Is my chameleon unhappy?

[Ovrwtch409]

I just got my little guy, Pascal, a week ago from Petco. He’s just a few months old but I don’t have an exact age. We have the Reptibreeze Chameleon kit with plans to build a custom cage in the future. I mist him 3 times a day and have the dripper. I have the flexible vines and a potted dwarf umbrella plant. I feed him wax worms, meal worms, and crickets. Lights are on from 5:30am til about 8:30pm due to my work schedule (we intend to get them on a timer soon). We have the light elevated above the cage on 1x4 boards so about 3/4 inch. Temp about 1/3 from the top is 88. My humidity gauge isn’t working right so I’m about to replace that. We wrapped the sides and back to help keep in the heat and humidity. My little guy is green every morning before I turn on his lights and within just a few minutes he turns brown. I have a cat and a dog who pay him no attention. My dog however is larger and very active. Pascal explores his habitat often, he’s eating and drinking. He does hide when I open the door. But I often catch him watching me from the top of the vines. My concern is mainly with him always being brown throughout the day when we are home. Is he unhappy or stressed or is he just still adjusting?

 

[PabloTheCham]

The lighting is incorrect.. you need a t5 ho linear uvb bulb.

Please fill out this form so we can see what else may be wrong.

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.

 

[Ovrwtch409]

The lighting is incorrect.. you need a t5 ho linear uvb bulb.

Please fill out this form so we can see what else may be wrong.

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.

Pascal is a male veiled Cham. He’s a few months old. I’ve had him for a week.
I’ve handled him only twice. I’ve been trying to give him space and time to adjust.
I feed him got loaded crickets, meal worms, and wax worms and chopped collard greens. I dust with calcium with D3 once and without 3 days a week.
he has a dripper and I mist him 3 times a day for watering.
His feces are small and dark with small amount of white urates.
I have no history for him.
Cage dimensions are 16x16x30. Screen on top, back, front, and sides, the back and sides are currently wrapped in plastic to keep humidity in.
lighting is zoo med tropical dome with 100w blue daylight bulb and uvb 5.0

temp is 88 1/3 of the way from the top. Lowest overnight temp in my house is 70. My hygrometer is not working, plan to replace ASAP.
Have a live dwarf umbrella plant, fake vines. He access to the entire height of the cage with the vines.
His cage is in my living room in a corner not near a vent and we don’t use the ceiling fan. We try to keep the lights down in the evenings as well.
the top of the cage is 63 inches from the floor.

located in northwest Ohio

 

[PabloTheCham]

I feed him got loaded crickets, meal worms, and wax worms and chopped collard greens.

Ditch the waxworms, and especially the mealworms. What are you gutloading with?

I dust with calcium with D3 once and without 3 days a week.

You need to dust every day but one day every week without d3. One of those days dust with d3. You also need a multivitamin. Use one week the d3, and the other week use the multivitamin on the day you wouldve used d3.

he has a dripper and I mist him 3 times a day for watering.

WHat percent humidity? Veileds prefer low humidity during the day 30-50 and high humidity at night 80-100

Cage dimensions are 16x16x30. Screen on top, back, front, and sides, the back and sides are currently wrapped in plastic to keep humidity in.

You will need a 24x24x48 very soon.

lighting is zoo med tropical dome with 100w blue daylight bulb and uvb 5.0

You will need to get new uvb asap. You need a linear t5 ho 5.0 uvb bulb instead of the dome uvb. Also get rid of the blue light and get a white light.


Please add pics of the setup.

What are your basking temps? Day humidity? Night humidity?

 

[Ovrwtch409]

Ditch the waxworms, and especially the mealworms. What are you gutloading with?

You need to dust every day but one day every week without d3. One of those days dust with d3. You also need a multivitamin. Use one week the d3, and the other week use the multivitamin on the day you wouldve used d3.

WHat percent humidity? Veileds prefer low humidity during the day 30-50 and high humidity at night 80-100

You will need a 24x24x48 very soon.

You will need to get new uvb asap. You need a linear t5 ho 5.0 uvb bulb instead of the dome uvb. Also get rid of the blue light and get a white light.


Please add pics of the setup.

What are your basking temps? Day humidity? Night humidity?

My hygrometer has not worked since we put it in, it’s being replaced when I have some time off work to get one. So I do not know the current Humidity level. I will also be adding a second temp probe for lower in the cage. Basking temp is 88.
What should I feed him if not those? I will adjust his dusting accordingly. I guy load with a commercial food for guy loading crickets.
I will replace the lighting fixture too.

 

[Haley Hendrix]

Pascal is a male veiled Cham. He’s a few months old. I’ve had him for a week.
Attach pictures. Often petsmart dosent sex then correctly
I’ve handled him only twice. I’ve been trying to give him space and time to adjust.
I would give him a few weeks. Then you can begin to build trust by hand feeding.
I feed him got loaded crickets, meal worms, and wax worms and chopped collard greens. I dust with calcium with D3 once and without 3 days a week.
Calcium Without D3 everyday except on one day you alternate between Calcium With D3 and Multivitiam week to week. Meal worms have a hard outer shell that can be hard for a baby to digest. Gutloading with what? I’ll attach an image for both gutloading and different feeders.
he has a dripper and I mist him 3 times a day for watering.
His feces are small and dark with small amount of white urates.
Have you thought about getting a fecal done? Petsmart is known for parasites in their reptiles if they’re there for a while
I have no history for him.
Cage dimensions are 16x16x30. Screen on top, back, front, and sides, the back and sides are currently wrapped in plastic to keep humidity in.
lighting is zoo med tropical dome with 100w blue daylight bulb and uvb 5.0
You’ll need to upgrade to 2x2x4. Humidity should only be 30-50% so you shouldn’t need to wrap it. However at night time humidity should raise to 80-100%. You can achieve that with a fogger or humidifier. UVB needs to be upgraded to t5 ho 5.0 first, this is very very important. Also blue lights aren’t recommended, a incandescent bulb works better and is cheaper.

temp is 88 1/3 of the way from the top. Lowest overnight temp in my house is 70. My hygrometer is not working, plan to replace ASAP.
This needs to be lowered. Chances are your little guy is 2-4 months old. Top temp is 83. You don’t want him to get a thermal burn
Have a live dwarf umbrella plant, fake vines. He access to the entire height of the cage with the vines.
Look into Dragon Strand ledges they are wonderful and make it so much easier to hang branches and plants
His cage is in my living room in a corner not near a vent and we don’t use the ceiling fan. We try to keep the lights down in the evenings as well.
the top of the cage is 63 inches from the floor.

located in northwest Ohio

 

[Ovrwtch409]

Pascal is a male veiled Cham. He’s a few months old. I’ve had him for a week.
Attach pictures. Often petsmart dosent sex then correctly
I’ve handled him only twice. I’ve been trying to give him space and time to adjust.
I would give him a few weeks. Then you can begin to build trust by hand feeding.
I feed him got loaded crickets, meal worms, and wax worms and chopped collard greens. I dust with calcium with D3 once and without 3 days a week.
Calcium Without D3 everyday except on one day you alternate between Calcium With D3 and Multivitiam week to week. Meal worms have a hard outer shell that can be hard for a baby to digest. Gutloading with what? I’ll attach an image for both gutloading and different feeders.
he has a dripper and I mist him 3 times a day for watering.
His feces are small and dark with small amount of white urates.
Have you thought about getting a fecal done? Petsmart is known for parasites in their reptiles if they’re there for a while
I have no history for him.
Cage dimensions are 16x16x30. Screen on top, back, front, and sides, the back and sides are currently wrapped in plastic to keep humidity in.
lighting is zoo med tropical dome with 100w blue daylight bulb and uvb 5.0
You’ll need to upgrade to 2x2x4. Humidity should only be 30-50% so you shouldn’t need to wrap it. However at night time humidity should raise to 80-100%. You can achieve that with a fogger or humidifier. UVB needs to be upgraded to t5 ho 5.0 first, this is very very important. Also blue lights aren’t recommended, a incandescent bulb works better and is cheaper.

temp is 88 1/3 of the way from the top. Lowest overnight temp in my house is 70. My hygrometer is not working, plan to replace ASAP.
This needs to be lowered. Chances are your little guy is 2-4 months old. Top temp is 83. You don’t want him to get a thermal burn
Have a live dwarf umbrella plant, fake vines. He access to the entire height of the cage with the vines.
Look into Dragon Strand ledges they are wonderful and make it so much easier to hang branches and plants
His cage is in my living room in a corner not near a vent and we don’t use the ceiling fan. We try to keep the lights down in the evenings as well.
the top of the cage is 63 inches from the floor.

located in northwest Ohio

Thank you I will work on all the corrections to his set up. We plan to custom build him an enclosure within the next few months

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi and welcome! Yes, that is most definitely a handsome little boy. I’d guess around 4-5 months old.
In addition to all already said, you’ll be needing to get rid of whatever you have on the enclosure floor. Unless bioactive, bare floor is easiest to keep clean.

 

[Ovrwtch409]

Hi and welcome! Yes, that is most definitely a handsome little boy. I’d guess around 4-5 months old.
In addition to all already said, you’ll be needing to get rid of whatever you have on the enclosure floor. Unless bioactive, bare floor is easiest to keep clean.

It’s just a moss mat to keep water from puddling and leaking out of the cage, easily and cheaply replaced when needed

 

[PabloTheCham]

It’s just a moss mat to keep water from puddling and leaking out of the cage, easily and cheaply replaced when needed

You still need to get rid of it... By the time it molds its too late. Also it is impaction land

 

[Pearl Fields]

if anything, use paper towel that is replaced with new often

 

[Haley Hendrix]

It’s just a moss mat to keep water from puddling and leaking out of the cage, easily and cheaply replaced when needed

Yea as people said remove it. He can eat it and become impacted and bacteria grows very easily in it. A bare bottom unless you’re going fully bioactive. Clean the bottom daily with a bare bottom.

 

[Ovrwtch409]

Ok thank you