serenitystarlite
Established Member
Hi again everyone! So this is my post for Kami, my Senegal. I'm including this information from the "how to ask for help" forum because I need help and I have lots of noob questions
Cage Info:
* Cage Type - Bottom half is glass, top half is screen. The entire cage measures 12x24x36. I plan to build her a bigger all-screen cage. What size would be recommended for an adult senegal? I was thinking 24x24x48. If this is a good size for the cage itself, how much should I raise it off the ground?
* Lighting - She has a 5.0 repti-sun linear uvb light and a 60 watt Zoo Med daylight blue. Her lights are on a timer that comes on at sunrise and goes off at sunset (around 8am-8pm I think). I started off with a 10.0 coil bulb because that's what the guy at the petstore who supposedly breeds chameleons told me to buy, but after seeing all the warnings about the coil bulbss, I ditched it and bought her a linear bulb.
* Temperature - Cage floor is anywhere from 75-85 degrees (it's always hot in my room) and the basking spot is 90 degrees under the light. At night so far it hasn't gone below 70 in here. I have a thermometer stuck to the back of the cage about halfway up and another one that I can place anywhere.
* Humidity - Anywhere between 60% and 80% depending on when I last misted. I mist her cage a few times a day and there is a dripper. I have a humidity gage stuck to the back of the cage.
* Plants - There are mostly fake plants in the cage but I just recently added a live habiscus. I also have a pothos that I would like to add but I need to repot it.
* Placement - The cage is in my room which is generally low traffic and quiet. Top of the cage is about 4 1/2 ft off the ground. The only thing that concerns me is that I have 2 cats and one likes to sit near the cage. They don't jump up or mess with the cage in anyway, but I've seen Kami eying them suspiciously when they come into the room. She does have a lot of things she can hide behind in her cage and never turns colors or puffs/hisses, just gives them the evil eye. When I build a bigger cage, I plan to somehow block them from her vision with plants and vines. Any suggestions besides lining the sides of the cage with vines?
* Location - Pittsburgh, PA
Chameleon Info:
* Your Chameleon - Senegal Chameleon, I think she's female (am I right?). I've had her since June and I'm not sure how old she is, but she's about 10 inches long. I think she was 9 inches when I brought her home. Anyone know how long it takes Senegals to become full grown? Then I'll know how old she is when she stops growing
* Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? I don't handle her much, but she likes to climb on me if I reach into her cage, so sometimes she hangs out on my shoulder. Not often though, just here and there because I don't want to stress her out
* Feeding - She eats between 7 and 10 large crickets everyday. I'm using Fluker's Cricket Quencher with calcium and Zilla Gut Load for the crickets. When I have leftover fruit or vegetables, I toss that into the cricket cage too.
* Supplements - I am using Rep-Cal Calcium with D3 and Herpivite. I was dusting everyday with the calcium and a couple times a week with the Herpivite, but after reading a dozen different things on when and how to dust crickets, I am now completely confused and unsure of how much to dust and how often. Help!
* Watering - I mist her cage several times a day and I have a Little Dripper. She drinks from the spray bottle, so I see her drink at least once a day. I try to offer her water several times a day so sometimes I see her drink more than once and occasionally I'll see her she drinking the water from the plants after I mist.
* Fecal Description - Fecal looks to be normal compared to pictures I've seen and what I remember from my first chameleon. It's mostly brown with a little whitish-yellow. She has not been tested for parasites. My cats are due for a vet appt and I have vacation from work coming up, so I was going to try to find a vet that can see both (or at least do a fecal test for Kami). So far the vets I've called only see cats and dogs. There's another local petstore here that sells only reptiles and birds, so I can ask them where they take their reptiles.
* History - The people at the petstore that I bought her from first told me that she was from a breeder and was not wild caught. But then when I talked to their "chameleon expert" and told him that no one breeds Senegals, he agreed that she was probably wild caught.
* Current Problem - No major problems as of yet, just many questions on everything I'm doing so far She seems to have a bad toe where it looks like either the skin never came off the toe and constricted it, or maybe someone pulled her toe or she got it caught somewhere. I put a little bit of neosporin on it a couple times, but it has stayed the same. She does seem to use the toe because I've seen 3 little pinch marks from that foot after she climbs on me. You can kind of see the toe in some of the pictures below. I'll try to post more when I can take some.
So here she is:
This is her current setup that I built (I don't use that light anymore):
just hangin out!
Cage Info:
* Cage Type - Bottom half is glass, top half is screen. The entire cage measures 12x24x36. I plan to build her a bigger all-screen cage. What size would be recommended for an adult senegal? I was thinking 24x24x48. If this is a good size for the cage itself, how much should I raise it off the ground?
* Lighting - She has a 5.0 repti-sun linear uvb light and a 60 watt Zoo Med daylight blue. Her lights are on a timer that comes on at sunrise and goes off at sunset (around 8am-8pm I think). I started off with a 10.0 coil bulb because that's what the guy at the petstore who supposedly breeds chameleons told me to buy, but after seeing all the warnings about the coil bulbss, I ditched it and bought her a linear bulb.
* Temperature - Cage floor is anywhere from 75-85 degrees (it's always hot in my room) and the basking spot is 90 degrees under the light. At night so far it hasn't gone below 70 in here. I have a thermometer stuck to the back of the cage about halfway up and another one that I can place anywhere.
* Humidity - Anywhere between 60% and 80% depending on when I last misted. I mist her cage a few times a day and there is a dripper. I have a humidity gage stuck to the back of the cage.
* Plants - There are mostly fake plants in the cage but I just recently added a live habiscus. I also have a pothos that I would like to add but I need to repot it.
* Placement - The cage is in my room which is generally low traffic and quiet. Top of the cage is about 4 1/2 ft off the ground. The only thing that concerns me is that I have 2 cats and one likes to sit near the cage. They don't jump up or mess with the cage in anyway, but I've seen Kami eying them suspiciously when they come into the room. She does have a lot of things she can hide behind in her cage and never turns colors or puffs/hisses, just gives them the evil eye. When I build a bigger cage, I plan to somehow block them from her vision with plants and vines. Any suggestions besides lining the sides of the cage with vines?
* Location - Pittsburgh, PA
Chameleon Info:
* Your Chameleon - Senegal Chameleon, I think she's female (am I right?). I've had her since June and I'm not sure how old she is, but she's about 10 inches long. I think she was 9 inches when I brought her home. Anyone know how long it takes Senegals to become full grown? Then I'll know how old she is when she stops growing
* Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? I don't handle her much, but she likes to climb on me if I reach into her cage, so sometimes she hangs out on my shoulder. Not often though, just here and there because I don't want to stress her out
* Feeding - She eats between 7 and 10 large crickets everyday. I'm using Fluker's Cricket Quencher with calcium and Zilla Gut Load for the crickets. When I have leftover fruit or vegetables, I toss that into the cricket cage too.
* Supplements - I am using Rep-Cal Calcium with D3 and Herpivite. I was dusting everyday with the calcium and a couple times a week with the Herpivite, but after reading a dozen different things on when and how to dust crickets, I am now completely confused and unsure of how much to dust and how often. Help!
* Watering - I mist her cage several times a day and I have a Little Dripper. She drinks from the spray bottle, so I see her drink at least once a day. I try to offer her water several times a day so sometimes I see her drink more than once and occasionally I'll see her she drinking the water from the plants after I mist.
* Fecal Description - Fecal looks to be normal compared to pictures I've seen and what I remember from my first chameleon. It's mostly brown with a little whitish-yellow. She has not been tested for parasites. My cats are due for a vet appt and I have vacation from work coming up, so I was going to try to find a vet that can see both (or at least do a fecal test for Kami). So far the vets I've called only see cats and dogs. There's another local petstore here that sells only reptiles and birds, so I can ask them where they take their reptiles.
* History - The people at the petstore that I bought her from first told me that she was from a breeder and was not wild caught. But then when I talked to their "chameleon expert" and told him that no one breeds Senegals, he agreed that she was probably wild caught.
* Current Problem - No major problems as of yet, just many questions on everything I'm doing so far She seems to have a bad toe where it looks like either the skin never came off the toe and constricted it, or maybe someone pulled her toe or she got it caught somewhere. I put a little bit of neosporin on it a couple times, but it has stayed the same. She does seem to use the toe because I've seen 3 little pinch marks from that foot after she climbs on me. You can kind of see the toe in some of the pictures below. I'll try to post more when I can take some.
So here she is:
This is her current setup that I built (I don't use that light anymore):
just hangin out!