Husbandry Review and Feeder Help

[pepperkeeper]

Hi, I'd appreciate any advice you could provide on my questions below and my overall husbandry for our new family member Pepper.

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - Pepper is a male ambilobe panther chameleon, 2 months and one week old (dob 7/25).
• Handling - Once or twice a week to try different feeding methods and clean cage.
• Feeding - So far he will only free range eat fruit flies. I have tried to put a cup of pinheads in his cage but he will generally not eat any.
• Supplements - Calcium on fruit flies 1x per week.
• Watering - Hand misting 4-5x per day. I have a MistKing Pro but will not be setting it up until he is 6-9 months.
• Fecal Description - Hardish dark with white top sometimes yellow. Regular feces a few times a day.
• History - None.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - ReptiBreeze 16x16x24
• Lighting - ReptiSun T5 HO hood with 5.0 UVB (see photo), 12 hours on, 12 hours off
• Temperature - Cage is 75 degree temp. I have a Flukers Sun Dome with a Zoo Med 60w Daylight Blue reptile bulb but stopped using it all the time when I was told hatchlings should not get too much heat. Heat lamp raises temp at the top of the cage to approximately 90 degrees. I use it for an hour or two in the morning.
• Humidity - Unsure of humidity levels. Manually misting several times a day.
• Plants - Mixture of large fake silk ficus tree purchased with the chameleon from CB Reptiles and one live umbrella plant. Planning on adding more live plants but researching to make sure I get ones that are good for him.
• Placement - Cage is located in my daughters room against the wall in a medium traffic area. Not near any vents or windows. The cage is about 4.5 feet at top.
• Location - Brooklyn, NY

Current Problem:

• General husbandry review
• Feeding - currently he will only eat fruit flies which he hunts in his cage. I have tried to cup feed pinhead crickets and put him in a smaller container with pin heads but he would not eat. How can I get him to eat pinheads? I am nervous about letting them loose in his enclosure because I heard they can bite him in his sleep. Is it safe to let pinheads loose in there with him so he can hunt them?
• Supplements - At what age/schedule should I supplement? I read that hatchlings should not get supplementation until they are older.
• Heat - At what age are they better able to regulate their heat and can consistently have the heat light on?

Thank you for your help!

 

[Haley Hendrix]

Give me one moment and ill review it for you.

 

[Haley Hendrix]

• Your Chameleon - Pepper is a male ambilobe panther chameleon, 2 months and one week old (dob 7/25)

This is young. Where did you get Pepper?

• Handling - Once or twice a week to try different feeding methods and clean cage.
• Feeding - So far he will only free range eat fruit flies. I have tried to put a cup of pinheads in his cage but he will generally not eat any.

Keep trying. You could try very tiny hornworms if you can find them.

• Supplements - Calcium on fruit flies 1x per week.

What kind of Calcium do you have? Is it Calcium with D3 or without D3?

• Watering - Hand misting 4-5x per day. I have a MistKing Pro but will not be setting it up until he is 6-9 months.

Make sure its dries out before misting again.

• Fecal Description - Hardish dark with white top sometimes yellow. Regular feces a few times a day.

Perfect. If you see yellow a few times in a row- thats dehydration.

• History - None.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - ReptiBreeze 16x16x24

In a few months he will need a 2x2x4

• Lighting - ReptiSun T5 HO hood with 5.0 UVB (see photo), 12 hours on, 12 hours off

I would raise this off the screen so he dosent get burned.

• Temperature - Cage is 75 degree temp. I have a Flukers Sun Dome with a Zoo Med 60w Daylight Blue reptile bulb but stopped using it all the time when I was told hatchlings should not get too much heat. Heat lamp raises temp at the top of the cage to approximately 90 degrees. I use it for an hour or two in the morning.

Thats way to hot. For babies you shouldnt use a basking bulb just use the heat projected from the UVB.

• Humidity - Unsure of humidity levels. Manually misting several times a day.
• Plants - Mixture of large fake silk ficus tree purchased with the chameleon from CB Reptiles and one live umbrella plant. Planning on adding more live plants but researching to make sure I get ones that are good for him.
• Placement - Cage is located in my daughters room against the wall in a medium traffic area. Not near any vents or windows. The cage is about 4.5 feet at top.
• Location - Brooklyn, NY

Current Problem:

• General husbandry review
• Feeding - currently he will only eat fruit flies which he hunts in his cage. I have tried to cup feed pinhead crickets and put him in a smaller container with pin heads but he would not eat. How can I get him to eat pinheads? I am nervous about letting them loose in his enclosure because I heard they can bite him in his sleep. Is it safe to let pinheads loose in there with him so he can hunt them?
• Supplements - At what age/schedule should I supplement? I read that hatchlings should not get supplementation until they are older.
• Heat - At what age are they better able to regulate their heat and can consistently have the heat light on?

Thank you for your help!

 

[pepperkeeper]

• Your Chameleon - Pepper is a male ambilobe panther chameleon, 2 months and one week old (dob 7/25)

This is young. Where did you get Pepper?

• Handling - Once or twice a week to try different feeding methods and clean cage.
• Feeding - So far he will only free range eat fruit flies. I have tried to put a cup of pinheads in his cage but he will generally not eat any.

Keep trying. You could try very tiny hornworms if you can find them.

• Supplements - Calcium on fruit flies 1x per week.

What kind of Calcium do you have? Is it Calcium with D3 or without D3?

• Watering - Hand misting 4-5x per day. I have a MistKing Pro but will not be setting it up until he is 6-9 months.

Make sure its dries out before misting again.

• Fecal Description - Hardish dark with white top sometimes yellow. Regular feces a few times a day.

Perfect. If you see yellow a few times in a row- thats dehydration.

• History - None.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - ReptiBreeze 16x16x24

In a few months he will need a 2x2x4

• Lighting - ReptiSun T5 HO hood with 5.0 UVB (see photo), 12 hours on, 12 hours off

I would raise this off the screen so he dosent get burned.

• Temperature - Cage is 75 degree temp. I have a Flukers Sun Dome with a Zoo Med 60w Daylight Blue reptile bulb but stopped using it all the time when I was told hatchlings should not get too much heat. Heat lamp raises temp at the top of the cage to approximately 90 degrees. I use it for an hour or two in the morning.

Thats way to hot. For babies you shouldnt use a basking bulb just use the heat projected from the UVB.

• Humidity - Unsure of humidity levels. Manually misting several times a day.
• Plants - Mixture of large fake silk ficus tree purchased with the chameleon from CB Reptiles and one live umbrella plant. Planning on adding more live plants but researching to make sure I get ones that are good for him.
• Placement - Cage is located in my daughters room against the wall in a medium traffic area. Not near any vents or windows. The cage is about 4.5 feet at top.
• Location - Brooklyn, NY

Current Problem:

• General husbandry review
• Feeding - currently he will only eat fruit flies which he hunts in his cage. I have tried to cup feed pinhead crickets and put him in a smaller container with pin heads but he would not eat. How can I get him to eat pinheads? I am nervous about letting them loose in his enclosure because I heard they can bite him in his sleep. Is it safe to let pinheads loose in there with him so he can hunt them?
• Supplements - At what age/schedule should I supplement? I read that hatchlings should not get supplementation until they are older.
• Heat - At what age are they better able to regulate their heat and can consistently have the heat light on?

Thank you for your help!

Thanks. I got him from CB Reptiles. I had done research but apparently not enough and learned from this site after getting him that he is too young. The ReptiSun hood is raised off the screen. I will stop using the heat lamp completely until he is older. I plan to get a larger Dragon Strand cage when he is 9 months or so. The calcium is without D3.

 

[Haley Hendrix]

Thanks. I got him from CB Reptiles. I had done research but apparently not enough and learned from this site after getting him that he is too young. The ReptiSun hood is raised off the screen. I will stop using the heat lamp completely until he is older. I plan to get a larger Dragon Strand cage when he is 9 months or so. The calcium is without D3.

Okay perfect, I would upgrade him around 6 months, they grow fast. Do you know the correct supplements to use, the multivitamin and D3?

 

[pepperkeeper]

Okay perfect, I would upgrade him around 6 months, they grow fast. Do you know the correct supplements to use, the multivitamin and D3?

I currently only have calcium without D3. No other supplements. I know hatchlings are different so what should I give him for now and at what age should I start a full supplementation schedule?

 

[Beman]

What is the distance you have the T5ho raised?

 

[Lpsouth1978]

I would upgrade the cage at any time. I got my guy when he was only a few weeks older you yours and I put his strait into his adult cage. He has done very well and just now about 6 months. They grow very fast and will outgrow your current setup faster than you would think.

 

[pepperkeeper]

What is the distance you have the T5ho raised?

It is a little less than 7" from the top of the cage and about 12" from his main basking areas.

 

[pepperkeeper]

I would upgrade the cage at any time. I got my guy when he was only a few weeks older you yours and I put his strait into his adult cage. He has done very well and just now about 6 months. They grow very fast and will outgrow your current setup faster than you would think.

Thanks for the advice. I really wish I would have just bought the larger cage to start with. They offered this in the package. Live and learn.

 

[Beman]

It is a little less than 7" from the top of the cage and about 12" from his main basking areas.

Is baby screen climbing the top a lot?

 

[pepperkeeper]

Is baby screen climbing the top a lot?

No, not too often. A few times to get some fruit flies hiding in the corners but for the most part he is not on the screen.

 

[Beman]

No, not too often. A few times to get some fruit flies hiding in the corners but for the most part he is not on the screen.

Ok you want about an 8-9 inch drop between this fixture and bulb strength. So that would be 8-9 inches from the bottom of the fixture to where baby basks. Baby at 12 inches would be right around a 1-2 UVI range... Typically they are kept at a 3 UVI range at basking.

As other said temps are too hot... You want to lift the basking fixture up off the top. exo terra makes a lamp bracket you can use. Additionally you do not want temps hotter then 79 for baby. Baby is able to digest without issue if your getting temps in the mid 70's.

For the pin heads... You could try taking an egg carton... cut a piece out so that you can sit it in on the plants. But a piece of banana or something that they will go to and dump them in the egg carton. See how that works for you. Or a feeder cup. You would anchor this in right below where baby spend his time then he will see them moving and eat. Make sure the distance is not too far away for him.

You want to be using supplements now... calcium without d3 every feeding and then you should get reptivite with d3 for your multivitamin and calcium with d3 this would only be given two times a month say the 1st and the 15th. lightly dusting the feeders. no powdered donuts.

 

[Haley Hendrix]

Thank you @Beman for answering.