Slightly Confused Noob.....

[adpat79]

Hi all....

I got a Chameleon for xmas after years of admiring from a distance, and am somewhat confused on a couple of matters due to the mass of information on the web and the slightly disturbing advice given by the man at the shop who sold it to me. Alarm bells started ringing when he had told me to expect the lizard to live for 15 - 16 years, and i found that is apparently no where near the case within minutes of reading.

I just want to provide the best environment and care i possibly can for this amazing creature and hope you can help.

- I have a 3 month old Yemen Chameleon, which I was sold as a male, but after reading up i think it might be female as there is no sign of any spurs on his/her hind heels. Would anyone offer advice different? May they start to grow? What i read doesn't suggest this, and if Eric is Erica then i want to be prepared. He does look quite slim which is associated with male species.

- I have an Exo-Terra Glass Terrarium 45 x 45 x 60 cm, which the shop owner told me would last his whole life, but reading on here and elsewhere it seems i may need to get a taller one when he/she is fully grown? Though even the Exo-Terra catalogue doesn't seem to have any 4ft high cages that some suggest is the minimum?

- I have not tried to handle him much at all, as i know about their sensitive nature, but when i did he seemed to enjoy it, he crawled onto my hand (starting upside down on the top of his cage, but towards me), and seemed to be happy being lightly stroked etc. Is this sort of thing purely dependent on each chameleon or am i kidding myself he liked to be petted? This issue seems to divide the masses on my reading.

Any information would be really appreciated, especially on the sex and environment issue.

Apologies if these questions get asked all the time.

Many Thanks

Adam

 

[CleaTheChameleon]

Where do you live because in some places like the UK you can have a glass terrarium for your chameleon due to the weather conditions. If you don't live anywhere that has cold weather all the time you need to get your chameleon in a screen enclosure.

 

[gad58y]

hi adam

- I have a 3 month old Yemen Chameleon, which I was sold as a male, but after reading up i think it might be female as there is no sign of any spurs on his/her hind heels. Would anyone offer advice different? May they start to grow? What i read doesn't suggest this, and if Eric is Erica then i want to be prepared. He does look quite slim which is associated with male species.

yemens can be sexed as soon as they are born,as the spurs on there hind legs is quite noticable.
have you got any good pics of his/hers hind legs?so we can tell you the sex

- I have an Exo-Terra Glass Terrarium 45 x 45 x 60 cm, which the shop owner told me would last his whole life, but reading on here and elsewhere it seems i may need to get a taller one when he/she is fully grown? Though even the Exo-Terra catalogue doesn't seem to have any 4ft high cages that some suggest is the minimum?

this tank will last you 4-5 months,then youll need to upgade your cage to a bigger size depending on the sex of your chameleon.



graeme

 

[adpat79]

Thanks for the replies.

I live in Manchester UK, the cage i have is a glass one, its certainly cold most of the time....

I have attached a few pics to hopefully aid in the sexing, he certainly looks like a she to me from what i have read.

Thanks again for the help.

 

[Slyfox22]

From what I can tell Eric is Erica, and you're gonna need to get a screen enclosure.

 

[pssh]

Congrats! You have a lovely female! If you fill this out we can make sure you are providing the best care for your baby girl Erica. I ask that you do because pet stores usually don't know a thing and sell you things that are not needed or sometimes even fatal to your chameleon. Screen cages are not needed in the uk, you can build her a wooden or buy a large glass viv. She will eventually need an 18x18x36 or larger cage.

This is the how to ask for help form.

Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information, you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.


Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.


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.

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?

 

[adpat79]

Thanks for the help, i really appreciate it, Eric is now called Apple!!

Apologies for the delay, had to get a new laptop.... Answers below, please let me know if there is anything i need to consider/change.

Congrats! You have a lovely female! If you fill this out we can make sure you are providing the best care for your baby girl Erica. I ask that you do because pet stores usually don't know a thing and sell you things that are not needed or sometimes even fatal to your chameleon. Screen cages are not needed in the uk, you can build her a wooden or buy a large glass viv. She will eventually need an 18x18x36 or larger cage.


This is the how to ask for help form.

Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information, you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.


Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.


Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?

Yemen Chameleon, Female, alledgedly 8 - 12 weeks, i have had her for 3 days.


Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?

Only a few times over the few days, and once to install a waterfall in her terrarium.

Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?

I have been feeding her small/medium crickets, was initally feeding her medium locusts they told me to in the shop, but they seem large.

Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?

I have only started dusting today, since they told me i didnt need to do this. I am using repashy superfoods calcium dust. I also bought some pro-reptile gut loading today. I have been dusting half of her 8 crickets i have put in a day.

Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?

I have an exo-terra waterfall and mist her terrarium 3 or 4 times a day, making sure i spray the plants (fake ones). I have not seen her actually drinking as yet, she did lick the side of the glass once.

Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?

Not seen her poo yet. Or not noticed it anyway. I am not sure if it has been tested, i will call the shop, but they are pretty useless at the best of times.

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?

Glass, Exo-Terra, 45x45x60 cm.

Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?

Reptisun 5.0 UVB & a self-ballasted 26w lamp (this came fitted from the shop again, so apologies if this doesnt sound quite right). The light stays on from arond 8.30 am till 11 pm.

Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?

I have a heat map at the bottom, daytime temp ranges from 80 to 90F, overnight is around 65 -70. I have a stick-on exo-terra thermometer.

Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?

Humidity ranges from 40 - 60, try to keep it as high as i can. I have been spraying the moss with lukewarm water and the plants, i tihnk the waterfall should also now help. I also have an exo-terra hygrometer.
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?

No live ones.

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?

It is located near my apartment floor to ceiling windows which overlook water, it is very quiet. The cage is around 3ft off the ground on a small coffee table.

Location - Where are you geographically located?

Salford, Manchester.

 

[pssh]

No moss, no waterfall. Both are breeding grounds for bacteria and can possibly kill her. Chameleons poop in running water and drink it. Bugs also drown in the water and she can also. If she eats to moss her intestines can become blocked. You will either have a very big vet bill or a dead chameleon if that happens. It is known as an impaction.

She needs a 12/12 light schedule or as close as you can get it to actualy sunlight hours. Her basking spot should never be more than 83 or lower than 80, I believe that is 27 C. You need a digital thermometer and hydrometer. The stick on kinds don't work and you could be cooking her alive.

Does the calcium dust have d3? If so, buy one without d3 as she needs one without d3 most of the time (5 times a week.) she need calcium with d3 2-6 times a month(depends on brand so let me know) and a multivitamin once or twice a month. I suggest getting a few live plants as veileds tend to eat plants and if she ate a fake leaf she could become impacted.

How do you gutload your feeders? She also doesn't need a heat mat and her ambient temp needs to be around 70 (I think that's 21 C, but I'm not sure.) Raise her cage so that she is above your eye level at her highest branch.