Stuck Shed - Need Advice

[Beman]

Uh with a T8 5.0, rub the cham against the bulb...

You cant get even 1.0 UVI out of the bulb. I believe its limit is .5 UVI at 6".

T8 5.0 is for "tank" lizards such as geckos and anoles. Things with foot tall cages that have no problem running up the side of the tank and sunning themselves directly under the bulb


PS havent read this thread, just responding to beman request.

Oh you made me laugh so much!
Ok what if they went to a 10.0 t8 or is that still no bueno?

 

[cloverthechameleon]

Ok, I’ll get a dimmer or another bulb to try an lower the temp there, my temp gun just showed it at 84, so it definitely fluctuates. Regardless of the basking temp, the tiny portion of shed needs to come off shortly because I am primarily concerned about it compounding and causing issues. Should I use a Qtip or Softbrush to gently try to remove the shed?

If it bothers you that much you can gently wipe it off with a q tip. Shed commonly gets stuck on the face area which isnt all too concerning. If shed gets stuck on a limp or foot this is when your chameleon becomes at risk.

 

[nightanole]

Oh you made me laugh so much!
Ok what if they went to a 10.0 t8 or is that still no bueno?

1.0 UVI at 6"...

You want to know how to get to 3.0?
you double your wattage per foot by switching to HO
And you increase your light output per watt by 30% by switching to T5 style
And install reflectors (t8' normally dont have them, they have white reflectors not mirrored)
Boom 3.0 UVI at 6" using a T5 HO 5.0/6%
That goes to 6.0 UVI if you use a 10.0/12%
(or in bemans case 3.0 with the quad, her 12% puts out half the amount because of the uni reflector)

Remember 3.0 is "the new way" in hopes of not needing D3 supplements at all. You can still get by just fine with .5 or 1.0 with the current D3 schedule. I even tune for 1.0 at the main hang out spot.

 

[Beman]

1.0 UVI at 6"...

Remember 3.0 is "the new way" in hopes of not needing D3 supplements at all. You can still get by just fine with .5 or 1.0 with the current D3 schedule. I even tune for 1.0 at the main hang out spot.

Ok perfect but they need to get the 10.0 bulb and have basking at 6 inches below the T8 to ensure a decent Uvi level

 

[Kbomb]

Kammerflage uses the setup I currently have as stated in their care guide. I got him from Kammer so I trust parasites aren’t an issue in the last three weeks being a captive bred from Kammer and being fed only farm raised insects from Flukers. The lighting is exactly what they stated in their care guide and my cage is less than 48” why is the lighting negatively impacting the tiny portion of stuck shed above his right eye and causing an issue in just that one spot?

 

[nightanole]

Ok perfect but they need to get the 10.0 bulb and have basking at 6 inches below the T8 to ensure a decent Uvi level

Yup. And odds are it would still be "usefull" at 12-18", odds are it would be down to .5-.25 levels by then.

 

[nightanole]

Kammerflage uses the setup I currently have as stated in their care guide. I got him from Kammer so I trust parasites aren’t an issue in the last three weeks being a captive bred from Kammer and being fed only farm raised insects from Flukers. The lighting is exactly what they stated in their care guide and my cage is less than 48” why is the lighting negatively impacting the tiny portion of stuck shed above his right eye and causing an issue in just that one spot?

99% of shed problems is low air humidity right before "poofing" when they are making the new skin.

Your lighting had nothing to do with it.

Kammers is old school like me. Back in the day we did not have 4ft tall cages, we had 2ft, and we all had "T8 5.0" and low dose D3. Thousands upon thousands of healthy chams (including mine in the 90's) where raised with this setup.

Just dont mix old with new. If you have the new 3-4ft cages, like Kammers says, use the new T5 HO. If you have the older long yet only 18-24" tall cages, then the T8 10.0 and even 5.0 are just fine, and on those the T5 HO's would be too strong.

 

[Kbomb]

99% of shed problems is low air humidity right before "poofing" when they are making the new skin.

Your lighting had nothing to do with it.

Kammers is old school like me. Back in the day we did not have 4ft tall cages, we had 2ft, and we all had "T8 5.0" and low dose D3. Thousands upon thousands of healthy chams (including mine in the 90's) where raised with this setup.

Just dont mix old with new. If you have the new 3-4ft cages, like Kammers says, use the new T5 HO. If you have the older long yet only 18-24" tall cages, then the T8 10.0 and even 5.0 are just fine, and on those the T5 HO's would be too strong.

Bought the humidifier a few days ago to help with the humidity. It was after his proofing phase like you just said though. That answers my question directly. Thank you.

 

[Brodybreaux25]

Bought the humidifier a few days ago to help with the humidity. It was after his proofing phase like you just said though. That answers my question directly. Thank you.

Just wanted to say don’t get frustrated, and I don’t think you have. I know you diddnt ask for all the other feedback but every aspect of husbandry is dependent upon another, this makes it difficult to give simple answers.

Just keep your questioning attitude and you’ll be fine.

 

[nightanole]

Bought the humidifier a few days ago to help with the humidity. It was after his proofing phase like you just said though. That answers my question directly. Thank you.

Yea it kinda sucks when you cant create a good solution.

Take my tegu for example. "The air" has to be 75% humidity for it to peel. I cant cheat and use a misting system, or wet soil in its cage and hope his cave stays humid. I cant give him daily baths. I cant rub him down with udder cream(yes that is an internet solution for tegus with stuck shed). If that air is not at 75% or higher during the pre poofing stage, When he poofs he will be trapped in a giant bag of skin that is almost glued on. And tegu shed is like tough snake shed, a small child can not rip it apart. And its stuck in that bag till the tegu either grows and snaps it, or it comes off in 2 layers when the next "good" shed happens.

 

[Beman]

Kammerflage uses the setup I currently have as stated in their care guide. I got him from Kammer so I trust parasites aren’t an issue in the last three weeks being a captive bred from Kammer and being fed only farm raised insects from Flukers. The lighting is exactly what they stated in their care guide and my cage is less than 48” why is the lighting negatively impacting the tiny portion of stuck shed above his right eye and causing an issue in just that one spot?

I never said your baby had parasites. I suggest that to absolutely everyone after a very horrible experience I went through with a brand new cham. I would follow up with Kammerflage about the shedding issue. They are a reputable breeder and will be able to give you additional guidance. The lighting is not impacting that one spot. But at 12 inches your cham will not receive any UVB lighting and will then have other health issues such as MBD.

I have emailed with Ed Kammer about lighting and supplements. He is a very smart and kind man. They have been testing the T5's with chams while using the repashy calcium plus for the last 2 years. They will be updating their findings and recommendations as they conclude their tests. So I know if you reach out then they will be open to helping you as well.

I am sorry if you took my feedback as an insult or inviting others in on your lighting as an insult.

Good luck with your baby.

 

[Kbomb]

Just wanted to say don’t get frustrated, and I don’t think you have. I know you diddnt ask for all the other feedback but every aspect of husbandry is dependent upon another, this makes it difficult to give simple answers.

Just keep your questioning attitude and you’ll be fine.

I was slight bit frustrated with the lighting comments because no more than a week ago found out that my UVB was insufficient, and followed the forum’s suggestions confirming along the way. And one week later I’m being told it’s still insufficient.

 

[GoodKarma19]

I was slight bit frustrated with the lighting comments because no more than a week ago found out that my UVB was insufficient, and followed the forum’s suggestions confirming along the way. And one week later I’m being told it’s still insufficient. View attachment 241012View attachment 241013

I understand your frustration, but unfortunately you purchased the T8, not the T5HO that was recommended! T8s are much, much weaker.

I madethat mistake as well, if it makes you feel any better! Now I have an entirely useless 36" t8 hanging around, lol.

 

[Kbomb]

I understand your frustration, but unfortunately you purchased the T8, not the T5HO that was recommended! T8s are much, much weaker.

I madethat mistake as well, if it makes you feel any better! Now I have an entirely useless 36" t8 hanging around, lol.

I just noticed my mistake with the care worksheet I wrote. I did follow everyone to the T I didn’t know there where different levels of good lighting fixtures. This is the model I bought off amazon and is currently being used.

 

[GoodKarma19]

I just noticed my mistake with the care worksheet I wrote. I did follow everyone to the T I didn’t know there where different levels of good lighting fixtures. This is the model I bought off amazon and is currently being used.

Oh! Yeah, that one is perfectly fine! That's a T5HO with a 5.0 bulb. That's the typo that led to that particular line of questioning.

 

[GoodKarma19]

Oh - one quick adjustment! I'd position your UVB in such a way that your little guy is getting UVB while basking. As it's positioned right now, he isn't getting as much as he could (or should!). I'd raise those vines on the right side so that he can be closer to the light (remember - empty space is wasted space!), and move your UVB so that it's more like this:

Ideally, you could tip your basking fixture on an angle so the basking temps and UVB light are in exactly the same spot! Kinda like this:

 

[Daesie11]

Oh - one quick adjustment! I'd position your UVB in such a way that your little guy is getting UVB while basking. As it'a portioned right now, he isn't getting as much as he could (or should!). I'd raise those vines on the right side so that he can be closer to the light (remember - empty space is wasted space!), and move your UVB so that it's more like this:

View attachment 241017

Ideally, you could tip your basking fixture on an angle so the basking temps and UVB light are in exactly the same spot! Kinda like this:

View attachment 241018

View attachment 241019

Oh hello there Lily, what's a classy lady like you doing in a slum like this????

 

[Brodybreaux25]

I was slight bit frustrated with the lighting comments because no more than a week ago found out that my UVB was insufficient, and followed the forum’s suggestions confirming along the way. And one week later I’m being told it’s still insufficient. View attachment 241012View attachment 241013

We recommended a T5HO, Not T8.

 

[kinyonga]

Is he shed still there?

 

[Kbomb]

Is he shed still there?

Nope, he is doing great at this point. I got a room humidifier for nighttime use only. Daytime the humidity is about 35-40% and at night the humidity slowly climbs to about 65% before the machine runs out of water. Hopefully this next shed goes without issues.