Pygmy's
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ShortStack
New Member
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.
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 current problem you are concerned about.
Please fill that out so we can try to help.
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.
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 current problem you are concerned about.
Please fill that out so we can try to help.
hbskeet
New Member
Answer these questions and I can try and help out.
Housing? Post pictures if possible
Temps in housing?
Lighting?
Feeding schedule?
What r you feeding them?
How many at a time?
Where r u getting them from?
How many do you have? If, more than one how many do u keep together?
Misting times?
You can PM me or just repost on here.
Housing? Post pictures if possible
Temps in housing?
Lighting?
Feeding schedule?
What r you feeding them?
How many at a time?
Where r u getting them from?
How many do you have? If, more than one how many do u keep together?
Misting times?
You can PM me or just repost on here.
Your Chameleon - Bearded Pygmy, female, and about 2 months old
I'v had her and a male for about two weeks now, the male is the one that died.
Handling - I rarely handle them, maybe like twice a week.
Feeding - I feed them fruit flies, I have some calcium powder.
Supplements - I don't have a feeding schedual, and i forgot the name of the calcium, its Vita-something
Watering -I give my chameleons distilled water, i mist them every morning and every night, I make sure there is enough moisture for them.
Fecal Description -They have not been tested for parasites. It is blackish brown with some white.
History - Not that I know of.
Cage Info:
Cage Type - Dimensions are 18x12x18, It is screened on the top and a small portion on the bottom that i covered up. the sides are plexiglass.
Lighting - I had a regular basking light on them, but I read that they perfer no light, and don't need uvb, so I just keep them with no light.
Temperature - The temp is about 70-80 in the cage, all the time
Humidity -Humidity is about at 80% I spray them
Plants - I am using live plants, I forgot the name, but I researched it and it said it was perfectly fine for chameleons.
Placement -My cage is located towards the front of my room, infront of my bed. I guess it does get a lot of traffic. Its about 3 feet off of the ground.
Location - I live in North Carolina
Current Problem - The never seem to stay alive
I do have a veiled chameleon, and he seem to be doing just fine. I always heard that pygmy's were the easiest.
I'v had her and a male for about two weeks now, the male is the one that died.
Handling - I rarely handle them, maybe like twice a week.
Feeding - I feed them fruit flies, I have some calcium powder.
Supplements - I don't have a feeding schedual, and i forgot the name of the calcium, its Vita-something
Watering -I give my chameleons distilled water, i mist them every morning and every night, I make sure there is enough moisture for them.
Fecal Description -They have not been tested for parasites. It is blackish brown with some white.
History - Not that I know of.
Cage Info:
Cage Type - Dimensions are 18x12x18, It is screened on the top and a small portion on the bottom that i covered up. the sides are plexiglass.
Lighting - I had a regular basking light on them, but I read that they perfer no light, and don't need uvb, so I just keep them with no light.
Temperature - The temp is about 70-80 in the cage, all the time
Humidity -Humidity is about at 80% I spray them
Plants - I am using live plants, I forgot the name, but I researched it and it said it was perfectly fine for chameleons.
Placement -My cage is located towards the front of my room, infront of my bed. I guess it does get a lot of traffic. Its about 3 feet off of the ground.
Location - I live in North Carolina
Current Problem - The never seem to stay alive
I do have a veiled chameleon, and he seem to be doing just fine. I always heard that pygmy's were the easiest.
ShortStack
New Member
Well. One. They need calcium with no D3 everyday. Calcium with d3 and a multivitamin every other week.
And also, who ever told you they don't need UVB has killed your chameleon.
And also, who ever told you they don't need UVB has killed your chameleon.
Yes you can use a UVB light as the only light. It is controversial and unproven that pygmies need or utilize UVB light like the bigger species require. Some people use UVB and some don't, both with great success. That is not what killed them. I use low level UVB (older 5.0 or new 2.0 bulb) in case they do need it so I would recommend doing at least that. Supplementation is also controversial with many pyg keepers not using supplements as often as in big species, again with much success. This is why it is important to know the species in question specifically rather than applying broad generalities of husbandry that don't fit here.
You need to stop handling them altogether. You are very scary and enormous to a Pygmy and you are stressing them out to the max, especially during the critical time while they are adjusting to new surroundings. They are for looking at, not playing with. Temperatures sound right. Try feeding them tiny crickets in addition to fruit flies.
Do you know they are 2 months old or is that just an estimate based on size?
Can you post a picture of their cage? They need light, but not more heat so I would add a UVB bulb since they don't emit hardly any heat. Light won't stress them out, but not having places to hide will. Make sure there is lots of foliage and places for them to hide. Ironically the more places they have to hide the more you will see them because they feel safe to venture out.
You need to stop handling them altogether. You are very scary and enormous to a Pygmy and you are stressing them out to the max, especially during the critical time while they are adjusting to new surroundings. They are for looking at, not playing with. Temperatures sound right. Try feeding them tiny crickets in addition to fruit flies.
Do you know they are 2 months old or is that just an estimate based on size?
Can you post a picture of their cage? They need light, but not more heat so I would add a UVB bulb since they don't emit hardly any heat. Light won't stress them out, but not having places to hide will. Make sure there is lots of foliage and places for them to hide. Ironically the more places they have to hide the more you will see them because they feel safe to venture out.
BocaJan
New Member
I keep my pygs (bearded) in a terrarium. I have 2 aquariums with adults, 1 male and 2 females, and 3 regular nano terrariums where I keep hatchlings. At 2 months they are still pretty small and should definately NOT be handled. In fact, pygs shouldn't be handled at all unless absolutely necessary.
They live on the floor of the forrest among the leaves, sticks and the weeds and very small plants. They never get very far off the ground so they don't get much light or heat. I use an old 5.0 UVB bulb from my veilds and that has always been sufficient. They produce about 8 - 10 uvb. They like it humid so I plant lots of little terrarium plants and have dried leaves and sticks on the dirt. It looks just like you would expect the forest floor would look. I don't believe you can successfully keep pygmys in a screen cage.
When setting up my terrariums I get hydro balls from Home Depot for the bottom layer. This will absorb any water that gets in the bottom of your terrarium. Put at least 2 balls high, about 3/4". I cover them with nylon screen. My second layer is activated charcoal which I get from a pet store which sells fish supplies. Again,put in about 3/4" and cover with screen. Make sure your screen always comes out to the glass and maybe a bit to tuck up so the layers are separated. Last I put dirt. I only use dirt that has no fertilizer and has been sterilized against bugs, etc. Put down just a little because you will have to plant your plants in it. I have better luck getting little plants from Lowes, but if you can find small plants that are no bigger then about 3" tall from a nursery, use those. Sometimes I get fern types and cut them down so they can have room to grow. I wash them well, even removing the dirt from the roots. You might even have to trim the roots a little also. Plant the back of the terrarium first. You can make the dirt the highest back there. Anything small would go towards the front along with sticks. Babies really like to climb on sticks.
Don't go nuts spraying, just moisten the plants or you can literally blow the little guys right off their perches. Hopefully you can buy pinhead crickets to feed them. If you have a reptile store by you get the large pins. 1/4's are about the biggest they handle well.
uses similar materials.
I'm attaching some pictures of my nanos so you can see how they are planted. I am showing the layers on the one although that isn't quite what I have stated because it was done by someone else, however it
I'm going to save these instructions as a blog in case anyone else ever wants to know what I do to make a terrarium.
They live on the floor of the forrest among the leaves, sticks and the weeds and very small plants. They never get very far off the ground so they don't get much light or heat. I use an old 5.0 UVB bulb from my veilds and that has always been sufficient. They produce about 8 - 10 uvb. They like it humid so I plant lots of little terrarium plants and have dried leaves and sticks on the dirt. It looks just like you would expect the forest floor would look. I don't believe you can successfully keep pygmys in a screen cage.
When setting up my terrariums I get hydro balls from Home Depot for the bottom layer. This will absorb any water that gets in the bottom of your terrarium. Put at least 2 balls high, about 3/4". I cover them with nylon screen. My second layer is activated charcoal which I get from a pet store which sells fish supplies. Again,put in about 3/4" and cover with screen. Make sure your screen always comes out to the glass and maybe a bit to tuck up so the layers are separated. Last I put dirt. I only use dirt that has no fertilizer and has been sterilized against bugs, etc. Put down just a little because you will have to plant your plants in it. I have better luck getting little plants from Lowes, but if you can find small plants that are no bigger then about 3" tall from a nursery, use those. Sometimes I get fern types and cut them down so they can have room to grow. I wash them well, even removing the dirt from the roots. You might even have to trim the roots a little also. Plant the back of the terrarium first. You can make the dirt the highest back there. Anything small would go towards the front along with sticks. Babies really like to climb on sticks.
Don't go nuts spraying, just moisten the plants or you can literally blow the little guys right off their perches. Hopefully you can buy pinhead crickets to feed them. If you have a reptile store by you get the large pins. 1/4's are about the biggest they handle well.
uses similar materials.
I'm attaching some pictures of my nanos so you can see how they are planted. I am showing the layers on the one although that isn't quite what I have stated because it was done by someone else, however it
I'm going to save these instructions as a blog in case anyone else ever wants to know what I do to make a terrarium.
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Yes that sounds good!
I have no clue where you are getting this, but pygmies do *NOT* need uvb. I have kept them for a long time without anything but a plant growth light (i use a low-wattage 6500K light)
the only reason I use the light (and do recommend it) aside from plant growth is in normal to regulate their day/night cycles.
also, fruit flies (esp if they are d.mela's and not d.hydei's) are too small. try feeding 1/8-1/4" crickets to adults....fruit flies for babies (I'm not sure on the age of your pyg...how sure are you on the 2 months? if that is the case, d.hydei might be perfectly fine for her)
as ferret said, you should *never* handle pygs. ever....esp at 2 months old.
