New Cham owner :) Questions

[zisforjake]

Okay so i just recently got my lil guy and he came with a day light and red night light. i broke the day light and got him a 75 watt zoo med uva light. I think thats just for him to bask in.
the woman i bought him from didnt have a uvb light, but the cham looks healthy to me and the pet store people. Im probably going to get a light anyways but is it really necessary if hes already 1 year old and hasnt had it this whole time and is fine? Just a thought?

Also is the night light necessary? my house temp is usually 70-75 anyways. I dont know if i should go ahead and buy a uvb light and a fixture or just take out the night blub?

Any thoughts?

 

[camimom]

Wlecome!

and YES! you need a uvb light unless he livesoutside all day!!


no uvb can lead to metabolic bone disease.

Can we see a picture of him?

and no night light needed, he needs total darkness to sleep.


Right now- id be worried about his condition from no uvb, and if he hasnt had uvb, then he probably hasnt had supplements or good feeder bugs either.

 

[Slug]

Hi, I am also a new chameleon owner, but I will will pass on the info that I have been given by other members.

As far as the Night light, get rid of it. No lights at night since it will disturb their sleep pattern.

Also, a UVB bulb helps them produce calcium and digest their food properly. Since yours hasn't had it ever, it is likely that it has MBD. If you post a pic of your cham on here, a more advanced owner than myself can help you out.

 

[Slug]

Wlecome!

and YES! you need a uvb light unless he livesoutside all day!!


no uvb can lead to metabolic bone disease.

Can we see a picture of him?

and no night light needed, he needs total darkness to sleep.


Right now- id be worried about his condition from no uvb, and if he hasnt had uvb, then he probably hasnt had supplements or good feeder bugs either.

Ahem, Camimom is one of the members that I have been learning from...can you tell?

 

[zisforjake]

okay i will pic one up!

He has been on the proper diet of gut loading crickets with that orange jelly stuff idk the name im not looking at it and i sprinkled a table spoon of the repti cal with vitamins or w/e (is that too much?)

Thanks

this picture was taken like 30 mins after i got him out of the car so hes all black and pissed off ill take better ones when i get home too

 

[zisforjake]

here is one more.

hes not weak either he stands fully extended on his legs, no bumps on his mouth or anything seems to grip strong. are those signs hes kinda healthy atleast? and now that im getting the uvb he will only get better

 

[camimom]

okay i will pic one up!

He has been on the proper diet of gut loading crickets with that orange jelly stuff idk the name im not looking at it and i sprinkled a table spoon of the repti cal with vitamins or w/e (is that too much?)

Thanks

this picture was taken like 30 mins after i got him out of the car so hes all black and pissed off ill take better ones when i get home too

For the record- that doesnt look like a male.

I think you have a female.

Short casque, and no yellow bars.

Now- that orange stuff. not good. thats not gutloading, thats stuff to keep them alive.

Good gutload is fresh fruits and veggies. carrots, greens, apples, oranges, squash, etc. thats a gutload.

Sandrachameleon- the queen of awesome gutload has many a blog on this subject.

Now- for supplements- You need a calcium without d3 for every feeding, a calcium with d3 for twice a month, and a multivitamin for twice a month.
OR
Repashy all in one calcium plus for every feeding.

mister 4-6 times a day.

urates should be white.

for feeder bugs- a good all around bug diet is prefered. no one bug should make up more than 40% of their diet.

Crickets, dubia roaches, silkworms, hornworms, mealworms, superworms, wax worms, all good feeders.

Basking- If it is indeed a female- you need a temp of 81-84. no higher. any higher and you can make her produce eggs.

reduced temps and food stop or reduce the production of eggs.

light cycle- 12 on, 12 off. uvb and basking. no night lights.



SInce i think its a female.. you need a laying bin.
a bucket, filled with damp soil or sand, 12 inches deep minimum.


Edit- def have a female.

She looks good, no signs of mbd.

 

[carol5208]

I second that, that you have a female, which now means you need to learn about egg production and laying as she can produce eggs without being mated incase you did not know this! I think she looks thin but no MBD. If she did not get natural sunlight then I don't know how she does not have MBD without a UVB for a year!?

 

[zisforjake]

its definitely a guy but thank you for the tips. and should i just get repashy for the best results?

do males have a perfered temp? i dont have a thermometer or humidor. i just have a repti fogger and the lights sitting 2 inches off the screening of my exo terra

 

[carol5208]

does he have tarsal spurs on his feet? It does not look like it in the pic? How do you know he is a male, cause he has the spurs?

 

[camimom]

its definitely a guy but thank you for the tips. and should i just get repashy for the best results?

do males have a perfered temp? i dont have a thermometer or humidor. i just have a repti fogger and the lights sitting 2 inches off the screening of my exo terra

Its really not a boy.

No yellow bars. trust me, at a year old. there are bars.

i don tsee any tarsal spurs. no spurs- no boy.

 

[zisforjake]

the lady i bought him from posted him as a male

heres the ad -> http://sanmarcos.craigslist.org/pet/3066944631.html

 

[camimom]

This is a male veiled at one year old.

View attachment 57746

 

[camimom]

the lady i bought him from posted him as a male

heres the ad -> http://sanmarcos.craigslist.org/pet/3066944631.html

and she was wrong.

i see no spurs.
I see no bars.

females stay green, have no spurs, do not have a tall casque.

you can see the spur on the back of the back foot that he stil has on the stick. it looks like a heel or a pimple.


sorry, but you have a little girl.

at one year old... there WILL be yellow bars like my guy.

 

[zisforjake]

Maybe she lied to me. i will check when i get home.. do i just look at his foot

 

[camimom]

Maybe she lied to me. i will check when i get home.. do i just look at his foot

i dont think she lied, i think she was misinformed.

it happens.

if you look at the back of the back foot. where a 'heel' would be.

if you see a bump like on my guy, its a boy.

no bump= a girl.

but if that cham is relaly a year old.. it would have the bars, and.. well.. no bars...

 

[Branman]

Yeah it definatly doesn't look like a male. Well here is a care sheet that you can read. It should help.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/chameleonsinmyhouse/395-veiled-chameleon-care-sheet.html

 

[zisforjake]

okay thanks, i dont know if its a year old

are girls just harder to take care of?

 

[Branman]

They aren't harder. You just have to be prepared for her to lay eggs.

 

[camimom]

okay thanks, i dont know if its a year old

are girls just harder to take care of?

Not harder. different.

females need egg laying bins because they can lay even when not bred. they need lower temps, and less food, which helps reduce or stop egg production.


other than that.. not hard.

I have a female veiled.. and when she was bred and laid eggs, it was fairly easy.. on her.. on me.. i wanted to pull my hair out.