New owner please help

[wardjake]

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - I have a young female veiled, named Pascal, about 2-3 months old and has been in my care for just a few days now.
Handling - I have been trying to get to cage situated so i have been handling it a little more than i probably should (maybe once or twice a day)
Feeding - about 5 crix a day gut loaded with leafy greens, left in dish at bottom
Supplements - Miner-All (yellow top) multi vit. every other day
Watering - I have a dripper set up all day and i mist 3-5 times a day for about 10-15 seconds until the enclosure is wet


Cage Info:
Cage Type - 10 Gal. Glass enclosure (was stressed in 65 Gal. screen cage)
Lighting - 18" reptisun 5.0 uva/uvb light, no basking light
Temperature - during the day the ambient temp is 82-88 and at night the lowest the cage gets is about 75, i measure temp with a digital probe
Humidity - I do not have a way to test humidity however the cage is kept damp
Plants - Natural wood log with artificial vines w/ bed-a-beast substrate
Placement - the cage is in a bookshelf about 5' off the ground
Location - i am located in Fresno, CA (central valley)

Current Problem - I have a 6' vine hanging in a corner of my room and she loves to be on it, she is a nice green color and seems very comfortable when she is in her habitat she is a dark purple color... what can i do to make her feel more comfortable in the enclosure?

when she was in the screen cage she was still that same color and i always found her in the top corner by the thermometer

i thought the problem was the temp but as i raise the temp by placing a 100w basking lamp above the cage she spends more time near the bottom

do i need to just leave her alone and allow her to get used to her environment?

thanks,
Jacob

 

[wardjake]

one more add on, she has just started shedding today, i noticed it first on her legs and now she is loosing the skin all over

 

[laurie]

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - I have a young female veiled, named Pascal, about 2-3 months old and has been in my care for just a few days now.
Handling - I have been trying to get to cage situated so i have been handling it a little more than i probably should (maybe once or twice a day)
Feeding - about 5 crix a day gut loaded with leafy greens, left in dish at bottom
Supplements - Miner-All (yellow top) multi vit. every other day
Watering - I have a dripper set up all day and i mist 3-5 times a day for about 10-15 seconds until the enclosure is wet


Cage Info:
Cage Type - 10 Gal. Glass enclosure (was stressed in 65 Gal. screen cage)
Lighting - 18" reptisun 5.0 uva/uvb light, no basking light
Temperature - during the day the ambient temp is 82-88 and at night the lowest the cage gets is about 75, i measure temp with a digital probe
Humidity - I do not have a way to test humidity however the cage is kept damp
Plants - Natural wood log with artificial vines w/ bed-a-beast substrate
Placement - the cage is in a bookshelf about 5' off the ground
Location - i am located in Fresno, CA (central valley)

Current Problem - I have a 6' vine hanging in a corner of my room and she loves to be on it, she is a nice green color and seems very comfortable when she is in her habitat she is a dark purple color... what can i do to make her feel more comfortable in the enclosure?

when she was in the screen cage she was still that same color and i always found her in the top corner by the thermometer

i thought the problem was the temp but as i raise the temp by placing a 100w basking lamp above the cage she spends more time near the bottom

do i need to just leave her alone and allow her to get used to her environment?

thanks,
Jacob

Here is an attempt at lots of answers, I hope. Crickets, she needs more than 5, more like 15 or so. I will give you the standard supplement schedule everyone posts. I is not what I do but mine it not for beginners. You need 3 supplements, calcium with no d3, daily, calcium +d3 twice a month & multivit twice a month. There are several brands of each available. dish feeding is fine, greens are good for now.

Your misting is good but the misting times could be a bit longer each time.

The 10 gal glass in not as good as the screen cage. She may need time to adjust but overall she will be better off in the screen cage as your glass one is not providing a way for her to get out of the heat. She needs to be able to get warm or cool off. the 88 temp is as high as her cage should ever get at her age and she should be able to get cooler anytime she wants. I would try to offer her a bottom temp of 75 - 70 if you can. It sounds like she is going to the bottom trying to get away from the heat and isn't able to do so.

THIS IS THE # 1 CHANGE: I would get the bead-a-beast out of that cage as fast as you can.If her crickets are in a dish near the bed-a-beast she could easily get a piece of that in the mouth and it could possibily kill her.Using no substrate is best but papertowels or a cloth (changes after each misting) will also work.

If she is able to be out on the vine part of the day with your supervision that is fine, she will enjoy the time out. With her shedding just mist her a bit extra to help her shed.

 

[hinoco1225]

Here is an attempt at lots of answers, I hope. Crickets, she needs more than 5, more like 15 or so. I will give you the standard supplement schedule everyone posts. I is not what I do but mine it not for beginners. You need 3 supplements, calcium with no d3, daily, calcium +d3 twice a month & multivit twice a month. There are several brands of each available. dish feeding is fine, greens are good for now.

Your misting is good but the misting times could be a bit longer each time.

The 10 gal glass in not as good as the screen cage. She may need time to adjust but overall she will be better off in the screen cage as your glass one is not providing a way for her to get out of the heat. She needs to be able to get warm or cool off. the 88 temp is as high as her cage should ever get at her age and she should be able to get cooler anytime she wants. I would try to offer her a bottom temp of 75 - 70 if you can. It sounds like she is going to the bottom trying to get away from the heat and isn't able to do so.

THIS IS THE # 1 CHANGE: I would get the bead-a-beast out of that cage as fast as you can.If her crickets are in a dish near the bed-a-beast she could easily get a piece of that in the mouth and it could possibily kill her.Using no substrate is best but papertowels or a cloth (changes after each misting) will also work.

If she is able to be out on the vine part of the day with your supervision that is fine, she will enjoy the time out. With her shedding just mist her a bit extra to help her shed.

*EDIT*

I agree with most of what Laurie said. Please put her back into her screen cage, as she needs the air circulation that an aquarium cannot provide. Please take out the substrate and feed her more like 12-18 crickets per day. She also needs plain calcium without D3 every day - use the multivitamin more like once a month.

One more thing to add - She DOES need a basking light, but most certainly not a 100 Watt. That was too hot for her. I use a 34 Watt for my female veiled, and it keeps her basking temp in the low 80s. Depending on the ambient temps in your house, you probably need a bulb between 34 and 50 Watt, possibly even 60 if your house gets particularly cool.

 

[hinoco1225]

Can you post a picture of her enclosure? It could also be that she doesn't have enough foliage to feel safe and secure.

Welcome to the forums, btw. This is a great place to learn about chameleons.

 

[wardjake]

thanks everyone for your input, i'm sure you guys will be pleased to know that little Pascal is happy as a clam in her screen enclosure. I ditched the artificials for a ficus and she is LOVING it!!!

i also have her on a regular supplement schedule and switched out my oversized 100w for a 50 the ambient temp stays arond 80 with a high of 85-86 near the light and somethin in the high 70s at the bottom.

last question, can a calcium gut load (the gel/liquid kind) be used as a substitue for the dust or should they be used together??

i've been extremely busy with school and work but i will post photos soon

 

[carol5208]

no, your feeders should be dusted with calcium, calcium wd3 and a multivitamin as others suggested.. i gutload with fresh fruits and vegetables. I have never used the calcium gutload so cannot comment on that.