometimes or do anything and he isn't bothered by that desk light whatsoever.
Anyway- I did get Tupperware to make a feeder, secondly I know what food he needs and now I need to ask what kinda roaches can I get? I know people use dubia and im....90% sure that's the one illegal here(go figure). Just saying crickets do smell, not too bad, for me though it's just the jumping around and...noise (help me). I've already had 3 escape and it was a pain in my ass to catch and get rid of each one.
Next, I'm gonna retry superworms. Again, like I said, he never took them although keep in mind I was trying to do that via tongs and maybe he just didn't like it that way? But he took crickets fine from tongs. I'm not using tongs anymore and I even told my mother DO NOT use it. She's been using them instead to place crickets in a visible place for him for now until I get that feeder set up. Yeah, that's another thing- crickets are just generally a pain and before I could dump them in and they'd stay out alot and he'd catch every single one but lately these pinheads I got hide allll day and that's why I'm really stressing now to make a feeder when I wake up. I want to make sure he is eating the right amount.
Lastly, to not make this post so long can anyone tell how old he is? And maybe when chams shed? I wanna make sure I get a rough idea of when that happens and maybe some insight on shedding(you can link me to like a thread on this forum if need be to answer this)
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
I keep my crickets in the garage. Every now and then there will be an escapee that chirps incessantly, but usually I can tune them out. It might not work, but I have found that if you put a piece of egg carton out near where the stray cricket(s) are, they sometimes will hide under it. Banded crickets are superior imho to domestic ones…less smelly, hardier and I’m not sure if they are quieter or not…I think all crickets chirp. 
I’m also in Florida (Space Coast/Brevard) and dubia are illegal. Instead we have discoids, which are very similar. Even though the adults have wings, they don’t fly and are very poor climbers with smooth walls, like a slick plastic. The babies (aka nymphs) are a little better at climbing, but only make it up and inch or two before falling. Just an fyi: they do make tiny squeaks when excited and emit a very slight skunky type odor when scared. Try a few and see if your Jax accepts them. Not all critters like roaches at first. Discoids do move a bit faster than dubia so are attractive to chameleons. Only one of mine won’t eat them, but he’s fussy and only wants worms.
A great place for Florida feeders is https://www.lindasgonebuggie.com/ and I just ordered from her. Her prices are very reasonable and she’s just a very nice person and communicates with you if needed. She breeds many of her own bugs and they are robust and healthy. She also has value packs, which are great for variety. Her website isn’t as modern as most, but she does keep it updated often. I believe she’s on or near the panhandle and every now and then, she makes herself available in her locale for pick up. She announces it on FaceBook.
I’m also in Florida (Space Coast/Brevard) and dubia are illegal. Instead we have discoids, which are very similar. Even though the adults have wings, they don’t fly and are very poor climbers with smooth walls, like a slick plastic. The babies (aka nymphs) are a little better at climbing, but only make it up and inch or two before falling. Just an fyi: they do make tiny squeaks when excited and emit a very slight skunky type odor when scared. Try a few and see if your Jax accepts them. Not all critters like roaches at first. Discoids do move a bit faster than dubia so are attractive to chameleons. Only one of mine won’t eat them, but he’s fussy and only wants worms.
A great place for Florida feeders is https://www.lindasgonebuggie.com/ and I just ordered from her. Her prices are very reasonable and she’s just a very nice person and communicates with you if needed. She breeds many of her own bugs and they are robust and healthy. She also has value packs, which are great for variety. Her website isn’t as modern as most, but she does keep it updated often. I believe she’s on or near the panhandle and every now and then, she makes herself available in her locale for pick up. She announces it on FaceBook.
ThatOneDisease
Member
I just checked her website out and I'll pry order from her if I need a certain type. Like I said, I do have a place I go to that has crickets and bugs for cheap. Also I'm not home a whole bunch due to workI keep my crickets in the garage. Every now and then there will be an escapee that chirps incessantly, but usually I can tune them out. It might not work, but I have found that if you put a piece of egg carton out near where the stray cricket(s) are, they sometimes will hide under it. Banded crickets are superior imho to domestic ones…less smelly, hardier and I’m not sure if they are quieter or not…I think all crickets chirp.
I’m also in Florida (Space Coast/Brevard) and dubia are illegal. Instead we have discoids, which are very similar. Even though the adults have wings, they don’t fly and are very poor climbers with smooth walls, like a slick plastic. The babies (aka nymphs) are a little better at climbing, but only make it up and inch or two before falling. Just an fyi: they do make tiny squeaks when excited and emit a very slight skunky type odor when scared. Try a few and see if your Jax accepts them. Not all critters like roaches at first. Discoids do move a bit faster than dubia so are attractive to chameleons. Only one of mine won’t eat them, but he’s fussy and only wants worms.
A great place for Florida feeders is https://www.lindasgonebuggie.com/ and I just ordered from her. Her prices are very reasonable and she’s just a very nice person and communicates with you if needed. She breeds many of her own bugs and they are robust and healthy. She also has value packs, which are great for variety. Her website isn’t as modern as most, but she does keep it updated often. I believe she’s on or near the panhandle and every now and then, she makes herself available in her locale for pick up. She announces it on FaceBook.
and I'm terrified that if I'm not home to get the package as it says in her rules. As for the discord roaches, I can give them a try- I'm terrified of roaches lol but again I'm not exactly touching them and I'll do it for Jax.
Banded crickets I'll try. For now just at night imma put the crickets in the garage. It's cooler at night and I have seen them go into shock before and once back in a good temp, they are fine. I know for sure Jax likes crickets-
Also good to know that some chams don't eat certain things! I was very worried when he wouldn't take superworms, like I even put it in a place he could see it move around and he just....didn't go for it(which is fine I guess? I know it's a treat worm). But I heard lots of chams loves silk worms so I'll get a little thing of that, test it out and then I can mix it up in his feeder
ThatOneDisease
Member
I made the milk jug feeder station, making sure to cover up all those sharp edges and he's eating out it! Took him a second to see it and realized what it was but he's eating! I'm probably gonna fix the jug itself because the crickets aren't climbing but I'm pretty sure that's because they wanna hide- but they are moving around at the bottom and he can see that.
I'm very happy now and just this little thing is giving me some hope.
I also watched some of Neptune's videos and now I know what I avoid when I go to pet stores. Thank you guys for recommending her and she even gave a list of the stuff I need in a video(basically similar to what yall told me) so I'm gonna just binge it all as much as I can so I can really work on it.
I'm very happy now and just this little thing is giving me some hope.
I also watched some of Neptune's videos and now I know what I avoid when I go to pet stores. Thank you guys for recommending her and she even gave a list of the stuff I need in a video(basically similar to what yall told me) so I'm gonna just binge it all as much as I can so I can really work on it.
IrohtheVeiled
Avid Member
Congrats on making the feeding station! It’s always satisfying when we make something to serve a function for our chams and it works as intended.
Neptune is a form member here so the information you’ll get is very similar
There’s a lot of disinformation and conflicting information regarding care for chams
I’d say stick to here, chameleon academy, and Neptune the chameleon
(The one thing I’ll say about sourcing feeders from stores is ensure they don’t recycle uneaten feeders from their animals as it’s a contamination risk for parasites)
Neptune is a form member here so the information you’ll get is very similar
There’s a lot of disinformation and conflicting information regarding care for chams
I’d say stick to here, chameleon academy, and Neptune the chameleon
(The one thing I’ll say about sourcing feeders from stores is ensure they don’t recycle uneaten feeders from their animals as it’s a contamination risk for parasites)
IrohtheVeiled
Avid Member
You may not have asked for a Cham but I will say if you have a growth mind set and you’re willing to take input from others you will develop skills related to husbandry and herpetology and it becomes quite fun when it’s not scary anymore
ThatOneDisease
Member
I appreciate that and I'm feeling better and less panicked/overwhelmed. I have a plan and my next move is to order that bulb tonight as I was just waiting for my paycheck.
And here's his feeder, he ate all the crickets today so he's been well fed today! As you can kinda see, I have been misting but he hadn't been drinking it? This morning he did poop and noticed that his "pee" was a little smaller and a tad more yellow. Any tips on how to help him stay more hydrated? After the uvb, my next step is a mister, preferably MistKing so when I transfer to the bigger cage I don't really have to upgrade that.
