Help!!! Worried about Chameleon

[LouiseKelly]

I looked around trying to find answers and everytime the person was told to fill this form in......so here is mine.

My Chameleon - Ambilobe Panther Chameleon, Female, about 6 months, been in my care for about a month,
Handling - Not a lot, about 2 times a weeks, for about 10mins.
Feeding - Large Locus, 4 a day at midday, I don't gut load the insects, just dusting.
Supplements - I use, Calci-pure dusting powder, made by the shop manager and Vetark Nutrobal which is a calcium and mutlivitamin supplement. I dust the Locus's everyday with the Calci-pure, and weekends I change and use the Nutrobal, this is what the shop manager suggested.
Watering - I have a spray bottle which I use, and I add Vetark BSP Vitamin drops, I mist the cage about 3-4 times a day for about 2-3mins. I have seen my Chameleon drink several times.
Fecal Description - Her faeces are either white or dark.


Cage Type - She is in a glass extro-terra terrarium, dimentions are 60x45x60cm.
Lighting - Exo terra sun glow 150wat Heat bulb and lamp, Exo tarra repti glo 5.0 UVB. The heat lamp is always on but a thermostat controls when it is comes on and off. The UV is on for about 8 hours a day, turned off at night,
Temperature - 88f durning the day and the lowest it drops at night is 78F, we measure the temprature with a themometer, and a infared themometer.
Humidity - The humidity ranges between 50%-80% We have a waterfall and a plant that holds water which helps keep the humidity levels up, I also mist 3-4 times a day. The themometer inside the tank is also a hydrometer and tells us the percentage of humidity,
Plants - I have 2 artificial plants, 1 that goes around the whole tank and the chamameleon climbs on, and 1 that holds water so the Chameleon can walk down the leaves and get a drink there.
Placement - The cage is loacated near a window, and the top of the cage is about 5feet away from the bedroom floor (The cage is on a stand)
Location - Canvey Island, Essex, England, UK.

Current Problem - My Chameleon is spending a lot of time on the floor, she has been doing it for the last 2 days, and I was just getting worried incase it was something serious.

 

[camimom]

Well she could be tryng to lay eggs. do you have an egg laying bin for her?
and why dont you gutload?

 

[KatiLemons]

Welcome!!
You don't need the heat lamp on at night. The basking spot should be around 85 degrees and the ambient temp should be in the high 70's. There should be about a 10 degree drop at night for it to be comfortable.

The reason she is on the floor is because she proabbaly needs a laying bin.

 

[KatiLemons]

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/jannb/345-egg-laying-laying-bin.html

Here is a really good blog about laying bins and egg laying. Hope this helps!!

 

[LouiseKelly]

Thank you, I will change the temprature to that then, can she really be producing eggs at 6months? The shop manager said she is to young apparently? X

 

[camimom]

Thank you, I will change the temprature to that then, can she really be producing eggs at 6months? The shop manager said she is to young apparently? X

Your shop manager is stupid.
Yes, females can produce eggs as early as 6 months old.
and for future reference, less food and lower temps can reduce egg production, or even stop it completely.
Can you post profile pics o fher? so we can see her belly

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Welcome to the forums! Good job filling out the form already! Can you post a picture of her?

UVB needs to be on for 10-12 hours a day minimum. Her cage is too small. They can start producing eggs earlier if they are overfed or if temps are high as it stimulates them to mature faster. And they don't need to mate to develop eggs. Where do you get the locusts before feeding? They need to be gut loaded with fresh veggies high in calcium like dandelions, mustard greens, turnip greens, collard greens, butternut squash etc. She needs a lot of calcium as a growing female and food is the absolute best way to get the vitamins and minerals she needs. Dusting alone isn't enough. I worry that she may be having calcium issues or egg issues, or both.

 

[KatiLemons]

yes, pictures would be good. If she is is ready to lay, you do not want to post pone getting the laying bin ready and in her cage. She could become egg bound which is not good. Once you get the laying bin in there, you will want to put her in it so she knows its there and let her do her thing. I have heard that most of the time they will crawl out but letting her know its there for her is a good idea. Once you do this, I would cover the cage with a sheet because females become distracted from laying with people gawking and with lots of movement around the cage!!

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Your shop manager is stupid.

I'm sure your shop manager is not stupid, however chameleons can be quite challenging and often break "the rules" of a lot of other reptiles. They are very different from a lot of common reptiles so many people don't have enough experience with their unique needs.

Camimom - you have good advice to offer but being antagonistic can be a quick turnoff to people who could benefit your advice.

 

[camimom]

I'm sure your shop manager is not stupid, however chameleons can be quite challenging and often break "the rules" of a lot of other reptiles. They are very different from a lot of common reptiles so many people don't have enough experience with their unique needs.

Camimom - you have good advice to offer but being antagonistic can be a quick turnoff to people who could benefit your advice.

I have no idea what happened to the rest of that sentence.
It was supposed to say your shop manager has said something that is stupid.

Not quite as bad.

 

[LouiseKelly]

The first 2 where taken about 3 days ago, and the 3rd I have just taken x

 

[LouiseKelly]

She has now changed back to her normal colour, which is the same as the first 2 pictures x

 

[DavidBuchan]

Hello, welcome to the forum She looks healthy enough, but there are a few things which are unusual about how you are keeping her. The uvb reptiglo is the exact one that I use, but 12 hours on / 12 hours off is most usual. In future there's no need to waste money on expensive basking lights, a standard bulb gives out uva. Your temps are a bit high for a female, but it's very hard to tell if she needs to lay.....has she been scratching around or just sitting at the bottom? No light is needed at night - this might be why she's hiding in the day time? Crickets and roaches are much easier to gutload with good stuff, but locusts will eat greens like dandelion.
For your vitamins do you know the d3 concentrations? Usually a phosphorous-free calcium powder is for everyday, and one with d3 every 2 weeks (alternated with a multivit).
Last but not least, we would all recommend removing the waterfall - she is unlikely to use it for anything except a toilet, it will be very difficult to keep clean and if she does drink from it she could become ill, because it will just be a breeding ground for bacteria.