How to tell if supplement schedule needs to be adjusted?

[NorCalAnthony]

Hello Everyone,

I just picked up my new ambilobe, Loki, last month. He's about 4 months old now and so far he seems to be really healthy. By healthy I mean he's already almost 8" long (not sure on the weight as I haven't gotten a scale for him yet), he is already showing some awesome coloring, he's a good eater and is eating around 15 1/2" crickets each day, he's pretty active during the day and loves to explore when I take him out which is usually daily (he loves climbing our curtains lol). He's my first chameleon in about fifteen years and I'm trying to make sure that I'm doing everything right so he'll grow up healthy and happy.

Here's the most recent picture I have of him:

My question is how can I tell if his supplement schedule needs to be changed? I am currently using the schedule that I found in JannB's blog (https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html) and am using Rep-Cal calcium supplement with no phosphorous or D3 almost everyday, Rep-Cal calcium with D3 twice a month (1st & 3rd Sunday), Rep-Cal herptivite multivitamin once a month (2nd Sunday), and Zoo Med's Reptivite w/o D3 once a month (4th Sunday). Thanks for the tips JannB!

So far he seems to be very healthy and happy and I am not currently having any health issues but I'm curious what I should look for should something not work out right and I need to make adjustments.

Also, he is currently in a 2'x1'x2' DIY cage. I use a combination hood with a 24" ReptiSun 5.0 UVB and a 60w household bulb that keeps his basking temp around 83-85* and the rest of the cage is around 77* during the day and around 70-72* at night. He has a DIY automatic drip and mist system that goes off every two hours for two minutes which keeps the humidity around 55-60% with spikes of 95%+ during misting. (https://www.chameleonforums.com/my-first-cage-build-84441/ shows the specifics of how I set up everything).

Here's how his cage is currently set up:

And here's Loki in his basking spot:

Thanks for any advice you guys can offer,

Anthony

 

[birdlover71]

My honest opinion

Would definitely be a bigger cage set up. As far as supplements I only use Repashy calcium plus everyday. I gut load my feeders with Repashy super load and cricket crack, fresh veggies fresh wet load for moisture. Best wishes!!!

Ps he is so cute!!!!!

 

[carol5208]

Hi Anthony. All the advice Jann has in her blog is top notch, so just keep doing what you are doing. If you are only giving the d3 twice a month you should be fiine and not have to worry about overdosing. That supplement schedule is what the majority of us use(some of us have switched to Repashy all in one)so just stick with that as we all have had pretty good success with that. Something I might change in your set up would be these two things. Maybe try and add a little more foilage if possible and also I do not like how close your chameleon is basking to the screen with his back. He could get burned, especially as he continues to grow. Lastly, that cage is not going to last much longer in size and you are gonna need to upgrade to something with some more heighth for him. He is adorable and looks great so far!

 

[ISA my Veiled]

My only suggestion really is getting a bigger enclosure for the little guy. And along with that thicker climbing branches because they can develop sores on there feet from over gripping and constantly rubbing on the branches as they do when they are extending all the way around. It also to me seems like it is harder to climb a thin branch rather than a thicker one.

As far as cages go, I really enjoy my reptibreeze, it is 24x24x48 in size and I love it. A lot of room and a lot of things you can do with it. But carol hit it on the head with the supplements in my opinion

 

[Swayne8998]

Everything looks great, except his cage size. At his age, he should probably be in a 2'x2'x4' tall mesh cage.

Good luck!

 

[NorCalAnthony]

Thanks for all of the replies so far everyone!

I'm glad to hear that the current supplement schedule is a good one and shouldn't need any alterations.

Thanks for the tips on my current setup everyone. His basking spot is about 3.5" below the screen because the bulb is another 4" above the screen where it sits in the light fixture and I heard it should be around 6-8" from the basking spot but I can always move it a little lower if that's needed. I also never thought about the branches being too small (they currently range from around 3/8-3/4" dia) and haven't noticed him having any issues grabbing them or sores on his feet but I'll definitely be keeping an eye on that, thanks for the heads up.

I'll be upgrading him to a larger enclosure in another month or so, no need to worry about that. I almost started him off in a full size cage to start with but had heard that little chams can sometimes have issues with hunting and finding a good basking spot when they go straight in to their adult enclosure so I built him this "in between size" cage to start with until he's around 6-7 months. His next one will be 3'W x 2'D x 4.5'T and I have already started collecting some larger branches to use. He's growing like a weed though so I'm going to have to move that timetable up since he's already grown almost 3" in the 1 month that I've had him lol. Here's a pic from when we first brought him home so you can see the size difference from the pic I posted earlier:

If you guys have any other tips or suggestions please keep them coming!

 

[NorCalAnthony]

I forgot to mention that I also gut load my crickets with a mixture of kale, mustard greens, fresh spinach leaves, apples, and carrots. This was my first batch and it made A LOT but once I use it all up I'll be making another batch if anyone has any recipes for the gut load please feel free to share!

 

[ISA my Veiled]

I forgot to mention that I also gut load my crickets with a mixture of kale, mustard greens, fresh spinach leaves, apples, and carrots. This was my first batch and it made A LOT but once I use it all up I'll be making another batch if anyone has any recipes for the gut load please feel free to share!

Fantastic gutload by the way. Good job on that for sure definitely not lacking any nutrients is he? ha

 

[Swayne8998]

I forgot to mention that I also gut load my crickets with a mixture of kale, mustard greens, fresh spinach leaves, apples, and carrots. This was my first batch and it made A LOT but once I use it all up I'll be making another batch if anyone has any recipes for the gut load please feel free to share!

Great gutload, except for the spinach. Spinach prohibits calcium absorption, so don't use that anymore

 

[carol5208]

I forgot to mention that I also gut load my crickets with a mixture of kale, mustard greens, fresh spinach leaves, apples, and carrots. This was my first batch and it made A LOT but once I use it all up I'll be making another batch if anyone has any recipes for the gut load please feel free to share!

spinach is not supposed to be used in gutload. The reason is it can bind calcium or stop it from being absorbed. I am not 100% sure if this has been proven or exactly how it works, but you might just want to leave that out of your gutload. That is the word on the forum anyways!! I did not realize your bulb sat up that high. Just touch the screen and see how hot it is where your chameleon sits. If it hurts your finger then it will hurt him too. His spikes look very close and I have seen so many people on here with chameleons with burns on their backs. Just would hate to see that happen if it can be prevented. Seems like you got everything else in order for the future and that is great!

 

[birdlover71]

They...

Do grow fast.....

 

[NorCalAnthony]

Wow I'll be sure to stop using spinach. I thought I had read on here that broccoli interfered with the absorption of calcium (or did it mess with their liver?) but that spinach was safe... Oh well good thing I asked lol.

Carol- I did do a touch test of the screen and it's barely warmer than the surrounding area and not hot at all so I think I'm safe. Thanks for the tip I'll be sure to remember that when I set up Loki's next enclosure.

 

[carol5208]

Wow I'll be sure to stop using spinach. I thought I had read on here that broccoli interfered with the absorption of calcium (or did it mess with their liver?) but that spinach was safe... Oh well good thing I asked lol.

Carol- I did do a touch test of the screen and it's barely warmer than the surrounding area and not hot at all so I think I'm safe. Thanks for the tip I'll be sure to remember that when I set up Loki's next enclosure.

yes you are right about reading about the broccoli but i am pretty sure about the spinach too. I am not exactly sure if that is totally proven but I side with caution, so I do not use it. As long as you checked the screen and it is not too hot then that is good. Sometimes there are just all these little things we don't think of and our poor chameleons suffer from our stupidity. When I first got my chameleon I closed his tail in the door not realizing that when he was sitting on the branch by the door his tail was laying right where the door closed. Well I thought his tail was going to fall off and I was beside myself!!!! It bruised and turned black and I freaked out for a few days and then it went away. Now I always check where his tail is before I shut the door!!!

 

[sandrachameleon]

Oxalic Acid can potentially interfere with calcium absorption. For that reason, stuff that is high in oxalic acid (spinach, Swiss Chard, broccoli, kale), isnt recommended as a major part of the gutload - but its still okay (even beneficial) to use now and then

more info oxalic acid: https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/215-oxalic-acid-content-vegetables.html

Brococoli is usually avoided/limited because it also contains goitrogens, which interfer with iodine uptake.

 

[NorCalAnthony]

yes you are right about reading about the broccoli but i am pretty sure about the spinach too. I am not exactly sure if that is totally proven but I side with caution, so I do not use it. As long as you checked the screen and it is not too hot then that is good. Sometimes there are just all these little things we don't think of and our poor chameleons suffer from our stupidity. When I first got my chameleon I closed his tail in the door not realizing that when he was sitting on the branch by the door his tail was laying right where the door closed. Well I thought his tail was going to fall off and I was beside myself!!!! It bruised and turned black and I freaked out for a few days and then it went away. Now I always check where his tail is before I shut the door!!!

You're totally right, there are so many things that we don't normally think of that can have a big impact on our little friends. Glad to hear your cham is alright after that.

Oxalic Acid can potentially interfere with calcium absorption. For that reason, stuff that is high in oxalic acid (spinach, Swiss Chard, broccoli, kale), isnt recommended as a major part of the gutload - but its still okay (even beneficial) to use now and then

more info oxalic acid: https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/215-oxalic-acid-content-vegetables.html

Brococoli is usually avoided/limited because it also contains goitrogens, which interfer with iodine uptake.

Thanks for the info, Sandra. I still find it amazing how much I have learned so far to care for my little guy and I look forward to learning even more.


I'm really glad that I found this forum with so many experts and knowledgable members to learn from. You guys are awesome