New Cham owner need some answers.

[malle000999]

Just got my Cham but she's still super dark green when I approach her. What can I do? I got her 2 days ago she lives in her old cage because I don't know when to transfer her to the new cage, she's just so stressed after the hole transferring. I don't think she knows how to drink from her dripper because she had a diffrent watering system before I got her.
When I'm in the room she does not take her eyes off me.
I won't be in the room for hours just to give her some privacy.
I am not going to handle her for a long time I'm just too scared because of the hissing.

Info:
Species: Vailed chameleon
Age: 9 month
Gender: female
had her In my care: 2 days
Food: she eat about 6-7 grasshoppers per day
Light and heat: She has an HID light and the temp is about 23 degrees
I spray her every morning, doing the day, and before she needs to sleep also her plants about 3-4 times a day.
She's in a glass cage but I'm transferring her to a net cage.
She has a dripper and I turn it on every 2 hours for about 30 min.
She won't eat when I'm around or move.
She tried to get ready for battle with taking out her double chin and turning bright green with yellow dots, she have been hissing at me.
I'm from Denmark so sorry for my English.

 

[kinyonga]

Please post a recent photo of her.

 

[malle000999]

Please post a recent photo of her.

Please post a recent photo of her.

 

[kinyonga]

Welcome to the forum!

She needs an egg laying bin in her cage soon. She has her adult coloration and can produce eggs. They are like chickens...produce eggs without having mated. If you overfeed her she can produce a large clutch and develop MBD and egglaying issues.

If you want to transfer her from one cage to the other try getting her to walk onto a stick and take her to the other cage on that.

You need to make some changes to her cage and husbandry as well. More about that in a few minutes.

 

[malle000999]

Welcome to the forum!

She needs an egg laying bin in her cage soon. She has her adult coloration and can produce eggs. They are like chickens...produce eggs without having mated. If you overfeed her she can produce a large clutch and develop MBD and egglaying issues.

If you want to transfer her from one cage to the other try getting her to walk onto a stick and take her to the other cage on that.

Oh wow uhm that’s just soil with sand right? And then put a stick in it so she can go down in it.

What do I do with the eggs?

And how big should the bin be?

Her new cage is 61 cm 61 cm 122 cm

what do I do if she doesn’t wanna go on the stick?

And how much should I feed her?

And what’s MBD?

Should I be nervous.

 

[kinyonga]

Species: Vailed chameleon...veiled
Age: 9 month
Gender: female
had her In my care: 2 days
Food: she eat about 6-7 grasshoppers per day I would recommend that you feed/gutload them with dandelion greens, kale, collards, squash, zucchini, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, carrots, etc and a very little bit of apples, pears, berries, melon, papaya, mango, etc.
If she's being kept inside and being fed store bought insects, it's important to dust the insects with supplements. Let me know about this.
Light and heat: She has an HID light and the temp is about 23 degrees I recommend using a long linear reptisun 5.0tube light for UVB...and a regular incandescent household of a wattage that provides a temperature in the low 80's for basking. No lights at night. No colored lights as well. Make sure the basking light will not burn her if she sits under it. To test this hold your hand at the closest spot she can get to it...if you have to move your hand...it's too hot.
I spray her every morning, doing the day, and before she needs to sleep also her plants about 3-4 times a day.
She's in a glass cage but I'm transferring her to a net cage.
either a glass cage with ventilation or a screen cage will do. They both have advantages and disadvantages.
She has a dripper and I turn it on every 2 hours for about 30 min.
She won't eat when I'm around or move.
She tried to get ready for battle with taking out her double chin and turning bright green with yellow dots, she have been hissing at me.

 

[malle000999]

I dust her food with calsium and d3 so I can just feed her live insects? Or can I put a bowl with the food you wrote and put it in to her cage?
And how many live insects should I feed her?

about the light my local reptile seller approved the hid but I know now that I can turn on more heat I check the temp every hour to see it doesn’t go under 25° She also have an uv-b light

I all ready set up her Screen cage I read that’s the best.

 

[kinyonga]

Are the insects bought at a store?
I put a small lid of those greens and veggies in the cage so the insects have something to eat if I free range the crickets...but normally I feed the insects in their own containers.

I don't know how big your locusts are so I'm not sure how many to feed her....but at her age she only needs to be fed every two or three days. If you compare the amount insects to (acheta domestica) crickets, I feed about 5 or 6 every second day.

For supplements, I recommend that you dust with a phos free calcium powder at all but 4 feedings a month lightly and with a phos free calcium/D3 powder lightly two of the remaining 4 days, two weeks apart and with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene source of vitamin A on the other two days, two weeks apart.

We do the calcium because many insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phos so this helps to make up for it. We dust twice a month with D3/calcium to ensure the chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it and leaving the chameleon to produce the rest of the D3 it needs from its exposure to the UVB. D3from supplements can build up in their system and lead to health issues, but UVB from the light shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and outt of it at will. Vitamin A from supplements (prEformed) can build up in the system and lead to problems but prOformed sources (beta carotene) won't build up...so by using the vitamin I suggested if your chameleon needs vitamin A you will have to give it some preformed on its own.
Hope this helps.

Diet and temperature son slow the egg production or even stop it along with proper temperatures as well.

 

[malle000999]

Are the insects bought at a store?
I put a small lid of those greens and veggies in the cage so the insects have something to eat if I free range the crickets...but normally I feed the insects in their own containers.

I don't know how big your locusts are so I'm not sure how many to feed her....but at her age she only needs to be fed every two or three days. If you compare the amount insects to (acheta domestica) crickets, I feed about 5 or 6 every second day.

For supplements, I recommend that you dust with a phos free calcium powder at all but 4 feedings a month lightly and with a phos free calcium/D3 powder lightly two of the remaining 4 days, two weeks apart and with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene source of vitamin A on the other two days, two weeks apart.

We do the calcium because many insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phos so this helps to make up for it. We dust twice a month with D3/calcium to ensure the chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it and leaving the chameleon to produce the rest of the D3 it needs from its exposure to the UVB. D3from supplements can build up in their system and lead to health issues, but UVB from the light shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and outt of it at will. Vitamin A from supplements (prEformed) can build up in the system and lead to problems but prOformed sources (beta carotene) won't build up...so by using the vitamin I suggested if your chameleon needs vitamin A you will have to give it some preformed on its own.
Hope this helps.

Diet and temperature son slow the egg production or even stop it along with proper temperatures as well.

I don't know what half of that means but now I feed her every other day and twice a week dust her food with calcium and d3, and I just put a nesting bin in her cage so she can lay eggs. I hope she gets a little more friendly after laying the eggs.

 

[kinyonga]

You said..."Oh wow uhm that’s just soil with sand right? And then put a stick in it so she can go down in it."...I use washed playsand that is just moist enough to hold a tunnel.
Here's the link...
https://www.kpmindustries.com/KingHomeImprovementProducts/product/king-play-sand/

You asked..."What do I do with the eggs?"... If she hasn't been mated ou just dig them up, count them and throw them away. Make a note of the day she laid them as well.

You asked..."And how big should the bin be?"...a minimum size is about 12" X 12" X 9" and should be opaque.

You said..."Her new cage is 61 cm 61 cm 122 cm"... That should be fine..

You said..."what do I do if she doesn’t wanna go on the stick?"...if you hold the stick just in front of her with one hand and move the other hand slowly around behind her you should be able to encourage her to move onto the stick.

You asked..."And how much should I feed her?"...See my post above.

You asked..."And what’s MBD?"...metabolic bone disease. If the nutrient balance isn't right or you overfeed her then she can develop this and will end up with broken crooked limbs, jaw and casque issues, muscle issues and more.

You said..."Should I be nervous"....if your husbandry is right things should be good with her.

You said..."I don't know what half of that means but now I feed her every other day and twice a week dust her food with calcium and d3, and I just put a nesting bin in her cage so she can lay eggs. I hope she gets a little more friendly after laying the eggs."...
How old are you? Twice a week is too often to use the calcium/D3 powder...it should be twice a month. You should dust every time but 4 times a month with phos free calcium powder....so for instance dust at all the feedings tbut one a week with the calcium. Alternate on that day that you don't use the calcium with vitamin powder one week and phos free calcium/D3 powder the next, etc.

 

[The Wild One]

I’m a little late to the party but your Cham is gorgeous

 

[malle000999]

I’m a little late to the party but your Cham is gorgeous

Thank you so much.