Smelly enclosure

[SilverWolf]

My 3 month old Jackson Chameleon has a pretty decent enclosure. I just recently cleaned it out a bit, so I still need to add some of the extra sticks I had for foliage but ultimately, especially if it is only for a few days his enclosure is looking good. However, it seems to be somewhat smelly. I think this is from his fecal matter, and this concerns me. What does this seem to mean to you, and how can I fix this? I can say this as well, his urates are mostly orange. I know this is from lack of water and a sign of dehydration. I am keeping the humidity up and making sure he has water throughout the day. I see him go to my dripper and drink from it when he so desires. The water is there for him when and if he wants it, and he seems to get it whenever that is. Here is more information on my friend, Tricky.

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Jackson Chameleon, male, 3-4 months. Been in my care for almost two weeks.
Handling - Not often. Only when cleaning his cage, in which case, I did yesterday, but I set him in a fake plant while I did. lol he went and ventured across my clothes and guitar. Quite cute.
Feeding - Small - medium crickets, 4 - 6 a day. Although I think he only ate one or two medium sized today.
Supplements - Exoterra. Calcium, powdered on crickets twice a week. Multivitamin, powder on crickets once a month.
Watering - I mist VERY often to ensure the humidity is always around 70-80%, and I mist every time I see the humidity reach 50%. I try to mist to the point where there are drops of water dripping from the sticks and leaves. I have seen him drinking off of the leaves, and trying to from my spray bottle when it was having water droplets when I first put him in the enclosure. lol rather cute. However now he drinks from the dripper I set on top of the cage that drips onto the leaves and sticks. He just goes to the top of the cage and pretty much drinks directly from there though.
Fecal Description - Brown, and urates are orange.
History - Came from a breeder in Texas, btpets.com. The breeder seems to know what he is doing and has shipped hundreds of Chameleons before. Some people here seem to have gotten their Jackson Chameleons from him.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Zoomed screen cage, 18x18x36.
Lighting - Reptisun 5.0, Zoomed 60w Daylight Blue bulb. Both are on 10-12 hours during day, off all night.
Temperature - Temperature at basking spot around 85 degrees fahrenheit. Restof the cage around 75 or so in fahrenheit, and the temperature drops to about 70 degrees fahrenheit at night time. Measured with thermometer from Petco.
Humidity - 60 - 80 Percent. Misting with spray bottle very often. Measured with humidity gauger from Petco.
Plants - Live Croton, codiaem hybrid. One or two real sticks, and several fake ones for foliage and so that he has more variety to climb on and reach his basking spot.
Placement - Cage about 58 inches off ground, on a sort of dresser (more of cubby holes though) and next to some gaming consoles and a television, that do not seem to affect the temperature. Also next to a window, but blinds generally closed.
Location - California.

Current Problem - Orange urates, smelly fecal matter.

 

[carol5208]

Feces as a general rule should not really smell or if it does, have very little odor and certainly not enough to stink up an enclosure. Are you sure it is the feces, and not the plant pots? Too much water and improper drainage of live plants can cause root rot and really start to stink. If you are are convinced it is your chameleon's poop then I would take a sample of it and have it tested at a vet for parasites. I am not sure why, but have read on here that smelly feces could be a sign of parasites. For a 3-4 month old, he should be eating more than what he is eating which could be cause for concern also. Check the care sheet info on our Care Resources link as I think your temps are too high for Jackson's also. edit: I checked and your temps are ok. The basking could come down a little bit but you should be ok.

 

[SilverWolf]

Thank you for your input. I really believe the basking and temperatures are ultimately okay. From various sources I have read, 85 degrees fahrenheit should be used for Jackson's. I do think they are fine. Also, he seems to be really good with knowing what temperature he needs. He will go down if it is too hot or up if colder, and he never seems to get too close to the bulb.

The fecal matter itself LOOKS good, no undigested bug parts. I will try to ensure he eats a bit more, but the breeder told me that 4 - 6 small crickets a day is good. Yes, the plant might be causing the smell. I'll have to examine the situation more closely.

 

[Cait0420]

I'd assume, considering his bm's look ok that it is the plants causing the smell. This happened to me a few years ago with my old veild Cham. You should take the plants out of the pot and remove the dirt and spray the roots with water to check whether or not they are ok. If not I'd suggest new plants.

 

[SilverWolf]

I'll do what I can but I think I'll have to just keep using my current plant while I can and somewhat soon get a new one. Thanks for your help.

 

[fuzzhc]

My female ambilobe feces used to stink when she was younger, I posted on here and the majority said it was normal. When she stopped eating 30+ bugs a day it stopped smelling lol. Also found that crickets would make it worse some how.

 

[SilverWolf]

Thanks that's pretty relieving as, Tricky only eats crickets at the moment, and quite a bit of them too, unless they are larger. So thanks for the comment.