New Fischers Chameleon

[luisramon]

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Male Fischers chameleon. He arrived at my home three nights ago. He is an adult abput 25cm in length, not sure how old is he.

Handling - Handled 2 or 3 times.

Feeding - Ive been trying meal worms, and crickets, but he does not seem to like them, he has eaten about 4 or 5 super worms, but out of my hand, not the feeder i made for him, will attach pictures.

Supplements - Exo-Terra calcium withous D3 2 times a week. Exo-Terra Calcium with D3 2 times a month. And multivitamin herptivite 2 times a month. That is what i plan on doing since he has only been with me 2 or 3 days.

Watering - I have the repti rain set for for 15 second spray every 3 hours, plus i give him a 45 second mist in the morning and a 30 second mist at night. Yes i have seen him drink 2 times. I have the little dripper going like 4 o 5 hours a day.

Fecal Description - consistent poop, the urate is separtaed from the poop brown poop, and white orange urate. i dont know if i spelled it right.
History - None.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Wooden screen cage, built by me. The dimensions are: 1.20 mta tall 45-48 cms wide and 80 cms depth. With drainage system.
Lighting - Exo-Terra 50, 75 or 100w Daylight basking spot bulb depending on the weather, repti-glo 5.0 uvb tube bulb.
Temperature - 28 Celsius, just right under the basking bulb, and temperatures ranging from 28 to 18 19 in the bottom part where the drainage is, at night it doe not go under 20 celsius i have a zilla thermostat conected to a ceramic heta lamp.
Humidity - Never goes under 60% and never over 85% 90%
Plants - Regular umbrella plant. Will attach pictures.
Placement - In my room, no air vents near, room alaways closed, hes is 1.40 1.50 mts from the gorund.
Location - Mexico, D.F.

Current Problem - He has not been eating from his feeder cup,only 4 super worms but from my hand.

 

[luisramon]

here i atatch some phot i will amke sure to upload more

 

[Mike Fisher]

You are keeping him too warm. I keep mine at lower to mid 70's F basking in the day, down to 50's F at night. Do not provide supplemental heat at night. I use a 50 watt basking bulb dimmed down about halfway this time of year because the basement is in the low 60's F in the daytime. In summer I switch over to LED's for basking.

These come from a cool mountain region. You are in for a challenge keeping one alive in Mexico unless you live on a mountain.

 

[luisramon]

So 23 ceksius in the basking spot?
Everything ive read says 27 28 celcius in the basking area plus he seem to leve it, he goes there to bask and he seems to be enjoing it.

 

[luisramon]

Already switched to 50w basking instead of the 75w one

The heater at night is only to ensure he does not go under 19-20 cellsius, since here in mexico, the tem[eratires at night in this season can be all the way down to the 14 -16 celsius.

what can i do to get him to eat crickets? he only accepts super worms, he ate anothe one today but from my hand, i just don want him to not eat anything.

 

[Mike Fisher]

No night heat unless it gets near freezing. I've kept mine down to 5 Celsius at night but only on the coldest nights of the year. I keep mine on the cool side in the day too but up to 25-26 Celsius in the basking area should be ok as long as he can get to a cooler part of the cage and has access to misting. Just remember he is from a cool mountain region that gets a lot of rain and fog. Not like keeping a panther or veiled.

As long as you keep feeding him the superworms, he probably won't eat crickets. Those are like crack to that species. I bought one from someone else that only fed him superworms and he was so stubborn he went on a hunger strike when I tried to feed him anything else. He still is not a very good eater for anything else.

If you can get some flying insects, I've never seen those refused.

He looks like a real nice one BTW.

 

[luisramon]

Thank you very much, now his basking spot is anywhwer from 24 to 26.5, so i shoukd stop feeding him the superworms? Even if he does not eat anything? lets say, tomorrow i wont feed him, just leave the creickets in his feeder cup and wait for him to eat?
In how muhc time should i be worried of him not eating?
Thank you.
I will upload a pisture of his feeder cup.

 

[Mike Fisher]

just leave the creickets in his feeder cup and wait for him to eat?

Yes. Make sure the feeders have something to eat while they are in there waiting to get eaten.

In how muhc time should i be worried of him not eating?

Being a new import, I would not let him go more than about three days. I have had some long term captives that went a week or more before they broke their fast and ate some crickets. If you could offer a variety of feeders within that time, it would go easier.

Superworms take a long time to digest so if he ate two or three, he'd be good for a few days anyway. They don't have the huge appetites that Veileds or Panthers have unless they are super active.

 

[luisramon]

ok, i left him 8 crickets and one superworm, maybe by mistake he hit a cricket and likes it, they dontr drink and eat that much as panther right?

 

[Mike Fisher]

ok, i left him 8 crickets and one superworm, maybe by mistake he hit a cricket and likes it, they dontr drink and eat that much as panther right?

He might drink more. He's from a cool wet montane forest. Water is very important to him. He won't eat nearly as much as a panther. Slower metabolism and he'll live about three to four times longer than a panther. I've heard of a few captive Kinyongia living past ten years.

 

[luisramon]

He does not drink that much, probabaly once a day like 10 drops, he has the repti rain set for 15 seconds every 3 hours and the little dripper, going like 2 hours in the morning 1 hour in the afternoon and 1 hour before sleep. i also give him a nice big morning mist and a night msit to keep his humidity of 10 mins before i turn his lights of.

 

[Montium]

I would up the water if you are still seeing orange in the urates.

 

[Drakes24]

Beautiful!!!

 

[Mike Fisher]

His hydration looks fine. Misting schedule looks good too. He doesn't have to always drink, as long as he has access to water frequently.

 

[nick barta]

Mike is the expert on Fishers, but one trick I would suggest is to place crickets and other worms on the screen near him where they can climb up towards him. Movement on the screen will trigger feeding sometimes.

CHEERS!

Nick

 

[Mike Fisher]

I'm assuming that's how the feeder he posted a photo of works.

 

[Motherlode Chameleon]

Congratulations about your new Kinyongia multituberculata acquisition! Good luck acclimating your male.

Best Regards
Jeremy A. Rich

 

[luisramon]

I would up the water if you are still seeing orange in the urates.

I would not say orange, just a lil bit orangish.

His hydration looks fine. Misting schedule looks good too. He doesn't have to always drink, as long as he has access to water frequently.

Thank you mike, you have been of great help!

Mike is the expert on Fishers, but one trick I would suggest is to place crickets and other worms on the screen near him where they can climb up towards him. Movement on the screen will

Thats kind of how the feeder works, but i will try to put then in his screen cage. thanks man!

Beautiful!!!

thanks man i will make sure to keep you all updated him.

Congratulations about your new Kinyongia multituberculata acquisition! Good luck acclimating your male.

Thanks, i will make sure to keep him at the best of my skills.

 

[luisramon]

Hey guys, should i worry?
Im keeping the temperatures like mike told me, but my fischers chameleon has not eaten for 2 days, and half of today, should this worry me?
also i caught him today making poop, but he had diahrrea, i will attach some picture of it.
Im hoping u guys can help.

 

[Mike Fisher]

Hey guys, should i worry?
Im keeping the temperatures like mike told me, but my fischers chameleon has not eaten for 2 days, and half of today, should this worry me?
also i caught him today making poop, but he had diahrrea, i will attach some picture of it.
Im hoping u guys can help.

Runny stool is usually a sign of internal parasites. I would be concerned, but I'd wait to see if he has another like that before running to the vet. Could just be an isolated incident.