betuana
New Member
I posted saying hi a couple weeks back in the lounge when I found out my aunt was going to give me her veiled chameleon. He just got here this past Sunday at about 9pm - so I've had him for less than a week, but I have attempted to get him in a better setup, etc. This is the first time I've gotten an animal without doing at least a year of research first, so any tips or help you can offer to help me make sure this guy is kept as comfortable and happy as possible would be greatly appreciated!
I especially would like advice on how much to feed and how often. I've done some searches, but realize it can vary animal to animal - I'm sure he previously was not getting enough food, but I'm not exactly sure just how much to actually give him. I have easy access to crickets (assuming our LPS can keep getting them in with the shortage) and waxworms (I know should only be a treat), and am looking at ordering hornworms for him as well.
Also, if anyone has any tips on good basking lamps - my 100w incadescant bulb does not seem to be adequately heating his basking area.
I filled out the "asking for help" form below, and have also attached several pictures. He has been in a molt since I got him (arrived molting) - not sure how long that normally takes a chameleon...
I've tried to include not only his current information, but any past care information that I know about to provide as much information about him as possible. I know with some of his past care MBD is a possibility...
Thanks for any tips, advice, feedback, comments, or whatever you can offer! Its very appreciated!
Chameleon Info:
*CHAMELEON: Wally - Veiled Chameleon, Chamaeleo calyptratus, male, "1.5 years old". He seems to be approximately 12" from nose to tail tip when he holds it out straight, and maybe more like 6" when its curled up? He just got here from my aunt on Sunday, June 6, 2010 - she had him since August of 2009.
*HANDLING: So far the only handling that has been done was moving him into his new cage - he snaps, gapes, and hisses when hands get too close. His previous owner didn't ever handle him - he was a classroom pet in a 2nd grade.
*FEEDING: So far I have offered mealworms (our local stores didn't have any crickets in stock monday), crickets, and waxworms. I am looking for advice on how much/often to feed him, and looking into ordering hornworms. I have been feeding him daily, about 5-6 crickets and 6 waxworms a day, since he seemed somewhat thin when he got here - he prefers the crickets to anything else so far. I do tend to reduce the waxworms, but wanted to make sure he got some extra calories after his trip here (during which he had no food, water, heat, etc for the whole day). I have some fresh greens, cricket calcium diet, and similar in the container with them to help gutload them. His previous owner only ever fed him 12-15 crickets once per week - straight from the store.
*SUPPLEMENTS: I have ZooMed Repti-Calcium, with D3 and without D3, as well as a ZooMed multivitamin. So far I have been dusting every other day - the first day I used the D3, and since then I've used the without D3. To my knowledge, he had no supplements in his previous home.
*WATERING: I have a BigDripper set up dripping onto his plants, and also a MistKing set up to spray 4 times daily to provide water. In his previous home he also had a dripper and was sprayed by hand 1-2 times a day Monday-Friday, and not at all on the weekends.
*FECAL DESCRIPTION: Urates look normal, and most of his feces looks dark - though one of his droppings today looked like it was most of one of the mealworms passed without much processing.
*HISTORY: I've been trying to note any history specifically with each category - but he was a classroom pet for a 2nd grade teacher (my aunt), who decided at the end of the school year that she couldn't keep him. She offered him to me 2 weeks ago, and he arrived at around 9pm Sunday night. He has been in the same cage since she got him.
Cage Info:
*CAGE TYPE: LLR Screen Cage, 2'x2'x4'. Previously was in a ZooMed 16"x16"x20" screen cage.
*LIGHTING: ReptiSun 5.0 tube and a 100 watt incadescent bulb for a heatlamp. Lights are on a timer turning on at 8am and off at 8pm. Previously had a CF Reptisun 10.0 that hadn't been replaced since his purchase last August - lights were turned on at around 7 am and off at 4pm M-F, and not used on weekends.
*TEMPERATURE: Currently the ambient room/cage temperature is around 75 F, with the basking spot reaching about 85F - looking into getting a better basking heatlamp bulb to bring that temperature up.
*HUMIDITY: There are currently live plants in the cage to help keep humidity levels up, and I have a MistKing system misting 4 times a day (2 minutes a little after 8am, 2 minutes at around 11:15am, 5 minutes at around 2:30pm, and 2 minutes at 6pm). Previously, it was just maintained with misting 1-2x daily M-F.
*PLANTS: I have live plants in the current enclosure, a 3.5 foot tall Weeping Fig (Ficus), a 3 foot tall Hibiscus (I have 3 total, one in the cage at a time to rotate them out to keep them healthy), and a Pothos (vines are only about 2-3 foot long on that one, still trying to get it to grow more. Previously he only had plastic plants.
*PLACEMENT: The cage is currently in our reptile/tarantula room, which is closed off from the rest of the house to prevent the other animals (cats) from bothering the animals - receives very low traffic - generally just during feeding/maintenence times. There are no airvents (there is a return vent and ground vent on the opposite side of the room) near the cages, but there is a fan pointing out the window (not blowing into the room on anyone) to help aid in ventillation of the room. The room's temperature is maintained by a standing heater as well as the whole house heating/ac. The top of the cage is about 6 feet off the floor. Previously he lived on a shelf in a 2nd grade classroom - so high traffic area, and was not elevated very high so that the students could view him easily.
*LOCATION: I am located in central Illinois - he previously lived in the Chicago area.
PICTURES:
Wally in his Old Cage:
New Cage next to his Old Cage:
Perches, Vine and feeding cup in his new cage before the plants were added:
Feeding Cup - a water pitcher with holes in the bottom, screening across the bottom and up the back, and plants to decorate it:
Wally in his New Cage - no flash used:
Wally in his New Cage - flash used:
Wally's Left Side:
Wally's Right Side:
In his old cage, staring down the camera:
On the vine I used to move him to his new cage - he actually lunged and snapped at my hand, so this seemed like the best way to transfer him:
Closeup of him on the vine:
Staring down the camera in his new cage:
Showing off his colors as he does sometimes:
And finally - his opinion of me taking his pictures, even from 5 or more feet away:
I especially would like advice on how much to feed and how often. I've done some searches, but realize it can vary animal to animal - I'm sure he previously was not getting enough food, but I'm not exactly sure just how much to actually give him. I have easy access to crickets (assuming our LPS can keep getting them in with the shortage) and waxworms (I know should only be a treat), and am looking at ordering hornworms for him as well.
Also, if anyone has any tips on good basking lamps - my 100w incadescant bulb does not seem to be adequately heating his basking area.
I filled out the "asking for help" form below, and have also attached several pictures. He has been in a molt since I got him (arrived molting) - not sure how long that normally takes a chameleon...
I've tried to include not only his current information, but any past care information that I know about to provide as much information about him as possible. I know with some of his past care MBD is a possibility...
Thanks for any tips, advice, feedback, comments, or whatever you can offer! Its very appreciated!
Chameleon Info:
*CHAMELEON: Wally - Veiled Chameleon, Chamaeleo calyptratus, male, "1.5 years old". He seems to be approximately 12" from nose to tail tip when he holds it out straight, and maybe more like 6" when its curled up? He just got here from my aunt on Sunday, June 6, 2010 - she had him since August of 2009.
*HANDLING: So far the only handling that has been done was moving him into his new cage - he snaps, gapes, and hisses when hands get too close. His previous owner didn't ever handle him - he was a classroom pet in a 2nd grade.
*FEEDING: So far I have offered mealworms (our local stores didn't have any crickets in stock monday), crickets, and waxworms. I am looking for advice on how much/often to feed him, and looking into ordering hornworms. I have been feeding him daily, about 5-6 crickets and 6 waxworms a day, since he seemed somewhat thin when he got here - he prefers the crickets to anything else so far. I do tend to reduce the waxworms, but wanted to make sure he got some extra calories after his trip here (during which he had no food, water, heat, etc for the whole day). I have some fresh greens, cricket calcium diet, and similar in the container with them to help gutload them. His previous owner only ever fed him 12-15 crickets once per week - straight from the store.
*SUPPLEMENTS: I have ZooMed Repti-Calcium, with D3 and without D3, as well as a ZooMed multivitamin. So far I have been dusting every other day - the first day I used the D3, and since then I've used the without D3. To my knowledge, he had no supplements in his previous home.
*WATERING: I have a BigDripper set up dripping onto his plants, and also a MistKing set up to spray 4 times daily to provide water. In his previous home he also had a dripper and was sprayed by hand 1-2 times a day Monday-Friday, and not at all on the weekends.
*FECAL DESCRIPTION: Urates look normal, and most of his feces looks dark - though one of his droppings today looked like it was most of one of the mealworms passed without much processing.
*HISTORY: I've been trying to note any history specifically with each category - but he was a classroom pet for a 2nd grade teacher (my aunt), who decided at the end of the school year that she couldn't keep him. She offered him to me 2 weeks ago, and he arrived at around 9pm Sunday night. He has been in the same cage since she got him.
Cage Info:
*CAGE TYPE: LLR Screen Cage, 2'x2'x4'. Previously was in a ZooMed 16"x16"x20" screen cage.
*LIGHTING: ReptiSun 5.0 tube and a 100 watt incadescent bulb for a heatlamp. Lights are on a timer turning on at 8am and off at 8pm. Previously had a CF Reptisun 10.0 that hadn't been replaced since his purchase last August - lights were turned on at around 7 am and off at 4pm M-F, and not used on weekends.
*TEMPERATURE: Currently the ambient room/cage temperature is around 75 F, with the basking spot reaching about 85F - looking into getting a better basking heatlamp bulb to bring that temperature up.
*HUMIDITY: There are currently live plants in the cage to help keep humidity levels up, and I have a MistKing system misting 4 times a day (2 minutes a little after 8am, 2 minutes at around 11:15am, 5 minutes at around 2:30pm, and 2 minutes at 6pm). Previously, it was just maintained with misting 1-2x daily M-F.
*PLANTS: I have live plants in the current enclosure, a 3.5 foot tall Weeping Fig (Ficus), a 3 foot tall Hibiscus (I have 3 total, one in the cage at a time to rotate them out to keep them healthy), and a Pothos (vines are only about 2-3 foot long on that one, still trying to get it to grow more. Previously he only had plastic plants.
*PLACEMENT: The cage is currently in our reptile/tarantula room, which is closed off from the rest of the house to prevent the other animals (cats) from bothering the animals - receives very low traffic - generally just during feeding/maintenence times. There are no airvents (there is a return vent and ground vent on the opposite side of the room) near the cages, but there is a fan pointing out the window (not blowing into the room on anyone) to help aid in ventillation of the room. The room's temperature is maintained by a standing heater as well as the whole house heating/ac. The top of the cage is about 6 feet off the floor. Previously he lived on a shelf in a 2nd grade classroom - so high traffic area, and was not elevated very high so that the students could view him easily.
*LOCATION: I am located in central Illinois - he previously lived in the Chicago area.
PICTURES:
Wally in his Old Cage:
New Cage next to his Old Cage:
Perches, Vine and feeding cup in his new cage before the plants were added:
Feeding Cup - a water pitcher with holes in the bottom, screening across the bottom and up the back, and plants to decorate it:
Wally in his New Cage - no flash used:
Wally in his New Cage - flash used:
Wally's Left Side:
Wally's Right Side:
In his old cage, staring down the camera:
On the vine I used to move him to his new cage - he actually lunged and snapped at my hand, so this seemed like the best way to transfer him:
Closeup of him on the vine:
Staring down the camera in his new cage:
Showing off his colors as he does sometimes:
And finally - his opinion of me taking his pictures, even from 5 or more feet away:
