AlexKouns
Member
Since we’re on the subject, this would be a good opportunity to review all your plans to ensure you both get off on the right foot. Not required but can only benefit you.
Please fill out the “how to ask for help” form and post your answers back here. Quality pictures will help us help you.
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.
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Chameleon Info:
◦ Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
- Panther chameleon
- Male (I think and hope)
- Little over a month old
- I have had him for 6 days now
◦ Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
- I handled him once when transporting him home, and putting into his enclosure
- Want to let him get comfortable in his enclosure and get a little bigger before I handle him
◦ Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
- Mainly fruit flies and crickets right now. I do about 15 fruit flies and 5 - 1/8' crickets twice a day and remove what he doesn't eat, he normally leaves about 2 flies and 1 cricket by the end of feeding. I do this once in the morning (around 9 or 10AM) and once after lunch (about 2 pm). I was told to feed him as much as he wants to eat at this age as they grow at a rapid rate. I am feeding my crickets carrots and collard greens mostly.
- I would love for him to eat worms but he won't touch them. I have put a couple very small super worms in his feeding bowl and he definitely sees them but won't eat them.
◦ Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
- Repashy Calcium plus LoD at every feeding. Was told by the breeder that this is an "all in one" supplement and all I would need.
◦ Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
- I mist 3-4 times daily until everything is dripping wet. I would say around 3ish minutes?
- I also use the little dripper system all day (turn off at night)
- I have seen my cham drink maybe twice but it was off of water on the cage from misting. I have not seen him drink water from the dripper itself yet.
◦ Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
- Poop looks good but was concerned with urate as I noticed a slightly orange tint.
- He has not been tested yet but I plan on doing that soon
◦ History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
- Nothing that I know of
Cage Info:
◦ Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
- 16 x 16 x 30 Zoo Med screen cage
◦ Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
- I have heating and UV light in the enclosure
- UV is a reptisun T5 HO hood with a 5.0 bulb (plan on going to 10.0 when this needs replacement)
- Heating is an Exo-Terra 60W bulb that I bought from a reptile shop
- I have the lights on a timer that come on at 8AM and turn off at 6PM (the cage is by a window and the sunsets on his cage so I like to think its a natural way to turn the lights out)
◦ Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
- I have a temp gun to test my temperatures
- Top/basking spot is around 88-90
- Bottom of cage is 78-80
- Lowest overnight temp is probably like 72 right now
◦ Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
- I have a humidity gauge
- It is normally around 55% humidity throughout the day
- I have seen it get up to 65% when misting (it is in the driest part of the cage so humidity very well may be higher)
- I have also seen it drop to 45% and I will mist if I see it gets that low
◦ Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
- I am using a swiss cheese plant. I like the look of this plant as well as the big leaves. The water droplets sit on the leaves for a long time. I researched this plant and could not find anywhere that it was toxic to chameleons. I found a video where someone said they have been using that plant for years without issues.
◦ 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 located in my room where there is very low traffic.
- The top of the cage is probably around 6 feet from the floor
- I do run a fan at night for myself but I do not let the airflow hit his cage
◦ Location - Where are you geographically located?
- Long Beach, CA
*About my setup pictures
- I know people say do not use soil as a substrate as the cham can pick it up while they snatch an insect. However, I have never seen my cham eat anything off the bottom of the cage. I am feeding him from a food bowl and I have only seen him eat insects from there or off the side of the cage. That is also why I put the rocks on top of the soil, to decrease the chance that he would pick up soil if he did eat a cricket off the bottom.
