New Chameleon = Need Help!

zkjohnson44

New Member
Hello! I got a baby Chameleon from a petsmart just a couple of weeks ago and asked the woman there all about its care and upkeep. Though she seemed to have known what she was talking about, I researched some more and think that she neglected some info.
1. Does my baby Chameleon need calcium sprinkled on the crickets before feeding?
2. Can they eat flightless fruit flies? That is what they suggested but I dont see him eating them.
3. He started to shed and not so far after he became skinnier and opens his mouth like he is thirsty or hungry and I dont know which if either it is.
4. His eyes seem to be shut, they do not bubble it just looks like he is kind of blind.
5. He reaches for plants that arent there???


Please help! I love him to death and would like to see him live a long time.
Oh, he is a month old, at least thats what they told me.
We got a glass cage with a screen top, he has both uvb and uva 100watt bulb. We have 2 thermometers one for his cool spot and one for his hot spot both are in the correct range, we also have a humidimeter.
 
Though she seemed to have known what she was talking about, I researched some more and think that she neglected some info.
1. Does my baby Chameleon need calcium sprinkled on the crickets before feeding?
2. Can they eat flightless fruit flies? That is what they suggested but I dont see him eating them.
3. He started to shed and not so far after he became skinnier and opens his mouth like he is thirsty or hungry and I dont know which if either it is.
4. His eyes seem to be shut, they do not bubble it just looks like he is kind of blind.
5. He reaches for plants that arent there???


Please help! I love him to death and would like to see him live a long time.
Oh, he is a month old, at least thats what they told me.
We got a glass cage with a screen top, he has both uvb and uva 100watt bulb. We have 2 thermometers one for his cool spot and one for his hot spot both are in the correct range, we also have a humidimeter.

Um, the pet store person didn't really know what she was talking about.

First, what species of cham is it?
What "correct range" are the temps?
What is the humidity level in the tank and how are you offering the cham water?
What are the brands of your lights? Many incandescent bulbs carried by pet shops don't provide the correct type of UV radiation.
A 100 watt bulb is way too much for a baby in a glass tank! Babies overheat and dehydrate really fast.
Yes, they do need calcium dusted on their food, but two different types; dust with plain calcium (no added vit. D3) lightly every feeding. Dust with D3 a couple of times a week. Dust with a herp multivitamin once a month.

There are really good basic husbandry articles on this forum...do some searching around under the tabs and the forum sticky messages.
 
Um, the pet store person didn't really know what she was talking about.

First, what species of cham is it?
What "correct range" are the temps?
What is the humidity level in the tank and how are you offering the cham water?
What are the brands of your lights? Many incandescent bulbs carried by pet shops don't provide the correct type of UV radiation.
A 100 watt bulb is way too much for a baby in a glass tank! Babies overheat and dehydrate really fast.
Yes, they do need calcium dusted on their food, but two different types; dust with plain calcium (no added vit. D3) lightly every feeding. Dust with D3 a couple of times a week. Dust with a herp multivitamin once a month.

There are really good basic husbandry articles on this forum...do some searching around under the tabs and the forum sticky messages.

I think you mean a couple times a month for d3. I do calcium every, d3 twice a month, multivitamin once a month.

OP... Read this by Jannb https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html
 
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it sounds like you have him in a fish aquarium with a screen top. That is not proper housing for any size chameleon. You are over heating him with 100 watt bulb. I highly doubt shining a 100 watt bulb in a glass tank is going to give you the "correct range" in temps. Please post a pic of your set up. Most likely the light is way too strong and way too hot and that is why he is closing his eyes. How are you providing water?
 
glad your here but please take the time to look through thread titles for tons of priceless info inside each thread :)
 
New Chameleon = Help

He is a Veiled cameleon, the highest temperature is 90 the lowest is 70, we keep the humidity inbetween 60 and 80%. No I am not keeping him in a normal tank it is vertical tank. We water him with a very small bowl of water that has an air pump bubbling the water. I appreciate positive feedback :) Thanks!
 

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He is a Veiled cameleon, the highest temperature is 90 the lowest is 70, we keep the humidity inbetween 60 and 80%. No I am not keeping him in a normal tank it is vertical tank. We water him with a very small bowl of water that has an air pump bubbling the water. I appreciate positive feedback :) Thanks!

Bowl, big no no! This is probably why he is acting sick, they will only drink droplets off of leaves which means you need to mist him at least 3 times a day. Also no glass for him, no matter long or tall. They need a lot of ventilation that the glass will not provide.
Also, the substrate will need to go. Babies especially can ingest it, whether on purpose or while catching food. It also breeds bacteria and mold, paper towels or new paper is good, or nothing at all.
 
Well, they have to at least put a bowl in there, or customers will complain, but using bubbly water ad the only water available to the cham is a big no no.
 
So I dont need to bubble the water? The problem I have with that is the heat lamp makes the water dry faster. I mist him very well about 5 times a day. Are the fruit flies ok or should I get him more crickets?
 
U don't need a bowl, but u may need a drip system. If he is big enough I would switch to crickets.
 
Hi! He looks really little! It's amazing how adorable baby chameleons are.

As noted the water bowl is not recommended here, though, people do report training their chameleons to use water bowls and the "bubbler" is a good way to get that going. They prefer moving water or water that has fallen on leaves to "standing" water. That's sort of a built in instinct.

I won't tell you the water bowl with the bubbler is a horrible no-no, but I will say that you need to keep an eye on his poop to make sure he's drinking enough (there should be a white part...it sort of looks like bird poop with a greyish brown part and a white part, if the white part is yellow it means your chameleon is not drinking enough). You should also clean out the bowl every single day. He'll poop in the water, feeders will die in the water...it becomes a festering trap of bacteria if left for long.

I think 90 degrees is too hot for a baby. I would try bumping that down to 85, but I know others will say 90 is fine.

I agree with adding small crickets to the diet, but you can still feed fruit flies. In fact, he might enjoy some with wings because he's got the space to have fun catching them.
 
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