Im a noob, and i hv a Senegal Cham

IlovLeLe

New Member
Ok here goes...
I've had my Cham for about 2 weeks. my mom bought him for me at a flea market of all places. I've always liked Lizards. And since I'm going threw a divorce she thought he'd give me something to care for. wich I do I love him to death. But I know I can be doing more for him (i think he's a him) I've been reading some of the post and and have been learning alot.
Im kind of concerned about his eating and drinking he doesn't want to drink everyday. I mist his plant he spends 90% of his day on, and him just a little at least 2x a day. He will start opening an closing his mouth and sometimes he will drink. Sometimes he just crawls to the other side of the Aquarium. I live out in the country right now and I bought him crickets, some small ones.. ive never seen him eat them but they are gone. But im not sure if they are getting out of the top. It has a mesh wire and plastic top. I catch him doodle bugs/ rolly pollies (idk what they are really called) I do know that he likes them Ive actually seen him eat 1. I caught him a cricket an some little centipeed lookin things. But he doesnt eat bugs soon as u drop them in there. some doodle bugs have even died on the bottom of the aquarium.

His poop was bright orange and yellow, now its a dark orange almost brown and white'ish. I clean his cage out once a week. He doesnt mind being handled. soon as i put my hand in the cage he grabs for it and climbs up my arm. It takes forever to get him back in though.

I have a SunGlo bulb on him during the day and a Moonglo bulb at night. I know that I've read some mixed reviews about the moonlight one it doesnt really do anything but i like being able to see him at night. Bc hes in my room. I need to get temp gauges? so i know what the temp is in his little home? and a Mister? what are peoples opinions and the best to get? and could that be the reason why he doesnt eat that much sometimes?

I just started back working and I will get my first check on Friday. I want him to be the happiest Chameleon ever. So any suggestions are very much appreciated. I tried talking to the lady at Petco where i got the crickets, and bulbs but that was an ultra fail.. I cant figure out how to put pics of him on here... I will keep trying though.

Thank You anyone that has any info for me.
<3
 
Do you have him/her in a glass or screen enclosure? (should be screen) If you post some pictures of him/her the other members may be able to identify the kind of cham you have and if it is a male or female for ya. :)
 
Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information, you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.


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.

If you fill this out, they can help ya even more!
 
He is in a glass one, with a mesh type of top. I tried looking at diff pet stores for a mesh one but couldnt find one. and I knew he needed a bigger one then the one my mom got so i figured it would work until i found something else.
190489_1486765828795_1823407717_914713_8053426_n.jpg


i hope that picture worked. and i will work on getting the form u posted filled out thnx
 
Nice lookin cham..You really should get a screen enclosure that is tall. Im not familiar with this species so I cant tell if its a male or female, however you said it keeps opening its mouth, its possible that its to hot. Having an accurate temp gauge is crucial this way you can properly manage your chams habitat. Fill out the form above so other people on here can have a better idea of whats going on and maybe someone who has experience with this particular type of chameleon.
 
he/she needs some vines and branches to climb on. This is not a bearded dragon you have here!! Also, what are your temps and what type of lighting are you using?. It is very very important to your chameleoms well being to have the correct temps and lighting. I am not seeing a bulge for a male but not sure if this particular species has the bulge like the panthers. Edit: the sunglo bulbs do not provide UVB I don't think!! Going to reserach that out. If so you need to get some UVB lighting! Ok, the sunglo is just a heat bulb from what I have just read. Your cham will die without proper UVB lightin. You need to get a reptisun 5.0 tube light ASAp! What wattage is the sunglo? It is probably way too hot in there for that species especially. If he/she is too hot, it will effect their eating.
 
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I posted in General

and someone gave me these questions to fill out and post in this forum. I will answer them the best i can this is my first Chameleon and I need lots of help and have been learning lots, but i love my Cham and Im ready to learn.

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care? Senegal Chameleon, and i've had him 2-3 weeks thats all i know about him, my mom bought him fo me at a flea market.

Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? I read that u shouldnt handle them alot so i try not to. But I take him out to clean his cage all i have to do is put my hand in and he climbs right on and up to my shoulder. and i take him out a few times a week, he hates goin back in though..

Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? i bought small crickets but idk if he ate them or they escaped, doodle bugs i catch outside Ive seen him eat one. Ive caught a cricket outside today. most of the bugs i catch.


Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? I dont know what this is so no..

Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? I use a water spray bottle, i mist his plant and a little on him 2-3 times a day in the 3 weeks i've had him ive seen him drink maybe 3 or 4 times.

Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? when i first got him it was bright orange color, now its a dark orange and white'ish color, wich i read that means he may be dehydrated. I haven't taken him to a vet yet. Im waiting to get my first check on friday, and find him a vet to take him to.


Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? Its a 10 gallon fish aquarium with a mesh type of lid. I know that he needs a mesh/ wire cage but i havent been able to find him one yet.

Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? I have a sunglo bulb for during the day i leave it on on one side of the cage. it puts out uvb. then i have a moonglo bulb for night it jus puts out a little heat. Ive read they arent really needed but i like checkin on him at night... lol

Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? I have no idea..

Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? I dont know..


Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? Yes one live plant its a tropical plant. he loves it and stays on it most of the day and sleeps on it every night. he also drinks his water off of it when he does drink.

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? The cage is in my room on my dresser. about 4 feet off the ground i have a fan ceiling fan in my room, its usually on during the night. its not a high traffic area.

Location - Where are you geographically located? I live in Texas between Houston an San Antonio

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about. It doesnt seem like he eats or drinks as much as he should be. im not really sure he is a he. And I know that his droppings arent the right color. I just want him to be happy and healthy. and willing to do whatever i need to.
here are some pics of him.
this is what he is in now. but the green paper isnt on the bottome anymore.
190489_1486765828795_1823407717_914713_8053426_n.jpg


this was his first little home. I had to hurry up and buy him something diff.
189180_1486811309932_1823407717_914732_1514084_n.jpg


thanks for any help.
 
I just posted on your other thread! you have NO UVB lighting for your cham and your cham is going to get very ill or worse it will die with no UVB. You have GOT to know what your temps are! I think you dove into this whole thing before you did enough research. You need to make some changes asap! You need to get him out of that aquarium. That is not a sufficient home for a chameleon!! You need to get some supplements and BUY some crickets. Supplements meaning, you need to dust your crickets with the supplements. Get a calcium with and without d3 and a multivitamin. Use the calcium at most of your feeding and the calcium with d3 a few times a month and the multi once a month or so.
 
Strangely enough, that is the most interesting enclosure I have ever seen a chameleon in. haha And while he may look at home in that setup, he probable is very unhappy in there. Find a decent Mesh/Screen enclosure, you can order them offline or you can build one easy enough. Like others have said before me, He is not a bearded dragon and deff needs branches, vines, lots "O" plants to keep humidity up and to hide in. Plus he/she needs it quite abit taller so it can feel more secure in its surroundings.
 
Strangely enough, that is the most interesting enclosure I have ever seen a chameleon in. haha And while he may look at home in that setup, he probable is very unhappy in there. Find a decent Mesh/Screen enclosure, you can order them offline or you can build one easy enough. Like others have said before me, He is not a bearded dragon and deff needs branches, vines, lots "O" plants to keep humidity up and to hide in. Plus he/she needs it quite abit taller so it can feel more secure in its surroundings.

that is a 10 gallon fish tank! That is horrible!!!
 
Go to the sponsors websites in the top right corner of the screen. A lot of them have beginner packages for chameleons you can look at those. They have everything you need. You really do need UVB lighting!
 
I know he isnt a bearded dragon... did i post in the wroing place?? If i did i didnt mean to. It doesnt have UVB it has UVA ..and its 75watts. I have it on one side of the cage and he stays up under it all the time. I will look into the reptisun tube lights. and getting some more things for him to climb on. I also posted the form filled out in the health forum.
 
You really need to order a screen cage, get a Tubular UVB bulb and fixture, a temp gauge that also measures humidity, and you need to go to the pet store or order your feeders online, its not good to feed you cham bugs from outside. please search through past threads and do some more research on Senegal chameleons to see what size cage they need and everything.
 
there are two things you need to do RIGHT away! Get him out of that fish tank! That is no home for a cham! Secondly, get a UVB light. you have already deprived him of UVB for the past three weeks. He is going to get ill without UVB! These two things have to be your top priority and your sunglo lamp at 75 watts is going to fry him in that glass tank.
 
I agree 100% w/ you! I was just noticing the decor in the aquarium that caught my eye. (Which is what I though was strange)
Are you yelling at me Carol? I am confused

gosh no! I didn't mean that at all. I am sorry if it came off that way! It was just like you said it was an interesting enclosure and I did not see it that way.
 
I know he isnt a bearded dragon... did i post in the wroing place?? If i did i didnt mean to. It doesnt have UVB it has UVA ..and its 75watts. I have it on one side of the cage and he stays up under it all the time. I will look into the reptisun tube lights. and getting some more things for him to climb on. I also posted the form filled out in the health forum.

You didn't post in the wrong place it just looks as though the cage is setup for a bearded dragon. The two main things that NEED to be done are the Cage and the lighting. He needs a spacious and well ventalated enclosure w/ lots of plants, second he/she needs UVB/UVA. What he is in is just not how a cham should be setup in any shape or form. He/she will not live long in there.
 
there are two things you need to do RIGHT away! Get him out of that fish tank! That is no home for a cham! Secondly, get a UVB light. you have already deprived him of UVB for the past three weeks. He is going to get ill without UVB! These two things have to be your top priority and your sunglo lamp at 75 watts is going to fry him in that glass tank.

Glad to see we have the same thoughts! ;) You just think a little faster than me. You beat me to it!
 
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