not eating still :/

[sketchtone]

I have offered Reginald many bugs before, all he didn’t touch or didn’t like more than once. He has eaten only crickets and wax worms recently. He tried a super, but he’s a bit small for them and was constipated a few days (refused to eat and then pooped twice in an hour) so he won’t eat them. He is not at all interested in hornworms (the ones i have are too big now, but even when they were smaller.)
he now won’t eat his crickets. I think he is a bit intimidated in size, as I haven’t been able to get the smaller ones from the usual store, since its pretty far and closed more often than not. I’m going to get some smaller ones for him to try, but I was wondering what would be good to offer when he won’t eat much. He ate one wax worm today and is unwilling to eat another. (he also likes tong/hand feeding best)

won’t eat: super worms, hornworms, bsfl
will eat: wax worms, crickets.

He pooped in front of me (on a plastic dish) so I am going to send it in for a fecal test. I fixed the height of his light to the correct distance and hung another plant for him to hide in.

He was also lethargic until we had to get him out to check for issues around his mouth (none apparent) and I noticed he was dozing off so i’m really worried now. (I remembered I slightly lowered his heat lamp to combat his screen climbing, so I raised it and am going to see if it was heat stress) He doesn’t look too underweight. If you need my husbandry specifics can copy paste it from my last post.

i am not at home right now, and if he is still dozing off when i get home i am going to take him to the vet. Any and all help is very, VERY appreciated!! (i’d rather him eat something than nothing since he’s so small and so picky, but if the wax worms are an issue, i can stop feeding them. he won’t eat more than one of anything [tong/hand fed] a day and i don’t think he is eating much without that.)

 

[elizaann2]

Something is going on, they should not have their eyes closed during the day. I know you have other posts on here but I am not good at searching them up. Copy this form below and fill it out with as much information as you can provide for me. Then if you will, please share a picture of your enclosure including the lights on the top. I'd also love a photo of your chameleon if you can send a pic of him today as well.

Are the feeders bigger than the space between his eyes?

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 do 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?

Current Problem -

 

[sketchtone]

Something is going on, they should not have their eyes closed during the day. I know you have other posts on here but I am not good at searching them up. Copy this form below and fill it out with as much information as you can provide for me. Then if you will, please share a picture of your enclosure including the lights on the top. I'd also love a photo of your chameleon if you can send a pic of him today as well.

Are the feeders bigger than the space between his eyes?

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 do 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?

Current Problem -

The feeders are not bigger than the space, but bigger than what he is used to. (they’re about the same size as the space)

I lowered his heat bulb yesterday by accident when fixing his other lights, and he was only closing his eyes under it, and he was pretty lightly colored as well, so I’m pretty sure it was him being too warm. I raised his heat bulb again and he hasn’t been sluggish or sleeping since. I have a fresh poop in the fridge and am taking it to an exotics vet for testing tomorrow. I got silk worms for him to try and some tiny crickets for him so he’d be less intimidated. He wasn’t sleeping yesterday so I really think it was the heat. In the picture he is sitting under his dripper and drinking with a worm that crawled near him. He was not interested in it though. The dark on the tip of his back is new colors he hasn’t shown before. He started putting them on when we did a huge enclosure switch (a few weeks ago, so I think he’d have time to adjust, especially since it’s like the one he had before)

• Your Chameleon - Male Panther Chameleon. Unknown age but he's estimated 5 months.
• Handling - Handled minimally, but when necessary and/or when he wants. (almost never, for the ladder)
• Feeding - Small-Medium Crickets. right now they are eating store gut load, which i want to switch from, but my main concern for him is that he’s actually eating now.
• Supplements - ZooMed repti calcium is what im using for regular. for D3, I will have him on a schedule of 1st and 15th, starting on the fifteenth, as I do not know his original schedule and did not have him on the first.
• Watering - Mistking for five minutes before lights on and five before lights out, fogging from 1am-6am, misting 2 minutes every other hour from 9pm
• Fecal Description - his poops are ok, however i’d like him to drink more. he has access to a dropper almost all day, but half of his urates are orange. he’s pooped pretty regularly, however he was constipated from a superstorm and wouldn’t eat for a couple days a bit ago.
• History - (i think i put it above? if i didn’t i can describe it correctly)

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - ZooMed 36-18-36 mesh enclosure.
• Lighting - Vivid Chameleons and Habitats 50W basking bulb, Arcadia JungleDawn Plant light, ZooMed ReptiSun T5 HO 24w 22in 5.0 UVB.
• Temperature - Cage floor is usually between 70-75. Basking is 82-85. I have one digital thermometer hygrometers combo nearer to the top but in the middle. I have a temp gun that I do not like since it is a few degrees off.
• Humidity - Ambient humidity in the house is around mid to high 30s. Day time humidity fluctuates from 60-40. Nighttime after misting is around 75-90. he has a bioactive floor now as well.
• Plants - Philodendron, ivy, a few big ferns, philodendron at the top. (a few other plants at the bottom, that again, I can't remember the names of for the life of me, but I do not buy chameleon plants without checking the forums and chameleon academy for safety,)
• Placement - Cage is in my bedroom, which has two outer walls. It’s a low traffic area. The enclosure is lifted about 2.5 feet off the ground. I turn on both fans to lower the temp (no aircon yet) and turn off the floor fan when temps drop enough.
• Location - Nevada (desert)

Current problem: Not eating enough

 

[sketchtone]

I lowered his heat bulb yesterday by accident when fixing his other lights, and he was only closing his eyes under it, and he was pretty lightly colored as well, so I’m pretty sure it was him being too warm. I raised his heat bulb again and he hasn’t been sluggish or sleeping since. I have a fresh poop in the fridge and am taking it to an exotics vet for testing tomorrow. I got silk worms for him to try and some tiny crickets for him so he’d be less intimidated. He wasn’t sleeping yesterday so I really think it was the heat. In the picture he is sitting under his dripper and drinking with a worm that crawled near him. He was not interested in it though. The dark on the tip of his back is new colors he hasn’t shown before. He started putting them on when we did a huge enclosure switch (a few weeks ago, so I think he’d have time to adjust, especially since it’s like the one he had before)

• Your Chameleon - Male Panther Chameleon. Unknown age but he's estimated 5 months.
• Handling - Handled minimally, but when necessary and/or when he wants. (almost never, for the ladder)
• Feeding - Small-Medium Crickets. right now they are eating store gut load, which i want to switch from, but my main concern for him is that he’s actually eating now.
• Supplements - ZooMed repti calcium is what im using for regular. for D3, I will have him on a schedule of 1st and 15th, starting on the fifteenth, as I do not know his original schedule and did not have him on the first.
• Watering - Mistking for five minutes before lights on and five before lights out, fogging from 1am-6am, misting 2 minutes every other hour from 9pm
• Fecal Description - his poops are ok, however i’d like him to drink more. he has access to a dropper almost all day, but half of his urates are orange. he’s pooped pretty regularly, however he was constipated from a superstorm and wouldn’t eat for a couple days a bit ago.
• History - (i think i put it above? if i didn’t i can describe it correctly)

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - ZooMed 36-18-36 mesh enclosure.
• Lighting - Vivid Chameleons and Habitats 50W basking bulb, Arcadia JungleDawn Plant light, ZooMed ReptiSun T5 HO 24w 22in 5.0 UVB.
• Temperature - Cage floor is usually between 70-75. Basking is 82-85. I have one digital thermometer hygrometers combo nearer to the top but in the middle. I have a temp gun that I do not like since it is a few degrees off.
• Humidity - Ambient humidity in the house is around mid to high 30s. Day time humidity fluctuates from 60-40. Nighttime after misting is around 75-90. he has a bioactive floor now as well.
• Plants - Philodendron, ivy, a few big ferns, philodendron at the top. (a few other plants at the bottom, that again, I can't remember the names of for the life of me, but I do not buy chameleon plants without checking the forums and chameleon academy for safety,)
• Placement - Cage is in my bedroom, which has two outer walls. It’s a low traffic area. The enclosure is lifted about 2.5 feet off the ground. I turn on both fans to lower the temp (no aircon yet) and turn off the floor fan when temps drop enough.
• Location - Nevada (desert)

Current problem: Not eating enough

I am still working on the new plants btw!!

 

[elizaann2]

I’m so sorry I had some things come up tonight so I was unable to go through your husbandry. I’ll go through it first thing in the morning.

When I mentioned the space between the lights and his branch I meant his UVB light, not the heat lamp. You want about 9 inches from the uvb light to the top branch under the uvb hood.

Another thing is if he is intimidated by bigger feeders try to go back to smaller ones and see how that goes.

 

[sketchtone]

I’m so sorry I had some things come up tonight so I was unable to go through your husbandry. I’ll go through it first thing in the morning.

When I mentioned the space between the lights and his branch I meant his UVB light, not the heat lamp. You want about 9 inches from the uvb light to the top branch under the uvb hood.

Another thing is if he is intimidated by bigger feeders try to go back to smaller ones and see how that goes.

It’s ok!! I’m going to get his test done and possibly have him seen tomorrow as well!! i fixed the uvb, don’t worry, i just accidentally bumped the heat lamp and forgot to fix it! i will try the smaller feeders tomorrow, thank you!!

 

[elizaann2]

Alright see my response in Bold below

• Your Chameleon - Male Panther Chameleon. Unknown age but he's estimated 5 months. Where did you get him if you don't mind my asking.
• Handling - Handled minimally, but when necessary and/or when he wants. (almost never, for the ladder)
• Feeding - Small-Medium Crickets. right now they are eating store gut load, which i want to switch from, but my main concern for him is that he’s actually eating now. I'll attach our gutload here for you to use if you would like. I make this about once every 4 months or so in a large batch, freeze it into little ice cubes and then store them in the freezer in gallon ziploc bags. I use this on top of some other fresh fruits and veggies and the dry cricket gut-load from Josh's frogs. Keep trying the smaller feeders if the larger ones seem to intimidate him.
• Supplements - ZooMed repti calcium is what im using for regular. for D3, I will have him on a schedule of 1st and 15th, starting on the fifteenth, as I do not know his original schedule and did not have him on the first. What is your D3 supplemnt? Does it have multivitamins in it as well?
• Watering - Mistking for five minutes before lights on and five before lights out, fogging from 1am-6am, misting 2 minutes every other hour from 9pm Fantastic
• Fecal Description - his poops are ok, however i’d like him to drink more. he has access to a dropper almost all day, but half of his urates are orange. he’s pooped pretty regularly, however he was constipated from a superstorm and wouldn’t eat for a couple days a bit ago. Chameleons do not typically drink in the wild, they get their hydration from the fog banks that roll in in the early mornings. If your chameleon is hydrated from fogging then you should not see him drink. If he is dehydrated then I would recommend installing a dripper once a day around 3 pm to see if he drinks from that. He shouldn't be getting constipated from a superworm. Constipation will most likely come from the heat being off, not enough hydration or possibly a parasite. If he isn't eating as much he won't poop as often either so keep that in mind and if his urates are half orange and he isnt pooping often then that orange half is ok, so long as the other half of the urate is white.
• History - (i think i put it above? if i didn’t i can describe it correctly)

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - ZooMed 36-18-36 mesh enclosure. I am not seeing the mesh, have you used any kind of plastic or anything to turn his enclosure into a hybrid? If not, consider that due to the fact that you live in a very dry state. His humidity requirements will be hard to maintain in an all screen enclosure. You can do something as simple as putting corrugated plastic on 3 sides of the enclosure or using the Frost King window insulation shrink kit found at Home Depot.
• Lighting - Vivid Chameleons and Habitats 50W basking bulb, Arcadia JungleDawn Plant light, ZooMed ReptiSun T5 HO 24w 22in 5.0 UVB. Good, when was the UVB light changed last?
• Temperature - Cage floor is usually between 70-75. Basking is 82-85. I have one digital thermometer hygrometers combo nearer to the top but in the middle. I have a temp gun that I do not like since it is a few degrees off. So for your little guy I would not go higher than 80 degrees at his basking branch. 85 is pretty warm.
• Humidity - Ambient humidity in the house is around mid to high 30s. Day time humidity fluctuates from 60-40. Nighttime after misting is around 75-90. he has a bioactive floor now as well. What are you using to measure the humidity? This is equally as important as temperatures for chameleons so you'll want to make sure that he is getting 40-50% during the day and night time as close to 100% as you can get.
• Plants - Philodendron, ivy, a few big ferns, philodendron at the top. (a few other plants at the bottom, that again, I can't remember the names of for the life of me, but I do not buy chameleon plants without checking the forums and chameleon academy for safety,). Good. You'll want to add a lot more plants and branches, I know you said you are working on that but keep in mind that all those plants will help your chameleon feel safe, this may be another reason he isnt eating very well. (just a guess). Sticks you can find outside, just dont use any branches from sap producing trees or any trees that have a strong smell to them like eucalyptus for example. Wash with soap and hot water and rinse well. Let them dry in the sun and then they should be good to use. You want lots of branches so your baby can choose what temp/humidity range they want to sit in.
• Placement - Cage is in my bedroom, which has two outer walls. It’s a low traffic area. The enclosure is lifted about 2.5 feet off the ground. I turn on both fans to lower the temp (no aircon yet) and turn off the floor fan when temps drop enough. I would consider raising his enclosure up higher if you can. Height equals security for chameleons. For example, all my enclosures are on outdoor tables or shelves that are tall enough so the top of the branches in my cham's enclosures are above my head. If I need to adjust lights or anything I have to use a chair.
• Location - Nevada (desert)

I watched this video this morning and I feel it really breaks down how to set up a chameleon enclosure so the chameleon gets everything they need. Check it out and see if that helps at all:

 

[sketchtone]

Alright see my response in Bold below

• Your Chameleon - Male Panther Chameleon. Unknown age but he's estimated 5 months. Where did you get him if you don't mind my asking.
• Handling - Handled minimally, but when necessary and/or when he wants. (almost never, for the ladder)
• Feeding - Small-Medium Crickets. right now they are eating store gut load, which i want to switch from, but my main concern for him is that he’s actually eating now. I'll attach our gutload here for you to use if you would like. I make this about once every 4 months or so in a large batch, freeze it into little ice cubes and then store them in the freezer in gallon ziploc bags. I use this on top of some other fresh fruits and veggies and the dry cricket gut-load from Josh's frogs. Keep trying the smaller feeders if the larger ones seem to intimidate him.
• Supplements - ZooMed repti calcium is what im using for regular. for D3, I will have him on a schedule of 1st and 15th, starting on the fifteenth, as I do not know his original schedule and did not have him on the first. What is your D3 supplemnt? Does it have multivitamins in it as well?
• Watering - Mistking for five minutes before lights on and five before lights out, fogging from 1am-6am, misting 2 minutes every other hour from 9pm Fantastic
• Fecal Description - his poops are ok, however i’d like him to drink more. he has access to a dropper almost all day, but half of his urates are orange. he’s pooped pretty regularly, however he was constipated from a superstorm and wouldn’t eat for a couple days a bit ago. Chameleons do not typically drink in the wild, they get their hydration from the fog banks that roll in in the early mornings. If your chameleon is hydrated from fogging then you should not see him drink. If he is dehydrated then I would recommend installing a dripper once a day around 3 pm to see if he drinks from that. He shouldn't be getting constipated from a superworm. Constipation will most likely come from the heat being off, not enough hydration or possibly a parasite. If he isn't eating as much he won't poop as often either so keep that in mind and if his urates are half orange and he isnt pooping often then that orange half is ok, so long as the other half of the urate is white.
• History - (i think i put it above? if i didn’t i can describe it correctly)

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - ZooMed 36-18-36 mesh enclosure. I am not seeing the mesh, have you used any kind of plastic or anything to turn his enclosure into a hybrid? If not, consider that due to the fact that you live in a very dry state. His humidity requirements will be hard to maintain in an all screen enclosure. You can do something as simple as putting corrugated plastic on 3 sides of the enclosure or using the Frost King window insulation shrink kit found at Home Depot.
• Lighting - Vivid Chameleons and Habitats 50W basking bulb, Arcadia JungleDawn Plant light, ZooMed ReptiSun T5 HO 24w 22in 5.0 UVB. Good, when was the UVB light changed last?
• Temperature - Cage floor is usually between 70-75. Basking is 82-85. I have one digital thermometer hygrometers combo nearer to the top but in the middle. I have a temp gun that I do not like since it is a few degrees off. So for your little guy I would not go higher than 80 degrees at his basking branch. 85 is pretty warm.
• Humidity - Ambient humidity in the house is around mid to high 30s. Day time humidity fluctuates from 60-40. Nighttime after misting is around 75-90. he has a bioactive floor now as well. What are you using to measure the humidity? This is equally as important as temperatures for chameleons so you'll want to make sure that he is getting 40-50% during the day and night time as close to 100% as you can get.
• Plants - Philodendron, ivy, a few big ferns, philodendron at the top. (a few other plants at the bottom, that again, I can't remember the names of for the life of me, but I do not buy chameleon plants without checking the forums and chameleon academy for safety,). Good. You'll want to add a lot more plants and branches, I know you said you are working on that but keep in mind that all those plants will help your chameleon feel safe, this may be another reason he isnt eating very well. (just a guess). Sticks you can find outside, just dont use any branches from sap producing trees or any trees that have a strong smell to them like eucalyptus for example. Wash with soap and hot water and rinse well. Let them dry in the sun and then they should be good to use. You want lots of branches so your baby can choose what temp/humidity range they want to sit in.
• Placement - Cage is in my bedroom, which has two outer walls. It’s a low traffic area. The enclosure is lifted about 2.5 feet off the ground. I turn on both fans to lower the temp (no aircon yet) and turn off the floor fan when temps drop enough. I would consider raising his enclosure up higher if you can. Height equals security for chameleons. For example, all my enclosures are on outdoor tables or shelves that are tall enough so the top of the branches in my cham's enclosures are above my head. If I need to adjust lights or anything I have to use a chair.
• Location - Nevada (desert)

I watched this video this morning and I feel it really breaks down how to set up a chameleon enclosure so the chameleon gets everything they need. Check it out and see if that helps at all:

• I got him from a pet store (i know, it wasn’t the best choice, but it wasn’t a chain store, it was a local reptile shop with reputable husbandry advice and such)
• his supplements (attached below) are Zoomed’s Reptivite reptile vitamins with D3. I have to mix it with a bit of calcium when i count the bugs since it isn’t included with the vitamin mixture.
• I put a dripper for him every day, which he drinks from sometimes, but ignores others. Sometimes he sits under it.
• I have it wrapped in a shower curtain at night and I forgot to mention it is also bioactive.
• His UVB was put in on March first.
• I am raising his bulb a bit, it is only fifty watts, but I can lower the wattage.
• I one hundred percent am going to add more plants and branches for him. His first enclosure was a lot more full before the mold issue. I have to find good branches locally for him, since there’s mainly palms and conifers here, so I have some fake ones (which suck for him) for the mean time. (most places here sell grapevine, which apparently molds like crazy)
• I have his enclosure on a 2.5 foot table and on some 3D printed feet, which add about 3 inches.

 

[elizaann2]

• I got him from a pet store (i know, it wasn’t the best choice, but it wasn’t a chain store, it was a local reptile shop with reputable husbandry advice and such). No worries honestly, one of my chams is a pet store baby too and I absolutely adore her.
• his supplements (attached below) are Zoomed’s Reptivite reptile vitamins with D3. I have to mix it with a bit of calcium when i count the bugs since it isn’t included with the vitamin mixture. Ok so just to make sure I am understanding your supplementation schedule correctly this is what you do:
• Calcium w/o D3 - daily
• Reptivite w D3 on the 1st and 15th of each month
• If so - you should not have to mix the Reptivite with the plain calcium on the 1st and 15th.
• I put a dripper for him every day, which he drinks from sometimes, but ignores others. Sometimes he sits under it. Ok that is fine. If he rushes to drink then take that as a sign that he is dehydrated. My panther actually does the same thing yours does
• I have it wrapped in a shower curtain at night and I forgot to mention it is also bioactive. I would consider wrapping 3 sides all the time. Don't cover the entire enclosure because you still need airflow at night. Bioactive is awesome! I have been considering off and on about going bioactive with some of my enclosures but worry about monitoring their poops. You will have to let me know how that goes
• His UVB was put in on March first. perfect!
• I am raising his bulb a bit, it is only fifty watts, but I can lower the wattage. Perfect, do what you need to get that basking temp to 80 degrees and no higher
• I one hundred percent am going to add more plants and branches for him. His first enclosure was a lot more full before the mold issue. I have to find good branches locally for him, since there’s mainly palms and conifers here, so I have some fake ones (which suck for him) for the mean time. (most places here sell grapevine, which apparently molds like crazy). Ah, I see your problem now. You do have mostly palms in Nevada....darn. We need an online stick store where you can buy the branches you need for your cham enclosure. Grape vine looks nice but you do need to worry about mold. Another idea is maybe using plants that will provide perching branches for your chameleon such as schifflara or fiscus benjamina. If you can find a good plant store you migth be able to find one there or request for one there. You can also look online on the Biodude's website. I'm sure there are other online plant options but that is the only one I am aware of. You could also do fake vines, just make sure they are not the kind that something could flake off and get into your chams eyes.
• I have his enclosure on a 2.5 foot table and on some 3D printed feet, which add about 3 inches. Ok that is much better than what I was thinking. That is great then

 

[sketchtone]

• I got him from a pet store (i know, it wasn’t the best choice, but it wasn’t a chain store, it was a local reptile shop with reputable husbandry advice and such). No worries honestly, one of my chams is a pet store baby too and I absolutely adore her.
• his supplements (attached below) are Zoomed’s Reptivite reptile vitamins with D3. I have to mix it with a bit of calcium when i count the bugs since it isn’t included with the vitamin mixture. Ok so just to make sure I am understanding your supplementation schedule correctly this is what you do:
• Calcium w/o D3 - daily
• Reptivite w D3 on the 1st and 15th of each month
• If so - you should not have to mix the Reptivite with the plain calcium on the 1st and 15th.
• I put a dripper for him every day, which he drinks from sometimes, but ignores others. Sometimes he sits under it. Ok that is fine. If he rushes to drink then take that as a sign that he is dehydrated. My panther actually does the same thing yours does
• I have it wrapped in a shower curtain at night and I forgot to mention it is also bioactive. I would consider wrapping 3 sides all the time. Don't cover the entire enclosure because you still need airflow at night. Bioactive is awesome! I have been considering off and on about going bioactive with some of my enclosures but worry about monitoring their poops. You will have to let me know how that goes
• His UVB was put in on March first. perfect!
• I am raising his bulb a bit, it is only fifty watts, but I can lower the wattage. Perfect, do what you need to get that basking temp to 80 degrees and no higher
• I one hundred percent am going to add more plants and branches for him. His first enclosure was a lot more full before the mold issue. I have to find good branches locally for him, since there’s mainly palms and conifers here, so I have some fake ones (which suck for him) for the mean time. (most places here sell grapevine, which apparently molds like crazy). Ah, I see your problem now. You do have mostly palms in Nevada....darn. We need an online stick store where you can buy the branches you need for your cham enclosure. Grape vine looks nice but you do need to worry about mold. Another idea is maybe using plants that will provide perching branches for your chameleon such as schifflara or fiscus benjamina. If you can find a good plant store you migth be able to find one there or request for one there. You can also look online on the Biodude's website. I'm sure there are other online plant options but that is the only one I am aware of. You could also do fake vines, just make sure they are not the kind that something could flake off and get into your chams eyes.
• I have his enclosure on a 2.5 foot table and on some 3D printed feet, which add about 3 inches. Ok that is much better than what I was thinking. That is great then

just after my last reply, I found a fully undigested wax worm (the only thing he ate yesterday) next to a strange poop without any urates. I am going to drop off both poops for testing. I am basically convinced that it is mostly parasites and basking temp being off. I’m just surprised that (to me) he still seems to have grown a bit since I got him? The one in my hand is the day I got him and the other is from yesterday. I have a picture of his poop if you need that as well!!

 

[elizaann2]

yes please share the poop pic

 

[sketchtone]

yes please share the poop pic

 

[Beman]

So I just want to ask... Do you have branches right below where the UVB is? They need to be directly below the UVB 8-9 inches down.

Please confirm are you using the reptivite at every feeding?

This little one is very small. You should not be feeding anything larger than 1/4 of an inch in size. This would be considered small crickets which you may need to order rather than buy from a pet store. Rainbowmealworms sells and ships them.

 

[sketchtone]

So I just want to ask... Do you have branches right below where the UVB is? They need to be directly below the UVB 8-9 inches down.

Please confirm are you using the reptivite at every feeding?

This little one is very small. You should not be feeding anything larger than 1/4 of an inch in size. This would be considered small crickets which you may need to order rather than buy from a pet store. Rainbowmealworms sells and ships them.

• I just fixed his branch placement, so yes, it is not directly below the UVB 8-9 inches away.
• I am not using the Reptivite at every feeding since it has D3. If I need another vitamin for him then I can order one.
• I got him crickets that could fit on the top of my finger (rlly small) since I think that is what he was eating before. I got them from a reptile store so I could feed them today, but I would like to order them from now on.

 

[Beman]

• I just fixed his branch placement, so yes, it is not directly below the UVB 8-9 inches away.
• I am not using the Reptivite at every feeding since it has D3. If I need another vitamin for him then I can order one.
• I got him crickets that could fit on the top of my finger (rlly small) since I think that is what he was eating before. I got them from a reptile store so I could feed them today, but I would like to order them from now on.

Ok so for UVB you need to measure down from the fixture 8-9 inches and you want a branch running right below it at that distance.

What other supplements are you using?

 

[sketchtone]

Ok so for UVB you need to measure down from the fixture 8-9 inches and you want a branch running right below it at that distance.

What other supplements are you using?

I have Repti-Calcium without D3 for every feeding and I previously mixed this with the Reptivite Vitamins since it did not have calcium added.
I’ve just remeasured and his UVB is exactly nine inches above the branch.

 

[Beman]

I have Repti-Calcium without D3 for every feeding and I previously mixed this with the Reptivite Vitamins since it did not have calcium added.
I’ve just remeasured and his UVB is exactly nine inches above the branch.

Ok so repti calcium is plain calcium without D3. You would never mix this with the reptivite with D3 because this has two fat soluble vitamin in it, A and D3. What that means is these store in the body and do not flush with water. These both take time to reduce from the body. A build up of these can cause toxicity in the body. They can become more lethargic and no appetite. Too much D3 in the body actually pulls calcium from their bones and compromises organ function. So depending on how long you were mixing the reptivite with D3 this could be part of the issue. More on D3 poisoning in this blog. https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/d3-poisoning.2401/

You want to give plain calcium without D3 at all feedings then only give the reptivite with D3 two times a month on its own say the 1st and the 15th.

 

[sketchtone]

Ok so repti calcium is plain calcium without D3. You would never mix this with the reptivite with D3 because this has two fat soluble vitamin in it, A and D3. What that means is these store in the body and do not flush with water. These both take time to reduce from the body. A build up of these can cause toxicity in the body. They can become more lethargic and no appetite. Too much D3 in the body actually pulls calcium from their bones and compromises organ function. So depending on how long you were mixing the reptivite with D3 this could be part of the issue. More on D3 poisoning in this blog. https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/d3-poisoning.2401/

You want to give plain calcium without D3 at all feedings then only give the reptivite with D3 two times a month on its own say the 1st and the 15th.

I have only had him long enough for me to give him the mixture once. I will not mix them again, and I have two poops that I am taking in for testing right now.

 

[elizaann2]

Ya that looks like a weird poop to me.

 

[sketchtone]

Reginald got an appointment for April 3rd, but it just got moved to 8AM tomorrow!! They should have the results by then.