The first week... Am I doing things right??

MBStephens

Member
Hi everyone. I've made it thru my first week with Leon! I think he is doing well... he's been eating everyday, I have watched him drink and his poop appears normal (however I've only found 1 so far)

His colors have been changing between darker and lighter daily with some black bars at times. Is this normal? I've been trying to start the taming process but he usually darkens up and retreats. I know patience is the key, but I'm wondering if I'm starting too soon.

The other thing I was thinking of doing is moving his cage to the other side of the room for extra privacy. Do you think this is ok to do? I don't want to over stress him!

Attached is a picture of his coloring I see most of the time.

Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - Panther Chameleon - Male - 3 months - had him for 1 week
  • Handling - I haven't yet
  • Feeding -He get 10-12 crickets a day around 9:30am and a silkworm here or there. Crickets are gut-loaded with baby greens, mustard greens, apple, orange, squash, carrots, sweet potato and repashy bug burger as of right now.
  • Supplements - Following the directions of Kammerflage, I dust with Repashy calcium plus which has Low Vit. D
  • Watering - I have a Mist King mister that mists at 8:30am for 4 minutes, 11:30 am for 30 sec., 1:00pm for 2 minutes, 3:00pm for 1 minute and 5:15pm for 1 minute.
  • Fecal Description - I have only found one dropping so far. It was very small, dark & solid with whitish urate. He has not been tested for parasites.
  • History -I purchased him from Kammerflage Kreations

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Screen cage 24x24x48
  • Lighting - Arcadia 12% UVB , Zoomed basking bulb and ceramic heat emitter for nighttime if needed. Lights come on at 7:30 am and go off at 7:30 pm
  • Temperature - Cage floor usually is around 70 degrees, center of cage usually around 75 degrees and basking around 84 degrees. Lowest overall temp ranges from about 65-70 degrees. The heat emitter bulb is set to turn on if temps in the mid range of the cage get below 70 degrees. I do find that the temps drop a little bit after a misting session
  • Humidity - Humidity ranges from about 55%- 70%. I use Mist King Mister with added hand held mister if needed. I have a temp/humidity probe in the cage.
  • Plants - Live plants: dracaneas, umbrella plant, sedum plants, elkhorn fern, bromeliad, spider plants and nerve plants.
  • Placement - Its located in my office near the door (wanting to move to the other end of the room to give him more privacy. It's in an unheated room, but the temperature is controlled with a oil filled heater. The top of the cage is about 6.5-7 feet from the floor.
  • Location - Lynchburg, VA

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
 

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Hi everyone. I've made it thru my first week with Leon! I think he is doing well... he's been eating everyday, I have watched him drink and his poop appears normal (however I've only found 1 so far)

His colors have been changing between darker and lighter daily with some black bars at times. Is this normal? I've been trying to start the taming process but he usually darkens up and retreats. I know patience is the key, but I'm wondering if I'm starting too soon.

The other thing I was thinking of doing is moving his cage to the other side of the room for extra privacy. Do you think this is ok to do? I don't want to over stress him!

Attached is a picture of his coloring I see most of the time.

Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - Panther Chameleon - Male - 3 months - had him for 1 week
  • Handling - I haven't yet
  • Feeding -He get 10-12 crickets a day around 9:30am and a silkworm here or there. Crickets are gut-loaded with baby greens, mustard greens, apple, orange, squash, carrots, sweet potato and repashy bug burger as of right now.
  • Supplements - Following the directions of Kammerflage, I dust with Repashy calcium plus which has Low Vit. D
  • Watering - I have a Mist King mister that mists at 8:30am for 4 minutes, 11:30 am for 30 sec., 1:00pm for 2 minutes, 3:00pm for 1 minute and 5:15pm for 1 minute.
  • Fecal Description - I have only found one dropping so far. It was very small, dark & solid with whitish urate. He has not been tested for parasites.
  • History -I purchased him from Kammerflage Kreations

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Screen cage 24x24x48
  • Lighting - Arcadia 12% UVB , Zoomed basking bulb and ceramic heat emitter for nighttime if needed. Lights come on at 7:30 am and go off at 7:30 pm
  • Temperature - Cage floor usually is around 70 degrees, center of cage usually around 75 degrees and basking around 84 degrees. Lowest overall temp ranges from about 65-70 degrees. The heat emitter bulb is set to turn on if temps in the mid range of the cage get below 70 degrees. I do find that the temps drop a little bit after a misting session
  • Humidity - Humidity ranges from about 55%- 70%. I use Mist King Mister with added hand held mister if needed. I have a temp/humidity probe in the cage.
  • Plants - Live plants: dracaneas, umbrella plant, sedum plants, elkhorn fern, bromeliad, spider plants and nerve plants.
  • Placement - Its located in my office near the door (wanting to move to the other end of the room to give him more privacy. It's in an unheated room, but the temperature is controlled with a oil filled heater. The top of the cage is about 6.5-7 feet from the floor.
  • Location - Lynchburg, VA

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
What do you mean taming process? At that age, feed as many feeders as he’ll eat. Make the mistings at least 2 minutes lon instead of 1. 12% uvb is way too high for that size of a cage, get either 5.0 or 6%. Could you post a pic of the cage? No need for a ceramic heat emitter at night unless it drops below 60*F.
 
my humidity got really high with longer mistings, but I'll change 1 or 2 of the settings and see how it goes. A friend I work with at my local pet store who owns chameleons and is the reptile manager said 12% for a 4 foot cage is good? I have the ceramic heat emitter as a back up because this room doesn't have heat.
 

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my humidity got really high with longer mistings, but I'll change 1 or 2 of the settings and see how it goes. A friend I work with at my local pet store who owns chameleons and is the reptile manager said 12% for a 4 foot cage is good? I have the ceramic heat emitter as a back up because this room doesn't have heat.
Awesome cage! But definitely switch to either 6% or 5.0 for uvb for that cage.
 
Nice setup!

I'm a newbie also. Not trying to hijack, just trying to learn @ERKleRose. Why would 12% be too much in this situation? Is it simply the cage size, or does it also involve the chameleon's age (only 3 mos)?

Also is that a dual light fixture?

Thanks!
 
Nice setup!

I'm a newbie also. Not trying to hijack, just trying to learn @ERKleRose. Why would 12% be too much in this situation? Is it simply the cage size, or does it also involve the chameleon's age (only 3 mos)?

Also is that a dual light fixture?

Thanks!
12% should only be used for massive, extremely densely planted cages or with large veiled set ups
 
So pretty! Give him more time to settle in and see how it goes. Also what do you try to do in this taming process? Leave him be and just hang out in the room and hand feed to build trust. Do that for a while until he comes up to you, then you can handle him with rewarding him, like a treat, going outside (when warm enough), or going to a free range set up. Always let him climb onto you and come slowly from below and never rip him off a branch when handling. He could also just be a cham that you’ll never get to handle. Let him decide
 
it is a dual light fixture. I have the basking bulb and the ceramic heat emitter in it

Sorry I wasn't clear, I was wondering about the fixture with your fluorescent UVB. But on second look it appears to be a single bulb. Is it a T5?

Thanks @ERKleRose. My setup is smaller (approx 30"x30"x18") and has a quad fixture with a 6% Arcadia T5 bulb sitting directly on the screen. I bought a SolarMeter 6.2 and the UVB reading at approx 8" below the screen is only 42ish - lower than the 60 I was targeting. So I have been contemplating using a 12% UVB and raising the fixture onto its legs. 12% in my smaller enclosure seems off but I suppose the quad fixture (less reflectivity) and screen top are reducing the UVB levels quite a bit.

I'm getting a larger 2X2X4 and was planning on a 12% bulb, but I'll start with a 6% after reading this since it will be in a solo fixture.

Okay enough of my hijack - I have been obsessing over lighting lately.
 
Sorry I wasn't clear, I was wondering about the fixture with your fluorescent UVB. But on second look it appears to be a single bulb. Is it a T5?

Thanks @ERKleRose. My setup is smaller (approx 30"x30"x18") and has a quad fixture with a 6% Arcadia T5 bulb sitting directly on the screen. I bought a SolarMeter 6.2 and the UVB reading at approx 8" below the screen is only 42ish - lower than the 60 I was targeting. So I have been contemplating using a 12% UVB and raising the fixture onto its legs. 12% in my smaller enclosure seems off but I suppose the quad fixture (less reflectivity) and screen top are reducing the UVB levels quite a bit.

I'm getting a larger 2X2X4 and was planning on a 12% bulb, but I'll start with a 6% after reading this since it will be in a solo fixture.

Okay enough of my hijack - I have been obsessing over lighting lately.
UVB strength depends on species, cage height, and density of cage plants. Quad or dual fixtures without individual reflectors also deplete some of the uvb strength. I would get a snap on reflector or a different fixture with a reflector for each bulb, and make sure it’s t5HO
 
By taming, i meant him getting use to me enough to walk on my hand. I did try to entice him with a silk worm today but he just moved away.

I think he just needs to settle first but youre doing the right thing by letting him come to you and not forcing him out, food is a great way to entice a cham to come out, what really works is just spending time in a room with him, not opening the cage or bothering him, just sit there, go on your phone, do something you need to do, anything just make sure he can see you, this builds a sense of security with him knowing you wont bother him everytime you come in and with him knowing he can easily walk away if hes uncomfortable, I hope he does well and he really is beautiful!

edit: also hand feeding is a great way to build trust but chams are like fish, they tend to not like handling so handle maybe once a week and see how that goes after hes settled
 
my humidity got really high with longer mistings, but I'll change 1 or 2 of the settings and see how it goes. A friend I work with at my local pet store who owns chameleons and is the reptile manager said 12% for a 4 foot cage is good? I have the ceramic heat emitter as a back up because this room doesn't have heat.
really nice cage set up
 
Only time will help you establish trust and then it really depends on the animals character.

My female Rose happily takes food from me but would rather not come out of her enclosure. A pretty typical cham really.

My male Bob is what is best described as being like a puppy. He wants to hang out with me, so much so, he's very time consuming and 'needy'. Even if he's out on his free range, he'll come down and walk across the floor, up my leg and come onto my shoulder. After a while he'll toddle back across the floor and back up on his free range. As soon as he sees me near his enclosure, he goes mad trying to get to me, so much so he's needed rescuing from near falls on many an occasion.

He's really hard work but he's got so much character. The difference between the 2 is massive.
 
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