I know nothing of chameleons!

[Rune]

Hi, I bought a baby cham who is very small about 4 or 5 days ago. I didnt get to study much since my comp has been down, And I have some questions.
My baby cham ate for the first time today, since he saw the cricket next to him.How should I get him to eat? The crickets wont climb next to him and he turns black when I put my finger next to him.. And I think that means he is mad?
Also, his eyes are closed alot.. I put a towel over his cage since it might relieve stress but the little guys eyes are still closed.
Im willing to fill out anything, I just gotta make sure my little guy is safe. Thanks!!

 

[carol5208]

It probably would have been best if your did your research FIRST then bought your chameleon. There are alot of things that have to be correct in your set up and care in order for your chameleon to stay healthy. Please fill this out as best you can. https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/

 

[kinyonga]

Welcome to the world of chameleons! It would have been better to learn about them first, but since you already have it we will just have to give you a quick course...
Appropriate cage temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part indirectly in nutrient absorption.

Exposure to UVB from either direct sunlight or a proper UVB light allows the chameleon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system to make/keep the bones strong and be used in other systems in the chameleon as well. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic no matter whether its from the sun or the UVB light. The most often recommended UVB light is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light. Some of the compacts, spirals and tube lights have caused health issues, but so far there have been no bad reports against this one.

Since many of the feeder insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in them, its important to dust the insects just before you feed them to the chameleon at most feedings with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it. (I use Rep-cal phosphorus-free calcium).

If you also dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. It leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of what it needs through its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system but D3 produced from exposure to UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it. (I use Rep-cal phos.-free calcium/D3).

Dusting twice a month as well with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while. (I use herptivite which has beta carotene.)

Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs. I gutload crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms, etc. with an assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.)

Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon (muscles, etc.) and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.

Here are some good sites for you to read...
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200605020...Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200406080...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://web.archive.org/web/200601140...ww.adcham.com/
If you can't access the sites above that have the word "archive" in you can do it through the WayBackMachine.

If you just put the insects in the cage it should eat if its hungry.

Its not a good thing that its eyes are shut during the day though. What brand and type (spiral, long linear tube, compact) UVB light are you using?
Whats the temperature in the cage? In the basking area?

 

[Rune]

It probably would have been best if your did your research FIRST then bought your chameleon. There are alot of things that have to be correct in your set up and care in order for your chameleon to stay healthy. Please fill this out as best you can. https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Vieled, Male, Im no sure.. He is very small.. About 6 weeks or so.?
Handling - I handled him once 3 days ago to try to hand feed him since he wasnt eating.
Feeding - Crickets. We dont really have a schedule. We gut load with orange fluker blocks and carrots.
Supplements - We use herpvite calcium and Reptivite with D3. I have no clue how often to feed him this stuff, I did d3 the first day and the rest have been calcium.
Watering - We use a mist bottle, I have little dripper but dont know how to use it.. I mist about 2-3 times a day for about 30 seconds. I have never seen him drink.
Fecal Description - I have never seen it.. He hasnt been tested.
History - He is usually very light green/ maybe blueish... but his bulb is blue so..
Cage Info:
Cage Type - He has a screen cage. I dont know the dimensions.
Lighting - I use a 60 watt blue bulb and A reptisun UVB 5.0 bulb. I have it on 12 hours atleast. From when I wake up to when 12 hours ends.
Temperature - I have no clue. I have something to tell the temperture (Its the yellow one that everyone seems to use) But it wont turn on.
Humidity - I Heard he needed no humdity... So I dont have a monitor.
Plants - I have no live ones, but I do want one.
Placement - The cage is in my room. Its semi close to a vent, But it blows away from it. Its a medium traffic area, but we have a towel over some of his cage to help.The top of the cage is about halfway to the cieling.
Location - I am in Texas.

 

[Rune]

Welcome to the world of chameleons! It would have been better to learn about them first, but since you already have it we will just have to give you a quick course...
Appropriate cage temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part indirectly in nutrient absorption.

Exposure to UVB from either direct sunlight or a proper UVB light allows the chameleon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system to make/keep the bones strong and be used in other systems in the chameleon as well. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic no matter whether its from the sun or the UVB light. The most often recommended UVB light is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light. Some of the compacts, spirals and tube lights have caused health issues, but so far there have been no bad reports against this one.

Since many of the feeder insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in them, its important to dust the insects just before you feed them to the chameleon at most feedings with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it. (I use Rep-cal phosphorus-free calcium).

If you also dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. It leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of what it needs through its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system but D3 produced from exposure to UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it. (I use Rep-cal phos.-free calcium/D3).

Dusting twice a month as well with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while. (I use herptivite which has beta carotene.)

Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs. I gutload crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms, etc. with an assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.)

Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon (muscles, etc.) and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.

Here are some good sites for you to read...
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200605020...Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200406080...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://web.archive.org/web/200601140...ww.adcham.com/
If you can't access the sites above that have the word "archive" in you can do it through the WayBackMachine.

If you just put the insects in the cage it should eat if its hungry.

Its not a good thing that its eyes are shut during the day though. What brand and type (spiral, long linear tube, compact) UVB light are you using?
Whats the temperature in the cage? In the basking area?

Thank you! I will read those soon. I am using a Reptisun 5.0 Light with tube looking things.. It is in a hood so I guess it is compact? Thanks.

 

[carol5208]

Ok, some things to get you on the right track here. First of all your gutload needs improving. Feed your crickets a varietyof fresh fruits and vegetables...kale, collard greens, mustard greens, dandelion, oranges, apples, carrots, sweet peppers, etc. Your dripper...you fill it with water, attach the tube, lay the tube on top of the screen and let it drip down into the cage on a branch or vine, plant leaf etc. Let it drip about one drop per second. Your crickets... how big are they. If he is about 2 months old then nothing larger than 1/4 inch crickets. If your crickets are too big, he probably will not try and eat them. Supplements... use a plain calcium (no d3) and dust at every feeding your crickets, use a calcium with d3 twice a month and a a multivitamin twice a month also. You do not need a blue bulb. Get a regular housebulb and nothing more than about a 45 watt or so for a cham that young. Measure your cage so we know what size it is. Depth X W X H. You need to get a digital thermometer that measure both temps and humidity. Get one at home depot for abot $10. You need to measure the temps! It is critical!!! You need to measure the humidity! Who ever told you that, was wrong!!! Get a live plant in your enclosure. Will help with humidity. Do not put any substrate(mulch, rocks, bark) in the bottom of your cage. Leave it bare. Hope this helps you! Edit: You should have a basking temp of about 82 degrees or so and your cage temp should be ideally around the the mid 70's. If his eyes are closed during the day, the something is not right.

 

[ChameleonNerd]

i have not read previous posts, but here are a couple of my tips

-the lighting, you should probably get a Repti Sun 5.0 18 inch bulb, with a 20 inch hood. the 20 inch hood is standard for that size bulb. tube bulb
-heating lights are easy, but i suggest a 50 watt repti glo (i'm sure that can be argued) and use a dome light fixture. this will allow you to concentrate the heat into a single basking spot.
-a probe thermometer or gun thermometer would be fine for measuring heat
-i do not know if you have a watering source, but i suggest getting a pressure mister that delivers fine mist. this can be picked up at home depot or a local pet store, probably under the brand Exo Terra
-GUTLOADING - easiest thing to do is just to go to a pet store and look for a cubed one. flukers is great.

 

[Rune]

Ok, some things to get you on the right track here. First of all your gutload needs improving. Feed your crickets a varietyof fresh fruits and vegetables...kale, collard greens, mustard greens, dandelion, oranges, apples, carrots, sweet peppers, etc. Your dripper...you fill it with water, attach the tube, lay the tube on top of the screen and let it drip down into the cage on a branch or vine, plant leaf etc. Let it drip about one drop per second. Your crickets... how big are they. If he is about 2 months old then nothing larger than 1/4 inch crickets. If your crickets are too big, he probably will not try and eat them. Supplements... use a plain calcium (no d3) and dust at every feeding your crickets, use a calcium with d3 twice a month and a a multivitamin twice a month also. You do not need a blue bulb. Get a regular housebulb and nothing more than about a 45 watt or so for a cham that young. Measure your cage so we know what size it is. Depth X W X H. You need to get a digital thermometer that measure both temps and humidity. Get one at home depot for abot $10. You need to measure the temps! It is critical!!! You need to measure the humidity! Who ever told you that, was wrong!!! Get a live plant in your enclosure. Will help with humidity. Do not put any substrate(mulch, rocks, bark) in the bottom of your cage. Leave it bare. Hope this helps you! Edit: You should have a basking temp of about 82 degrees or so and your cage temp should be ideally around the the mid 70's. If his eyes are closed during the day, the something is not right.

I will give my crickets more stuff tommorow. And how long do I leave little dripper on? Do I put a cup under it to catch the excess? The crickets are about 4th of an inch. I will use that schedule, thanks. What multivitamin do you reccomend? For the bulb, Should I get a clear bulb? My dad estimated it is...
18 in X 18 in X 24 in
I will get the thermometer battery tommorow. What live plant do you recomend? How much humidity? Thanks so much!

 

[jannb]

Weclome to the forums! This is a great place to learn about chameleons. I have a blog for new keepers that you might find helpful. I'm attaching it for you below.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html

 

[ChameleonNerd]

yes, unless you have a drainage system, you need something to catch excess. Herptivite is an excellent mulivitamin supplement. And clear bulb... for heating...? For heat it does not matter, you can even use a 50 watt housebulb

 

[Rune]

yes, unless you have a drainage system, you need something to catch excess. Herptivite is an excellent mulivitamin supplement. And clear bulb... for heating...? For heat it does not matter, you can even use a 50 watt housebulb

So i can use a cup for catching water?
And.. Herpvtivite is multivitamin?! I was told it was calcium! Should I stop giving it to him everyday??
And Can i use a 45 watt clear bulb? Thanks!

 

[carol5208]

I will give my crickets more stuff tommorow. And how long do I leave little dripper on? Do I put a cup under it to catch the excess? The crickets are about 4th of an inch. I will use that schedule, thanks. What multivitamin do you reccomend? For the bulb, Should I get a clear bulb? My dad estimated it is...
18 in X 18 in X 24 in
I will get the thermometer battery tommorow. What live plant do you recomend? How much humidity? Thanks so much!
You can leave the dripper on as long as you want. You just have to monitor how much water is going to flood out the cage. Youcan use a very shallow small tupperware container to catch the water. Make sure it is something shallow enough, that if you chameleon fell in, it could not drown and could crawl out. I use Repcal-Herptivite multivitamin. If you cannot find the supplements you need, then go online to LLL Reptile. They have all the supplements. A clear or white bulb is fine. As far as a plant. Get a pothos or a small ficus or a shefflera(also known as a dwarf umbrella plant, or arboricola) you can find these plants at lowes. As mentioned before a sleeping chameleon or a chameleon that has its eyes shut during the day usuallymeans something is wrong. He might be ill, considering he is doing that and not eating. If you can get him outside in the natural sun it would be good for him. Do not leave him alone if he will be out of his cage and make sure if you bring his cage outside for sun that he has shade and water. You want your humidity ideally around 50% plus. Whenyou mist and drip water in the enclosure that will make it rise higher.

 

[suzi]

So i can use a cup for catching water?
And.. Herpvtivite is multivitamin?! I was told it was calcium! Should I stop giving it to him everyday??
And Can i use a 45 watt clear bulb? Thanks!

Yes stop giving herpvtivite everyday. Only twice a month. The phos free calcium without D3 can be given everyday. You can use a 45 watt clear bulb as long as your temps are appropriate

 

[Stanly]

So i can use a cup for catching water?
And.. Herpvtivite is multivitamin?! I was told it was calcium! Should I stop giving it to him everyday??
And Can i use a 45 watt clear bulb? Thanks!

there are a few ways I've dealt with water drainage/clean up.

you can use a dish/cup to catch water from your dripper but if you do make sure to cover it with somethings on the off chance your chameleon falls/climbs in it and can't get out. (they aren't really great swimmers so if he/she fell in it's a good chance you'd have a drowned chameleon), you can also run your dripper into a live plant, some of the water will get soaked up by the soil, but you'll still have to deal with the water that felters through.
for mist water if there is a soild bottem you can just wipe it up daily with a rag.


another way (what I'm doing now) is to have a drip pan under the cage,
if it's a screen cage just use a pan the same size or lager than the bottem of the cage, if it has a soild bottem you can drill a hole (or holes) in the bottem and let the water drip into your pan/bucket, or drill a hole large enough to attach a hose bib (a fitting you can screw or clamp a rubber hose on) then run a hose to a bucket or out a window. *NOTE* if you drill any large holes you might want to hot glue some screen over them to prevent cricket (or chameleon) escape!

 

[Rune]

I will give my crickets more stuff tommorow. And how long do I leave little dripper on? Do I put a cup under it to catch the excess? The crickets are about 4th of an inch. I will use that schedule, thanks. What multivitamin do you reccomend? For the bulb, Should I get a clear bulb? My dad estimated it is...
18 in X 18 in X 24 in
I will get the thermometer battery tommorow. What live plant do you recomend? How much humidity? Thanks so much!
You can leave the dripper on as long as you want. You just have to monitor how much water is going to flood out the cage. Youcan use a very shallow small tupperware container to catch the water. Make sure it is something shallow enough, that if you chameleon fell in, it could not drown and could crawl out. I use Repcal-Herptivite multivitamin. If you cannot find the supplements you need, then go online to LLL Reptile. They have all the supplements. A clear or white bulb is fine. As far as a plant. Get a pothos or a small ficus or a shefflera(also known as a dwarf umbrella plant, or arboricola) you can find these plants at lowes. As mentioned before a sleeping chameleon or a chameleon that has its eyes shut during the day usuallymeans something is wrong. He might be ill, considering he is doing that and not eating. If you can get him outside in the natural sun it would be good for him. Do not leave him alone if he will be out of his cage and make sure if you bring his cage outside for sun that he has shade and water. You want your humidity ideally around 50% plus. Whenyou mist and drip water in the enclosure that will make it rise higher.

Thanks, Im so mad the guy told me to use the multivitamin everyday. My chameleon actually ate today.. He wont be hurt by too much right? And what calcium is good? And on days I feed multivitamin and stuff I dust every cricket with it right? And at night closing eyes is normal? I am uploading a video of my stuff and cage soon. Thanks.

 

[Rune]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2DSj_C0g8Q

 

[xVashtaNeradax]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2DSj_C0g8Q

Get rid of that 5.0 coil light, you need a reptisun 5.0 linear tube light. I made the same mistake of buying that natrualistic dual hood with my cham. The coil lights are known to cause eye issues, it could be why his are closed. Also, be careful with that cricket keeper, you need to tape the flaps on those out going tubes down. The crickets can climb up them and escape into your home.

 

[Rune]

Thank you, I definitly will replace that. Also..
The guy at the petco said put saline solution in the chams eye.. Should I?
What is this thing about the shower and humidity? I heard you put your cham in the shower or something and he gets hydrated?
And do I feed calcium everyday? Do i need to skip a few days?
And how does this schedule sound for feeding..
On the 1st of each month feed calcium with D3
On the 2 feed calcium
on the 3 feed Multivitamin
Then on the third to last day feed D3, And on the last feed Vitamin.. Any other suggestions? Thanks so much! My cham will be alot happier now.

 

[ataraxia]

Thank you, I definitly will replace that. Also..
The guy at the petco said put saline solution in the chams eye.. Should I?
What is this thing about the shower and humidity? I heard you put your cham in the shower or something and he gets hydrated?basically put a plant in the middle of your shower. this only works with a removable shower head or aux shower sprayer. aim it at the wall with warm water. with a end result of a mist hitting the plant and chameleon. dont put your cham right in the path of the water. just the mist bouncing off the wall.
And do I feed calcium everyday? Do i need to skip a few days? plain phos free calcium everyday, calcium with d3 twice a month and a multivitamin twice a month.
And how does this schedule sound for feeding..
On the 1st of each month feed calcium with D3
On the 2 feed calcium
on the 3 feed Multivitamin
Then on the third to last day feed D3, And on the last feed Vitamin.. Any other suggestions? Thanks so much! My cham will be alot happier now.
Month (31 days) days 1-6. calcium/ day 7. calcium d3/ days 8-14 calcium/ day 15. calcium w/multivitamin/ days 16-22 calcium/ day 23 calcium with d3/ days 24-30 calcium/ day 31 calcium with multivitamin

shower treatment: if he is really young you will want to adjust the amount of water misting him. some dont like it and will fall straight to the floor as young ones.

 

[Carlton]

So i can use a cup for catching water?
And.. Herpvtivite is multivitamin?! I was told it was calcium! Should I stop giving it to him everyday??
And Can i use a 45 watt clear bulb? Thanks!

You were "told" so much cr*&% to begin with I'd basically forget everything the pet store said. Read product labels for yourself. The first thing you learn about cham keeping is to think for yourself, check out anything you are told with your own reading, and get creative in your setups. There is a LOT of good basic husbandry reading links here that can answer many of the questions you have. Then, if something isn't clear, ask us.