Update on Shelby! (From Olive Oil to Zena!)

[slr]

Here she is!!! She's gained 7 grams, grown 2 inches longer and filled out so much already! This is only 4 weeks and 2 days later ...

FROM (I can't upload her before pics, as they are already in a thread on here titled "First timer ... ", please check out that thread to compare) this to THIS!!!

Please let me know how you think she is doing ... Thanks!

 

[Brad]

From what I can see she looks great (coloration and health wise) How much did she weigh when you posted those original pictures? She looks like she has doubled in size. How are her eating and drinking habits?

FROM (I can't upload her before pics, as they are already in a thread on here titled "First timer ... ", please check out that thread to compare) this to THIS!!!

Currently, this is one of the main limitations of the forum. This will be fixed when I add user image galleries. Estimated time is a few weeks (Early June).

 

[slr]

Original weight!

Brad,

She was 24 grams when I brought her home, she now weighs 31!!! WHOO HOO She didn't double in size, but gaining a third of her body weight in 4 weeks is plenty good for me! I have been told, read a lot and heard that it isn't good to get them too big, too fast ... so, now that she is healthy, I have cut back on her food.

 

[Mr Green]

Great job slr!! Shelby is looking much better. Are you showering her at all? Any plans to breed her?

 

[slr]

Shelby, Shelby, Shelby

Hey Mr. Green,

Thanks! It's been a long 4 1/2 weeks, but WELL worth it! I am not currently showering her. I was told she is still too young, and since she is doing fine at the moment, I don't want to add extra stress to her. Should I be ... could I be?!

Second question ... I don't have any immediate plans to breed her (when she reaches breeding age), but I might consider it down the road. I also have 3 leopard geckos and a bearded dragon. I have one of my males and my female together at the moment; 10 years with leos, I feel secure trying for babies for the first time! Wish me luck!

 

[Brad]

She might be too young for a shower. If you decide to give her one, just make sure the water preasure hitting her is very low (a mist at most).

Good luck with the geckos
I am sure you have already studied the subject, but if not you might want to read up on the needs of a female chameleon (eggs etc).

 

[Mr Green]

Good luck with the leos. Im sure you will succeed

 

[ChamFreak]

Hmmm, I would wait to breed her. If i'm not mistaking, it's already happend anyway. I was told veiled are late spring? So if that is tru then, I would say this spring, go ahead. What I think brad is saying is ( not sure ) The mother's need more calcuim for egg shells so you must increase dusting and maybe something else. Also you must have room for new borns as well and a incubator for when she lays her eggs. Hope this helps. Many great sources of chameleons online and they are avalible anytime your ready. use google and type the direct question with out question mark.

 

[slr]

Thanks for the feedback. I don't plan to breed her ... not for a long time anyways, if ever. She is only about 5 months old, at most, so I am not even thinking about that yet! All I want is to get her healthy as a horse and make her happy. I am not into the breeding aspect of reptiles. I just love them as pets.

I have read TONS on chams in general, and also read up on the lil extra care females need due to egg laying year round. I have never heard about the spring concept. Could be true! As for mating ... no, she has not ever been with a male (unless it was a clutch mate before she was 2 months old.) I got her from the pet store and she was 3 - 4 months old. They had her for a month or so they told me.

Update on the leos for those who wanna know ... I see no signs of gravidness in Sweetie. I am totally fine with this though. I just got a new, baby Bearded Dragon ... so all my extra attention can go to him and Shelby as well now. Shelby's pretty much out of the woods, as far as her being starved when I got her and all. She's eating WAY too good (ha ha), so I have cut her down and she seems to be happy. Her colors are always good and she is very active during the day after basking for awhile when the lights come on.

I just redid all my leos tanks, when I set up the new home that was to be my new BD's. I layed down all new rubber shelf-liner and disinfected all the items in the leos cages. They LOVE their new homes.

So - right now I have 3 leos, a veiled chameleon, 2 cats and a BD. And my friends and family ask me if my fiance and I are considering kids in the near future! HA!

 

[slr]

ChamFreak - I think I know why you said, " ... it may be too late." I reread your post, and I read all mine. I think you read the part about me having my female and one of my male leos together. I was considering breeding the leos. Not Shelby, my cham. NEVER at this age, and most likely never will.

 

[ChamFreak]

Partly, But it's been 2 weeks

 

[slr]

Confused!

Chamfreak,

I am lost and confused? What are you referring to ... "partly, but it's been two weeks?" I own one cham. My female you have read about. She has never been with a male.

Also, on my other post, you posted a comment about Shelby looking a lil dehydrated and what not, as asked about my set up. First, that was her first cage. It was 2x4x7 ft. MUCH too big for the lil girl. Secondly, the bulb you see is the UVB light, not the basking bulb. It is only 20 watts, so it isn't giving off much heat and won't burn her. The basking bulb is outside the cage.

She is now in a 38 gallon reptarium. I have a UVB light on her for 14 hours a day and a 100 watt basking light shining down from the top. BOTH are outside the cage with this setup. During the day, the temps range between 88 and 92 degrees. At night, I turn all lights off and my house is kept at 72 degrees ... most of the time, it never goes below 75 though because of the heats rising now with summer coming.

As for watering/misting ... I have my auto-mister set to mist her for 60 seconds every 6 hours. I also hand mist the cage 2 times a day. She has started to take a liking to the misting by hand. She actually opens and closes her mouth when I spray and let the mist hit her. I am not certain it is actually drinking she is doing, but it could be.

I don't have the palm tree in this new cage. It was too big! I have all vines .. some thick, some thinner and some plain and some with flowers off. It pretty much fills the cage. I don't have any live plants in there.

Please look at the latest pics on this thread. You will see a whole new cham!!!

 

[ChamFreak]

Don't be confused.

It's really nothing. I had seen the post 2 weeks after you made it. The advise givin to you was good but, I felt I should give my 2 cents worth. Don't worry I was just saying it was a older topic and you might have the problem fixed ( witch you did ) Sorry for confusion, great job getting shelby back to health. Also sounds like your levels ok too.

 

[slr]

Chamfreak,

Ohhhhhhhhhhh, ok ... now I get ya! Thanks. It was a long and hard battle to get her back to health, but she is doin' great now!

Take care, SLR