i bought a cham offline about 3 weeks ago he is around 3 months old now. he used to be very active now he sleeps a lot during the day. he eats around 5 to 6 small crickets everyday that have been gut loaded also i dust the crickets usually 3 times a week. his basking temp is at 90 and the rest of the cage is 80 to 85. i spray the substrate till it is soaked usually twice a day. aslo i put ice cubes on the top to provide as a drippin system. i think he may be sick? help please
help!!!
- Thread starter Ryanto
- Start date
hun73r
Member
Fill out the help form:
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.
Pictures are helpful
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.
Pictures are helpful
Matt1851
New Member
lower you rbasking temps! his basking spot should be 80-85 max ande the rest of the cage should be lower, try getting a better dripping system and spray him some more
also fill out the ask for help form please
https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/
also fill out the ask for help form please
https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/set up
i have a veiled chameleon he is probably close to 3 months old now. i got him 2 and half weeks ago. i dont handle him much sometimes i get him out and feed him but thats about it. i feed him 6 to 7 small crickets a day that have been gut loaded with zillas gut load. also i usually dust the crickets 2 to 3 times a week. i mist the cage 2 to 3 times a day until the substrate looks moist. also i have a water bottle with a small hole in the bottom for the drip system i just put that in a few days ago he seems to drink more water from that then lettin ice cubes melt on top of the cage. his fecal is mostly white. right now he is in a 10gal glass tank while i build his new cage that will be mesh screen. i have a basking light with a 50w bulb in it also i put a nightime bulb on him at night. the daytime light usually run from around 9am to 10pm. the temp is around 90 to 95 for the basking spot and 80 to 85 for the rest of the cage. humidity is almost at 60% all the time. i have fake plants in the tank with a soil substrate thats mixed with cocunut. his cage sits almost 5 ft high off the ground. he eats fine and starting to drink more water. he just sleeps during the day everywhere i have read that is bad. anyway to help?
i have a veiled chameleon he is probably close to 3 months old now. i got him 2 and half weeks ago. i dont handle him much sometimes i get him out and feed him but thats about it. i feed him 6 to 7 small crickets a day that have been gut loaded with zillas gut load. also i usually dust the crickets 2 to 3 times a week. i mist the cage 2 to 3 times a day until the substrate looks moist. also i have a water bottle with a small hole in the bottom for the drip system i just put that in a few days ago he seems to drink more water from that then lettin ice cubes melt on top of the cage. his fecal is mostly white. right now he is in a 10gal glass tank while i build his new cage that will be mesh screen. i have a basking light with a 50w bulb in it also i put a nightime bulb on him at night. the daytime light usually run from around 9am to 10pm. the temp is around 90 to 95 for the basking spot and 80 to 85 for the rest of the cage. humidity is almost at 60% all the time. i have fake plants in the tank with a soil substrate thats mixed with cocunut. his cage sits almost 5 ft high off the ground. he eats fine and starting to drink more water. he just sleeps during the day everywhere i have read that is bad. anyway to help?
Elizadolots
New Member
How long will it be before he gets into the new cage? A 10 gallon glass tank seems small and perhaps not sufficiently ventilated. It might be better to let him eat in his cage rather than taking him out. He might feel better about eating more if he isn't being held.
all the information i have was in that last post that is the qustionaire just not in the right form i guess. he is still pooping and its white no sign of dehydration today he only ate 2 crickets and he just wants to sleep and sit around. i should be able to move him into his new cage within a week. i dont know what else to do.
Elizadolots
New Member
You might not be able to as you are new. You can upload them to Photobucket or Flickr (maybe even Twitter, I'm not sure) and the insert them into your posts here.
You can try uploading a picture. In the reply window (not quick reply) click the "paperclip"
If that works, you'll get a window to upload your attachments and they will appear as thumbnails. If you upload to photobucket, they'll appear in the middle of your post (like my picture of the paperclip)
You can try uploading a picture. In the reply window (not quick reply) click the "paperclip"
If that works, you'll get a window to upload your attachments and they will appear as thumbnails. If you upload to photobucket, they'll appear in the middle of your post (like my picture of the paperclip)
Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
Didn't see any mention of a UVB emitting light. This is a specific tube fluorescent light in addition to the basking spot. Without exposure to UVB chams can't metabolize calcium or D3 in the diet. A ReptiSun 5.0 is the standard. Get rid of the night light also. Chams need at least a 10 degree temp drop at night and NO visible light! Get rid of the substrate as it can be an ingestion hazard and harbor mold and bacteria if its wet all the time.
Elizadolots
New Member
Carlton, what should he do for the remaining days the chameleon is in the 10 gallon glass tank? Is the Reptisun good for something that small?
If you look at the time, my post was only made a couple of minutes after your post with all the information in it...so I didn't see your information!
Since you have owned him only 3 weeks, if its your husbandry that's affecting him it would be things like lighting, temperatures, provision of water that need to be looked at although there are other things in your husbandry that you should look at as well. Carlton has pretty much covered the husbandry things that might be part of the problem. If its not solved by correcting those things then you need to look at things like parasites, history from his previous owner. Is he pooping lately? (I would be removing the substrate so that there is no chance of him ingesting it and becoming impacted.) He definitely shouldn't be sleeping during the day....and I would expect him to eat a bit more too. I would lower the basking temperatures to the mid to low 80's for now too. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic, BTW.
Ice cubes are providing cold water and that could be a problem too...so I'm glad to hear that you are changing that.
Concerning gutloading..you can gutload crickets, locusts, superworms, roaches with a wide variety of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, celery leaves, etc.)
It important to dust at most feedings with a phos.-free calcium powder since most insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phos.
I dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder to ensure that the chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. I leave it to produce the rest of the D3 it needs from its exposure to the UVB. D3 from supplements can build up in the system...but D3 produced from exposure to the UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of the UVB.
I dust twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A. Beta carotene won't build up in the system like prEformed vitamin A will, but there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert it...so some people give a little prEformed once in a while. Excess prEformed vitamin A may interfere with the D3 and lead to MBD..so be careful with it.
Hope this helps!
Since you have owned him only 3 weeks, if its your husbandry that's affecting him it would be things like lighting, temperatures, provision of water that need to be looked at although there are other things in your husbandry that you should look at as well. Carlton has pretty much covered the husbandry things that might be part of the problem. If its not solved by correcting those things then you need to look at things like parasites, history from his previous owner. Is he pooping lately? (I would be removing the substrate so that there is no chance of him ingesting it and becoming impacted.) He definitely shouldn't be sleeping during the day....and I would expect him to eat a bit more too. I would lower the basking temperatures to the mid to low 80's for now too. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic, BTW.
Ice cubes are providing cold water and that could be a problem too...so I'm glad to hear that you are changing that.
Concerning gutloading..you can gutload crickets, locusts, superworms, roaches with a wide variety of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, celery leaves, etc.)
It important to dust at most feedings with a phos.-free calcium powder since most insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phos.
I dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder to ensure that the chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. I leave it to produce the rest of the D3 it needs from its exposure to the UVB. D3 from supplements can build up in the system...but D3 produced from exposure to the UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of the UVB.
I dust twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A. Beta carotene won't build up in the system like prEformed vitamin A will, but there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert it...so some people give a little prEformed once in a while. Excess prEformed vitamin A may interfere with the D3 and lead to MBD..so be careful with it.
Hope this helps!
Elizadolots
New Member
Ryanto, if you feel more comfortable with something on the glass, you could put down paper towels. When you move him to his real cage the same applies: paper towels, torn up newspaper...something like that if you want. Nothing is required though and nothing is a lot easier to keep clean.
Does he have anything to climb on in there? I know you mentioned fake plants, but can the animal climb them?
Does he have anything to climb on in there? I know you mentioned fake plants, but can the animal climb them?
thanks for the help everyone i really appreciate it im going to go ahead and get a new screen cage for him tomorrow and yea he does have a lot of vines to climb on and fake plants. Do you guys suggest real plants and if so which ones would be safe for me to use? also would the reptile carpet be safe to use or would that be too hot for him?
Elizadolots
New Member
I'm glad you're getting the cage tomorrow. I think that will go a long way toward making him happier and healthier. Real plants help in maintaining humidity and generally make for a nicer environment. Florida Chameleons has a safe plant list. That is very helpful.
I don't know much about the reptile carpet except it seems like something that would be a germ/smell magnet. "Nothing" is really the best option for the ground. If you dislike the white plastic you can go to an aquarium shop or place that sells fish supplies and buy "aquarium background". It's plastic film that comes in a variety of colors and patterns (even rocks). That will be really easy to keep clean and not quite as jarring as the white bottom.
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