just bought cham and need tips
- Thread starter pedro92
- Start date
Julirs
New Member
That thermometer is pretty worthless. Get one that is digital with a cord and probe. You will need to measure the temp of your basking spot. It looks terribly close to the top of that plant and you could burn your cham. Can you tell us the age of your cham and your exact lighting specs?
DkRhodes
New Member
just get the water hot so when you mist it will be warm on contact.Test it
on you hand 1st. Also, make sure the water using isn't bad tap water that may have high chlorine or other chemicals. I've bought water drops but, i used to just boil the water and then let it cool .I also did this for the dripper water. You want to be careful about leaving standing water in the cage.If you must, have something to catch the drip ,keep it clean an also, make sure they can't get in it and drown .I used to put a lil grill from a mini bake oven across as square baking pan to catch the drip.That way he could climb across the top
with out falling in .Good luck.There heaps of info on this site and you can
search and find about any question .Again, good luck.
on you hand 1st. Also, make sure the water using isn't bad tap water that may have high chlorine or other chemicals. I've bought water drops but, i used to just boil the water and then let it cool .I also did this for the dripper water. You want to be careful about leaving standing water in the cage.If you must, have something to catch the drip ,keep it clean an also, make sure they can't get in it and drown .I used to put a lil grill from a mini bake oven across as square baking pan to catch the drip.That way he could climb across the top
with out falling in .Good luck.There heaps of info on this site and you can
search and find about any question .Again, good luck.
Mintglow
New Member
Awww what a cute little baby!
Mist 5-10 mins at least 3 times a day with warm water like they said. Make sure he is good and hydrated. Here are some warning signs if he is not getting enough water:
- His eyes may sink in
- Skin gets wrinkly
- May be duller in colour
- Acting apathetic
- Urates (the light part of his droppings) are dark yellow or orange.
If any of these signs appear then really keep an eye on him. A lot of chameleons unfortunately life in a chronically dehydrated state because people don't take the time to ensure they are getting what they need. If he gets dehydrated, take him to a vet right away!
Mist 5-10 mins at least 3 times a day with warm water like they said. Make sure he is good and hydrated. Here are some warning signs if he is not getting enough water:
- His eyes may sink in
- Skin gets wrinkly
- May be duller in colour
- Acting apathetic
- Urates (the light part of his droppings) are dark yellow or orange.
If any of these signs appear then really keep an eye on him. A lot of chameleons unfortunately life in a chronically dehydrated state because people don't take the time to ensure they are getting what they need. If he gets dehydrated, take him to a vet right away!
I have the same enclosure and keep two sheets of newspaper on the bottom. If it's staying in the mid 80s in the center of the cage then wet news paper should dry out fairly quickly and is easy to replace when it gets soiled by the cham, as long as you don't set plant pots on it. I'd be a bit worried about too much moisture and mold sitting between that mat you have and the hard bottom.
I'm not positive whether your live plant is pothos (Epipremnum aureum) or heart leaved Philodendron, but I would remove it if it is philodendron, they're in the Araceae family and contain calcium oxalate crystals that can burn. I'd replace it with some pothos and draceana, both non-toxic. Other than that, I would say add a lot more vines and sticks (chameleon highways) and hanging plants like you have, to help break up the tank more and give the cham more security, my friends can stand in front of mine for minutes without finding the cham in it.
I can't tell from the pic if it's a male or female, but if it doesn't have a spur on the back of each hind foot, it's a female and you'll want to add a sand bed for her to release eggs in if she needs to, or else she can become egg bound and die. I use a kritter keeper with about 8 inches of sand and keep it firm by moistening it during mists. They can produce infertile eggs like chickens, but I've kept my female from producing any, you can do that when yours gets older by limiting her food to about 20 insects a week, divided up daily or every other day.
I use a spray bottle sometimes too, but eventually you will probably want to get one of those fertilizer/insect spray pressurized sprayers with the pump on the top, from home depot or walmart, then you can just pump a few times and clip the handle together to mist rather than pumping a regular spray bottle with your fist a hundred+ times at every misting.
I'm not positive whether your live plant is pothos (Epipremnum aureum) or heart leaved Philodendron, but I would remove it if it is philodendron, they're in the Araceae family and contain calcium oxalate crystals that can burn. I'd replace it with some pothos and draceana, both non-toxic. Other than that, I would say add a lot more vines and sticks (chameleon highways) and hanging plants like you have, to help break up the tank more and give the cham more security, my friends can stand in front of mine for minutes without finding the cham in it.
I can't tell from the pic if it's a male or female, but if it doesn't have a spur on the back of each hind foot, it's a female and you'll want to add a sand bed for her to release eggs in if she needs to, or else she can become egg bound and die. I use a kritter keeper with about 8 inches of sand and keep it firm by moistening it during mists. They can produce infertile eggs like chickens, but I've kept my female from producing any, you can do that when yours gets older by limiting her food to about 20 insects a week, divided up daily or every other day.
I use a spray bottle sometimes too, but eventually you will probably want to get one of those fertilizer/insect spray pressurized sprayers with the pump on the top, from home depot or walmart, then you can just pump a few times and clip the handle together to mist rather than pumping a regular spray bottle with your fist a hundred+ times at every misting.
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pedro92
New Member
i took a pic of the two plants i have available the one with white background is what is in the tank and the the one in my hand i think is a pothos i also took another pic of that same plant so theres 1 pic of in the tank and two i think that are pothos if u can tell me if the one in my tank is bad for cham that would be great and when will my cham develp his/her colors.
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