is he shy or sick?

Wasabi

New Member
Hi folks,
I have just got a veiled chameleon last sunday.
Brought home and set up a terrarium of 60x60x40 with an UV light (5.0) and a heat light 40W. As read on a book I have set the light 40W at the back left side of the cage, the uv 6 inch below the lid, with a heat mat against the cooler side of the terrarium, I also set a fountain and 2 branches quite far away from the light.
Since there he has not eaten apart from 2 crickets on sunday, one on monday and 2 today. I had to put the crickets almost on the small branch where he has been hidden since I got him.
Colour is most of the time dark and when he moves his legs quite a lot.
Temperature is fine as far as I read.
He is sheding on one side of the body.
I m worried he could be sick...even if the dude of the shop adviced it could be shy and he needs to get used to his new surroundings.
Could you please give me any advice?

Let me know if you need more information
Thanks
 
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.


Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage construction (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
Lighting - What brand, model, and type 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?
Location - 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?

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.
Current Problem - The current problem that you are concerned about.

Pictures are very helpful if you can post a few of your cham and your set up.
 
Welcome to the forums.

New Chams need time to aclimated themselved to their new homes so give anywhere form 3 to 5 days (some times more). Has your cham been drinking.
Can you post a picture ( very important)? Also photo of your set would be helpful along with humidity, and temp? What has you Chams activity level been like? Have you seen any fecal deposits and what do they look like?

Taking a look at you set up. you may consided getting rid of the fountain as it is a great place for bacteria that is harmful to your cham to grow. You are better off misting the cage 4 to 5 times per day for 3 to 5 min at a time.

You can also try catching house flies to see if that will entice your cham to start eating.

Keep the info coming

OPI
 
my veiled doesnt want to be messed with when he is in his cage either so that may be normal. He also may be a closet eater. How old is he? When they are older they dont tend to eat as much. Also are you sure he is a male? if it is a female the dark colors may mean she is gravid and needs to lay her eggs. The eggs may not be fertile, but if it is a female then you would need a laying pot or something for her to lay her eggs in.
 
Here some pics...just to get a better idea:)
Thanks a million both jannb and opihiman.
He is my first cham and I am a bit nervous to do somethin wrong.
Alrite, I cant tell you the temp...I m gonna get a thermometer tomorro so.
He is always on the top of the plant (he has not been moving from them apart from couple of times he moved down to the ground)
At the moment there is one fake plant and another one (cant honestly tell ya what type of plant is)
He is located at a corner of my bedroom (inner wall), no fan or any kind of ventilation execpt for a window at the opposite side of the cage, the bedroom is pretty warm
His fecal depositis white and on the top kind of orange.
I can mist (with a spray bog) only twice per day (morning and evening time) cos I am at work
 

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Thx Jannb...I m readin right now...really great website (already bookmarked ;-))


Also I deleted by mistake in the first comment..."when he moves his legs tremble quite a lot" and I havent seen drinkin yet even if I sprayed with the spray bog all around he was
 
It may be helpful if you post a pic of his poo too. Normally the feces is comprised of two parts. A brown larger part (solids: digested crickets) and a white part or urates (normally all white with occ tinges of yellow). Urates that are majority Orange are sign that your cham is dehydrated. So increasing his fluid intake will be important. (posting a pic will help determin this better)

If your lights are in the cage they should come out. Especially the Basking light. There is a potential for your cham to get burned. Heat will pass through you screened top just as well. It is also important to get this basking temp up to spec ( I am unsure what this is). your UVB light should also be out side and since it doesn't have a reflector you can use some tin foil (aluminim foil) to create reflector to focus more to the light in to the cage. Here in the states we normally just lay it on the top of the cage. I am unsure what happens over the pond.

I was wondering if one side of the enclosure has scree on it.?

substrate is normally is not highly recommended here because of the change of impaction, but if you do enough research and set it up right there have been some people here who have done it. but I would not recommend it.

As far as misting, chams need to be stimulated to drink. so long sessions help to do that. at least 5 min

For food really try the house flies. It hasn't failed for me yet.

Hope this is helping

OPI
 
damn i wiped it out..btw it was most of it white and one third orange...
wot do u reckon to do?
I ve already sprayed a lot of mist and I will put the light out of the cage
 
it s brilliant..I luv how you and the guys give advices and help:)

Besides, my chamy is mad cute and I wanna be sure to get the best for him:)

So u reckon no substrate and what about water
I mean I have a fountain and I m sprayin twice but dont know if it s enought

In the meantime I am googlin around to get some good info about how to set up a terrarium...I ve read somethin about lookin after chameleon but I have just freaked out when I saw him gettin darker and lacking appetite:-(


thanks a million
really appreciate it
 
Put in some live plants and set up a drip cup over a vine or some plant leaves in the cage. To make a drip cup; just punch a couple of tiny holes in the bottom of a plastic cup or small bowl; put the cup on top of your cage and have a slow drip onto the leaves and your cham will drink from the leaves. They also drink when you mist. You have to mist for a while....5 to 10 minutes. If the urates (white part of the poop) is orange that a sign of dehydration. Also the eyes will look a bit sunken in. Jann
 
Check list:

1. Increase H2O
2. Remove substrate and water feature.
If you are worried about water collecting, a plant ( from safe plant list) or paper towels on the floor of tank will help.
3. You will need a thermometer and a Hygrometer (humidity) gauges.
4. remove lights from inside tank and fix outside some how. Aluminum foil will work as a reflector getting the benefical UVB focused to where you need it.
5. Later on you may consider other feeders too.


Keep us informed on your progress and if you cont to see problems.

OPI
 
I put a plastic box with tiny holes above the screen lid to provide more water.
I am gonna remove one pan and put a screen one (already spoke with an hardware shop and they have it yeahhh:))
I am gonna remove the substrate (so u reckon PVC?)
I ve built a tripod above the lid where I put the heat light.
Do I ve to take the UV out from the cage?
Besides do you reckon he is shaking becasue he is dehydrate?

Deffo a great forum
 
I put a plastic box with tiny holes above the screen lid to provide more water.
I am gonna remove one pan and put a screen one (already spoke with an hardware shop and they have it yeahhh:))
I am gonna remove the substrate (so u reckon PVC?)
I ve built a tripod above the lid where I put the heat light.
Do I ve to take the UV out from the cage?
Besides do you reckon he is shaking becasue he is dehydrate?

Deffo a great forum

can you show us your new set up now....?

Have you noticed if he his eating yet?


OPI
 
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