Hello everyone, please don’t judge me i am new to this and i did my research and it said this is okay but i still want to make sure this is okay and my chameleon is not dying but this is how she looks like after shedding, please tell me she’s not dying
(also she chooses to be that close to the light i can’t pry her off of there)
Hi and welcome! No judgement here…we all start at the beginning.
I am going to guess that you have the ReptiBreeze chameleon kit…yes? To be the bearer of bad news, there is little that is actually useful for a chameleon in that kit and far too many people are tricked into buying it. Besides it’s many other issues, the biggest problem is the uvb is inadequate and the only way for your pretty girl to get any, is to be that close. Any farther away than just a few inches and there’s zero uvb. However, being so close puts her at very high risk for burns. The correct uvb is a T5 linear fixture with either an Arcadia 6% or ReptiSun 5.0 uvb bulb. Then she is able to have a basking area which is about 8-9” below the lights and is getting adequate uvb and almost zero risk for burns. This is the correct UVB fixture and comes with the first bulb (you would choose the 6% strength).
https://www.lightyourreptiles.com/p...l?searchid=139529&search_query=Arcadia+pro+T5 **I do need to put in a word of caution here about buying cheaper brands of uvb - while the fixtures may be ok, the bulbs are not and are unreliable in their levels of uvb output. Your girl is likely that color as she’s trying hard to absorb the much needed uvb. With the correct set up, she will become a beautiful green lady.
One of the only decent things about the kit is the supplements it includes. You’ll need to use the calcium without D3 lightly dusted at every feeding. Then for one feeding every other week, you will use the ReptiVite with D3 (this is a good multivitamin/D3 combo).
Uvb and supplements are perhaps the most important aspects of keeping a chameleon (or most reptiles) healthy and prevent metabolic bone disease. You don’t say where you got your info from, but there’s a tremendous amount of bad and outdated info about chameleons and unfortunately, pet stores often give bad info.
https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/ This is the correct husbandry and it goes over everything. Another great and correct source is Neptune the chameleon on YouTube. The forum will help you get everything correct and is an amazing resource to help you and your sweet/spicy girl to enjoy many years together.
So, your first step to giving your girl a good long and healthy life is to order the correct uvb. If I am wrong about you having the chameleon kit, your next step is to buy the correct supplements, however, instead of ReptiVite with D3, but Repashy calcium Plus LoD (pic of Jackson’s cham on the label). Repashy Supercal NoD is a great calcium too if you need one. I’ll be back a bit later if no one else comments on next steps.
