New Cage Question

[Jweezy]

Hello

well I am getting a new cage a screened in one, my question is where do you put the crickets? in a certain spot or just let them go free anywhere in the cage?
also what about the worms? do you put them in a lil dish in the plant or bottom of cage not to sure so thought id ask

 

[nacho]

I have done both, I prefer to cup feed so I can count what they my Chams eat. I use a small deli cup or rinsed out sour cream cup, I cut a large diameter circle on the bottom and hot glue screen to it. I either attach it to the cage or to a branch using line. best is the stuff you use for tying plants.. Hope this helps

 

[carol5208]

you can just let the crickets go and let your cham hunt them down, but some of them might hide and you might not know if your cham ate them or not. alot of times they will come back out when the lights go out and be careful as they have been known to take a nip out of a sleeping chameleon. Cup feeding is good because you know what they are eating. Make sure to not use anything too see through as your cham may try shooting at the cup from the outside and could possibly inijure his or her tongue.

 

[carol5208]

oh depending on what type of worms...supers don't stick to the branches too well, but silks will. hornworms may hang on too tight to the branch and your chamleon again could possibly injure its tongue. I always cupfeed the supers and the horns.

 

[kinyonga]

Since you have posted a few questions asking basics in chameleon keeping I thought that maybe this will help you.....

Exposure to proper UVB, appropriate temperatures, supplements, a supply of well-fed/gutloaded insects, water and an appropriate cage set-up are all important for the well-being of your chameleon.

IMHO live plants (pothos, hibiscus, ficus, etc.) are better than fake ones to provide a place for them to hide. Since some chameleons will chew on the greenery (and so will some of the insects) its important that they are non-toxic....and well-washed (both sides of the leaves).

Its important to provide branches of an appropriate size for the chameleon to climb on.

Water can be provided by misting the cage at least once a day for all ages. I add a dripper once the chameleon is several months old. (Young ones may aspirate the water from a dripper.)

Appropriate cage temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part indirectly in nutrient absorption. For a young panther or veiled, I keep the temperatures in the low 80's. Their small bodies can dehydrate, cool and warm up more quickly than the adults will.

Exposure to UVB from either direct sunlight or a proper UVB light allows the chameleon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system to make/keep the bones strong and be used in other systems in the chameleon as well. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic no matter whether its from the sun or the UVB light. The most often recommended UVB light is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light. Some of the compacts, spirals and tube lights have caused health issues, but so far there have been no bad reports against this one.

Since many of the feeder insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in them, its important to dust the insects before you feed them to the chameleon with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it.

If you dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. It leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of what it needs through its exposure to the UVB light. (Some UVB lights have been known to cause health issues, so the most often recommended one is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light.) D3 from supplements can build up in the system but D3 produced from exposure to UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it.

Dusting twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while.

Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs....so its important too. I gutload crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms, etc. with an assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.)

Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon (muscles, etc.) and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.

Here are some good sites for you to read...
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200605020...Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200604210...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/
http://web.archive.org/web/200601140...ww.adcham.com/

 

[Jweezy]

thanks everyone! tons of help