Just a few newbie questions!???

[CalaMala]

Sorry if I seem needy....
Just wondering a few things, want to make sure I am doing my best for Sayid...
1. Is it better to keep the habitat in front if a window for natural light, or to dangerous of over heating?
2. When and how often do baby/juvi veiled shed?
3. I have a live Hibiscus in Sayid's hab., blooming beautifully but many leaves are turning yellow....not enough sun, to much water?? Is Ficus better?
4. I have a Little Dipper, and I hand mist 3x's a day, I have only seen him drink once and not even sure if he got it....how do I know he is hydrated enough??
and lastly
5. About what age do different colors begin to appear? When he is on my hand and sleeping he is a beautiful light green, stressed he is a darker like hunter green with darker stripes...just wonder when to expect some of the prettier yellow, teal, and blues...if he gets those!!
Thanx everyone!! Much appreciated...

 

[Olimpia]

Sorry if I seem needy....
Just wondering a few things, want to make sure I am doing my best for Sayid... (cool name, by the way!)
1. Is it better to keep the habitat in front if a window for natural light, or to dangerous of over heating? I like to have my guys near windows because they can get some stimulation from the outside world, but the way my apartment faces I never et direct sunlight through the window, which is what might make your cage overheat. You can always keep a couple thermometers in the cage and monitor the temps so you're sure the window isn't making any dramatic temp changes. Or, if you want to be on the safe side (especially if you're using a glass vivarium), keep the cage a larger distance from the window. Remember though, natural UV does not go through glass, so a closed window doesn't contribute anything but a view.
2. When and how often do baby/juvi veiled shed? This is tough to say, it depends how much he grows and how fast. Some will shed every 2 weeks during a spurt and others closer to once a month or more while they're young. This will slow down the older they get.
3. I have a live Hibiscus in Sayid's hab., blooming beautifully but many leaves are turning yellow....not enough sun, to much water?? Is Ficus better? Too much water I think this means? I don't know, I've never been a skilled gardener. I've never had much success with hibiscus plants in my cages, ficus have always been easier to keep, personally.
4. I have a Little Dipper, and I hand mist 3x's a day, I have only seen him drink once and not even sure if he got it....how do I know he is hydrated enough?? His poop will be the biggest clue. It should consist of a brown poop part attached to a white part (the urine, essentially) the whiter it is the more hydrated he is. It's almost like with us, where if you don't drink enough water your urine can get really dark. It's ok if there is a hint of yellow, but the more white the better. If it is all yellow/orange then you know he's not drinking enough.
and lastly
5. About what age do different colors begin to appear? When he is on my hand and sleeping he is a beautiful light green, stressed he is a darker like hunter green with darker stripes...just wonder when to expect some of the prettier yellow, teal, and blues...if he gets those!!
Thanx everyone!! Much appreciated... How old is he? He might start showing a lot of color at around 6 months, but could take as much as 1.5-2 years to fully color up to his full potential. Lots of patience, unfortunately!

Hope that helps.

 

[Takara]

If you pick up a misting system, you don't have to fill the dripper or hand spray. The only reason I mention it is once you switch over, you never want to go back.

something like this: (there are all different kinds)

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=22803

 

[CalaMala]

Yes Olimpia, that helps, thank you. And Takara, I have a mister on my Mother's Day gift list

I actually thought of another question...hehehe....sorry.....
I have ReptiCalcium and Reptivite w/D3....I dust every feeding because of Sayid's age ( he hatched end of Dec. beginning of Jan., making him about 3mths.) ....he eats about 8-10 crickets a day.... I dust by putting a make up brush in the container then hitting it in the bag, putting 5 crickets, and SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE....

The container says dust about 12 crickets a week...am I dusting to often and/or using to much at a time????

 

[carol5208]

I dusted all the crickets I fed my cham at every feeding with the calcium without the d3. I say "dusted" cause my cham no longer likes crickets! But I dust his worms! That is the norm on the forum here and we all seem to have healthy chams with this supplement schedule. Also use your calcium with d3 and get a multivitamin to use a couple times a month. I see you live in Fla! I live in Palm Beach County. You have the luxury of year round sunshine so take advantage of that. Get you cham out in it every chance you get! Just make sure he is supervised if not caged and he has access to shade.

 

[CalaMala]

I see you live in Fla! I live in Palm Beach County. You have the luxury of year round sunshine so take advantage of that. Get you cham out in it every chance you get! Just make sure he is supervised if not caged and he has access to shade.

I live in North Central west of Gainesville. We still are getting spike of cold. The other morning it was 47 and yesterday only like 53 in the morning. But I will most def. It heats up to like 75/80 during the day but usually I am at work. I do plan on bringing him out when it stays up there thru the night and on my days off..Right now he is still a bit scared of his shadow! lol

 

[DeviousMike]

I live in North Central west of Gainesville. We still are getting spike of cold. The other morning it was 47 and yesterday only like 53 in the morning. But I will most def. It heats up to like 75/80 during the day but usually I am at work. I do plan on bringing him out when it stays up there thru the night and on my days off..Right now he is still a bit scared of his shadow! lol

In california, it has been cool lately (high 50s) but I still bring my chams out once in a while because in direct sunlight, its warm. They love to soak it up. THey turn their darkest colors on to soak it all up. I feel its good to give them a few minutes just so they can get that natural light.

 

[Veiled Ninja]

With a screened cage...

If you pick up a misting system, you don't have to fill the dripper or hand spray. The only reason I mention it is once you switch over, you never want to go back.

something like this: (there are all different kinds)

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=22803

I have a screened open cage I already have trouble with the wet.... even with my carefully aimed squirt bottle. For a buck fifty can u get those missters Pretty accurate? Might be a silly question, looks & sounds like a awesome way to cut back on maintenance