new guy to chameleons and forum

[jim schock]

Hey guys im new to the cham world. I got my veiled at petco he was smashed in a tiny cage he was there for a year. The cage was so tiny his horn( is it called a cask?) grew bent from hitting the screen lid. So i bought him. Hes in a screen cage 24"×24"×48" hes got a blue mini halogen light a 5.0 reptiglo cfl and a 75 watt black light. And a big dripper. I spray him every morning with warm watter n he hates it. Ive noticed the last week or so hes been sleeping alot on a bottom branch. Could it be to warm? I only have a thermometer in the basking spot its around 87° usually. Also i put 5 roaches in his cup n he didnt eat any. Im a little concerned. I have his lights on for 12 hours is that too much? Also im at work from 7-330 so i dont see much during the day. I thought he was eating but i cleaned his cage n i took the log out n looked inside n found 7 roaches so they were climbing out of the cup. I have some pics but dont kno how to post from my phone

 

[Andee]

Get rid of the night light, it's probably why he's sleeping during the day. And the bent casque is possibly from mbd... are you dusting your feeders with anything? Fill out the "how to ask for help" form which can be found stickied at the top of the health board. Post a picture by clicking the little paperclip. Are you only misting him once a day? For how long? He needs AT LEAST three mistings a day for 2 minutes each.

 

[jim schock]

Ok ill get rid of the light but i thought that reptiles cant see the black lights? Also its like 60-65 in my room all the time is that an acceptable temp? And i will mist more often i was worried about stressing him he hisses n runs when i mist him. And ill fill out the how to ask for help form thanks for the tips

 

[carol5208]

Often times the chameleons sold at Petco are already sick when you get them, but most people don't know the signs to look for. Can you please post a picture of him and how you have the cage set up? I would remove the black light. It serves no purpose. The only lights you need are a uvb light, and a basking light.

 

[Andee]

60-65 degrees is fine for a night time temp. Misting, some chams don't like, but also you may need to get something with a finer mist. I realized my boy didn't like getting mist until it was such fine particles it could almost be considered a high pressure fog. I use an automatic mister from Mist King, it helps having finer particles, they tend to accept it more and it seems to help them shed shed easier. Do you have one you have to constantly squeeze? or do you have one you pump up and then release the handle and it pretty much sprays by itself?

 

[jim schock]

I have a little hand squeezy one. I got rid of all my reptile stuff a year ago i moved and didnt have the time/money to take care of my cresteds and day gecko a buddy of mine took them to take care of along with my 2 foggers and misters plus all my lights

 

[Andee]

Ok so it looks like he has a fair amount of burns, and possibly the starting of mbd though I'll let someone with more experience chime in on that. But what you can do right now to make him more comfortable is get more plants and horizontal pathways in there. Whether the plants are plastic or real it doesn't matter much right now, he just needs A LOT more cover. This is probably why he's aggressing and hissing, he's probably uncomfortable and fearful, not feeling very safe yet.

And I just realized I forgot to welcome you to both the hobby and the forum XD derp, sorry >.< welcome <3 it will be a long and hopefully happy road full of loving an awesome reptile.

 

[jim schock]

Burns? From lights? And i need to go get some plants. Live species that are tall i can put in there?

 

[jim schock]

And mbd from his horn ? His tail only looks funny in that one pic he uses his tail all the time. When its not wrapped around a branch it usually is curled up. His horn was like that when i got him its actually straightened out a good bit

 

[Andee]

Yeah all those black spots on him are burns... did you say you have him under a halogen? That's a very dangerous thing, that's how my boy got severely burned and needed to go to the vet. Do you know the strength? I would at least raise the lamp's hood so that it doesn't directly touch the screen with some blocks of wood or small cinder blocks.

Live plants, you want something that is non-toxic since he is a veiled and will eat vegetation. Hibiscus is good but you need a good grow light with a hibiscus. I've used camellias before and schefflera/umbrella trees without a problem but there is a specific type of umbrella tree you have to use, it tends to be the smaller variety can be found in the safe plant list on the forum. People have used pothos before with success, I personally wouldn't use a ficus with a veiled because they have a sap that is semi-toxic and can cause diarrhea and vomiting along with eye irritation in mammals. Not sure what it'll if consumed in reptiles, just best to err on the safe side.

No I mean mbd because his legs look like they've been broken before, but I am not sure, don't take my advice on that yet. I am not as good at telling mbd as some people.

 

[jim schock]

O wow i never even thought of the legs. And are u sure about tburns? Im only suspicious of the one on his right front leg the other spots are brown and around his pattern breaks

 

[jim schock]

And the halogen is a 50w in a mini dome. I never see him by it but if you advise against it ill raise it up

 

[Andee]

Oh it's one of those bulbs, I've used those before, they don't get super hot. I was referring to his leg, and I think the front edge of his casque is a little burnt too, though I might be wrong there. For his burn, has it been there since you got him? Has it grown any? I wouldn't worry about your bulb too much if it has been there since before you brought him in. You can put neosporin without any pain killers or additives in it, to help it heal. If it grows any I would worry about possibly your light being the culprit or maybe it being a fungal/bacterial infection, and he might need to see a vet after that.

 

[jim schock]

His horn and i guess what u could call brow ridges have been brown since i got him the spot on his leg im not sure. I just noticed it a month ago or so it had some shed stuck

 

[Andee]

Yeah that's pretty typical with burns, they end up not shedding quite as well, but it doesn't sound like he's getting burned by your light specifically so it could have just been Petco's cage being too small and cramped and the light too powerful for him. He's a beautiful boy. Don't worry the burn isn't that bad, it should get better with each shed and it should soon just become a "scar" which for chameleons is a discoloration in the skin pattern. But as long as you keep an eye on the spot and it doesn't grow then I wouldn't worry too much.

I personally would save up for a automatic mister for him and until then buy a mister specially made for reptiles. Something like this: http://www.petco.com/product/119980...ions Mist'r Lizard Junior for Reptiles-119980

The finer mist they produce will help him shed and it will also be easier for your hand to give him longer mists. If you notice him still having problems shedding you can give him a shower to help loosen up the skin and move things along.

When you have the money I definitely suggest buying a Mist King if you can, they are totally worth the cash.

 

[jim schock]

Well thats good to hear. And im going to try n find some foliage friday at a local greenhouse and try n get a tube style uvb and more vines for up top. Whats the best way to keep humidity up? It was easy with my frog n geckos due to a fogger n glass terrarium but the screen is hard. Also does he look a healthy weight? And how much should i feed him? I put roaches in his cup till he doesnt eat any more is that ok? Occasionally i give him horn worms but he had a hard time eating the big ones i was surprised. Kinda worried me one was stuck to his face while he was trying to eat it so i crushed its head with tongs but my leopard geckos tear those things apart even the big 3 inch ones its cool to watch them they are like little alligators. I dont feed him crickets the end up getting away and i give him wax worms sometimes i may get like 25 every other month. Any other good foods for him? Veggies?

 

[jim schock]

And thank you very much for your help. And ill check out the mister. And thanks for the compliment i think hes pretty. Hes a meen bastard though. My gf named him rango lol

 

[Andee]

He looks an ok weight... his fat stores could be better but that will come with time. He doesn't need a huge amount of humidity at a constant. Mostly it needs to be around 50-60% and then spike at 80% during mistings. If you are going to feed hornworms, buy the eggs so you can raise them and make sure they are a good size for him to eat.

Veileds will usually eat veggies and little slivers of fruit quite readily. They can eat just about any kind of greens you gutload your feeders with.

 

[jim schock]

Should i gut load my roaches? I only get like 10 at a time being that the pet store is only 10 mins from my house. If so what should i feed them? Ive read that broccoli and spinach are bad? And where are his fat reserves?

 

[Andee]

Fat reserves are usually kept in veileds' tails and casques. And yes always gutload your roaches, dark leafy greens are usually fine, look up ones online without oxalates in them. Colored bell peppers, oranges, strawberries, papaya, mango.