hi im new to keeping chameleons i got a vieled about a week ago have seen him eat. feeding him crix and meal worm at min keep putting fruit and veg in but no joy not eating. i have some idea because i have kept geckos and bearded dragons for some years but no sign of poo yet. also he goes mad when you put your hand in the viv i think he is about 1 year old the man who had him before me said that he did not have the time for him. any advise please his hissing when you go near him is crazy and dont wont to freak to little guy out to much
please help me
- Thread starter jojo
- Start date
Chameleons Northwest
Avid Member
Greetings, and welcome to the forum. Two things:
- Here is a great site for info on successully keeping veiled chams:
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/
- in order for someone on the forum to respond intelligently to your query, there are a few questions you need to answer. Most all of us had to answer them at some time or another when requesting advice here. Here they are:
Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage construction (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? (I would like to insert here that I notice you are in the UK. If you are housing your cham in glass, some of the forum members in the U.S. may be critical of that, but from what I've read it is not uncommon for keepers in the UK to use glass successfully.)
Lighting - What brand, model, and type 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?
Location - 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?
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 to 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.
Current Problem - The current problem that you are concerned about.
Pictures are helpful
- Here is a great site for info on successully keeping veiled chams:
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/
- in order for someone on the forum to respond intelligently to your query, there are a few questions you need to answer. Most all of us had to answer them at some time or another when requesting advice here. Here they are:
Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage construction (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? (I would like to insert here that I notice you are in the UK. If you are housing your cham in glass, some of the forum members in the U.S. may be critical of that, but from what I've read it is not uncommon for keepers in the UK to use glass successfully.)
Lighting - What brand, model, and type 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?
Location - 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?
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 to 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.
Current Problem - The current problem that you are concerned about.
Pictures are helpful
dont know what to do
he is in a3 foot by 3 foot by 2 foot wood encloser with glass doors it is sat up on a cupboard in the quiet bit of living room. he has a uv and basking lamp which is set at 95 degress. there is also living fictus and fauls vines and ivy.i spray him 3 times a day for humidity. when he stretches i can see his ribs is this normal and still no poo. please help.
he is in a3 foot by 3 foot by 2 foot wood encloser with glass doors it is sat up on a cupboard in the quiet bit of living room. he has a uv and basking lamp which is set at 95 degress. there is also living fictus and fauls vines and ivy.i spray him 3 times a day for humidity. when he stretches i can see his ribs is this normal and still no poo. please help.
Chameleons Northwest
Avid Member
Can you take a temp reading at the bottom of his enclosure for us? That would give us an idea of temp range. It is possible that his enclosure is getting a bit warm.
You didn't answer all the questions, however, which makes it difficult to review your husbandry.
Also, what are your biggest concerns? Is it that he gets mad when you go near him? This is completely normal for a male veiled chameleon of that age. It is normal for them to get upset when you approach the cage, and then to hiss and gape and either lunge or flee when you open the door. It doesn't mean he's ill, and can actually mean that he is quite healthy and robust.
If your friend led you to believe this would be a friendly pet for you, then he was mistaken. It is very rare to find a friendly veiled chameleon. You may, however, be able to train him to become used to you. Some things that may help you accomplish that would be to:
always wear neutral colors (tan or dull green) when near him, and no distinct patterns on your shirt. Don't wear reds, pinks, blacks, purples.
approach his enclosure very slowly, wait until he has recognized you before opening the door.
respect his space. Don't reach into his cage unless absolutely necessary. Try to give him his food without reaching far into the cage. Do the cleaning later at night when he is completely asleep. This is pretty easy since they usually go to sleep in early evening.
You didn't answer all the questions, however, which makes it difficult to review your husbandry.
Also, what are your biggest concerns? Is it that he gets mad when you go near him? This is completely normal for a male veiled chameleon of that age. It is normal for them to get upset when you approach the cage, and then to hiss and gape and either lunge or flee when you open the door. It doesn't mean he's ill, and can actually mean that he is quite healthy and robust.
If your friend led you to believe this would be a friendly pet for you, then he was mistaken. It is very rare to find a friendly veiled chameleon. You may, however, be able to train him to become used to you. Some things that may help you accomplish that would be to:
always wear neutral colors (tan or dull green) when near him, and no distinct patterns on your shirt. Don't wear reds, pinks, blacks, purples.
approach his enclosure very slowly, wait until he has recognized you before opening the door.
respect his space. Don't reach into his cage unless absolutely necessary. Try to give him his food without reaching far into the cage. Do the cleaning later at night when he is completely asleep. This is pretty easy since they usually go to sleep in early evening.
my main concern is that he has not pooped since i got him. but he did come in a fish tank which i changed straight away could it just be all the moving. because he went from his first home to a shop then to my house then i changed his tank is it too much too soon. there was poop in the tank when i got him from the shop and i am doing nothing different than the man that had him before me. dont mind that he is a bad tempered sod just as long as its normal.
opihiman
New Member
when you say you spray him, how long do you spend spraying him. Have you seen him drink at all?
Misting cycles at a minimum should last at least 5 min....and during at least one of them you can witness them drinking.
other solutions maybe a nice warm shower or a short soak in some warm water. both about 6 to 15 min depending on how stressed out you cham is getting. in the Showere it should not be a direct stream of water on to you cham but the water bouncing off the wall on to your cham
you can help us help you better by following what Gesang recommended. fill out the questionaire completely so that the forum will be able to offer more accurate advice. Each question covers key parts of your chams care. A picture of your cham may also help in deteriming if there is problem with your cham or you set up....
Good luck
OPI
skeeta
Established Member
Just out of curiosity, did the previous owner (or you) use some type of substrate (like wood chips) on the floor of the enclosure?
If so, there could be a chance of being impacted, which would be VERY serious.
If you can manage to get him out of the viv without losing an arm the warm soak, as suggested by opihiman, often helps coax out stubborn poo.
Welcome, good luck, and answer ALL the questions!
If so, there could be a chance of being impacted, which would be VERY serious.
If you can manage to get him out of the viv without losing an arm the warm soak, as suggested by opihiman, often helps coax out stubborn poo.
Welcome, good luck, and answer ALL the questions!
opihiman
New Member
try the warm soak then....use a large container to allow him to move around freely.
Hopefully you did your shower this way
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwkTma63-h0
Follow the technique rather than the frequency and other stuff. Moving your cham to the shower is fairly stressful and should be avoided if possible.
OPI
Last edited:
opihiman
New Member
take a look at brad ramsey's thread....
https://www.chameleonforums.com/eartha-trouble-15874/
it may offer some assistance with clearing your cham if it is a obstruction.
I would suggest that you get your cham to vet at this point. and keep trying to get more fluids into your cham.
Hope that helps
OPI
https://www.chameleonforums.com/eartha-trouble-15874/
it may offer some assistance with clearing your cham if it is a obstruction.
I would suggest that you get your cham to vet at this point. and keep trying to get more fluids into your cham.
Hope that helps
OPI
BocaJan
New Member
I purchased a reptarium (all screen with pvc frame) and have had good luck putting my cham in it outside and then mist, mist, mist. I have a utility sprayer rather than a spritzer so I can pump it up and then let it do the misting work. It works for me rather than the shower which scares my chams.. Whichever one I put in there for an "outing" always poop after the first spraying. While outside I spray them about every hour or hour 1/2 with the full mister tank which holds 1/2 gallon. I try to give each one (I have 4 chams) a once a week outing. They get sun and lots of water.
