New Cham Owner Questions

[mbprime]

Hey all. Have a few questions about owning a new Veiled Cham. Recently purchased one from the local reptile store in town on Friday for my birthday, he is about a month old (if not a lil older) and is about 2-3" long.

He is in an 18x18x18 smaller Exo Terra cage. He also has two bulbs, the Repti Glo 5.0 UVB for stimulated sun light and the Sun Glo 100W for basking (where the only time he gets too close is when he climbs upside down). His cage is lush with a mix of fake and a real ficus in the middle that he seems to really enjoy. He wakes up at 9:00am and we turn the lights off at 9:00pm promptly. The cage tends to be about 80-85F, and the humidity is about 70-80%. We spray him at 10:00am, 1:00pm, and 4:00pm; and any time the humidity really drops.

My questions are how long it takes for a new chameleon to settle down into its enclosure? I rearranged the cage today because he kept trying to climb higher so I have some fake vines that are pinned up on the side.

Also he seems to make a popping noise after opening his mouth, typically while he is basking or after eating.. It worries me because I have read a lot about this not being normal for any aged chameleon and makes me nervous that he is sick. He has eaten 3 crickets today but it still makes me feel that is not enough compared to some where people say they eat 8-10 per day.

I will try and get some pics of him later today, maybe we're just stressed as new owners. We knew signing up that a chameleon is not the easiest reptile to care for. Just wanted to know if there are any tips/suggestions for us?

Thanks guys!

Edit -- Just as I finish posting this my chameleon decides he wants to go to bed early at 8:00, is this normal for a chameleon to get tired? Maybe I should turn its lights on sooner? Ugh...please help.

 

[AESara]

The popping noise can be a sign of a URI (upper respiratory infection), which commonly happens due to humidity staying too high for too long. I would take him for a visit to a vet experienced with chameleons just to be safe.

Try seeing if you can find one here: http://herpvetconnection.com/

If it were me, I would also make the transition to an all-screen cage as soon as possible. It is possible to keep chameleons in glass, but that enclosure is pretty small and I can see how it would be difficult to prevent the humidity from getting too high.

 

[mbprime]

It is an all screen cage, sorry for the confusion.

 

[heartben]

my cham will go to his sleep spot like.. 2 + hours before his lights turn off but most peoples seem to go to their sleep spot before the lights turn off - so thats normal.

i would think a 100w would be way too much for such a small cage. are you sure your temps and stuff are right?

 

[bigben2057]

sometimes mine goes to bed early too.

 

[mbprime]

Thats what my thermometer said, what would you recommend for a baby chameleon for the basking bulb? The people I bought the chameleon from provided both of the lights for the cage.

 

[AESara]

Ah, sorry then. A 100w bulb also sounds too powerful for me, now that I look back, but only you know the temps of your cham's cage.

As far as when to turn the lights on and off, a chameleon is naturally a diurnal animal. When I was still struggling to get a timer to work for my cham's lights, I would usually wake up and find him already awake. He was not responding so much to the lights as he was to the sun rising in the window. It's a good idea to try to have your lights run from around sunrise to the time it's starting to get dark. For example, my lights are on a timer running from 6:30am to 7pm. I would get a timer if you don't already have one, they are very helpful.

I am not sure whether or not your current lighting schedule could be related to the chameleon sleeping earlier than usual. Nonetheless, I would still go get a checkup for the little guy. Maybe he is fine, but isn't it better to hear that from a professional who is there and able to see the chameleon with their own eyes?

 

[heartben]

i wouldve thought like a 60 watt incandescent house bulb would work. i think most people here just use house bulbs (at least thats what gets recommended a lot)

 

[mbprime]

Thanks everyone for the quick replies, has helped me relax a lil bit. When I look back at it he does wake up earlier than me at 9:00. I will look into a vet as well, it would make me feel best as well.

The noise that he is making though might not be a URI, it isnt constantly when he breathes, mainly after he eats or opens his mouth really wide. I still want to visit the vet though to make sure.

 

[AESara]

On a cage that size, I think even a 40w house bulb may be enough. Are you using an analog or digital thermometer/hygrometer? The digital ones are generally suggested because the analogs can get damaged by humidity and become inaccurate.

Edit: Good for you, going to see a vet! It can really make you feel better.

 

[mbprime]

So another quick question, Optimus (my cham), is sleeping with his head raised high. Is this normal? He isnt awake, but last night when he slept he was in a more traditional pose with his head down. Maybe today was stressful for him with changing the cage (even though in the end I think it will be better), hopefully its just a rough day and tomorrow is better.

Also got a 60W bulb to replace the 100W to see if that can help keep the temperatures down. How often would you guys recommend misting a baby vieled? I do it three times a day pretty extensively and his cage is dry before the next misting but I dont want it to become too humid. Sorry for so many questions, I just want what is best for the lil guy.

 

[mbprime]

So this morning Optimus wasnt making his popping noises and seemed alert/awake this morning. Just had his first poo of the day and looking normal. Here are a few pics of him and the set up. Let us know if there are any recommendations? Thanks!

Also added the 60W home bulb instead just to make sure it wasnt too hot. I had an analog temperature gauge and Im worried its inaccurate so I am gonna go find a digital one today. Im guessing it cant be too hot, he is on the top of his cage hanging upside down under it. But he is looking active and healthy, we're hoping today is better than yesterday.

 

[laurie]

What a sweet tiny teacup you have. i would raise his light off the top of his cage or he could burn himself. Welcome to the forum.

 

[Stanly]

So another quick question, Optimus (my cham), is sleeping with his head raised high. Is this normal? He isnt awake, but last night when he slept he was in a more traditional pose with his head down. Maybe today was stressful for him with changing the cage (even though in the end I think it will be better), hopefully its just a rough day and tomorrow is better.

Also got a 60W bulb to replace the 100W to see if that can help keep the temperatures down. How often would you guys recommend misting a baby vieled? I do it three times a day pretty extensively and his cage is dry before the next misting but I dont want it to become too humid. Sorry for so many questions, I just want what is best for the lil guy.

Sleeping with his head raised could be a sign of respiratory issues as well, this combined with the open mouth and popping makes me suspect a repository problem. I'd see a vet and get them to do a culture and sensitivity test.

When my guy had a respiratory infection a member suggested using a warm mist humidifier ( at night) as well as slightly elevated basking temps.

Being he is so young you will need to make sure basking and ambient temps don't get to high as they are not as good at thermo regulating (so I'm told) and can dehydrate a lot faster than a adult. Typically basking temps of low 80s is suggested for young veileds and panthers, perhaps mid 80s while he's sick (that's basking temps) you still need a 2nd thermometer to measure ambient temps (which should be low to mid 70s)

Hope that helps, best wishes to you and your little one.