Hi! I'm a new chameleon owner - bought a pair from my local pet store about 2 weeks ago. Everything was fine - both chams have been eating well and looked fine. I purchased the entire cage/kit from the store. Both chams are in the same cage - this is how they were kept previously. The store owner told me they would only be sold as a pair, which was fine with me, and that it was likely the female would be ready to mate within the next couple months at most. While I'm fairly new to reptiles, my boyfriend has kept various reptiles/amphibs for years (bearded dragons, crocodile skink, pacman frog, snake) and he lives with us.
About 4 days ago, the male decided the female was old enough to start mating. She was receptive, not stressed colors or trying to get away or anything. Yesterday was feeding day - she ate just fine, maybe a little more than usual but I figured the mating behavior probably made her hungry.
But today I found her laying on the bottom of the cage - obviously weak, shaking (not the leaf shake kind of shaking), and barely moving. When I tried placing her back on the branch she layed on the branch, climbed a little, but after a little while I found her hanging upside down. At about 2pm today, we put her and the cage in the shower (as described on various websites to help with hydration) and she seemed to perk up a little bit. But she just literally fell off her branch to the bottom of the cage. She is very shaky, and is crawling instead of walking - as if she can't lift her own weight. I'm very concerned and not sure where to turn. Please help!!
Your Chameleon - Female Veiled Chameleon, unsure of age but she's about 6" not including the tail. New owner - only had the pair about 2 weeks.
Handling - daily, previous owner also regularly handled regularly according to local pet store
Feeding - crickets, superworms. free range crickets every other day, 4 superworms as treats 3 times since purchase.
Supplements - ZooMed vitamin supplement used once
Watering - mist the cage several times daily, have seen her drink but she doesn't drink from the spray bottle the way the male does.
Fecal Description - colors normal,
Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? unknown
History - local pet store is wonderful - they are not a chain store and care for a variety of reptiles and amphibians. The pair of chameleons was traded to the store because the previous owner was getting bored with them, although they appear well cared for. Both have been handled regularly and are not aggressive to people or each other. Was told by pet store that they would only be sold together, and that she was likely to be ready for breeding soon if I wanted to.
Cage Info:
Cage Type - screen cage, 2'x2'x4'
Lighting - double lamp - UVB tube light and basking light, usually on for 12-14 hours
Temperature - haven't measured temps in cage. house temp is 75-80 throughout the day
Humidity - haven't measured humidity - live in SC so air is generally fairly humid, plus misting several times daily
Plants - no live plants - artificial vines and leaves
Placement - cage is in living room window to access natural light. Top height at about 6' from floor. no direct vents or fans. fairly busy household, but living room is fairly quiet.
Location - SC
About 4 days ago, the male decided the female was old enough to start mating. She was receptive, not stressed colors or trying to get away or anything. Yesterday was feeding day - she ate just fine, maybe a little more than usual but I figured the mating behavior probably made her hungry.
But today I found her laying on the bottom of the cage - obviously weak, shaking (not the leaf shake kind of shaking), and barely moving. When I tried placing her back on the branch she layed on the branch, climbed a little, but after a little while I found her hanging upside down. At about 2pm today, we put her and the cage in the shower (as described on various websites to help with hydration) and she seemed to perk up a little bit. But she just literally fell off her branch to the bottom of the cage. She is very shaky, and is crawling instead of walking - as if she can't lift her own weight. I'm very concerned and not sure where to turn. Please help!!
Your Chameleon - Female Veiled Chameleon, unsure of age but she's about 6" not including the tail. New owner - only had the pair about 2 weeks.
Handling - daily, previous owner also regularly handled regularly according to local pet store
Feeding - crickets, superworms. free range crickets every other day, 4 superworms as treats 3 times since purchase.
Supplements - ZooMed vitamin supplement used once
Watering - mist the cage several times daily, have seen her drink but she doesn't drink from the spray bottle the way the male does.
Fecal Description - colors normal,
Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? unknown
History - local pet store is wonderful - they are not a chain store and care for a variety of reptiles and amphibians. The pair of chameleons was traded to the store because the previous owner was getting bored with them, although they appear well cared for. Both have been handled regularly and are not aggressive to people or each other. Was told by pet store that they would only be sold together, and that she was likely to be ready for breeding soon if I wanted to.
Cage Info:
Cage Type - screen cage, 2'x2'x4'
Lighting - double lamp - UVB tube light and basking light, usually on for 12-14 hours
Temperature - haven't measured temps in cage. house temp is 75-80 throughout the day
Humidity - haven't measured humidity - live in SC so air is generally fairly humid, plus misting several times daily
Plants - no live plants - artificial vines and leaves
Placement - cage is in living room window to access natural light. Top height at about 6' from floor. no direct vents or fans. fairly busy household, but living room is fairly quiet.
Location - SC