My Carpet Chameleon Not Acting Right??

[HollySaurusRex]

Hi.. I was posting earlier about my carpet chameleon and how he is new to me.. I just got him yesterday and he's black and not colorful.. well I set him up with an all new setup and I really hope he gets better and adjusts.. but I just witnessed something that is going to make me think otherwise? I was sitting and watching him from afar.. and I noticed her was licking and licking and licking.. and then he stuck his tongue out alittle like he was going to catch something.. but nothing was there.. then he was licking and licking and licking again and he then pulled his whole tongue out.. to the end and it was dangling.. and then put it back in and was licking licking licking.. and I notice him holding his mouth open sometimes.. like he's hissing or the humidity is too high or he's thirsty.. the humidity is at 70% and the temp inside the cage is at 70 degrees.. I'm really worried about him! Please help if you can! Ill try to post these pictures!


Holly

 

[charvey]

sounds like he's drinking, our panther will shoot wet leaves with its tongue sometimes to get water, and lick his vines or just open his mouth to let water in that's on his face

 

[Kmw]

Unrelated: You probably don't want any substrate in his tank! (Probably shouldn't have a glass tank, either) They can eat the substrate and it can cause a lot of issues!

 

[HollySaurusRex]

Did you see the pictures? Does his cage look ok? Does it need more? I just planted a live pothos in there.. and he's still dark brown am I doing something wrong? He isn't getting bright like he was when he was first shipped.. it won't let me post them again.. but they are in the help a.s.a.p thread in this category.. I'm just scared he's going to die and I'm trying my hardest to make sure everything is right..

 

[HollySaurusRex]

This one is a reptiterrium or whatever so it has vents under the door to circulate air so that it won't get stale.. so I heard these were ok.. I bought it from the exotic petstore for my chameleon.. and I was told that eco earth was ok because it was ground up really small? EW! So I could be the reason he's like this?!?!

 

[Kmw]

I saw the pictures you have attached to this thread. I don't know if you've filled out this form yet. But if you're concerned it's a good place to start.


Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

 

[pbveiled]

You just got him today. It could take several days for him to acclimate to his new home.

Fill out the form KMW posted so we can see your husbandry to make sure all is OK. I'm sure it's just a matter of leaving him alone so he can get used to his new home.

 

[gratefulj]

He needs to be in a caged enclosure w/o any substrate... that's just a start.

 

[HollySaurusRex]

Chameleon: Carpet chameleon, male, I'm going to say about 3 months? I've had him for 2 days.
Handling: I handled him alittle bit yesterday when I saw him for the first time and he started turning green, then as soon as we left the petstore and I brought him home to his cage he's been that dark brown color.
Feeding: since I've only had him 2 days.. he ate a cricket yesterday when I brought him home.. the petstore gutloaded the crickets to eat a anti parasite food that looks like ground up tablets? Its grainy looking and green..
Watering: I use a pump mister and I mist for about 3 minutes, and yes I saw him opening his mouth and drinking.. I mist about 2 to 3 times a day..
Fecal: I have not seen him poop yet
History: I know its a bad site.. I insisted not from there.. but the petstore that I got this little guy from ordered from BackwaterReptiles.com...


Cage: I have an exoterra reptiterrium.. it is glass with vents below the doors to circulate airflow so theair doesn't become stale like it would in an aquarium.. it also has a screen top.. I don't know the exact dimensions of the cage..
Lighting: I have a 40 W zoo med blue colored heating bulb that keeps the tank between 70 and 80 degrees.. and I have an 5.0 reptiglo uvb bulb from exo terro.. I turn these on before i go to work in the morning around 8 and I turn them off around 9pm when I come up to bed..
Temperature: the temp range is from 68 degrees in the lower corner area away from the light to 89 to 92 degrees in the basking area.. and I read these by a digital zoo med reader
Humidity: the humidity level now is 70%.. it ranges from 50%-75% through out the day.. I have my sister that stays at home mist 1 time while I'm at work and I mist in the morning and at night.. I am using a manual gage reader from petco?
Plants: I have a real pothos in there that I just planted today and I have fake vines for him to explore on..
Placement: my cage is close to the ac/fan.. but the temp hardly EVER goes under 70 in the tank when the lights on.. and at night it gets down to about 65ish.. and noone is hardly in my room when I'm not home except that 1 time a day to spray..
Geographically: I am located in New Hampshire

Problem: I think he's really stressed.. and I'm trying to figure out how to better suit him in his home so he likes it and becomes that nice green color again and that thing with his tongue REALLY scared me..

 

[del33]

Are you free ranging his food? If so, then he could have gotten some of the substrate if he shot them while on the ground. That could explain the whole tongue issue. He might be tryingn to get some of it out of his mouth or throat. I've seen another thread where the cham would extend it's tongue out and regurgitate the feeder. With all that substrate in the cage and having it be so empty, first I would recommend cup feeding him to reduce the chances of picking up the substrate along with the feeders. They are food driven and will learn to cup feed (at least mine did). Sorry I can't be of more help on the tongue issue.

In regards to your enclosure, it is way too bare. You need more plants in there for him to make use of the inside space. Try to find a small-med sized ficus or schefflera plant to fill it out. Also, I have my carpet in a glass enclosure and it's okay so don't worry about that. I don't have any substate in my enclosure but I've seen many other people use them without issues as long as you try and minimize the chance of accidental ingestion. More foliage and vines to keep him off the ground. I also keep the ambient temps approx. 74 degrees on the bottom, 78 degrees around the middle portion and a basking temp between 85-87 degrees. I've attached a pic of my carpet enclosure to give you an idea.

 

[HollySaurusRex]

So if you don't use substrate.. what would you use? And how do you do the cup feeding thing in an enclosure? I will try that! Thanks so much everyone for helping! Sorry I'm new at this wit carpet chameleons.. and ESPECIALLY a baby 1

 

[del33]

I use wood planter boxes that I made but you could use any regular small plastic pot. If you want, you can cover the dirt with river rocks that are too big for them to swallow. As far as cup feeding, just use any cup that you can situate under a vine or branch so he can access it. Make sue he gets a chance to see the food from above and he'll come down to get them. I took a small plastic container and made hangers so I can just hook it onto a vine.

 

[HollySaurusRex]

Ok I will try these cups! What do you do about crickets though? Won't they just jump out of the cup? And ill find something to cover the eco earth with =] thank you so much for your help everyone! Kepp posting advice.. I will take all of it in considering this is a learning curve! No matter what happens.. whether he passes or he gets bigger and better.. I will keep everyone posted on how he's doing =]

 

[del33]

Just don't use a cup that's too shallow. We have yet to find any escapees from the cup. They seem to just walk around once they are in the cup. You also have the option of removing their hind legs if it made you feel more secure.

 

[Dr O]

i would suggest removing the substrate IMMEDIATELY. with all of the misting and the glass tank, you are setting him up for a fungal infection at the very least. at the worst, i agree that he may have ingested some of the substrate already as i myself just unfortunately found out how curious they may be with their tongues. they don't salivate like we do, so if he did get any in his mouth it's difficult to get out which may explain all of the mouth motions that you have seen. if that behavior continues, i would certainly take him to a vet ASAP.

 

[Elizadolots]

First, there's nothing wrong with your enclosure. All screen is the standard board recommendation because it's easy and safe. You have a well ventilated, tall enclosure which is what your chameleon needs.

Second, substrate is just a pain in the a** if you ask me...If you find the bottom of the enclosure to be bad visually, get some aquarium backdrop plastic and put it down over the bottom. You can get all sorts of patterns or just basic black...it ups the classy look factor without adding all the hassle of actually having a substrate.

 

[carol5208]

I use wood planter boxes that I made but you could use any regular small plastic pot. If you want, you can cover the dirt with river rocks or in my case, decorative glass accent pieces found in an art store (anything that's too big for them to swallow). As far as cup feeding, just use any cup that you can situate under a vine or branch so he can access it. Make sue he gets a chance to see the food from above and he'll come down to get them. I took a small plastic container and made hangers so I can just hook it onto a vine.

you don't think they could'nt swallow those glass pieces? I do. You would be amazed at what can fit down their throats. I would have something way bigger to cover up. JMO They might not choke on those pieces but they surely could cause an impaction.

 

[Wykd]

Those cages use the chimney effect for it to suck cool are thru the front under the door and up out the top. Would not hurt to get a pc fan that is usb powered or something small and put on the top to pull air out of the tank, That would increase the air flow.

Misting for 3 minutes at a time in that small glass tank is to long imo. Those things hold humidity like crazy and 3 minutes is a lot of water to drop into that small of a tank. I would cut the time down and mist more often thru out the day. ie observer and as it looks dried out wait 30min or so and mist again for 1 min. ie set up a routine mist the cage every 3 hours for 1 minute and let the last misting occur like 2-3 hours before the lights go out. You will have to work the time to mist out as the size of the cage and if its glass/screen affect the need to mist.

Setup a dripper to drop water on a leave every 30-60 sec.

The ecco earth is basically shredded coconut husk. it holds moisture good and is a good substrate if your using one.

Decorative glass stones... can mess with a chameleon they look shiny and they may think its wet and sling their tongue out to get water off them. I would not do the glass stone, because of that, but that's just me.

Black river rock is popular as long as its the bigger pieces that cant be swallowed.

I have seen ppl grow grass on their coconut substrate, that's an idea I guess.

In the end it comes down to 2 paths.

Nothing on the bottom other than reptile carpet or paper towels... the sparse ez to clean path.

Substrate on bottom to grow plants in and use to trap moisture etc.. then put rocks over it, grow grass, etc.. looks better and is higher maintenance involved to keep it clean.
or do a False bottom setup like Jon is doing.

 

[carol5208]

"Decorative glass stones... can mess with a chameleon they look shiny and they may think its wet and sling their tongue out to get water off them. I would not do the glass stone, because of that, but that's just me".

Another good point not to have them!!!

 

[Wykd]

Yeah the more I think on it if I had that enclosure I would do it as follows:

Leave your substrate to plant live plants in, but put a substrate cover over it that can be cleaned. I would go with coconut liner like used in planters:

Will not come apart and get swallowed if the cham tried to get a feeder on the ground. It could be taken out and washed as needed to clean up.


I would put a small usb powered pc fan up top to help the chimney effect and draw air thru the tank:

Run a diy homeade drip system and mist on a 30-60 sec interval every 4 hours of day light.

Cup & Hand Feed

put up more branches or vines He needs to travel around so he gets exercise. Smaller tank needs more travel paths so they can roam around. A larger cage can have less branches cause they are longer and they have room to move about, if that makes sense?