New Chameleon Owner (Review Appreciated)

[Doolingdogs]

If he were mine I would and wait until the 15th. This will give a few weeks to lower D3 levels if they were overdosing. You could call the store and try to talk to someone that takes care of the chams to find out what the exact supplement was but half the time they do not even know.

Is he eating well so far?

Just called and they were using calcium with D3 so overdose seems likely.

Good news is he is eating and hunting actively!

 

[Beman]

Just called and they were using calcium with D3 so overdose seems likely.

Good news is he is eating and hunting actively!

Ok good. So no multivitamin until March 15th.

Are you free feeding? If so consider getting a feeder run. Or you are going to have insects living in your substrait that you do not want multiplying there. Plus it is better should a parasite issue happen.

 

[Doolingdogs]

Ok good. So no multivitamin until March 15th.

Are you free feeding? If so consider getting a feeder run. Or you are going to have insects living in your substrait that you do not want multiplying there. Plus it is better should a parasite issue happen.

I have a dish of BSFL so he can find them easily but I let a couple hornworms go on the branches

 

[MzLaurie11]

Hi and welcome to the world of chameleons. I amglad Beman brought up weight because that was my first imoression, under weight. MissSKittles pozted this and i watched it the otherday as i was worried my beggerboy was getting overweight. Sure enough, no more treats Hunter. Heres the link.

Make sure you get a vet appointment with someone who knows chameleons. So do your research so you dont stress Doug out needlessly. Also a wellness check is a great way to get on board with a vet so if there is ever an emergency your already setup with a pro. Just wanted to welcome you to the forum. I love your setup. You did a great job. Starting off with a chameleon and a bioactive setup is very bold, but i believe you will do a fantastic job at raising Doug. Just remember chameleons are tree dwellers hence the splayed hands and feet and prehensile tail. So to keep him in shape you need to create a living jungle gym so he can climb all over and explore. Make sure you clean all plants, sticks, vines, etc before intro to cage. Also most chams will use the same perch to do their business. So you can look to that area with tongs to remove since bio cage. Also each cham has its own personality, likes, dislikes, etc. so what works for one cham maynot work for another. Also have a safe place for him to go hang out when of the cage. That way when u do cage maintence, you wont have to worry about him. Mine likes the drapes in my living room he climbs to the top and hides behind the ruffle at the top. the only place to go is down, which they can do, but as its close to the cage, i can keep an eye on him. best of luck to you and Doug. Also keep us updated from time to time. Maybe Doug can atar in our annual calander here.

 

[Kaizen]

View attachment 335219
Hi there! This is Doug. I got him yesterday but have been preparing for him for a while. I've asked in a Facebook group but I appreciate all the input I can get as I want to give my little man the best life possible.
Here is his enclosure:
View attachment 335220View attachment 335221
Enclosure: 36"x24"x48" AP Cage with screen top
Lighting: Zoo Med Dual Linear T5 HO UVB 10.0 Reptisun 36"/LED plant light, 75w Arcadia halogen basking bulb with dimmer (standard 65w floodlight was not putting out enough heat)
Fans: 2 computer fans for air circulation not pointed where Chameleon hangs
Parameters: Daytime: 70*-76*F ambient temp, 83*-85*F basking temp, humidity ranges from 35%-55% top to bottom
Nighttime: 65* temp drop, 95% humidity
Fogger running 12:00am-4:00am
Lights on 7:00am, off 7:00pm
Hand misting for 1 minute 30 minutes before lights on and after lights off
Supplements: Repti calcium without d3 every feeding, Reptivite for the 1st and 15th of the month (where do I add bee pollen?)
Food: BSFL as a staple food, hornworm treats, crickets (need to gutload first, correct?)
Substrate: contains a small amount of springtails, need to add isopods still

One thing I want to change with his enclosure is adding more foliage so I know that that is something to work on. I took him from PetSmart where he lived in a 10x12x12 box with no place to hide though so I'm pretty sure he considers this an upgrade.
Anything else I'm missing? This is my first reptile and I know I'm in the deep end with a chameleon so I want to quadruple check with experts!

it’s been a while since I did a husbandry review, but bear with me…

 

[Kaizen]

Enclosure: 36"x24"x48" AP Cage with screen top
Lighting: Zoo Med Dual Linear T5 HO UVB 10.0 Reptisun 36"/LED plant light, 75w Arcadia halogen basking bulb with dimmer (standard 65w floodlight was not putting out enough heat)
Fans: 2 computer fans for air circulation not pointed where Chameleon hangs
Parameters: Daytime: 70*-76*F ambient temp, 83*-85*F basking temp, humidity ranges from 35%-55% top to bottom. This all sounds within good margins: good job!
Nighttime: 65* This is likely fine, but I’ve not found anything wrong with going as low as 50f (10c) at night. Again, nothing wrong with your temps, but if it’s convenient, don’t shy away from lower nightime temps. temp drop, 95% humidity
Fogger running 12:00am-4:00am Sounds ideal!
Lights on 7:00am, off 7:00pm
Hand misting for 1 minute 30 minutes before lights on and after lights off So look: it seems like you’re pushing hard on the naturalistic hydration method. I like the gumption! Just be on the ball with behavioural and physiological monitoring. If you notic your Cham “running” towards misting, consistently searching out water droplets on leaves, or leaving urates with more than 50% orange, consider upping your hydration game. If not, then you go!

Supplements: Repti calcium without d3 every feeding, Reptivite for the 1st and 15th of the month (where do I add bee pollen?)So, if bee pollen is something you’d like to incorporate, you have a few options. 1) Use an “every feeding” dust that contains it. 2) Buy pollen powder, or pellets (you’ll need to grind the latter) and add a small amount to your dusting schedule once or twice a week. 3) Use ground or pelletized pollen as part of your insect feeding regime. I wish I could give you precise measurements, but I don’t know the answer. I think the most prudent course is to use pollen in your dust one week; feed it (with your normal bug food) to the bugs the next week, use a pollen inclusive supplement the next week, then, either rinse and repeat, or take a week off pollen, then rinse and repeat.
Food: BSFL as a staple food, hornworm treats, crickets (need to gutload first, correct?) So my take on feeding is this: 1) well fed bugs are paramount: With silks, you don’t have much choice (only mulberry leaves or chow will sustain them), but crix, roaches, horns, supers, etc, are all great eaters, and will chow down on a good insect feed! Variety is always good. There are a million bug feed recipes out there; and a billion opinions on their respective merits and shortcomings. I’m happy to share what has worked for me, and my general approach to bug nutrition, but I’m not an expert, by any means, and it’s worthwhile tapping all resources, and forming your own views here.

Substrate: contains a small amount of springtails, need to add isopods still

One thing I want to change with his enclosure is adding more foliage so I know that that is something to work on. I took him from PetSmart where he lived in a 10x12x12 box with no place to hide though so I'm pretty sure he considers this an upgrade.
Anything else I'm missing? This is my first reptile and I know I'm in the deep end with a chameleon so I want to quadruple check with experts. I am not an expert, so please tap every resource you can (and be circumspect about all of them ). I have learned so much from forum members, as well as sources such as “The Chameleon Academy.” My take on enclosure design is to provide many horizontal (ish) branches at different heights, and in varying cover from foliage. These are the “roads” with which your Cham accesses his/her environment. They provide places to bask, places to hide from excessive heat/perceived threats/light exposure, places to access water, and places to hunt. I strongly recommend having a look at the chameleon academy website, and its sections on enclosure design.

 

[Doolingdogs]

Just had his first poop! Looks perfect by descriptions I’ve read but urates are all white. I heard there is supposed to be a little yellow/orange?

 

[Doolingdogs]

Hi and welcome to the world of chameleons. I amglad Beman brought up weight because that was my first imoression, under weight. MissSKittles pozted this and i watched it the otherday as i was worried my beggerboy was getting overweight. Sure enough, no more treats Hunter. Heres the link.

Make sure you get a vet appointment with someone who knows chameleons. So do your research so you dont stress Doug out needlessly. Also a wellness check is a great way to get on board with a vet so if there is ever an emergency your already setup with a pro. Just wanted to welcome you to the forum. I love your setup. You did a great job. Starting off with a chameleon and a bioactive setup is very bold, but i believe you will do a fantastic job at raising Doug. Just remember chameleons are tree dwellers hence the splayed hands and feet and prehensile tail. So to keep him in shape you need to create a living jungle gym so he can climb all over and explore. Make sure you clean all plants, sticks, vines, etc before intro to cage. Also most chams will use the same perch to do their business. So you can look to that area with tongs to remove since bio cage. Also each cham has its own personality, likes, dislikes, etc. so what works for one cham maynot work for another. Also have a safe place for him to go hang out when of the cage. That way when u do cage maintence, you wont have to worry about him. Mine likes the drapes in my living room he climbs to the top and hides behind the ruffle at the top. the only place to go is down, which they can do, but as its close to the cage, i can keep an eye on him. best of luck to you and Doug. Also keep us updated from time to time. Maybe Doug can atar in our annual calander here.

Thank you for your input! I thought he was underweight, I'm glad it wasn't just me anthropomorphizing him!

 

[Kaizen]

Just had his first poop! Looks perfect by descriptions I’ve read but urates are all white. I heard there is supposed to be a little yellow/orange?

There is a lot of disagreement about how much orange is ok vs how much is not. My approach is always to use an integrated approach—monitoring urates, and behavior. Running a test misting every so often can be helpful.

 

[Doolingdogs]

So much info! Thank you!

 

[Doolingdogs]

There is a lot of disagreement about how much orange is ok vs how much is not. My approach is always to use an integrated approach—monitoring urates, and behavior. Running a test misting every so often can be helpful.

I haven't seen him drink yet, actually. I'm not sure if he just does it in privacy or hasn't been, but I've just been doing the ice cubes now with the misting twice a day.

 

[Kaizen]

I haven't seen him drink yet, actually. I'm not sure if he just does it in privacy or hasn't been, but I've just been doing the ice cubes now with the misting twice a day.

You’re doing a great job. Just continue to get to know your Cham and his/her habits, normal behavior, and routines.

 

[Doolingdogs]

Today's update is not a good one sadly. He woke up with one eye shut and I'm told it's likely due to vitamin A deficiency and to use Repti Turtle Eye Drops as they contain vit A. Would love more input on this decision.

 

[elizaann2]

What is your supplement scheudle?

 

[Doolingdogs]

What is your supplement scheudle?

I just got him 2 days ago but called to confirm they were giving him Repti Calcium with D3 and no other supplements at the store.
His new schedule is Repti Calcium without D3 every feeding and will be given Reptivite twice a month. Problem is @Beman also believes he has D3 build up :/

 

[kinyonga]

Can you show the back of the turtle eye drops bottle somI can see the ingredients please.

 

[elizaann2]

I just got him 2 days ago but called to confirm they were giving him Repti Calcium with D3 and no other supplements at the store.
His new schedule is Repti Calcium without D3 every feeding and will be given Reptivite twice a month. Problem is @Beman also believes he has D3

Ya that is a lot of vitamin D if he was getting it daily. I don’t know anything about the turtle drops. Are you set up with a vet for him yet?

 

[Doolingdogs]

Can you show the back of the turtle eye drops bottle somI can see the ingredients please.

 

[Doolingdogs]

Ya that is a lot of vitamin D if he was getting it daily. I don’t know anything about the turtle drops. Are you set up with a vet for him yet?

I found a vet yes

 

[kinyonga]

Be careful with those turtle eye drops ….they contain prEformed vitamin A which can build up in the system and cause health issues…but I can’t tell you how many applications of it would cause that or even if it would happen for sure because they don’t list the amount on the bottle…and I’m not a vet either BTW. I just know that the D3 and the prEformed vitamin. A have to be in balance and that the prEformed vitamin A can build up in the system.

also…those drops don’t appear to be an antibiotic that would help with an infection…if that’s what’s going on.

You use Reptivite vitamins….don’t they have prEformed vitamin A in them?