New to chameleons, need help after failure

[kathryn]

Hello, I was referred here from the gecko forum I'm a bit of a reptile nut (as well as a cat nut but that's a whole 'nother story). I have currently a red bellied turtle, 2 bearded dragons, a leopard gecko, a crested gecko, 2 fire bellied toads, a european long nose viper and some various fish.

I was at a local reptile show yesterday when I came across a vendor that had some very cute baby chameleons for sale. They had a very nice display of everything, and seemed well established. After speaking with one of the people, I decided to purchase a veiled chameleon. I also purchased a 38 gallon reptarium, the basking lamp, some vine and a fake plant. They were out of the fixture for the UVB bulb so I figured I'd just buy it where I work (a small pet shop) or order it offline.

My mom and I left the show and headed home.. and suddenly on the car ride home the chameleon freaked out and died! Long story short, we contacted the vendor/breeder and he agreed to replace him asap.

So, my questions now are obviously-
How do I avoid this again? I am going to meet the owner to get a replacement, and am going to bring my own container this time with some foliage in it to make the trip less stressful. The ride home was about 45 minutes long, and we did not touch him at all and had him covered and secured. My mom looked down to check on him and that's when she saw he was in distress.

Also, what other recommendations for a starter do you have? I would like to put a live plant in there if possible. Also, I am going to try and install a shelf in my reptile area to put the reptarium on in order to have him as high up away from the cats and commotion as possible.

I'm reading some guides, and I guess the thing I am most concerned about is just the stress from the ride home. I don't want a repeat of what happened! My mom and I were both pretty hysterical about it.

Thanks in advance

 

[kaylie]

I have read that you can just put a stick in a shoebox and put him in there. The darkness could help.

Also, you should fill this out since you're new. Welcome, by the way
Chameleon Info:

* Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
* Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
* Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
* Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
* Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
* Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
* History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.


Cage Info:

* Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
* Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
* Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
* Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
* Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
* Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
* Location - Where are you geographically located?

 

[DeviousMike]

There are a number of reasons why that could have happened. I will call it just really bad luck. Chams are shipped all over the country with almost no mishaps. But there's just always that one case where something freakish just happens. Perhaps next time you can place him in a small brown bag or shoebox for the drive home with a wet paper towel. He should just go to sleep in something dark like that, so the stress of the transport will be somewhat lessened.

 

[kathryn]

There are a number of reasons why that could have happened. I will call it just really bad luck. Chams are shipped all over the country with almost no mishaps. But there's just always that one case where something freakish just happens. Perhaps next time you can place him in a small brown bag or shoebox for the drive home with a wet paper towel. He should just go to sleep in something dark like that, so the stress of the transport will be somewhat lessened.

Bad luck? Yep that sounds like me

I have a plastic shoe box w/ air holes drilled in the side that I use for transporting my herps. I will use that and put some twigs in there and cover it once I hear back from the guy about where to meet up for a new one.

We are naming him Rango

I will post a pic later of all the supplies i have so far. I am going to go see about getting a shelf somewhere to put the reptarium on so my cats won't end up eating the dang thing once I get another one.

BTW- It is my understanding that you can just put the dome lamps (basking/UVB) directly onto the mesh screen on top the reptarium? I just wanted to clarify with someone else before I put the heat bulb onto there and cause a fire or something stupid. The instructions don't specifically say but in the pictures it shows lamps sitting directly ontop

 

[DeviousMike]

Lights don't get hot enough to burn. Unless you are puttin some ridiculous wattage on top, directly on the screen will be fine.

 

[carol5208]

for your uvb light be sure and get a Zoomed Reptisun 5.0 tube light. They are the best to use for chams. If you cannot find one, you can order one on LLL reptile website

 

[javsto]

im in ny can you give me the name and location of that chameleon breeder/seller if he is in the ny tri-state area? thanks

 

[kinyonga]

It might be the fast motion of things passing by the car that killed the chameleon. I think its hard for them to deal with that...so putting them in a container that is opaque IMHO is the best solution.

 

[giaindell]

i just recently got two new chameleons and im naming one rango too!!!
i cant wait too see the movie

 

[pennington]

I drove mine 45 minutes home and stopped off at my parents to show him off. He travelled in a bag. The bags that locusts come in in the UK, not sure what other countrys transport their live feeds in. My Chameleon was just in the bag with some tissue. (Panther Chameleon)

 

[kinyonga]

Was there any airflow in the bag? What's the bag made of?

 

[kathryn]

Was there any airflow in the bag? What's the bag made of?

it was a clear plastic cup with a wet papertowel on the bottom. it had several decent sized airholes in the side. my mom had it shielded from the sun to prevent over heating but apparently that didn't matter.

 

[kinyonga]

So the chameleon could see out the window?

 

[kathryn]

So the chameleon could see out the window?

No, don't think there would be any way he could see out the window. I was driving and my mom was in the passengers seat and she held him to her left next to the center console, so he was secure and also shielded from the sun. From the place he was at I don't see how it would be possibly to see anything other than the dashboard, as he was shielded from all other angles.

 

[jojackson]

Lights don't get hot enough to burn. Unless you are puttin some ridiculous wattage on top, directly on the screen will be fine.

Not great advice Mike.

They do get hot enough to burn, quite often. Directly on the screen is a bad idea, chameleons love to climb on the screen upside down, direct contact will burn.
Think before you post mate.

Sorry to hear about your lizard Kathryn, sudden death from being upset seems unlikely, something was very wrong already .
Best wishes with your new one.

 

[chameleonfan101]

Not great advice Mike.

They do get hot enough to burn, quite often. Directly on the screen is a bad idea, chameleons love to climb on the screen upside down, direct contact will burn.
Think before you post mate.

Sorry to hear about your lizard Kathryn, sudden death from being upset seems unlikely, something was very wrong already .
Best wishes with your new one.

Depending on the wattage of your reptisun 5.0. A lot of the sizes don't get hot enough to burn your beautiful creature. I think jojackson is talking about bulbs with a high wattage if you use a reptisun 5.0 with less than 25 watts you should be fine. If you are using a glass terrerium I would be really careful with the wattage you use because your chameleon can easily overheat and ofcourse that's not what any one wants. Good luck.

 

[kathryn]

Not great advice Mike.

They do get hot enough to burn, quite often. Directly on the screen is a bad idea, chameleons love to climb on the screen upside down, direct contact will burn.
Think before you post mate.

Sorry to hear about your lizard Kathryn, sudden death from being upset seems unlikely, something was very wrong already .
Best wishes with your new one.

It's a 50watt basking bulb in a small dome. I am going to be installing a shelf for the reptarium anyways, and i will try to figure out a way to hang it up a bit probably by using a hook from the ceiling. I'm paranoid about fire, I have everything specially rigged up and have an ADT smoke alarm system too. Fire freaks me out!

Glad to hear that most people from both forums & facebook are agreeing it probably wasn't anything that I did wrong. I felt HORRIBLE! and my mom is honestly more upset than I am I think, she offered to drive me wherever to pick up a new one.

I haven't heard back from the seller since this morning.. hoping they don't suddenly back out for some odd reason. Worst case scenario I'd just print out a copy of the email and find them at the next reptile show they attend and deal with the situation then. They seemed nice, but I guess I'm just anxious about getting this sorted out.

 

[jojackson]

I think jojackson is talking about bulbs with a high wattage ....

I was talking about heating bulbs generally. High wattage is not necessary for burns to occur
lightbulbs get hot. Safe is always better than sorry.

 

[chameleonfan101]

I think jojackson is talking about bulbs with a high wattage ....

I was talking about heating bulbs generally. High wattage is not necessary for burns to occur
lightbulbs get hot. Safe is always better than sorry.

Safe is ALWAYS better than sorry.

 

[Elizadolots]

I think it depends on the dome. If it keeps the bulb well away from the lip of the dome, then it might be okay to put it right on the top of a screened cage.

However, there's a big caveat here. She has a Reptarium. Maybe they make screen cages, but mine are mesh and I don't recommend putting anything, especially not a light on a mesh top. I say this for two reasons. 1) Eventually they sag and 2) the chameleon can easily push the mesh up quite a bit. If the bulb is 2 inches above the mesh, a good size chameleon on a high perch could easily touch the bulb.