Update on Kurt Cobain (my great-grandcham)

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Winnie5761

Member
Hi all!! It's been quite some time since I've been on the thread. I just wanted to post some pics of how pretty Kurt has become :love:He gets a black stripe and spots in defense mode but he will let the grandson and me get within inches now with hissing, snapping or showing his defensive posture and coloring. My husband on the other hand...He just has to look at him wrong and the hissing starts.

He's been really healthy it seems with only 2 emergency vet visits that turned out to be absolutely nothing :rolleyes:. But at least he's had two really good check ups in the last year 🤷‍♀️

Kurt is now about 16 months old and seems very happy and content in his mansion of an enclosure, but I do have one question. I'm getting conflicting advice on feeding schedules. I was under the impression that until age 2yrs old, they should be fed as much as they want, then cut to about 5 lg crickets or Dubai's every other day. However, I have had several people now tell me that daily feeds should stop by age 10 months. Could someone possibly clear this up for me?

Thanks so much in advance. This group always gives great advice!!!
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The last vet visit.
 
Usually by about 10-12 months old, your veiled will be fully grown and you need to cut back on feeding to about 3-5 feeders every other day or even 3 days a week. Don’t forget that this doesn’t include the occasional treat. All of mine are fully mature and I feed them this amount (the girls get one less feeder than the boys) every Mon, Wed and Fri and on either Sat or Sun I give a treat feeder…just one.
Kurt is quite handsome! I love pieds. 🥰 I do have to ask about his eyes though. Is this one of the reasons for a vet visit? It looks like he possibly has some debris building up or something along those lines. What are your supplements? Are you using bee pollen anywhere? What are your humidity levels and how often and for how long do you mist?
 
Thank you all. He is quite a beauty!

@MissSkittles I'm not seeing a buildup on his eyes, could u possibly point it out for me? I have no idea what I'm looking for! He just shed a few days ago, could that be what ur seeing?

He was last taken to the vet because he had a little black thing on his chin. It looked kinda like a mole or something. It fell off somewhere on the way to the vet and we couldn't even see a mark where it had been so the vet believed it was a piece of stuck shed.

I stopped giving him bee pollen on his feeders because it seemed to irritate his eyes, so I started adding it to the crickets veggies and he was still rubbing his eyes so I stopped altogether. I filled out a husbandry form when I built his enclosure last year and nothing has changed. I'll see if I can find it.

We are currently feeding about 5 LG Dubai or LG crickets every other day lightly dusted with calcium without D3, reptivite dusted 2x per month. Daytime humidity around room so 30-50%. Nighttime, cooler temp, 80-100%. Mist runs for 2 min around 11pm then again around 5am.

Does all of that sound ok?

You are all so great about advice! Thanks again!
 
Your care all sounds perfect to me. :unsure: How long ago did you stop all bee pollen? Maybe he did/hurt something or something got stuck when he was rubbing his eyes. Maybe if they’ve always looked like this, it’s just the way he is. If it isn’t bothering him, just be aware and look for any changes.
This is my girl’s - she was upset at the indignity of being held, so had sucked her eyes in a bit. But you can see that they are nice and round with few wrinkles and all is symmetrical.
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Kurt has some puffiness at the inner side of his eye(s), which looks to almost be pushing his eyeball to the back side. This is the area where eye problems usually manifest, and there’s a variety of different causes - often very difficult even for some skilled vets to figure out. This is one good example. https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/bump-in-the-corner-of-young-chameleons-eye.194528/
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Hello! Weird-eye-chameleon haver here! I just wanted to chime in with my own images.
My chameleon, Spooble, has one good eye, and one very weird eye.
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You can perfectly see the difference between his right eye and the odd left eye. Eye issues seem pretty mystifying to professionals and experts alike.
Anyway, I commented because, looking at your boy's eyelid, I feel there's a similar shape to their eye holes. It just makes me wonder "what does this represent?"
kurt's eyeball:
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Spooble's eyeball:
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A doodle pointing out what I'm seeing:

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Now, I'm just throwing out a hypothetical, but I do wonder if this is some newer genetic weirdness due to the way reptiles are bred for big name pet stores. This subject just gets my mind racing and has me talking a million words a second.
Anyway, very lovely boy! Pieds are very cute with their soft little pinks, and he's well taken care of.
 
LizardLurkin said:
Hello! Weird-eye-chameleon haver here! I just wanted to chime in with my own images.
My chameleon, Spooble, has one good eye, and one very weird eye.
View attachment 365165View attachment 365166

You can perfectly see the difference between his right eye and the odd left eye. Eye issues seem pretty mystifying to professionals and experts alike.
Anyway, I commented because, looking at your boy's eyelid, I feel there's a similar shape to their eye holes. It just makes me wonder "what does this represent?"
kurt's eyeball:
View attachment 365167
Spooble's eyeball:
View attachment 365168

A doodle pointing out what I'm seeing:

View attachment 365169

Now, I'm just throwing out a hypothetical, but I do wonder if this is some newer genetic weirdness due to the way reptiles are bred for big name pet stores. This subject just gets my mind racing and has me talking a million words a second.
Anyway, very lovely boy! Pieds are very cute with their soft little pinks, and he's well taken care of.
Click to expand...
I don’t remember where I got this information, I think it was watching Bill Strand podcast on his YouTube channel.
But he mention captive Veiled chameleons might end up in peril future if we don’t seek new genetics rather than continual source from Florida.
I believe Saudi Arabia or Yemen doesn’t offer exports of Veileds since the 1980’s. I believe that was mention in the video too.
 
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Wow!! Thank you @LizardLurkin Because your boy has both I can see what you all are talking about now!! And Kurt has been like that since we got him. That's why I was confused. He looks the same as he always does. His major change in his adult coloring are his sleeves and he has beautiful blueish green and gold markings. I'm not sure the hue is coming out correctly in photos. I never realized how pretty they were. I know they can see a broader spectrum of color and it makes me wonder what colors and tones he can perceive that we can't. Just what does our world look like to him? His front legs used to be white. It reminded several of a little old lady with her elbow-high church gloves. His front legs are now mostly black making him look as if he has black-out tattooed sleeves.

And I appreciate you saying he's well cared for. We're doing our best with him. He was not only our first chameleon, but our first reptile. We now also have 2 leopard geckos. One of which I'm just fostering for my daughter.

Now my grandson is talking about getting a snake. With the hot flashes I have, that may come in handy. 😆 He can cool me off and I can warm him up!
 
BleuSaphir said:
I don’t remember where I got this information, I think it was watching Bill Strand podcast on his YouTube channel.
But he mention captive Veiled chameleons might end up in peril future if we don’t seek new genetics rather than continual source from Florida.
I believe Saudi Arabia or Yemen doesn’t offer exports of Veileds since the 1980’s. I believe that was mention in the video too.
Click to expand...
Excuse the tangent but I often think if people were so dedicated to veileds as panthers, there might be more reputable breeders to back them up, too. They are often viewed as being the cheap chameleon, and there's no way to really compete with the reptile mill breeders while maintaining responsible care with the prices they're up against. Though they might not show off the whole rainbow, the colors and silhouette of the veiled chameleon is lovely in its own rite.
But I totally get where you're coming from. Different reptile, and I'm not sure how true it is, please take it with a grain of salt, but I've heard Bearded Dragons in captivity sometimes display an odd trait of "frog eyes" while otherwise being healthy...Kind of wondering if this could be cham's very own "frog eyes."

Winnie5761​

Wow!! Thank you @LizardLurkin Because your boy has both I can see what you all are talking about now!!
Click to expand...
I'm happy my images could help! Honestly, it wouldn't hurt to get his eyes looked at by a vet sometime. It could be that he is predisposed to buildup, and needs an occasional flushing, the same as my boy seems to be...(that's the theory, anyhow)
Definitely keep an eye on his peepers though. If you do see someone, I'd like to know what your learn.
And like, chams are always prettier in real life than on camera. I can never quite capture the bright oranges my guy shows, but I can imagine based on that, how pretty Kurt and his blues are in real life. :love:

ehdee6​

@LizardLurkin this did make me think of you and Spooble. 💕
Click to expand...
Haha I feel like most of my posts are about his weird eye, so it's understandable 😆
 
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@LizardLurkin this definitely made me think of Spooble and his wonky eye, so I’m super glad that you’ve shared here. Both fellas are gorgeous, otherwise seem healthy and are well loved and cared for. I think all either of you can do is monitor and get veterinary care as needed. Oh…and don’t forget to share many pics of your beauties. 🥰
 
Thanks so much. You all are always so very knowledgeable and helpful. Poor Kurt probably wouldn't b here let alone thriving if it wasn't for this forum so we all thank you!!

Sorry I don't share more, but you know, life :rolleyes:. I promise to try to do better.

@MissSkittles I'm so very sorry for the loss of your bestie Beastie. We've all been through the loss of a beloved friend, I'm sure, but it doesn't make it any easier to experience or even hear about because we all know the love we have for our friends; whether they be furry or scaley. I currently have 4 pups, 2 of which were severely abused rescues. You have my deepest heartfelt condolences and sympathy.
 
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