Vacation, but my chameleon?!
- Thread starter Progrmor
- Start date
NHenn
Avid Member
I would try your best to have someone come over and check on her while you are away. Water is going to be the most important, she should be fine going on day without food as I assume you can place a few extra crickets or worms in her cage the day you leave and feed her again as soon as you return.
If you can't find anyone to help, see if you can get your dripper to drip for those two days and have the extra water run off into something so it doesn't sit in the cage. Throw a cup on the side of the cage with some crickets so she can eat the days your gone but they cant chew on her at night. Also maybe some silkworms in her cage as they will not only provide food but also help keep her hydrated.
If you can't find anyone to help, see if you can get your dripper to drip for those two days and have the extra water run off into something so it doesn't sit in the cage. Throw a cup on the side of the cage with some crickets so she can eat the days your gone but they cant chew on her at night. Also maybe some silkworms in her cage as they will not only provide food but also help keep her hydrated.
Progrmor
Member
This cup you´re talking about. How big does it need to be so that the crickets dont escape? I have no clue on how high they can jump.
NHenn
Avid Member
I assume your crickets are very tiny as she is only a month old. I have a cup in my little panthers cage for feeding that is 3" deep. Sometimes they will jump out but most of the time if the crickets are not scared, they will just walk in circles around the bottom of the cup and not jump to escape.
sandrachameleon
Chameleon Enthusiast
Recently got my 1 month baby, vieled chameleon. But im going away for 2 days next weekend. How am I going to threat her? What should I do?!Will she even survive two days? I have a dripper so water will be provided atleast.
Thanks!
with an animal that young, I would arrange to have someone come in to mist her and feed her.
NHenn
Avid Member
If the cage is glass just hang it off of a vine or branch in the cage and not actually on the wall of the cage.
I'm on board with Sandra though, I would still be looking for someone to come in and help as that is the only way you can be sure she will be feed and have water for those 2 days.
I'm on board with Sandra though, I would still be looking for someone to come in and help as that is the only way you can be sure she will be feed and have water for those 2 days.
junglefries
Avid Member
You can use aquarium suction cups to adhere to glass if needed. If you have an exo-terra or zoomed terrarium there are usually kits you can buy to stay brand specific for peace of mind. Or air line hose cups, just run some kind of twisty tie thru holes and attach.
DanSB
Avid Member
I agree with Sandra, you can't just leave a Cham that young for a few days. If you have a light timer, an auto mister with 2 days of water, and do the extra food bit you will likely be okay. But if anything malfunctions there could be trouble.
Find someone to pop in and mist, check the temps, feed etc. For an older healthy veiled 2 days is fine. But for a baby that is just too risky for my taste...
Find someone to pop in and mist, check the temps, feed etc. For an older healthy veiled 2 days is fine. But for a baby that is just too risky for my taste...
I'm sure you've taken that vacation by now. Maybe you could tell us all what worked and what didn't. That would help others plan in the future. Above all though, you pointed out one very important thing. When you commit to a pet or a tamed friend, you become responsible for that animal's upkeep, and when that bumps into a vacation or even an unplanned absence, you have to make concessions. When my dog was still living, I had to cancel a lot of plans because I couldn't find someone to watch him.
Anyway, in the future, for people who wonder about leaving crickets in a cup for a few days, I use some small one cup Rubbermaid cups that are about 2 3/4 inches deep. As long as I don't stir the crickets up, they don't jump, and they will do just as was mentioned. They will basically walk around the bottom of the cup and won't jump out. I've fed my chameleon from the cup a few times to get her used to it. She would come down a branch and get what she wanted without stirring up the other crickets. I did notice that she over ate when the cup was loaded up though, so I don't know how long it would work out. I'd limit it to 2 days just to be sure.
I had mentioned in another post about a drip catcher I use in my cham's enclosure. I use a 2 cup Mason Jar with a nylon stocking cover so my cham can't get into the water face down. I put it under the dripper and it catches all of the water. 2 cups will run for 2-4 hours at a pretty fast drip. Of course for a couple days you'd have to have a really big jar or a recirculating drain system in the enclosure. I've seen some wet enclosures that would work for weeks of water dripping, but the food situation would never allow for that unless you got some silk worm egg pods and timed their hatching just right. All that means, you need to have a local kid or someone else ready to watch your chameleon on short notice if needed. Having that person lined up could save a lot of headache when needed.
Anyway, in the future, for people who wonder about leaving crickets in a cup for a few days, I use some small one cup Rubbermaid cups that are about 2 3/4 inches deep. As long as I don't stir the crickets up, they don't jump, and they will do just as was mentioned. They will basically walk around the bottom of the cup and won't jump out. I've fed my chameleon from the cup a few times to get her used to it. She would come down a branch and get what she wanted without stirring up the other crickets. I did notice that she over ate when the cup was loaded up though, so I don't know how long it would work out. I'd limit it to 2 days just to be sure.
I had mentioned in another post about a drip catcher I use in my cham's enclosure. I use a 2 cup Mason Jar with a nylon stocking cover so my cham can't get into the water face down. I put it under the dripper and it catches all of the water. 2 cups will run for 2-4 hours at a pretty fast drip. Of course for a couple days you'd have to have a really big jar or a recirculating drain system in the enclosure. I've seen some wet enclosures that would work for weeks of water dripping, but the food situation would never allow for that unless you got some silk worm egg pods and timed their hatching just right. All that means, you need to have a local kid or someone else ready to watch your chameleon on short notice if needed. Having that person lined up could save a lot of headache when needed.
teejayteej
New Member
First ..I have to think that this is a young owner? ?
maybe you can take her tank to someone to keep her for a few days for you a family member?? some times it is hard to get others to come to your place but seeing that you don't have all the auto set ups yet it might be easier to find some where to take the little one for the for the two days that you will be gone and just leave instructions and food so that the person can just wing it for the two days till you get home.
maybe you can take her tank to someone to keep her for a few days for you a family member?? some times it is hard to get others to come to your place but seeing that you don't have all the auto set ups yet it might be easier to find some where to take the little one for the for the two days that you will be gone and just leave instructions and food so that the person can just wing it for the two days till you get home.
Kate
Established Member
Just so you know, not everybody can use a mesh screen cage. I'm in Colorado, and our regular humidity ranges from 3-10%. Without a glass enclosure, there is no way I could ever provide anything like the humidity my chameleon needs. If I lived where the relative humidity remained above 65%, then maybe I could use a mesh screen. You appear worried about cooking in the heat, I worry about drying up like a raisin. So you see, it's all about where we live, and not so much aboutwhat everybody else is doing. Cheers.
