Ok 3-6 crickets is very low for her age. She is about 4 months now correct? So the urate is the white part that comes out... Is it white? OR mostly yellow.
No Hand Feeding?
- Thread starter littlekiwi
- Start date
littlekiwi
Established Member
she is around 7-8 weeks, not months like i originally thought. and the urate is fully white
PabloTheCham
Chameleon Enthusiast
3-6 crickets is low. Not sure about the age, but she should be eating at least 10 crickets a day.
Urate being white is good. Even if it had a bit of yellow is fine.
Ok as for the eating. If she is in fact that young then you need to get her to eat more... what size crickets is she eating? You need her to be eating at least 12-15 a day. They need to be properly supplemented as well.
Did you work out how to supplement yet?
Make sure her temps are not over 80 as well.
littlekiwi
Established Member
she has extra large gutloaded crickets. they are dusted with a repticalcium with d3 and without phosphorus. the bulb is at 60 watts so it’s not over 80
nightanole
Chameleon Enthusiast
I felt the pile on and tried to reroute it...
Look you bought the cham before having a good setup, and now you are in lock down so it will further delay the setup.
So i gave my 2 emergency pointers:
Stop handling the cham and stop taking it out of the tank
Get the UVB and supplement going
As long as the cham is eating and getting enough D3 (either with crappy lights and a medium D3 supplements, or Perfect lights and no D3 supplements) You wont have to worry about the health of the cham for months.
In all honesty a 20 gallon is perfect for a baby, and you can just slap on a old school T8 UVB linear bulb, with no substrate, and you will be good for at least 90 days. Lets say that UVB light is shot, you still wont get MBD as long as you are doing medium suppliementing, say D3 powder every other feeding. Plenty of breeders do not use uvb lights and supplement 100% with D3, but those people have a few decades of experience vs us normal folk.
I was younger than you when i got my first cham, and we didnt have fancy lights or screen cages back then, or the interwebs. All i had was a full spectrum bulb and some field reports say it appears they eat berries... But at least i had D3 and calcium powder.
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littlekiwi
Established Member
thanks. i saw where you tried to reroute it and i really appreciate it. i’m going to get a new enclosure today and cancelled the order online. also i’m replacing the bulb for the light (even though it is a few weeks old.) but for real thank you for trying to stop the pile on. i do appreciate it a lot
Ok extra large size are going to be too big for her. They can not handle feeders that are larger then the width between their eyes. You need small crickets for her.
For Supplements. at every feeding your going to use calcium WITHOUT D3 then 2 times a month you will use calcium WITH D3 and 2 times a month you will use a multivitamin like Reptivite without D3... Your multivitamin and your calcium WITH D3 are rotated week over week on 1 feeding day only.
This is very important if you are dusting with Calicium WITH D3 at every feeding she will suffer a D3 overdose and this can kill her.
littlekiwi
Established Member
ok. and i also took your advice and cancelled the order for the other enclosure. i’m about to be on the way to get one for her that is 18.5x18.5x36. is that a good size?
Is it screen? Yes that is just fine for her for now. Get small crickets while you are there and calcium WITHOUT D3. ok.
littlekiwi
Established Member
it is mostly screen with glass doors. i’ll be sure to do that.
Interesting.. I have not seen anything like that. Just make sure that it is not screen only on top. She will need airflow.
littlekiwi
Established Member
i amInteresting.. I have not seen anything like that. Just make sure that it is not screen only on top. She will need airflow.
Good job
nightanole
Chameleon Enthusiast
odds are the cham will end up with a 24x24x48 Xl once is full grown. So you can do the 18 thing, or buy the reptibreeze xl, and just "lift the bottom" so that the cage turns into a 24" cube. I put them in the big boy cage once i know they can find water and find food. So you cant really put them in the 4ft tall cages till you know they are "feeder trained".
