New cage for chameleon.

Jojo43

New Member
First off, thanks to all who participate on these forums! First time owner so I was reading and learning so much from all of your postings and don’t think I would have made it this far without it.

I might be a panicky new chameleon owner like the rest but Chucks Eating habits have changed and looking for advice. Also any other recommendations are greatly appreciated.

Chuck, In his old cage(18x18x36) used to eat easily out of his feed dish. Dubia roaches, crickets, Phoenix worms, etc.. I would mix it up with variety and when I check the bowl it’s usually empty. I could also easily feed him by hand and handle him as well.
Ever since I moved him to his new 24x24x48 cage(which has been 7days now) he does not eat out of feed cups. I am only able to get him to eat if I hold bugs in my hand and he will eat it...?
Another concern is I have live plants now in the larger cage and he likes to hang out at the base of main tree and seems to be trying to eat the rocks covering the soil!? I have a Ficus, and 3 small Pothos.
I washed plants and replaced soil with organic soil then covered with rocks so he doesn’t eat the dirt but somehow he is still intrigued about hanging out around the base of ficus. I believe I saw very very small flies buzzing around there but probably from the new soil..? Has anyone experienced this before?

Chameleon Info:

◦ Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?

Panther, male, approximately 6months, 4months in my care

◦ Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?

Once a week at most. At least twice a month when I clean.

◦ Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?

Crickets, Dubia roaches, super worms. From what I see, he only eats maybe 2-3 crickets or roaches a day lately and like I said mostly only when I hold it for him.
Feed him in the morning when I get up and I have a cricket farm which I gut load with repashy big burger.

◦ Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?

Zoo-med reptivite with D3 once every other week.
Repticalcium without D3 everyday

◦ Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?

Single nozzle mister, every hour for 10secs, yes I see him drinking




◦ Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?

Light to dark brown with white Urates. Used to be every day but now since new cage maybe only see dropping every other day. Or I can’t find them..
no testing for parasites.

◦ History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

None to report.

Cage Info:

◦ Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?

24x24x48

◦ Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?

24” zoomed T5 5.0 Setup is going in next few days but right now is 18” zoomed UVB.

◦ Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?

60watt dome bulb flukers. Soon going to 10.5” flukers dome.
Basking spot stays consistent around 85degrees. Low to overnight temp is around 70degrees. My wife won’t let the house get colder than that haha.

◦ Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?

I keep a humidifier right next to cage on a semi low setting but have never tested humidity levels..

◦ Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?

Live plants I have a main ficus and 3 medium to small Pothos which he loves to sleep on. Also few fake vines and brush in the back of cage

◦ 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?

No vents or fans. High traffic yes because my 5 and 7 year old boys keep wanting to look at him. That’s why I tried to give him plenty of foliage to hide behind.

◦ Location - Where are you geographically located?

Los Angeles California

Thanks again for any input. Really appreciate it. Pictures to follow.
 

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Just throwing it out there but it could be lighting of the cage. Your domes are very small and uvb hood isnt dispersion enough across the enclosure. Also when increasing their cage hes learning his new territory as well as new habits of where he needs to hunt for food. I would continue to feed by hand to ensure he is eating daily but maybe try moving his dish around to see if maybe he cant find it or maybe just dont like the location of the hunt.
 
Chameleons are very responsive to their environment. Whats your regular temp in the room and not just his enclosure? Ive watched people stick heaters in their room after I tell them its too cold and all of a sudden they have a much more hungry and lively cham.
 
Chameleons are very responsive to their environment. Whats your regular temp in the room and not just his enclosure? Ive watched people stick heaters in their room after I tell them its too cold and all of a sudden they have a much more hungry and lively cham.
 
Thanks! I usually keep the temp in the room around 72. Heating system in the house always stays set at 70.
 
It looks really good, minus the lights as stated above. If you can, try to eliminate all plastic plants and replace them with other plants (IMO Pothos).
 
@Jojo43 Welcome to the forum. I am going to go through your entire help thread and post my feedback in red bold.

Chuck, In his old cage(18x18x36) used to eat easily out of his feed dish. Dubia roaches, crickets, Phoenix worms, etc.. I would mix it up with variety and when I check the bowl it’s usually empty. I could also easily feed him by hand and handle him as well.
Ever since I moved him to his new 24x24x48 cage(which has been 7days now) he does not eat out of feed cups. I am only able to get him to eat if I hold bugs in my hand and he will eat it...? This is normal. Switching up their environment poses a bit of a shock while they try to learn the new space and learn that they are safe in it.
Another concern is I have live plants now in the larger cage and he likes to hang out at the base of main tree and seems to be trying to eat the rocks covering the soil!? I have a Ficus, and 3 small Pothos. Are your rocks 1 inch or larger? Panthers like to taste things.
I washed plants and replaced soil with organic soil then covered with rocks so he doesn’t eat the dirt but somehow he is still intrigued about hanging out around the base of ficus. I believe I saw very very small flies buzzing around there but probably from the new soil..? Has anyone experienced this before? Did he have live plants in his baby cage? If this is new it would be more likely he is just testing it out to try to figure out what everything is.

Chameleon Info:

◦ Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?

Panther, male, approximately 6months, 4months in my care

◦ Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?

Once a week at most. At least twice a month when I clean.

◦ Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?

Crickets, Dubia roaches, super worms. From what I see, he only eats maybe 2-3 crickets or roaches a day lately and like I said mostly only when I hold it for him.
Feed him in the morning when I get up and I have a cricket farm which I gut load with repashy big burger. Is the feeding cup located in a place he can easily get to it and see the feeders?

◦ Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?

Zoo-med reptivite with D3 once every other week.
Repticalcium without D3 everyday
This is good.

◦ Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?

Single nozzle mister, every hour for 10secs, yes I see him drinking You will want to change this up... 10 seconds does not give him time to clean his eyes. Typically we do 2-3 longer mistings in a day.2-3 minutes long. Listen to this podcast. https://www.chameleonbreeder.com/podcast/ep-89-naturalistic-hydration-for-chameleons/




◦ Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?

Light to dark brown with white Urates. Used to be every day but now since new cage maybe only see dropping every other day. Or I can’t find them..
no testing for parasites. I recommend everyone get a fecal tested to ensure there is not a parasite issue.

◦ History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

None to report.

Cage Info:

◦ Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?

24x24x48

◦ Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?

24” zoomed T5 5.0 Setup is going in next few days but right now is 18” zoomed UVB. This may have something to do with it as well. There is not much light on that cage. Adding the T5 should help. Make sure it is centered on the cage going across the width. Are you currently running an 18 inch T8 or a T5? I would get a 6500 daylight bulb to replace the uvb in the 18 inch. center this on the cage to give your plants more light. They will need it to grow.

◦ Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?

60watt dome bulb flukers. Soon going to 10.5” flukers dome.
Basking spot stays consistent around 85degrees. Low to overnight temp is around 70degrees. My wife won’t let the house get colder than that haha. This is good.

◦ Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?

I keep a humidifier right next to cage on a semi low setting but have never tested humidity levels.. I would recommend getting a hygrometer to test levels. This is very important. The levels could be too high or too low.

◦ Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?

Live plants I have a main ficus and 3 medium to small Pothos which he loves to sleep on. Also few fake vines and brush in the back of cage

◦ 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?

No vents or fans. High traffic yes because my 5 and 7 year old boys keep wanting to look at him. That’s why I tried to give him plenty of foliage to hide behind. Was he seeing your kids as regularly when he was in his baby cage? Is this cage in a new location in the house? If not this too can add stress. Your going to want to keep the kids calm in that area of the house. Like walking not running. Put a line on the floor with tape about 4 feet back from the cage and tell them they can not cross it. Something along those lines.

◦ Location - Where are you geographically located?

Los Angeles California

Thanks again for any input. Really appreciate it. Pictures to follow.
 
@Jojo43 Welcome to the forum. I am going to go through your entire help thread and post my feedback in red bold.

Chuck, In his old cage(18x18x36) used to eat easily out of his feed dish. Dubia roaches, crickets, Phoenix worms, etc.. I would mix it up with variety and when I check the bowl it’s usually empty. I could also easily feed him by hand and handle him as well.
Ever since I moved him to his new 24x24x48 cage(which has been 7days now) he does not eat out of feed cups. I am only able to get him to eat if I hold bugs in my hand and he will eat it...? This is normal. Switching up their environment poses a bit of a shock while they try to learn the new space and learn that they are safe in it.
Another concern is I have live plants now in the larger cage and he likes to hang out at the base of main tree and seems to be trying to eat the rocks covering the soil!? I have a Ficus, and 3 small Pothos. Are your rocks 1 inch or larger? Panthers like to taste things. yes rocks, for the majority look to be larger than 1”
I washed plants and replaced soil with organic soil then covered with rocks so he doesn’t eat the dirt but somehow he is still intrigued about hanging out around the base of ficus. I believe I saw very very small flies buzzing around there but probably from the new soil..? Has anyone experienced this before? Did he have live plants in his baby cage? If this is new it would be more likely he is just testing it out to try to figure out what everything is.

Yes, this is his first time seeing live plants.

Chameleon Info:

◦ Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?

Panther, male, approximately 6months, 4months in my care

◦ Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?

Once a week at most. At least twice a month when I clean.

◦ Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?

Crickets, Dubia roaches, super worms. From what I see, he only eats maybe 2-3 crickets or roaches a day lately and like I said mostly only when I hold it for him.
Feed him in the morning when I get up and I have a cricket farm which I gut load with repashy big burger. Is the feeding cup located in a place he can easily get to it and see the feeders?

Yes he walks past the cup multiple times a day to get to the base of the ficus..??‍♂️

◦ Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?

Zoo-med reptivite with D3 once every other week.
Repticalcium without D3 everyday
This is good.

◦ Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?

Single nozzle mister, every hour for 10secs, yes I see him drinking You will want to change this up... 10 seconds does not give him time to clean his eyes. Typically we do 2-3 longer mistings in a day.2-3 minutes long. Listen to this podcast. https://www.chameleonbreeder.com/podcast/ep-89-naturalistic-hydration-for-chameleons/

This is very helpful thanks!



◦ Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?

Light to dark brown with white Urates. Used to be every day but now since new cage maybe only see dropping every other day. Or I can’t find them..
no testing for parasites. I recommend everyone get a fecal tested to ensure there is not a parasite issue.

Is there a specific Vet for chameleons? Or do you just call any Veterinarians office and they should know what they are doing.?

◦ History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

None to report.

Cage Info:

◦ Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?

24x24x48

◦ Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?

24” zoomed T5 5.0 Setup is going in next few days but right now is 18” zoomed UVB. This may have something to do with it as well. There is not much light on that cage. Adding the T5 should help. Make sure it is centered on the cage going across the width. Are you currently running an 18 inch T8 or a T5? I would get a 6500 daylight bulb to replace the uvb in the 18 inch. center this on the cage to give your plants more light. They will need it to grow.

The 24” should be here in 2days so I will get that in immediately.

◦ Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?

60watt dome bulb flukers. Soon going to 10.5” flukers dome.
Basking spot stays consistent around 85degrees. Low to overnight temp is around 70degrees. My wife won’t let the house get colder than that haha. This is good.

◦ Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?

I keep a humidifier right next to cage on a semi low setting but have never tested humidity levels.. I would recommend getting a hygrometer to test levels. This is very important. The levels could be too high or too low.


◦ Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?

Live plants I have a main ficus and 3 medium to small Pothos which he loves to sleep on. Also few fake vines and brush in the back of cage

◦ 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?

No vents or fans. High traffic yes because my 5 and 7 year old boys keep wanting to look at him. That’s why I tried to give him plenty of foliage to hide behind. Was he seeing your kids as regularly when he was in his baby cage? Is this cage in a new location in the house? If not this too can add stress. Your going to want to keep the kids calm in that area of the house. Like walking not running. Put a line on the floor with tape about 4 feet back from the cage and tell them they can not cross it. Something along those lines.

He was seeing the kids since a baby but your probably right they do need to keep distance. Wild animals they are!

◦ Location - Where are you geographically located?

Los Angeles California

Thanks again for any input. Really appreciate it. Pictures to follow.


Thanks again for all the input! Uber helpful advice usual! Chucks thanks you too!
 

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Thanks again for all the input! Uber helpful advice usual! Chucks thanks you too!
So I recommend looking into exotic Vets first. There is a huge difference in knowledge. Some vets will see chams that should never touch them. Some offices have one Vet that has specific reptile experience. This helps but you want to ask if they have Chameleon experience. Any Vet should be able to run the fecal for you without actually seeing the Cham. Those that understand the species will know that seeing the cham will add undue stress and is not needed for the fecal to be run. If the fecal were to come back positive for anything that is when they would need to see the cham. To get a weight and a general check up. The weight is needed to give the proper dose of medication.
 
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