Newer with Deremensis in HK

[rancid22]

Hi there, I'm new to here and just got my male deremensis for 3days. it is around 3" exclude it's tail. I would like to asking for few stupid questions.

1. The shop told me that it's around 5 to 6 months old, so is it still a baby?
2. Once I put it in the cage, it ate only one cricket, and it didn't eat on the second day, today is the third day and it also only ate one of the cricket. (as I need to goto work, so I just put 2 more inside the cage). So, is there any problem with it?
3. When I'm feeding it, I put the cricket a bit far away from its target range, it just look at the cricket but didn't do any action until I move the cricket near it. is he lazy or something?
4. I do air conditioning at night around 18-20C, but the humidity is around 30, so I use the zoomed mist once an hour for 45secs, and it will back to 70-80, is it no good for it in this jumpy humidity?

Sorry for my poor english
Cheers
Bruce

 

[Chamero]

It sometimes takes a few days for the chameleon to eat regularly.

If you want to leave crickets in while at work, try a cup to hold crickets so they dont run away or hide. This way you can know for sure what he eats.

Also, im not sure about your particular species of chameleon, but I kno with the Veiled chameleon, short term spikes in humidity are ok.

 

[rancid22]

Thanks Chamero, I tried to put the cricket inside a tray at the bottom of the cage. but it never go down there (cage size: 18'W X 18'D X 30'H), even have a look. so, should a hook up a stage at the upper side of the cage? but I would like to let it find itself naturally.

 

[EmilioPichardo]

like chamero said try to put a cup where the crickets wont escape that way you can count better put it around an area where he usually stays just make sure it's reachable it works for me and if the cup is to deep shape it up a little bit so he can have better access

 

[rancid22]

Understood, let me have a try. Thanks so much

 

[Carlton]

1. The shop told me that it's around 5 to 6 months old, so is it still a baby?
3. . is he lazy or something?
4. I do air conditioning at night around 18-20C, but the humidity is around 30, so I use the zoomed mist once an hour for 45secs, and it will back to 70-80, is it no good for it in this jumpy humidity?

A 6 month old cham is a juvenile, not a baby.

No, not lazy, but cautious and suspicious of his new surroundings. Deremensis are very very stubborn about feeding in front of their keepers. And, they often watch the food for a long time before shooting at it. I think it's because they are so reluctant to give their position away by moving. They don't eat all that much in my experience. They are not overly active and spend much of their time sitting completely still, waiting for food to walk right up to them. I found that putting a plastic container in the middle of thick foliage (so they feel they are hidden from view while hunting) with good climbing branches right down to the rim of the container helps them feel more confident. Don't leave your insects free roaming in the cage. By the time a deremensis decides to eat the insects have hidden themselves.

Deremensis like spikes in humidity. Usually the problem is too little humidity, not too much. As long as the cage does not sit stagnant at very high humidity all the time it should be OK.

 

[LovitaVelvet]

In deed Deremensis are very stubborn about feeding in front of their keepers and are very cautious and suspicious of new surroundings. I have had deremensis that take a good month or longer to really settle into a new environment and during this month of adjustment they can appear to be "lazy" or lethargic. Sometimes they will even appear to be sleepwalking during the day, which can be strange and unsettling if you are not expecting it.

 

[rancid22]

Thanks for your help . I've made a cricket container at last which I only put 1 to 2 crickets for a day. Here are the pics of the deremensis and the container.

Cheers

 

[Lloyd Heilbrunn]

Maybe, my pair is unusual, but they are both strong feeders....

 

[rancid22]

That's I'm still worrying, it has been 4days in my home, only one cricket per day, lucky that it does drink. Need sometime for him to get used to the new place.

 

[Action Jackson]

Is that your calcium/vitamin power in the bottom of your feeder cup??? If so that's really not good ! When your Chameleon shoots food out of there and gets a mouth full of that he is going to get overdosed and is not going to like what's in his mouth. I have not kept Deremensis and I'm sure someone could chime in here with a"proper" dusting schedule but I believe you should be lightly dusting your feeders a couple times a week.

Personally I would stop the supplementing, gut load your feeders well and get him eating before you start supplementing. Also offer some other type of feeders.

 

[rancid22]

Thanks Action Jackson, let me clean up the container at once. And it still doesn't eat itself, just looking at the container from another side, I need to put the cricket nearby and it will eat. Should I stop doing this until it try to eat itself?

Cheers

 

[Action Jackson]

You can offer him food in the cup and I would also let a few crickets loose in his cage. Not too many though. You do not want the crickets to bite him at night. Make sure he has plenty of cover to hide and try not to disturb him to much. He looks good in the picture you posted. He may just need some privacy to feel comfortable enough to eat.

 

[franticurchin]

imo as far as crickets go i would free range them in the cage till he has been in your care for a while. just make sure you put some cricket food aka gut load i like to use a lots of little bits of different veggies and just put it somewhere in the cage the crickets will go for food before your cham then you could leave them in there over night my cham likes to eat a bunch of crickets first thing after he wakes up and shies out if i open the cage or interrupt in anyway that is what i have seen works best for my cham so you might like to give it a try?

 

[eisentrauti]

The most important thing is that they drink much. Their metabolic rate is extremly low, they are reptiles and for reptiles really "lazy" or less moving ones. I hope you didnt expect an active hunter when you purchased them but deremensis are after my experience together with parsoniis the most typical SIT and WAIT predators regarding all chameleons I've kept so far

 

[DavidBuchan]

That's I'm still worrying, it has been 4days in my home, only one cricket per day, lucky that it does drink. Need sometime for him to get used to the new place.

Hi Bruce, welcome to the forum. I have never kept that species, but for 4 days if there is drinking and some eating then there is no need to worry.
Your Chameleon looks very good - have you got uv strip light and basking lamp?
Do you know the best temps for this species?
Maybe a different kind of insect will inspire him. All Chameleons love things like flies and moths/ butterflies - things that fly around. You shouldn't feed only flies though - crickets with vitamins are the best staple, especially if you feed them dark green leaves.......chameleons are usually happiest with a variety of insects. Maybe some soft fruit (strawberries/kiwi/banana) would get eaten.

 

[eisentrauti]

Fruits are not necessary, deremensis will never eat them, but flies are always a good suggestion. But be careful, some chameleons won't eat anything else if they get too often flies

 

[DavidBuchan]

Fruits are not necessary, deremensis will never eat them, but flies are always a good suggestion. But be careful, some chameleons won't eat anything else if they get too often flies

True, must be careful with flies and worms. This chameleon looks healthy so if it decides to refuse crickets it would be ok for a few days until it gets very hungry again! Fruits aren't often very important, but Veileds eat them so it was a guess.

 

[Littlehorn]

If your Deremensis is bought from the "shop" I think, then therez a lot u need to do to keep it alive.

First of all, no ups and downs of humidity for dermensis, u have to keep it at least 65%-70% humidity, but with constant airflow. U can achieve this by having ur cage cover up with a board on 2 sides. (But in Hong Kong, the humidity is usually 60%, so u gotta do the math urself) Also a 10degress drop at night is a must (Good job)

Secondly, u need to make sure ur chameleon is hydrated, coz as far as I can tell, that "shop" don't have a mister or a dropper, and they only do hand misting once a day.

Thirdly, u will also need to de-worm ur chameleon. They are usually full of parasite, as you should know they will mix the chameleons in one single cabinet in the shop.

By another week, if your chameleon still does not take another cric, you should try some other food and take a close look at your setting again.

***By the way, the habb*mist, itz a quite useless product....***

 

[rancid22]

You can offer him food in the cup and I would also let a few crickets loose in his cage. Not too many though. You do not want the crickets to bite him at night. Make sure he has plenty of cover to hide and try not to disturb him to much. He looks good in the picture you posted. He may just need some privacy to feel comfortable enough to eat.

Thanks Action Jackson, the cup is now cleared. But he didn't wanna eat for today, so I just let it be, hope he will start eating again tomorrow. So how to let him feel comfortable to eat? do I need to add more hiding place? cause not too much hiding place for him at this moment. I heard some people said that living at low level will depressed him, so I've rise up the cage and he is now staying higher than my height, will this makes him moire comfortable?

Cheers