New ill chameleon
- Thread starter pmsuzel
- Start date
chambabysitter1
New Member
He doesn't need substrate, since he lives in trees. So make it easier on yourself and leave the bottom bare, so you can just whipe up his mess when he makes one.
Also, if he eats up some substrate with his food, he could die. Might as well play it safe.
Some people put a paper towel on the bottom and change it, I'd rather just whipe away once a day.
With the bark, your gonna have alot of issues with bacteria and mold.
You can just buy a live plant like pothos, hibiscus, shefflera, or whatever, and that should be good for him to live in. They don't spend any time on the ground, so you should make his home up in the trees much more pleasant.
edit: Is that the hood with clear plastic covering the tube? If it is, take it off, the UVB will not pass through it. You did really good on getting a screen cage, and the right lighting though. Good luck. Everyone here can offer some awesome advice for sure.
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YoshiTheVeiled
New Member
Let's not turn this into another "URGent" thread...
pmsuzel
New Member
I wasn't disregarding the advise, I was simply looking for more knowledge on the issue. I left the light on when I was in class as advised & my dog didn't seem to bother it so I feel a little more comfortable leaving them on for longer periods of time while I'm away. I am looking into the reptaid as advised to see if I can get it locally so I don't have to wait for it to be shipped. and I let the mealworm issue go because he left 'evidence' he's been eating, so I guess I just haven't seen it.
I came on here looking for advice on how to care the best I can for my cham since I am admittedly new at this, not to be chastized for my mistakes
I came on here looking for advice on how to care the best I can for my cham since I am admittedly new at this, not to be chastized for my mistakes
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sandrachameleon
Chameleon Enthusiast
Glad to hear it pooped! sounds like maybe it is eating some of the crickets? Do you leave the crickets that it doesnt eat in the cage at night? if so, you'll want to start removing them, to avoid the risk of hungry crickets nibbling on the chameleon (it really does happen).
i also agree with Titan that wild caught moths (if you're careful about where you catch them and such) can make a very tempting snack for a chameleon (if you wipe half the dust off the wings they fly unwell and are easily caught.
Other feeder options to consider are small butterworms, small silkworms, small roaches, etc.
If you feel a substrate is necessary, the bark chips are unfortunately one of the worse choices. play sand (which you can remove and wash periodically) is an option. cocopeat is an option (not easy to wash fully, so you spot clean daily and remove it all and replace every couple months).
You may want to add another plant (live) and several branches /vines of different circumferences at several different levels/areas of the cage. Chameleons live in shrubs and trees, so they need this sort of thing to walk around on (they generall dont like to walk on the ground)
i also agree with Titan that wild caught moths (if you're careful about where you catch them and such) can make a very tempting snack for a chameleon (if you wipe half the dust off the wings they fly unwell and are easily caught.
Other feeder options to consider are small butterworms, small silkworms, small roaches, etc.
If you feel a substrate is necessary, the bark chips are unfortunately one of the worse choices. play sand (which you can remove and wash periodically) is an option. cocopeat is an option (not easy to wash fully, so you spot clean daily and remove it all and replace every couple months).
You may want to add another plant (live) and several branches /vines of different circumferences at several different levels/areas of the cage. Chameleons live in shrubs and trees, so they need this sort of thing to walk around on (they generall dont like to walk on the ground)
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pmsuzel
New Member
Thank you sandra, I knew he was going to need a more lush area to climb around in and I deffinately plan on doing that, it's just I've already put alot of money into setting him up with the basics so I just need to wait until I get paid again. I want to eventually replace the fake plants with real and create different levels for him using branches and things. The bark at the bottom was really just to humor me and will absolutely do without if that's what will benefit him. I leave a few crickets in there, just enough so he can see that he has the option, along with a piece of fruit on the bottom for the crickets to snack on. I'm worried if I take them out all together and he's not eating in front of me then he may never eat. will deffinately try moth idea when it gets warmer out!
Also, how do you go about figuring out their sex and age? is there a way to tell or do you have to take him to a vet? The pet store was useless and I don't know how else to tell
Also, how do you go about figuring out their sex and age? is there a way to tell or do you have to take him to a vet? The pet store was useless and I don't know how else to tell
Dunnigan
New Member
What i use for my guys is a large deli cup thing, its what my superworms come in when i buy them locally.
I use a twisty tie from a bread bag and fasten it to the side of the cage and throw the crickets in there. most of them stay, a few jump out.
You dont have to do much to get him to adapt. My male was raised on free ranging and i didnt do anything special to get him to eat out of the cup.
i think they hear the crickets wandering around in the cup and when they go investigate, it is like a buffet!
chambabysitter1
New Member
If you are too lazy to cupfeed or just want to free range, just toss in a handful of crickets in the morning and count them and take out the leftovers at bedtime.
The crickets tend to collect up in the corner where the basking spot should be. So you can find them pretty easily. As long as he/she is awake, the crickets shouldn't be bothering it. Bedtime is a different story.
I just nab them from the basking spot with my hands or a paper towel tube and dump them into a cup. Then take them back to the cricket home.
If you really want to monitor the food intake very closely, this thread is very useful for cup feeding.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/diy-cup-feeder-video-11712/
The crickets tend to collect up in the corner where the basking spot should be. So you can find them pretty easily. As long as he/she is awake, the crickets shouldn't be bothering it. Bedtime is a different story.
I just nab them from the basking spot with my hands or a paper towel tube and dump them into a cup. Then take them back to the cricket home.
If you really want to monitor the food intake very closely, this thread is very useful for cup feeding.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/diy-cup-feeder-video-11712/
Titan
New Member
Hey, a cheap way to get some climbing structure into your cage. Would be to cut some safe bush, tree branches etc. from outside. Delimb most the small branches, and all leaves since they crumble up anyhow. Wash real good with a hose or in the tub. Trim to your desire in the Enclosure, walla! good cheep climbing area for your Cham.
Just dont let you neighbor catch you cutting your trim out of his bush or tree
Just dont let you neighbor catch you cutting your trim out of his bush or tree
chambabysitter1
New Member
Not sure about senegals, but my panther eats mostly in the morning, then picks the rest off as the day goes by. At night, I just collect what is leftover, if there is any.
They don't have a set "supper" time I believe, you can just put the food in and let him be. Sometimes mine eats everything up as soon as I put it in, sometimes he decides to bask for a good hour before giving things a go. I wonder if other chams are more habitual though.
Also, mine was super shy when I first had him, he can still be. He wouldn't let me watch him eat for a week, and didn't let me see him drink until a month. So this could be a factor in his eating habits.
Also, I was able to nab a good sized shefflera from walmart for like 10 bucks. It was slightly bigger than that cage, which is perfect, cause you can repot it, then cut it down to size, leaving lots of lateral branches and coverage for your little dude. The free branches from the local neighborhood is one I took people up on as well. No regrets, saved money on those instead of buying "fake vines".
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