Just a few questions.....

[Crazy Pet Lady]

1) How can I tell how old my cham is? When I got him about 3 weeks ago he was sold as being 2.5 months. He was VERY tiny, about 3 inches total length nose to tail. Now he is probably about 5 inches. Does this sound right? Or was I hornswaggled?

2) I scored a good deal on a gallon bucket of a product called Total Bites w/spirulina by Nature Zone. It's supposed to be a total gutload type diet for crickets and other feeder insects. $6.99. Good or hornswaggled?

3) My water supply is from the city. I'm sure it is treated with chlorine and God knows what else. Should I be using this to mist and water with? There is an artesian well not too far away I could get fresh water from but it's kind of a hassle to haul containers but I will if I should. What do all of you use?

Thanx in advance.......Peace.

 

[jojackson]

1: your guess is as good as ours. Quite possibly as young as said, growth depends on its husbandry and is never a good indicator of age.

2: Its cheap enough, still use fresh veg/fruit aswell. No hornswaggling goin on here old Bill!

3: Do you drink it? You could muck with treating it, or simply boil it first. Uv exposure in sun breaks down chlorine.

 

[panthercham]

As far as the water goes if you dont want to lug water around then look at getting something like a Brita jug. I use one for myself and my chams and have never had a problem. It removes a lot of the chlorine, aluminium and other impurities and tastes a lot better. The only thing it doesnt remove is fluroide.

Is your water quality bad? I know in some areas its better than others.

 

[kinyonga]

I have used household tap water for years...I leave it sitting out overnight to allow the chlorine to dissipate and so that the water will warm up to room temperature.

Regarding the Total Bites...I've never used any commercial products for feeding insects. For crickets, roaches, superworms I use an assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.

Here are some good sites you might be interested in...
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://web.archive.org/web/20060502...als.com/vet/index.php?show=8.Gout.Basics.html
http://chameleonnews.com/
http://adcham.com/
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/

 

[Crazy Pet Lady]

Ok..I do have a brita dispenser. Or I can leave it out, sounds better in the long run, then I don't run out of filtered. I plan to use veggies etc. for gut loading also, just was wondering about a staple food..this should fit the bill. My water is not too bad..I drink from the tap and use it for cooking. I didn't know if it could hurt Igor. I guess you all answered that for me. I guess I'm just having needless "Mom" type concerns. I appreciate the input. Thanks to all.

 

[jannb]

Post a picture.....that will help if we can see your cham.

 

[tkilgour]

Some people may have different opinions on this, but i use the additive "Reptisafe" by Zoo Med. It is a blue liquid that is a water conditioner. It claims to remove chlorine, chloramines, ammonia and helps prevent accumulation. It also claims to add essential electrolytes including calcium. It aids in re-hydration, and helps hydrate new arrivals. It also reduces pH. I have used it for a long time and have had no problems. My tap water is very hard and this additive seems to do well. Give it a try or just boil water.

 

[Malicious]

For the water, I do exactly what Kinyonga does.

As for the Total Bites.........









No complaints here!


-Jay

 

[tkilgour]

For the water, I do exactly what Kinyonga does.

As for the Total Bites.........









No complaints here!


-Jay

That is a pretty female you have pictured up there. I have a red barred that looks like your guy as well. Cool photos of your little guys.

 

[Crazy Pet Lady]

Way cool! I'm really OK with the Total Bites now. What beautiful chams! BTW..the only halfway decent pic I've been able to get of him is my avatar. He's bigger than that now...but not a whole lot. LOL