Sleeping during the day.

[mattlopez328]

Its me again with the problem from yesterday -_- but now im going to post the help template.


Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Female Panther Chameleon, been in my care for less than a week, not sure about the age (couple of months im guessing)
Handling - Once the day that I got him
Feeding - I am feeding my chameleon crickets from petco. about 8-10 once a day. At Petco they told me if im not keeping the crickets that they were gut loaded enough for immediate feeding.
Supplements - Once a week with Reptivite Reptile vitimans with D3.
Watering - I see my cham drinking whenever i mist. 5 times+ a day.
Fecal Description - Her poop is mostly white with some dark.
History - One had it for a couple of days.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Screen cage not sure of dimensions, was told good size till adult.
Lighting - Schedule 7am-7pm with Zoomed Basking Spot lamp 50W, and Repti Glo 10.0 UVB.
Temperature - Purchasing thermometer tomorrow so im not sure about the temps for my chameleon
Humidity - Maintaing by misting regularly throughout the day
Plants - Various fake plants bought at the store.
Placement - Cage is located in the corner of my room, fan in my room but only on pointing away from the cage. Cage is on a desk so a couple feet off the floor.
Location - Miami Florida

Current Problem - My chameleon is normal throughout the day concerning eating etc. But once it hits 4 o'clock or so she hides behind a plant and goes to sleep. I know that Chameleons arnt suppose to sleep while the light is on, so im wondering if there is a change that would change this. Thanks in advance.

 

[mbondy]

Its me again with the problem from yesterday -_- but now im going to post the help template.


Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Female Panther Chameleon, been in my care for less than a week, not sure about the age (couple of months im guessing)
Handling - Once the day that I got him
Feeding - I am feeding my chameleon crickets from petco. about 8-10 once a day. At Petco they told me if im not keeping the crickets that they were gut loaded enough for immediate feeding. Petco is wrong, you need to buy crickets preferably at a local store or online. They don't really gutload at Petco (so I've been told). So do your own gutload with fresh fruits and veggies. Offer more crickets, a young cham can eat about 15-20 daily
Supplements - Once a week with Reptivite Reptile vitimans with D3. You want to use a calcium (no D3 or phosphorous) daily, calcium with D3 twice a month, and a multivitamin twice or once a month
Watering - I see my cham drinking whenever i mist. 5 times+ a day.
Fecal Description - Her poop is mostly white with some dark.
History - One had it for a couple of days.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Screen cage not sure of dimensions, was told good size till adult. You should try to figure your dimensions or just post a pic!
Lighting - Schedule 7am-7pm with Zoomed Basking Spot lamp 50W, and Repti Glo 10.0 UVB. Get a 5.0 Tube Repti-glo or Repti-Sun, the 10.0 is too strong. Could be causing a problem with being too intense and irritating the eyes.
Temperature - Purchasing thermometer tomorrow so im not sure about the temps for my chameleon You need to know your temps, could be too hot/cold
Humidity - Maintaing by misting regularly throughout the day You need to know your humidity, buy a laser at home depot (much cheaper) which can measure both temp and humidity
Plants - Various fake plants bought at the store. Your better off with some real plants that will help with humidity, plus it's more natural
Placement - Cage is located in the corner of my room, fan in my room but only on pointing away from the cage. Cage is on a desk so a couple feet off the floor.
Location - Miami Florida

Current Problem - My chameleon is normal throughout the day concerning eating etc. But once it hits 4 o'clock or so she hides behind a plant and goes to sleep. I know that Chameleons arnt suppose to sleep while the light is on, so im wondering if there is a change that would change this. Thanks in advance.

Your husbandry needs a bit of work, but you're at a good start. Welcome to the forums and good job on seeking help! You can get even more help if you post pics of your setup. She could be closing her eyes from either the temps being too high/low so you want those. What's your light schedule exactly? Do you always turns lights on/off around the same time?

Others will chime in as well.

 

[mattlopez328]

im going to purchase the thermometer and humidity gauge tomorrow, do you think she is doing this due to the temp being to hot or cold?

 

[mbondy]

im going to purchase the thermometer and humidity gauge tomorrow, do you think she is doing this due to the temp being to hot or cold?

It could really be a variety of things. One friend I have was messing with her light schedule which was affecting her chams sleep cycle. It could be a possibility.

What is your light cycle?

I'm sure Carol, Jann, or Laurie will end up chiming in as well as other great experts.

 

[mattlopez328]

I have it now from 7am to 7pm... im starting to do it 12 hours, previously i had it for a little more.

 

[mbondy]

I have it now from 7am to 7pm... im starting to do it 12 hours, previously i had it for a little more.

Right now temps would ring a bell to me, also make sure to get a 5.0 UVB tomorrow as well. Soon enough someone more experienced will come to the rescue!

 

[mattlopez328]

ill see the price of the bulb.. what would be the difference between the one that i already have if you dont mind explaining..and thank you for the help

 

[mbondy]

ill see the price of the bulb.. what would be the difference between the one that i already have if you dont mind explaining..and thank you for the help

Better yet you should be able to just exchange them if you can, the 5.0 usually is cheaper anyways. Well I can tell you the norm is having a 5.0, the 10.0 is used more for desert reptiles as it's more intense. Since it's meant for desert animals it's too harsh for your cham, especially for a young one. It's better to be safe then sorry as I love my chams to death but they definitely aren't cheap. I bet someone will have a more scientific explanation then I can come up with

You can also bring your gal outside for some natural sunlight when you can (once she's settled in), that's better then anything artificial. Not sure if you know or not, but if you've a girl you'll eventually need a laying bin as they lay eggs regardless if a male is around or not. You have a few more months but just thought you should know

 

[Stanly]

Mbondy has given some great advice on husbandry that could use improvement regardless if this is the cause of your issues or not, it's best to fix it now than have health problems later.

Where did you get this chameleon? And do you know if it's cb or wild caught?

My guys normally get "ready" for bed a couple of hours before lights out, so yes while napping mid day is a bad sign this maybe just gearing down for the night. It could also be impart due to stress of a new environment (just my speculation).

one last thought would be parasites, it's more likely in wild caught or poorly kept animals than well cared for cb (tho possible in any), if there are no other signs of illness I'd give him a few weeks to adjust, then have a vet do a basic checkup and fecal examine. (just to be sure)

 

[mattlopez328]

ok will do, it comes from a well known pet store here in florida so i know it is not wildly caught. I will purchase the thermometer and see what the temperatures are. I believe it is the stress though because i bought her only a couple days ago and was handling her without knowing to leave her alone.

Question- Its about 90 degrees in florida and she is a couple of months old, can i give her some sunlight with major mistings.

Also she is normally grey during the day, she is sleeping now due to lights off, and she is like a very light color, is this normal. Thanks for the help guys.

 

[Justin Ward]

ok will do, it comes from a well known pet store here in florida so i know it is not wildly caught. I will purchase the thermometer and see what the temperatures are. I believe it is the stress though because i bought her only a couple days ago and was handling her without knowing to leave her alone.

Question- Its about 90 degrees in florida and she is a couple of months old, can i give her some sunlight with major mistings.

Also she is normally grey during the day, she is sleeping now due to lights off, and she is like a very light color, is this normal. Thanks for the help guys.

if its still a baby, i would stay away from too much direct sunlight with those temps, but if you have some shade and keep it misted you should be fine...as for the colors, perfectly normal...they are relaxed when they sleep and sometimes its when they show their best colors...do a search for sleeping cham pics when you have time, they are always fun to look at

 

[mattlopez328]

ok, i dont think she is ill because she is active in the morning with hunting etc. but when it comes to about 3 hours before lights off she starts closing her eyes. It may be the temp so tommorw im going to give her some direct light towards the afternoon like 4-5 where it is like 80 degrees ( in the shade).

Another question lol- Today one of her eyes bulged like twice for like 2 seconds each time. I called the shop and they told me thats normal due to them cleaning there eyes to not worry. Is this true?

Thanks again i really appreciate you guys answering my questions

 

[Stanly]

ok will do, it comes from a well known pet store here in florida so i know it is not wildly caught. I will purchase the thermometer and see what the temperatures are. I believe it is the stress though because i bought her only a couple days ago and was handling her without knowing to leave her alone.

Question- Its about 90 degrees in florida and she is a couple of months old, can i give her some sunlight with major mistings.

Also she is normally grey during the day, she is sleeping now due to lights off, and she is like a very light color, is this normal. Thanks for the help guys.

I'm not a big fan of pet stores with chameleons (tho this one maybe the exception?). I'd double check any care info you got there with info (post and blogs) on this site.

I would think you could get her out for some supervised sun time, at 90 + you'll surly want ample water (misting) and probably not direct sun (or at lest part sun part shade on the cage). Again I'd keep a close eye on her, a open mouth and pale color (in the day) can be signs of over heating.

That's normal colors for a young panther, they can get very light (nearly white) at a young age while sleeping.

 

[mattlopez328]

its a exotic animal store that sells like skunks, chameleons, exotic animals etc. Not like a petco. But i will try the sun tomorrow.

 

[Stanly]

ok, i dont think she is ill because she is active in the morning with hunting etc. but when it comes to about 3 hours before lights off she starts closing her eyes. It may be the temp so tommorw im going to give her some direct light towards the afternoon like 4-5 where it is like 80 degrees ( in the shade).

Another question lol- Today one of her eyes bulged like twice for like 2 seconds each time. I called the shop and they told me thats normal due to them cleaning there eyes to not worry. Is this true?

Thanks again i really appreciate you guys answering my questions

Yep it's normal for them to do that every now and then, as the shop said just cleaning the eyes, if it happened to often or they keep the eye closed for a extended time I would be concerned but other wise it's like you or me blinking something out of our eye.

 

[Justin Ward]

ok, i dont think she is ill because she is active in the morning with hunting etc. but when it comes to about 3 hours before lights off she starts closing her eyes. It may be the temp so tommorw im going to give her some direct light towards the afternoon like 4-5 where it is like 80 degrees ( in the shade).

Another question lol- Today one of her eyes bulged like twice for like 2 seconds each time. I called the shop and they told me thats normal due to them cleaning there eyes to not worry. Is this true?

Thanks again i really appreciate you guys answering my questions

i would say if you do take it outside, try to do it earlier or later in the day, afternoon is the hottest part of the day, so i would be worried with a little one...the eye thing is normal, they do look crazy when they are cleaning them out haha

 

[mattlopez328]

ok good to know and thanks for all the feedback. Is the supplement im using enough?

-Reptivite reptile vitamins with d3 once a week

 

[Justin Ward]

ok good to know and thanks for all the feedback. Is the supplement im using enough?

-Reptivite reptile vitamins with d3 once a week

no, change that up real quick like...calcium w/o d3 almost every feeding, calcium with d3 twice a month, and a multi vitamin supplement twice a month

 

[krknieriem]

suggested supplements that seem to be widely accepted here along with chedule are as follows

calcium without d3 daily
calcium with d3 twice a month
herpivite vitamins twice a month

I hope that helps that is what was suggested to me and I have not had any problems with mine

 

[mattlopez328]

does the reptivite count as the one with D3?