I dont know what happened...

Hello all.

I have two chams. 1 was about 2-3 months when i got him. now he is about 5-6 months he is doing great. I have also a 6-9 month old maybe older both are jacksons and are doing great.

I am very very sad right now. I got a baby veriled (1-2 month old if that) about 3 weeks ago. he was doing fine. one day i noticed him just there. not moving or doing anything. i got worried but then i saw him move from one place to another. i started to feed him fruit flies when i first got him. he ate them with some cal on them. I tried giving him pin head crickets but some seemed to big and one or two would stay in cage with him. then i tried feeding him the small black soldier larvae. he seemed to like them a bit. then i got the 1/8 inch fruit flies and he seemed to like those. he had a uvb light about an inch away from cage and a heat lamp 60 watt about 2-4 inches away. i would give him water from a dripper and he has lots of vines and live pothos in there. Sadly today i found him just there and grabbed him and he is dead. not moving and eyes closed. i am totally devasted. he was our baby. and now he is gone. I want to know what i did wrong. anyone pls. thx
 
please fill out the help form so we can see what went wrong. Also photos of him and his enclosure (when he was alive) will help. So sorry for your loss:confused:
 
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.

--------------

Please Note:
  1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
  2. Photos can be very 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.

--------------

Please Note:
  1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
  2. Photos can be very helpful.

veiled. i thought about 1 month. but i think he was more like 2 weeks when i got him. size of my pinky. if that. had him 2 weeks.
did not handle him within those two weeks.
pinhead crickets. black soldier larvae. large size fruit flies. and small fruit flies. 7-8 flies. 3 crickets. 5 larvae. fed him once a day. no gut loading
calcium everyday on food.
dripper. filtered water. mists twice a day. i saw him drinking once.
light brown and white at bottom. dont know consistency. no has not been tested.
he was at an exotic store.

exo terra all screen except for doors. about 3 feet high and 3 feet wide. was temp for him being a baby. would get bigger one as he grew.
lowest temp about 76. had uvb about 2 inches above cage. heat lamp about 3-4 inches above cage. the closest branch to the top was about almost two inches from the top screen
pothos plants
he is in the living room where i have the other two chams and all my other exotics. near the front door to the house. ceiling fan.
el paso tx

why he past away.

thx
 
I'm really not sure how it could've happened just in 2 weeks with your husbandry with only a little bit of problems with husbandry - nothing with your husbandry could've killed him that fast... maybe he died of stress or shock for some reason? @kinyonga @nightanole thoughts?
 
veiled. i thought about 1 month. but i think he was more like 2 weeks when i got him. size of my pinky. if that. had him 2 weeks.
did not handle him within those two weeks.
pinhead crickets. black soldier larvae. large size fruit flies. and small fruit flies. 7-8 flies. 3 crickets. 5 larvae. fed him once a day. no gut loading
calcium everyday on food.
dripper. filtered water. mists twice a day. i saw him drinking once.
light brown and white at bottom. dont know consistency. no has not been tested.
he was at an exotic store.

exo terra all screen except for doors. about 3 feet high and 3 feet wide. was temp for him being a baby. would get bigger one as he grew.
lowest temp about 76. had uvb about 2 inches above cage. heat lamp about 3-4 inches above cage. the closest branch to the top was about almost two inches from the top screen
pothos plants
he is in the living room where i have the other two chams and all my other exotics. near the front door to the house. ceiling fan.
el paso tx

why he past away.

thx
Sorry for your loss. Can you take pics of the enclosure.... What was the basking temp? Babies do not handle heat well. Were you using a compact screw in uvb bulb or a T5HO? 2 inches is very close and would produce very high UVI levels depending on the type of UVB lighting used.
What supplements specifically were you using?
Babies also she be given as much food as they can eat.
 
Sorry for your loss. Can you take pics of the enclosure.... What was the basking temp? Babies do not handle heat well. Were you using a compact screw in uvb bulb or a T5HO? 2 inches is very close and would produce very high UVI levels depending on the type of UVB lighting used.
What supplements specifically were you using?
Babies also she be given as much food as they can eat.
I thought when he said 3-4inches he meant above the CAGE not the basking spot. If its the basking spot then it could've been that. Even so @Beman made a great point babies get overheated very easily.
 
I was using a screw on bulb 5.0 uvb. My temp gun broke a few weeks ago and have not bought another. i use repti calcium and did not use any multivitamins on him. do yall really think the uvb hurt him? its about two inches above cage. thx
 
I thought when he said 3-4inches he meant above the CAGE not the basking spot. If its the basking spot then it could've been that. Even so @Beman made a great point babies get overheated very easily.

and actually. i have a uvb and basking on my other two chams. for some reason I dont know why i listened. but when i bought the baby. the exotic store owner had the two babies only with uvb lights no heat lamp. I asked him why. he said they dont need it. the uvb is enough. he said he never uses them. i know better. so i just added the heat lamp after i came to my senses just yesterday. :(
 
I was using a screw on bulb 5.0 uvb. My temp gun broke a few weeks ago and have not bought another. i use repti calcium and did not use any multivitamins on him. do yall really think the uvb hurt him? its about two inches above cage. thx
no we dont need to know how high it was suspended above the CAGE, we need to know how far it was from the BASKING SPOT. If it was heat then it wouldnt be the uvb that killed him it would be the heat lamp. How far was the heat lamp relatibve to the basking spot? uvbs also do emit a small amount of heat tho
 
I was using a screw on bulb 5.0 uvb. My temp gun broke a few weeks ago and have not bought another. i use repti calcium and did not use any multivitamins on him. do yall really think the uvb hurt him? its about two inches above cage. thx
compact uvbs are not recommended for chams. THey have to sit right below the fixture within inches. chams develop MBD when they have this type of UVB. Heat is not recommended for babies. Was the repti calcium WITH D3 or Without D3?

It is never a good idea to purchase a baby under 3 months old. They can die even under the best of care. They are much more fragile when they are under 3 months old.
 
from the basking.....about 3 inches.

would the uvb actually hurt him though?
ok i think he overheated... thats wayyy to close. My heat lamp and uvb are 9 inches away from basking. My basking spots are 80-85. And for a baby they should never exceed 80. I dont think it was uvb levels that killed him - i think it was heat. beman whaddya think?
 
ok i think he overheated... thats wayyy to close. My heat lamp and uvb are 9 inches away from basking. My basking spots are 80-85. And for a baby they should never exceed 80. I dont think it was uvb levels that killed him - i think it was heat. beman whaddya think?
They are saying that they did not use Heat.... It may very well have been the lack of proper UVB lighting. OR it could have been nothing that the OP did. Babies are fragile. They can die for no apparent reason when they are that young.
 
how many inches above cage should a uvb be? and just to be clear. babies up to what age? do not need a heat lamp? when i do use one for a baby how many inches above cage should heat be? thx

is still cannot believe this happened.

so i should have listened to him and not used a heat lamp. like i said i just setup the heat two days ago.
 
how many inches above cage should a uvb be? and just to be clear. babies up to what age? do not need a heat lamp? when i do use one for a baby how many inches above cage should heat be? thx

is still cannot believe this happened.

so i should have listened to him and not used a heat lamp.
its not more about how for above the cage, its about how far from basking spot. It should be 9 inches. for heating i'm going to turn my baby's heat lamp off at noon... but i live in england where climate is cooler
 
how many inches above cage should a uvb be? and just to be clear. babies up to what age? do not need a heat lamp? when i do use one for a baby how many inches above cage should heat be? thx

is still cannot believe this happened.

so i should have listened to him and not used a heat lamp. like i said i just setup the heat two days ago.
No heat for Babies under 3 months. Older then 3 months no hotter then 80 at basking.
Uvb must be a T5HO fixture with a 5.0 UVB bulb that runs the width of the enclosure. Using this fixture basking would be about 9 inches down.
 
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