Not shedding properly and other help

GeorgesMummy

New Member
Hi all

I have adopted my Dad's chameleon as he's grieving badly and unfortunately neglected him for a couple of months. Please don't judge me or my Dad. I understand I'm not perfect but I'm doing my best. He was quite unwell I think. He looks so much better already.

Hopefully the pictures have attached!
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His spikes fell off as you can see from the pictures. They were already peeling off when he came to me. I kept a close eye on it and it never got infected.

He's not shed properly. There's a patch with a black spot. He also just has bits all over him that don't seem to want to go anywhere.

Does HE or his branches need to be 6 to 8 inches below the light? I see conflicting info everywhere!

He's a miserable little guy! I'm doing my absolute best, I've been reading bits on this forum and others and trying to create a decent environment for him but this black spot is bothering me.

Please see my form and my chameleon and advise if I'm doing anything wrong and what I should change.

Thank you!

Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
George is about 14 months old. He is a male veiled chameleon. I've had him for a few weeks.


Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? I try to handle him sometimes but most days he gets pissy. He used to love being handled but then Dad didn't handle him for a couple of months so he stopped coming onto your hand. I did just manage to get him out to sit in the sun for a bit though.

Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? Dad was giving him locusts but apparently he wasn't really eating them. Personally I think they were much too big. Now, he's got large brown crickets and an occasional strawberry.
He has a few crickets each day.

What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
I chuck a few (3 or 4) in his enclosure every day.
I put lettuce, grapes and oats sprinkled with calci dust in the bugs tub. I also sprinkle the bugs with the dust.

Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
Calci-dust from Vetark professional. Once a week but it's also on the oats.

Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
I mist about 2 times a day for about 2 minutes constantly.
I have made a watering system kind of thing (a pot with a hole in the bottom) which drips water constantly. He flicks his tongue at this every now and again. It drips into another pot at the bottom which I'm hoping helps with humidity.

Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
He's only been once. All looked normal. I don't think he's been tested for anything.
I can't understand why he's not been again in about 10 days. I've looked around but can't find any feces.

History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you. Only what I wrote to start with.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
Mesh, 4ft

Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
Arcadia SMA80E27 D3 UV Basking Lamp 80 Watt. On around 8 or 9am (I can't figure out the automatic light thing at the moment), off 10 to 12 hours later, depending on if he's still sunbathing or has moved to where he spends the night. The light is in one of those big round things.

Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
I have two thermometer/hygrometers. One at the top which reads about 28 degrees and between 30 and 55% humidity.
The bottom one is about 19 degrees and 50 to 80% humidity.


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? There's a money plant and another plant. These came with him so I'm not sure what they are. I'm ordering some more tomorrow when I get paid.
I know the humidity around the top isn't great but I'm trying so hard.
Ive just misted and it's showing 31% ?

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?
He's in the corner of the living room. There's nowhere else for him to go. He is by a radiator which is on occasionally but not loads. No air vents but near to the patio door. I barely open it though.

Location - Devon.
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This is the uvb you need
Zoo Med T5 HO Reptisun Terrarium Hood 24" https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AQU8F2O/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_JAqEEbN8WBNTR

start feeding this to your feeder, shed issues are commonly a result of bad food/supplement sch
Repashy Bug Burger Insect Gel Food 12 Oz (3/4 lb) 340g JAR https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RM796YA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_wxqEEbM1T0VGW

throw out whatever you currently using and put this on every feeder given to your Cham. Every single one.
Repashy Calcium Plus LoD 3 Oz JAR https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DLJRMV2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_TwqEEb9WZ3SN2
 
My bulb cost me £45 and has UVB and basking in one. Why would I need different?

The bug feeder thing looks like a good plan!

Why is my calci dust not OK?

Not trying to be difficult, just trying to understand. Thank you
 
My bulb cost me £45 and has UVB and basking in one. Why would I need different?

The bug feeder thing looks like a good plan!

Why is my calci dust not OK?

Not trying to be difficult, just trying to understand. Thank you
Does the calci dust contain vit. D3 or is it plain calcium? Your dusting schedule isn't correct and just tossing a few insects loose into his cage isn't making sure he's getting any of it. You should lightly dust his feeders with plain calcium every day. Once every two weeks dust the feeders with a calcium that DOES have added vitamin D3. If he can't eat his feeders shortly after you dust them chances are he won't find them before they've excreted their gut contents and groomed off the dust. Al they end up being is crunchy nothings. If you confine them into some sort of bin or container with a bit of gutload and dust, they can't disperse and hide in the cage.

One of the problems with that type of bulb is the highly focused beam of heat/light in one spot but no where else. He's going to sit right under the bulb and can get too close to the heat for too long. The rest of the cage ends up being relatively cool and shaded. He's obviously had a history of burns before (casque and spine). The dark spot on his side may be another burn. A linear UV bulb will light more of the cage so he'll use it.

One sign of chronic dehydration is difficulty shedding. Burn scars will also have more trouble shedding.
 
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Does the calci dust contain vit. D3 or is it plain calcium? Your dusting schedule isn't correct and just tossing a few insects loose into his cage isn't making sure he's getting any of it. You should lightly dust his feeders with plain calcium every day. Once every two weeks dust the feeders with a calcium that DOES have added vitamin D3. If he can't eat his feeders shortly after you dust them chances are he won't find them before they've excreted their gut contents and groomed off the dust. Al they end up being is crunchy nothings. If you confine them into some sort of bin or container with a bit of gutload and dust, they can't disperse and hide in the cage.

One of the problems with that type of bulb is the highly focused beam of heat/light in one spot but no where else. He's going to sit right under the bulb and can get too close to the heat for too long. The rest of the cage ends up being relatively cool and shaded. He's obviously had a history of burns before (casque and spine). The dark spot on his side may be another burn. A linear UV bulb will light more of the cage so he'll use it.

One sign of chronic dehydration is difficulty shedding. Burn scars will also have more trouble shedding.

Thank you so much. This all makes a lot of sense! The dust doesn't have D3, I just looked. Dad said it was all I needed as that's what he'd been told by the reptile shop guy.

I watch him eat them but yes, some do just chill out in the cage for a while. I never thought of them excreting and being useless!

I'm not sure how I'd manage to contain them in a way George can get them but I'll do my best now I know this.

His cage was tiny before I got him. Again dad was told it was fine by the reptile guy. The one I have now is massive compared and he's much lower from the light. But I need a separate uv light and basking, OK. What a waste of £45!

I try to get him to drink as much as possible but he doesn't seem to drink much tbh.

Youve been extremely helpful, thank you. I'll sort all this out and see how he goes. Thank you again
 
Thank you so much. This all makes a lot of sense! The dust doesn't have D3, I just looked. Dad said it was all I needed as that's what he'd been told by the reptile shop guy.

I watch him eat them but yes, some do just chill out in the cage for a while. I never thought of them excreting and being useless!

I'm not sure how I'd manage to contain them in a way George can get them but I'll do my best now I know this.

His cage was tiny before I got him. Again dad was told it was fine by the reptile guy. The one I have now is massive compared and he's much lower from the light. But I need a separate uv light and basking, OK. What a waste of £45!

I try to get him to drink as much as possible but he doesn't seem to drink much tbh.

Youve been extremely helpful, thank you. I'll sort all this out and see how he goes. Thank you again
FWIW the local "reptile shop guy" probably hasn't kept a chameleon. If you're lucky he's kept nocturnal snakes or a terrestrial lizard. Their UV, heat, and lighting requirements are not the same. Often, a combined heat/UVA&B bulb works OK for species that basically live in two dimensions. For an arboreal cham that climbs UP to light, they often end up being too hot; hence the burns.

You can try a plastic bin, plastic shoe box, or other container to confine the feeders in. Large enough so they'll move around and attract his attention. If they don't move, he won't see them easily. Attach it somewhere he can climb close to and shoot them from above. You can help dehydration just by humidifying the cage and by increasing the surfaces he can lick droplets from...that means live bushy plants. The glitter and twinkle of moving water will attract him. Spraying the cage foliage will help stimulate him to drink more. Avoid spraying him directly. That tends to piss them off. Use hot water...by the time the spray lands on anything it will be luke warm. Some chams learn to lick water from the tip of a hand held syringe. What I do to encourage this is first, spray down the cage..."rain" has appeared. It can often stimulate the cham to start swallowing, realizing its thirsty. As they start, I re-position the sprayer so it gently dribbles the warm water onto their casque or running down their face. Often that's enough to get them drinking if they are thirsty. Eventually they learn that a syringe or sprayer nozzle is a source of water.
 
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