New to chameleon care.

[meganleilak]

My brother got a chameleon and then had to leave town for work and asked me to take care of him. I didn't realize how delicate of an animal he would be. I cannot spend a ton of money on him but I am willing to buy a couple of things to ensure his health and will take him to the vet if I really need to. I feel that I should give him to someone who really knows what they are doing but my brother would be very upset so I would like to give taking care of him my best shot before I do so.

Chameleon Info:

Your Chameleon - Veiled chameleon, male, appox 10 mo (I think). I have had him for about 2.5 mo now.

Handling - I only handle him when I need to clean his cage as he bites and hisses at me and I'm afraid I will drop him if he bites me.

Feeding - I mostly feed him crickets and mealworms which I gut load the majority of the time with whatever fruits and veg I have on hand. I also feed them the Fluker's Orange Cubes. I also offer him pieces of fruit occasionally but he rarely eats them. He eats between 8-10 bugs each day and he goes through periods where he doesn't eat much for a couple of days and it seems to be when he is about to shed. I feed him out of a bowl.

Supplements - I've been dusting each feeding with exo-terra multi vitamin and calcium + D3.

Watering - He has a waterfall in his cage but I have only witnessed him drinking from it once. I put ice cubes on the top of the cage to melt over the leaves everyday but again have only witnessed him actually drinking it once. I also offer him a syringe with water every couple of days and he maybe accepts it once per week and will bite the tip and gulp must of the 30mls back (although lots spills onto the cage still) I mist his cage twice a day getting all the plants quite wet.

Fecal Description - He only poops a couple of times per week and I usually find 2 dark droppings and one light one thats orange on one end and white on the other. As far as I know he has never been to the vet or been tested for anything.

History - Mt brother used to handle him quite a bit and the chameleon seemed to like him but he doesn't like me so I don't stress him by holding him.

Cage Info: I already know his cage is too small and am trying to sell it so that I can get him a new one. As I mentioned he is not really mine and I can't afford to go buy him a new cage at this time. If/when I do get him a new cage what would be the best cage for the best price?

Cage Type - Exo Terra 18 x 18 x 24. Glass with vents on the front and screen on the top.

Lighting - Exo Terra Sun glo 120v 60Hz 100w on when I get up until I go to bed. Then I switch the light to the Exo Terra night glo 120v 60 Hz 75w on all night until I get up and then I switch the day bulb back on. He is not very close to any natural light.

Temperature - His basking spot is between 90-92 and the floor temp is 78. I am honestly not sure of the night temp but I will look tonight. I just have a thermometer from one of my fish tanks that I clip to the side.

Humidity - 45 usually and then aroud 60 when I mist. I have live plants so I guess they hold moisture and keep it humid? There is a humidity reader on the side of the tank.

Plants - 2 live plants one is a ficus and the other my brother put in and I assume he checked that it was safe first but dont know what it is. I have 3 bushy fake plants that have suction cups on the glass and then fake bendable sticks around for climbing as well as some real sticks.

Placement - The cage is beside a fish talk and is unfortunately in a high traffic area as my apartment is small so every area is really a high traffic area. His cage is only 24" tall and is on a table appox 24" as well.

Location - I live in BC Canada in the Okanagan.

Current Problem - For the last few days he has spent the majority of the time laying on the very bottom of the cage which has no substrate just glass. He seems very lethargic and is not easily woken up when hes sleeping (I wanted to wake him up because I thought maybe he was dead when I first noticed he was down there.) I have put some crickets in his cage but didn't watch to see if he ate them as it stresses him out when I'm any where near him and he seems to know when I'm watching lol. Usually when I put the bowl in he either goes right to it or eyes up the bowl tilting his head around for a while and he is just ignoring it now.
About 4 days ago I cleaned his cage and needed to take him out so I used an oven mitt (probably not a good choice because it was blue) and he freaked out and bit me really heard and clamped down for like 5 seconds. I put him on a tree in the house while I cleaned and he seemed fine.
The next day he went to the bottom of the cage and has only come up to bast for short periods and it seems when I leave and come home hes up and then goes back down shortly after.
Is it possible that he is just THAT stressed after the cleaning/biting?
Is it possible he doesn't like the way the branches are placed?
My brother thinks he is just "weird" and I shouldn't worry.
I know I need to get him a bigger cage and I'm working on it. I may ask my boyfriend if he can help build one on the weekend.

ANY tips or advice would be very helpful and very much appreciated. I realize he is not in the best situation but I'm doing my best.

 

[CLP]

Welcome to the forum. I have made comments below in red.

My brother got a chameleon and then had to leave town for work and asked me to take care of him. I didn't realize how delicate of an animal he would be. I cannot spend a ton of money on him but I am willing to buy a couple of things to ensure his health and will take him to the vet if I really need to. I feel that I should give him to someone who really knows what they are doing but my brother would be very upset so I would like to give taking care of him my best shot before I do so.

Chameleon Info:

Your Chameleon - Veiled chameleon, male, appox 10 mo (I think). I have had him for about 2.5 mo now.

Handling - I only handle him when I need to clean his cage as he bites and hisses at me and I'm afraid I will drop him if he bites me. You should try and see if you can get him to come out of the cage voluntarily. Perhaps try offering him his favorite food and make him climb onto your hand/arm to get it.

Feeding - I mostly feed him crickets and mealworms which I gut load the majority of the time with whatever fruits and veg I have on hand. I also feed them the Fluker's Orange Cubes. I also offer him pieces of fruit occasionally but he rarely eats them. He eats between 8-10 bugs each day and he goes through periods where he doesn't eat much for a couple of days and it seems to be when he is about to shed. I feed him out of a bowl.You should try to offer more variety in his diet. Good choices are superworms, butterworms, hornworms and silkworms. Most of these should be available at the larger pet store or online

Supplements - I've been dusting each feeding with exo-terra multi vitamin and calcium + D3. You should only be using the multivitamin and calcium with D3 twice a month. The rest of the time you need to use calcium without D3. You are oversupplementing him and that can cause organ damage or gular edema over time.

Watering - He has a waterfall in his cage but I have only witnessed him drinking from it once. I put ice cubes on the top of the cage to melt over the leaves everyday but again have only witnessed him actually drinking it once. I also offer him a syringe with water every couple of days and he maybe accepts it once per week and will bite the tip and gulp must of the 30mls back (although lots spills onto the cage still) I mist his cage twice a day getting all the plants quite wet. The waterfall should be removed immediately. It is a huge source of bacteria and can make him sick. Chameleons in the wild drink drops of water from the leaves in the trees. His source of water should be misting and from a dripper. I don't recommend ice cubes because they usually do not like cold water. Also, I would stop using the syringe. It is very easy to accidentally get water in their lungs which can cause an upper respiratory infection.

Fecal Description - He only poops a couple of times per week and I usually find 2 dark droppings and one light one thats orange on one end and white on the other. As far as I know he has never been to the vet or been tested for anything.
History - Mt brother used to handle him quite a bit and the chameleon seemed to like him but he doesn't like me so I don't stress him by holding him.

Cage Info: I already know his cage is too small and am trying to sell it so that I can get him a new one. As I mentioned he is not really mine and I can't afford to go buy him a new cage at this time. If/when I do get him a new cage what would be the best cage for the best price? There are many places you can get a cage for him, or you can make your own. You would want a cage with at least 2 sides and the top made out of screen. Try looking online. Since you are in Canada, your selection is a bit more limited, but online is likely your best bet.

Cage Type - Exo Terra 18 x 18 x 24. Glass with vents on the front and screen on the top.

Lighting - Exo Terra Sun glo 120v 60Hz 100w on when I get up until I go to bed. Then I switch the light to the Exo Terra night glo 120v 60 Hz 75w on all night until I get up and then I switch the day bulb back on. He is not very close to any natural light. DO NOT USE A NIGHT TIME BULB! Chameleons require complete darkness at night to get a proper sleep. This could be why he is sleeping during the day (this is a sign that something is wrong. A healthy chameleon will not sleep during the day). You also need a UVB bulb, preferrably a tube type, not the coil bulbs. You will want a 5.0 UVB reptile bulb. As for your basking bulb, it seems a bit strong for the size of enclosure. You need to use an accurate temperature gauge to make sure its not too hot directly under the bulb. Digital temperature probes are the best way to go. You can often find cheap ones at Canadian Tire.

Temperature - His basking spot is between 90-92 and the floor temp is 78. I am honestly not sure of the night temp but I will look tonight. I just have a thermometer from one of my fish tanks that I clip to the side.

Humidity - 45 usually and then aroud 60 when I mist. I have live plants so I guess they hold moisture and keep it humid? There is a humidity reader on the side of the tank.

Plants - 2 live plants one is a ficus and the other my brother put in and I assume he checked that it was safe first but dont know what it is. I have 3 bushy fake plants that have suction cups on the glass and then fake bendable sticks around for climbing as well as some real sticks.

Placement - The cage is beside a fish talk and is unfortunately in a high traffic area as my apartment is small so every area is really a high traffic area. His cage is only 24" tall and is on a table appox 24" as well.

Location - I live in BC Canada in the Okanagan.

Current Problem - For the last few days he has spent the majority of the time laying on the very bottom of the cage which has no substrate just glass. He seems very lethargic and is not easily woken up when hes sleeping (I wanted to wake him up because I thought maybe he was dead when I first noticed he was down there.) I have put some crickets in his cage but didn't watch to see if he ate them as it stresses him out when I'm any where near him and he seems to know when I'm watching lol. Usually when I put the bowl in he either goes right to it or eyes up the bowl tilting his head around for a while and he is just ignoring it now.
About 4 days ago I cleaned his cage and needed to take him out so I used an oven mitt (probably not a good choice because it was blue) and he freaked out and bit me really heard and clamped down for like 5 seconds. I put him on a tree in the house while I cleaned and he seemed fine.
The next day he went to the bottom of the cage and has only come up to bast for short periods and it seems when I leave and come home hes up and then goes back down shortly after.
Is it possible that he is just THAT stressed after the cleaning/biting?
Is it possible he doesn't like the way the branches are placed?
My brother thinks he is just "weird" and I shouldn't worry.
I know I need to get him a bigger cage and I'm working on it. I may ask my boyfriend if he can help build one on the weekend.

ANY tips or advice would be very helpful and very much appreciated. I realize he is not in the best situation but I'm doing my best.

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View attachment 87414

Try making the above changes and see if that helps. Good luck.

 

[jamjam]

My brother got a chameleon and then had to leave town for work and asked me to take care of him. I didn't realize how delicate of an animal he would be. I cannot spend a ton of money on him but I am willing to buy a couple of things to ensure his health and will take him to the vet if I really need to. I feel that I should give him to someone who really knows what they are doing but my brother would be very upset so I would like to give taking care of him my best shot before I do so.

Chameleon Info:

Your Chameleon - Veiled chameleon, male, appox 10 mo (I think). I have had him for about 2.5 mo now.

Handling - I only handle him when I need to clean his cage as he bites and hisses at me and I'm afraid I will drop him if he bites me. try letting him come to you instead of trying to grab him theres tips and tricks with hand feeding or use a stick and let him climb onto it and pull him out once again dont force the stick

Feeding - I mostly feed him crickets and mealworms which I gut load the majority of the time with whatever fruits and veg I have on hand. I also feed them the Fluker's Orange Cubes. I also offer him pieces of fruit occasionally but he rarely eats them. He eats between 8-10 bugs each day and he goes through periods where he doesn't eat much for a couple of days and it seems to be when he is about to shed. I feed him out of a bowl. meal worms are not good on the regular basis silk worms, horn worms roaches etc would be better. could be wrong but think at that age their diet starts to slow down a bit maybe every other day

Supplements - I've been dusting each feeding with exo-terra multi vitamin and calcium + D3. you dont give d3 everyday do you? thats bad. calcium no d3 almost every feeding not necessary on most worms and multivitamin and d3 once every 2 weeks.

Watering - He has a waterfall in his cage but I have only witnessed him drinking from it once. I put ice cubes on the top of the cage to melt over the leaves everyday but again have only witnessed him actually drinking it once. I also offer him a syringe with water every couple of days and he maybe accepts it once per week and will bite the tip and gulp must of the 30mls back (although lots spills onto the cage still) I mist his cage twice a day getting all the plants quite wet. waterfall isnt the best idea its grounds for bacteria to grow, some will argue not to use ice water. syringe prob isnt necessary, I would try to mist aATLEAST once more a day for several minutes at a time

Fecal Description - He only poops a couple of times per week and I usually find 2 dark droppings and one light one thats orange on one end and white on the other. As far as I know he has never been to the vet or been tested for anything.

History - Mt brother used to handle him quite a bit and the chameleon seemed to like him but he doesn't like me so I don't stress him by holding him.

Cage Info: I already know his cage is too small and am trying to sell it so that I can get him a new one. As I mentioned he is not really mine and I can't afford to go buy him a new cage at this time. If/when I do get him a new cage what would be the best cage for the best price?

Cage Type - Exo Terra 18 x 18 x 24. Glass with vents on the front and screen on the top.

Lighting - Exo Terra Sun glo 120v 60Hz 100w on when I get up until I go to bed. Then I switch the light to the Exo Terra night glo 120v 60 Hz 75w on all night until I get up and then I switch the day bulb back on. He is not very close to any natural light. Night bulb is bad cham's prefer complete darkness if you use it to keep temps up use a ceramic heat emitter. NEED uv bulb linear is ideal very important

Temperature - His basking spot is between 90-92 and the floor temp is 78. I am honestly not sure of the night temp but I will look tonight. I just have a thermometer from one of my fish tanks that I clip to the side.

Humidity - 45 usually and then aroud 60 when I mist. I have live plants so I guess they hold moisture and keep it humid? There is a humidity reader on the side of the tank.

Plants - 2 live plants one is a ficus and the other my brother put in and I assume he checked that it was safe first but dont know what it is. I have 3 bushy fake plants that have suction cups on the glass and then fake bendable sticks around for climbing as well as some real sticks.

Placement - The cage is beside a fish talk and is unfortunately in a high traffic area as my apartment is small so every area is really a high traffic area. His cage is only 24" tall and is on a table appox 24" as well.

Location - I live in BC Canada in the Okanagan.

Current Problem - For the last few days he has spent the majority of the time laying on the very bottom of the cage which has no substrate just glass. He seems very lethargic and is not easily woken up when hes sleeping (I wanted to wake him up because I thought maybe he was dead when I first noticed he was down there.) I have put some crickets in his cage but didn't watch to see if he ate them as it stresses him out when I'm any where near him and he seems to know when I'm watching lol. Usually when I put the bowl in he either goes right to it or eyes up the bowl tilting his head around for a while and he is just ignoring it now.
About 4 days ago I cleaned his cage and needed to take him out so I used an oven mitt (probably not a good choice because it was blue) and he freaked out and bit me really heard and clamped down for like 5 seconds. I put him on a tree in the house while I cleaned and he seemed fine.
The next day he went to the bottom of the cage and has only come up to bast for short periods and it seems when I leave and come home hes up and then goes back down shortly after.
Is it possible that he is just THAT stressed after the cleaning/biting?
Is it possible he doesn't like the way the branches are placed?
My brother thinks he is just "weird" and I shouldn't worry.
I know I need to get him a bigger cage and I'm working on it. I may ask my boyfriend if he can help build one on the weekend. oh and look into diy tube cages should be fairly cheap and get you to about 36"+ just a cheap suggestions cant post a link atm in a rush

ANY tips or advice would be very helpful and very much appreciated. I realize he is not in the best situation but I'm doing my best.

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View attachment 87414

 

[jamjam]

lol woops thhe beat me to it, sorry for the similar post i was busy typing away. Aside thats what i believe i currently dont own a cham and havent for 5 yrs

 

[meganleilak]

Thank you!
- I will work on getting him to come out of the cage more.
- The only things available at my pet store are meal worms and crickets but I will order some other things online and get some calcium without D3.
- The waterfall has been removed and I ordered a digital temp probe and a drip system.
So I need a bulb for heat and a bulb for UVB? 2 Separate bulbs? I have a…I don’t know what it’s called but the thing that holds the lights and it holds 2 bulbs but the round kind that screw in. Does anyone know if I can get a UVB bulb that goes in there? Or do I need a whole new holder?

 

[carol5208]

Most likely your chameleon is falling ill due to lack of UVB lighting. The Sunglo bulb is just a heat bulb which provides uva rays but not uvb. UVB IS critical for the survival and well being of your chameleon. Being deprived of uvb is probably starting to take its toll. Yes, you can get a coil bulb uvb. Get a 5.0 and put that in one of the sockets and like a 60 watt in the other socket for basking/heat. No lights at night as stated. Honestly that cage is way too tiny for a cham of that size. I know you just fell into this situation, but if you are going to continue to keep this animal a larger cage(screen preferred) needs to be obtained.If you can do that, that would be awesome! Can you post some full body shots of him if possible??? If you can get him out for some natural sunlight that would be very beneficial to him also, although I know it is getting cold in most parts of the country. Most of us the 5.0 tube style bulbs but with what you have for housing the compact will be ok for now.

 

[meganleilak]

update

Thanks for your suggestions! I have done the following:

- Taken out the waterfall. I poked a hole in the bottom of a cup and put it on the top of his cage twice a day and let it drip down the leaves but I think he's actually used to the syringe since he has been drinking that way since he was a baby. When I give him the syringe it is actually the only time he enjoys being near me. I don't squirt it down his throat or anything I just push a drop to the end and he sucks it up. It's a long process but he comes right up as soon as he sees it so I think it works for him. I also increased the misting of his cage to 3-5 times a day depending on how much I am home.

- Got rid of the night light all together and replaced it with a UVB 5.0 bulb and took out the heat light and put in a ceramic heater so it can be left on at night.

- I am only able to get crickets, mealworms, wax worms, butter worms, and super worms in my area. How many of each type should I be feeding? What should be the staple? He wont eat any fruit or veg besides the odd raspberry. I also quit giving supplements each day.

- I got a 100 gallon mesh cage but I can't pick it up until tomorrow. This should make it easier for drainage as well which is kind of a problem currently.

- I started giving him showers as well where I get the bathroom nice and foggy and then bring him in and turn the temp to warm and put him on a tree in the shower. He immediately turns bright green so I think he likes it. Also whenever I put the tree near his cage he climbs right out onto it.

Some pics attached Hopefully he starts to improve.

 

[carol5208]

He looks pretty good in the second pic. You mentioned you have a heat bulb on at night. What are your night temps? Unless it is going to get really cold(like in the low 50's in your house or below) he does not need the heat. We are trying to replicate nature here, and the temps drop at night in the wild. If that is the way he will take water, then just keep doing what you are doing. As far as the feeding, when they are adults they can be fed every other day about 6 -8 large feeders. You can vary and rotate them however you want.

 

[Tay And A]

I personally think that he already looks better than before. If you'd like a care sheet please pm me your email address and I will send you one

 

[meganleilak]

New cage

Thank you for all of your help! I attached a pic of his new cage, he seems to like it. He's walking around checking it all out and has been nice and green since he went in.

Carol5208 - I didn't realize that he didn't need the heat at night but that makes sense. I'd seen his temp get as low as 58 in the old tank but my thermometer is kinda crappy (I ordered a couple new ones but they aren't here yet). Our thermostat for the house is set at 70 so I'm sure it's fine.

I don't know if these lights will cut it but I think I'm getting the hang of it so I will just continue to check the temp in various places and adjust accordingly.

Any suggestions for his new cage? . I'm thinking by the window might not be great since it cools down at night but it is just temporary until I can move some fish tanks around.