Is something wrong with my chamelon

[freejf]

OK 2 says ago I bought a Chmelon from my local pet store. Now I dont see it eating or drinking and its always on the floor rather then in the palnt and branches ive provided.Also id like to know if its a girl or boy and if its a flap neck or flatneck I think if not then what breed if you guys can tell, and its 3 to 4 inches long.

Cage Info: My Cage is ventalited and is screen on all 4 sides and on top. its 20Lx 18Hx and x10W (I never did measurments before so sry if I did wrong)

Lighting - Repti glo 5.0 UvB I turn it on from 7:00am to 6:00pm

Temperature - I dont know the tempature I dont have a device to measure it but inside the house its always 75F

Humidity - I Mist his cage and have a drip system to keep humidity levels up I dont have a humidity measuring device

Plants - At the Moment fake palnts

Location - Its 3 feet from a window 2feet 6 inches off the floor

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Flatneck Chamelon, dont know sex and age its been in my care for 2 days and its 3 to 4 inches long.

Handling - not often

Feeding - feeding it crickets 4 a day powdering them

Supplements - Im giving it zoo meds Reptivite Reptile vitamins

Watering - I Mist him like 3-4 times a day for 1min

Fecal Description - I dont think I can see its droppings its to small, I dont know if its been tested for parasites just got it.

History - sorry but I just bought him or her

Current Problem - Its not eating and drinking I mist and use the drip system and I dont see it srinking or it hasent eaten since I got it and I read somewhere its bad if your chmelons always on the floor and not in the tree or plants and mines always on the floor. Thank in advance for any help.

This is a pic of him or her I love it

 

[alhickabee]

First off you should always do proper research before buying any animal. You NEED to buy at least one thermometer to measure temp at about half cage and his basking spot. You also NEED a way to measure humidity. There are multiple supplements you need, calcium w/o D3, calcium w/ D3 and a vitamin supplement. The calcium w/o D3 should be give on a couple crickets 2-3 times a week and w/ D3 should be give once or twice a week until they get older then cut back to twice a month or so. The vitamin supplement should only be used twice a month. Never dust all of the crickets on one day. About half of his daily meal should be dusted with w/e supplement for the day and keep to a schedule. Misting should be at least 3 minutes long, 3-4 times a day. Also no substrate should be used on the floor, it can cause your cham to become impacted, which will lead to death if not treated.

Sounds like he might of had an overdose of the vitamins. I'm still new the chams too so I'll let one of the experts make the call on that.

You need to review your husbandry asap!!!

 

[freejf]

Well I was just given all those things from the pet store they said I had all that I needed and they were the ones that recommended me having the woodchip thingys on the floor.

 

[smyth]

hi m8, im not sure if ive missed you sayin it but i dont see your calcium supplement there? are u givin it calcium at all? definitly take it off the bark aswell i wud put newspaper down or kitchen roll, alot more hygenic and easier to clean and no risk of impaction. if hes young you may have the basking spot where the UV bulb is too hot and he maybe tryin to cool off but without you measuring the temp im not sure. a thermometer can be bought cheaply from certain places. also it sometimes takes a few days for chams to settle into their new environment so this could be why hes not eating. im like alhickabee tho im not as experienced as most of the guys on here maybe they can shed more light on this for u.

 

[Rocky]

The problem with buying from a petstore is that they really dont know anything >.< I got my veiled from a pet store and they sold me "everything that i needed" and it cost me way more than if i had done my proper research first. I was like you and figured the store knew what they were talking about because they had a lot of them.

1. You need to be dusting your crickets with calcium without D3 probably daily. He looks young so he should probably be eating as many little crickets as he can eat. The vitamins are a good thing to have but he only needs them about once a month or so.

2. You definitely need to go get a heat lamp of some sort with a basking bulb so he/she can get their body temperature up. That probably why he isn't doing well because he can't bask. You can look up why they need to bask anywhere. It has to do with them being cold blooded animals and needing to raise there temps.

3. Welcome to the forums you will be able to get all the info you need here

o and definitely take that substrate out. With the amount of moisture / poop it will get gross and not worth it. Just have an empty bottom and pick it up with paper towels every day

 

[freejf]

Yea im giving him calcium the zoo meds reptivite it says it has calcium and vitamin d3 the pet shop game these and said they were good for it. they also told me he had shed his skin recently I forgot about that and dont know if that may be a cause for it too.

 

[smyth]

damn totally missed he didnt mention a heat lamp, that could explain alot for sure.

 

[Kat77]

OK 2 says ago I bought a Chmelon from my local pet store. Now I dont see it eating or drinking and its always on the floor rather then in the palnt and branches ive provided.Also id like to know if its a girl or boy and if its a flap neck or flatneck I think if not then what breed if you guys can tell, and its 3 to 4 inches long.

Cage Info: My Cage is ventalited and is screen on all 4 sides and on top. its 20Lx 18Hx and x10W (I never did measurments before so sry if I did wrong)

Lighting - Repti glo 5.0 UvB I turn it on from 7:00am to 6:00pm

Temperature - I dont know the tempature I dont have a device to measure it but inside the house its always 75F

Humidity - I Mist his cage and have a drip system to keep humidity levels up I dont have a humidity measuring device

Plants - At the Moment fake palnts

Location - Its 3 feet from a window 2feet 6 inches off the floor

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Flatneck Chamelon, dont know sex and age its been in my care for 2 days and its 3 to 4 inches long.

Handling - not often

Feeding - feeding it crickets 4 a day powdering them

Supplements - Im giving it zoo meds Reptivite Reptile vitamins

Watering - I Mist him like 3-4 times a day for 1min

Fecal Description - I dont think I can see its droppings its to small, I dont know if its been tested for parasites just got it.

History - sorry but I just bought him or her

Current Problem - Its not eating and drinking I mist and use the drip system and I dont see it srinking or it hasent eaten since I got it and I read somewhere its bad if your chmelons always on the floor and not in the tree or plants and mines always on the floor. Thank in advance for any help.

This is a pic of him or her I love it

I actually think that you're doing ok for someone just starting out. And I'm glad that you've come on here to ask questions. But you should ALWAYS do a lot of research before purchasing any animal, especially a chameleon.

Your chameleon definitely should not be hanging around your enclosure floor.

There are some things that you will need to change in your husbandry in order for the chameleon to be happy and healthy and live a long life. You need to get the substrate off of the enclosure floor. Have you seen your chameleon eat at all? The problem with the substrate is that, first and foremost, it can be picked up with a feeder and ingested which can cause impaction. Impaction could be the reason you haven't seen your chameleon eat or drink. Secondly it really is a bacteria trap. The moisture will cause all sorts of undesireable things to grow in that substrate. It really needs to go.

You've done a good job with the light timeing, many people starting out seem to think they need lights on 24 hours a day. I would, however, get a Reptisun l 5.0 tube bulb rather than the reptiglo. The Reptisun has just the right amount of UVB for your chameleon. Also, do you have a basking lamp? You DEFINITELY need a basking spot for your chameleon. I didn't see that you mentioned one. You also should really be checking temperatures. You will find very cheap analog thermometers, and you should have one in the basking spot and in the middle of the cage so you can see the ambient temperatures. You should also know a basic humidity, but if you are misting and using drippers I would imagine that your humidity is just fine.

Getting a regular calcium supplement (Minerall 0) is very important, and you should also have a supplement with vitamin d3, in addition to the vitamin supplement you already have. Make sure that you don't cake the powder on the crickets, really all you need to do is lightly dust them. The vitamin supplement should only be used twice monthy. The calcuim (without D3) can be used nearly daily and the supplement with D3 should be used once or twice monthly depending on how much natural sunlight your chameleon gets.

 

[dodolah]

Do you have a basking lamp at all? you only say that you have reptiglo for lighting (UVB lamp).
That might be the reason why he's not eating.
Chameleon need heat (UVA) to stimulate its appetite and to warm up every morning (u can use incandescent house bulb for heat. Use the appropriate wattage to get the correct basking temp for flapneck depending on your area. For example, since i live in SoCal, I only need to use 50 Watt -during summer and 75 Watt during winter to maintain the temp).

So, try to get a digital thermometer and hygrometer ASAP to measure temp and humidity in your chameleon cage.

 

[Dave Weldon]

..2 days ago I bought a Chameleon from my local pet store.

I don’t see it eating or drinking...

its always on the floor...

a flap neck or flatneck...

Temperature - I don’t know the temperature I don’t have a device to measure it but inside the house its always 75F

Humidity - I Mist his cage and have a drip system to keep humidity levels up I don’t have a humidity measuring device

Plants - At the Moment fake plants

Location - Its 3 feet from a window 2feet 6 inches off the floor

Feeding - feeding it crickets 4 a day powdering them

Supplements – I’m giving it zoo meds Reptivite Reptile vitamins

Watering - I Mist him like 3-4 times a day for 1min

Fecal Description - I don’t think I can see its droppings its to small...

Current Problem - Its not eating and drinking I mist and use the drip system and I don’t see it drinking or it hasn’t eaten since I got it and I read somewhere its bad if your chameleons always on the floor and not in the tree or plants and mines always on the floor. Thank in advance for any help.

Howdy,

What part of the world are you located?

Post photos of your entire setup.

Likely a Flap-necked "Chamaeleo dilepis" and I'm guessing female.

Since you've had her for only 2 days, it is possible that she hasn't settled-in enough to feel safe to eat and drink. On the other hand, she may be ill from any number of things or conditions, parasites being one of them.

Being on the floor is often a sign of their health going permanently downhill if it continues for another day or two . If it is a female, I suppose there is a possibility that she is gravid and looking for soil to dig in and lay eggs.

If, where you live, they have Lowe's or Home Depot etc., you can buy a digital combo indoor/outdoor temperature and humidity meter for under $15. Get one .

Go very easy on the supplements, especially until this issue is turned around.

I suggest raising the entire enclosure to a height that puts her basking spot above your head if possible. Potential stress reducer...

Are the crickets getting eaten or are they escaping? Are there leftovers every day?

Get some live plants. I like Schefflera. You can get them in all sizes cheap. Give her plenty of plants for climbing/hiding spots.

Poop is easy to spot so long as you are not using some kind of dirt on the floor. If you are using dirt, I suggest removing it for various reasons, parasite propagation being one of them .

Try using warm water from a pump-up type hand mister from places like Home Depot ($7). I would suggest experimenting with 5-10-15 minutes of misting at a time to trigger a drinking response. Be prepared for drainage.

 

[freejf]

OK for basking can I use a regular house bulb like 40 watt I dont want to burn him or her? cause I dont think they gave me that to be honest just the uvb I turned on a regular house bulb and he went straight for it and on the branch . and I saw him drink but he didnt drink like I expected him to drink he slirrped it off the floor didnt use the tongue of his to catch a drop but im not complaing its good to know its drinking.

 

[Rocky]

well i'm not sure about basking temps for flapnecks, but if i remember right they are very similar to veileds.

http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/

read through that site it should help you with everything

 

[dodolah]

OK for basking can I use a regular house bulb like 40 watt I dont want to burn him or her? cause I dont think they gave me that to be honest just the uvb I turned on a regular house bulb and he went straight for it and on the branch . and I saw him drink but he didnt drink like I expected him to drink he slirrped it off the floor didnt use the tongue of his to catch a drop but im not complaing its good to know its drinking.

regular house bulb is fine. As long as it emit heat.
You need the thermometer to make sure that 40 watt is hot enough for him.
Don't put the bulb inside the cage.
Put it outside.

 

[freejf]

Alright Im going at 2 pm to home depot to get the themamoters and maybe buy some plants if I buy plants what are the ones that are good for the chamelons? I saw some in a earlier post but I was woundering if Home depot sold the plants I needed? Also I took the wood chips out and put paper heres the the improved floor and how my cage looks

 

[Julirs]

Not shredded newspaper-just a sheet-they will end up zapping the shreds and eating them. Pothos and Schefflera are good plants.

You also need to ditch the compact UVB bulb-they are know to cause issues.

 

[freejf]

Not shredded newspaper-just a sheet-they will end up zapping the shreds and eating them. Pothos and Schefflera are good plants.

You also need to ditch the compact UVB bulb-they are know to cause issues.

Alright I put regular paper umm what should I get instead of the reptio bulb then?

 

[Julirs]

UVB Flourescent tube-

 

[freejf]

OK well ill get the themamoters and plants later today and I wont powder every cricket Thx for all your guys help I hope it starts eating again I know it drinks. So maybe its just needs to get use to its new habitat but talking with you guys will make the job easier for me to take care of her and know how to handle her. If I have any more questions ill be back ok .

 

[Dave Weldon]

Howdy,

I would locate all light sources on top aimed downward. If you are replacing your UVB source, try to find a Reptisun 5.0 18" tube and fixture.

What part of the world are you located?

 

[freejf]

Im in Southern California