Little help from some friends?

[Phatturk]

Cage Info:
• Cage Type – 14.5” x 14.5” x 36”

• Lighting – On from 7am – 6pm Exo Terra Basking Neodymium 150w I also have a bulb from the same company but I cant find the name it has UVB rays. And I use 1 of each bulb with both Chams.

• Temperature - Basking Temp avg. 100F
Ambient Temp avg. 74-75F
Night Time Temp avg. 64-65F

• Humidity- I do not have my humidity sensor Hooked up yet but I mist 2 times a day with warm water 1 time at around 8:45am and again at 5:15 or so.

• Plants – All plastic vines with the fake sticks all from Petsmart.

• Location – It is located in my basement where the humidity is highest, not near any vents or high traffic area they are totally alone from 9am-1pm and 1:30pm till 5pm

Chameleon Info:
• Chameleon - Couple month old Baby Veiled Chameleons Male and Female

• Feeding – They both are eating ¼ “ crickets at a rate of about 10-15 a day for the female and at least 5-10 for the male (I am sure he eats secretly… most of the crickets are gone!) They both eat a few Extra Small Phoenix worms a day the female eats them as fast as I put them in. I use Cricket Quencher from Fluker's, and Fluker's® High Calcium Cricket Feed to gut load my crickets.

• Supplements – Rep-Cal Multivitamins, Calcium with Vitamins from Rep Cal

• Watering – they get misted 2 times a day with warm water and I have a drip system I am still working on. It seems to drip to fast so I am working out the kinks.

• Fecal Description – The females poops everyday almost and it looks health very large brown and solid with a bit of white stuff as well. The males are much smaller not as solid and much less often maybe only 3-4 in the week and a half I have had him.

• History- I just got my cool little guys about 2 weeks ago the male was missing the tip of his tail ( I ordered them off the internet ) and seemed a bit lethargic and unhealthy. I sprayed him 3 times a day and within a day or two he was doing a lot better. Now he is almost always bright green and he moves about the cage with a lot more energy, but still eats much less than the female.

• Current Problem - The past couple of days I have noticed that my female is often a dark shade of green rather than here usual color that was bright green for the whole time I had her so far. I am worried about her and wonder if I am doing something wrong. The males’ conditions are exactly the same and he is always bright green. Am I just worrying too much is it normal for these guys to just have a bad day or something? Other than her color she seems to be fine she eats like a pig and poops regularly. Any suggestions?

Also I will add a post later with pics and more info but I have build a totally automated computer controlled environment for these guy that can be controlled remotely from the internet and will soon have its own webpage! I work in the control systems business so it is all equipment I just had laying around but its net value is getting to be around $2500.

 

[Julirs]

Are they in the same cage? Can they see each other if not? Could be that your female is getting stressed by the male's presence now that they are older. Also check out what your UVB bulb is-they need good UVB. Oh-and my female has always eaten more than my male.

 

[Phatturk]

Yes they are both in separate cages and cannot see each other but there is only a non transparent cloth between them. Can she smell him? The UVB bulb is from Exo Terra and is said to be UVB 5.0 although I can't say what that means. And thanks for the info about females eating more than males that really explains a lot and is a relief to hear.

 

[Phatturk]

By the way here is a link to my company and a little info about the controler I am using.

www.solidyne.com

 

[Phatturk]

Well she (Isis) is dark again today and all last night except for while she was sleeping. When she sleeps she turns a super light green color and almost glows. Anyone have any ideas? Could this be related to shedding? She shows no other signs of sickness other than her dark green/purple color all day long. She doesn't ever go down to the bottom of the cage although there is a sand box for her if she needs. On a better note my male (Osiris) turned a really cool color today for the first time while hunting for a worm. He was a super light green with black stripes almost like a tiger! It was great

 

[Phatturk]

HAHA I am the only one writing in my post and i just keep replying to myself ! well i just wanted to update and verify some info i got. i got an e-mail from the gentleman I bought the chameleon from and he told me that a dark green color is pretty normal and could be due to being too cold! Seems strange to me, I got 5 temperature sensors between 2 lizards and none of them have ever gone below 65F and average around 75F.... is that the right temp? or should I try to warm it up a bit?

 

[Cherron]

I surely wouldn't raise the basking temp above the 100 degrees that you already have it at. The ambient temperatures at 75 during the day also seems fine as well as the 65 at night. What are you using to measure your temps? The analog gauges are not accurate at all. A temp gun or a digital thermometer with a probe to measure temperatures in exact spots is preferred. A good basking spot for a chameleon of that age is really better around 85 or 90. Make sure that there are plenty of perches at different levels under the basking light so that your chameleon can choose the temperature that he or she needs.

Just a couple of suggestions. I would get some live plants and add them to your enclosures. Unless I am mistaken, all I saw that you had in them were vines and sticks. These are great for climbing and perching but live plants will not only help keep your humidity up, but will also provide many hiding places for your chameleons. If they feel like they can't get out of sight sometimes, then they will stay stressed out (and yes, darker). Plants are a great way to provide security for them. There is a safe plant database on this site with plenty of easily attainable and appropriate plants.

Be sure that your chameleons can not get within 5 or 6 inches of their basking bulbs. They do not feel it if they are getting burned, especially on their casques and along the spikes on their backs. The 150w bullb seems a bit intense. I use a 75w for my chameleons and it works perfect. You will have to experiment with different bulb wattages and distances to get the right temp for your enclosure. The 5.0 bulb that you have is a repti-glo. The 5.0 is appropriate for chameleons, although many keepers recommend a repti-SUN bulb from zoo-med. I personally have used the repti-glo in my smaller enclosures with no problems. Just be sure that the light spans the length of your cage and that it doesn't pass through glass or plastic. The plants will also help your chameleons get out of the UVB rays if they decide to do so.

The Fluker's high calcium cricket food is not going to provide enough nutrition for your chameleons in the long run. Remember, whatever your crickets are eating is what your chameleons are eating as well. Feed the prepared food along with leafy greens (collards, mustards but not spinach), other fresh vegetables (squash, sweet potato, zuchinni, endive, romaine (never iceburg!) lettuce). Dry infant cereal also provides a lot of nutrition easily. Search gutloading on this forum or on the web and you will get plenty of information.

You didn't say, but I am assuming that you have all screen enclosures?

Good luck with your chameleons. Hopefully with a few minor changes her color will lighten up and she will be happy and healthy

 

[jleahl]

They get dark b/c they absorb more heat from the light that way.

 

[Phatturk]

Thanks for the info! I am currently using mesh screen cages and a 10k electric temperature sensor that I use all the time in commercial buildings ( http://www.solidyne.com/products/productdetails.php?productlist=31 ). I will certainly go out tonight and get some lower watt bulbs for basking or maybe just raise the ones i got up a few more inches. Right now my temperature sensor is about 2 inches closer to the lamp than the nearest branch or basking spot so i am guessing that when it says 100F it is really a couple deg. cooler.

 

[Phatturk]

Well to keep you all updated I have changed the bulb in Isis's home from 150W to 100W and POOF!!! Problem solved! i woke up this morning and she was sitting directly under her new lamp and was the nicest lime green color just as she was before. Thanks soooo much for the advise!!