Veiled Cham. Adolescent, Semi-Odd Behavior. PLEASE HELP!

[MushuTheVieled]

I have a little Male Veiled named Mushu. It's hard for me to really judge his health, He eats regularly, always hungry, Veryyy slow "bobbing" movement as he walks. I'm sure these are normal behaviors for Chameleon's but i'm not very experienced. I mist him 2ce daily with a squirt bottle and i've YET to see him drink straight from the water dish. Is a dripper 100% necessary? The breeder i got him from said that spraying him down was enough but if he's not drinking, that's a problem! he open's his mouth sometimes randomly, not while feeding, and not because of me stressing him out (p.s: He had some calcium build up in his nostrils so maybe he's using his mouth to breath??) I just don't know. Please provide me with some info. on what the problem could be, if any... In the mean time, i guess i will go out and buy a dripper because im scared he's dehydrated. THANKS TO ANY HELPERS WHO CAN GIVE ME SOME ADVICE, Kyle..

Lighting: 100W red night light, 100W ZooMed "POWERSUN UV/UVA/B
Cage: 36" TALL with 2 screen walls& 2 Glass walls. All plastic plants/vine with a large climbing stick all the way to the top.

 

[kinyonga]

Unless your temperatures at night are below the high 60's there is no need for a light/heat source at night. If you do need a heat source it would be better to use a ceramic heat emitter.

Water dishes can be a source of bacteria, so its generally not recommended to use one.

A dripper can be made from a deli cup with a very small hole in the bottom so the water drips at the rate of one or two drops per second.

The most often recommended UVB light is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light.

Also, I don't recommend using plastic plants for a veiled chameleon since they will often eat vegetation when they are over 5 months of age. I would use real plants that are non-toxic and have been washed well (both sides of the leaves).

The white around his nostrils can be salts from supplements.

Are you spraying water directly in its mouth? You might cause it to aspirate the water into its lungs...which might have something to do with the mouth opening.

Do you gutload/feed your insects well? What specific supplements do you use and how often for each?

 

[jr andrade]

You have a few problems #1 you dont need a bulb for the night time #2 the 100w bulb is way too hot and that might be why he opens his mouth you can use a housebulb for heat #3 how long do you mist for? 2 times a day isnt enough it should be 3 times for atleast 10-15minutes each what are the humidity levels in the cage? you should always provide a linear reptisun 5.0 UVB light, what is your supplementing schedule? and a dripper is 100% necessary make it drip very near his basking spot and when you walk away he is going to drink, like most chameleons he is a shy drinker and probably needs more misting time.

 

[PrettyInInk87]

I am new here but from reading others threads and from my personal experience it seems to me that your bulbs have too high of a wattage for your little guy (too hot). 100 watts is way too much for them to handle. I know from my personal experience that the "gaping" of his mouth is because it is too hot for him. As others have advised to me, I am using a 5.0 Reptisun linear tube with a 50 watt basking light... I try and keep my baby at 80 degrees faranheit max or else I notice he begins to "gape" or open his mouth. Again, I am not very experienced at all but during my short time keeping my little guy I have learned LOTS. Hope this helps and good luck!

 

[MushuTheVieled]

Thanks for sharing the knowledge, Keep it Comin!!

Is 100W light in the day time too hot? A "reptile expert" at a local pet store recommended a 150W UVA/UVB for the day time, but i thought my 100W is sufficient. I can't afford another 80 dollar bulb or tube light fixture but I won't turn on the night-light anymore. A live plant is my next goal. Hopefully the UV bulb that the breeder gave me is sufficient for day time.
I will provide him with a dripper first thing tomorrow...

SUPPLEMENTS: ZooMed's "Reptivite" Reptile Vitamins WITH D3 twice Weekly (next time i wont use as much powder because of the build up in his nostril.)

I guttload the crickets with those little Green Cubes containing water, Spirulina, Calcium, etc.

Anything i forgot to answer? Thanks a million, Kyle.

 

[kinyonga]

Here's some information you might like to read.....
Exposure to proper UVB, appropriate temperatures, supplements, a supply of well-fed/gutloaded insects, water and an appropriate cage set-up are all important for the well-being of your chameleon.

Appropriate cage temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part indirectly in nutrient absorption. For a young panther or veiled, I keep the temperatures in the low 80's. Their small bodies can dehydrate, cool and warm up more quickly than the adults will.

Exposure to UVB from either direct sunlight or a proper UVB light allows the chameleon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system to make/keep the bones strong and be used in other systems in the chameleon as well. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic no matter whether its from the sun or the UVB light. The most often recommended UVB light is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light. Some of the compacts, spirals and tube lights have caused health issues, but so far there have been no bad reports against this one.

Since many of the feeder insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in them, its important to dust the insects before you feed them to the chameleon with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it.

If you dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. It leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of what it needs through its exposure to the UVB light. (Some UVB lights have been known to cause health issues, so the most often recommended one is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light.) D3 from supplements can build up in the system but D3 produced from exposure to UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it.

Dusting twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while.

Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs....so its important too. I gutload crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms, etc. with an assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.)

Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon (muscles, etc.) and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.

Here are some good sites for you to read...
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200605020...Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200604210...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/
http://web.archive.org/web/200601140...ww.adcham.com/

 

[PrettyInInk87]

Yes, it is too hot. I was also reccommended a 100 watt bulb and it was WAY too hot for my baby Cham. Try and get your money back or return it for store credit at least. I brought the bulb home and then had to take it back in exchange for a linear tube. I know what you mean about them being pricey and woah are they. I use a 75 watt basking bulb but have it about 6 to 7 inches off of the top of the cage. I am in San Diego and the weather is not yet at it's coldest. Again, atleast try and get store credit and use it to get any other accessories you need.

I have a home made dripping system that has worked perfectly for me. I got the general idea from another thread here and just kind of gave it my own little twist. Here are a few pictures and it is not pricey to make at all.

I have a double valve attachment with 2 hoses, I made 2 holes in the screen in different locations so that he has a choice where he wants to drink. You can control each by closing and opening the valve and also control the flow or dripping to your choice. PM me if you have any other question...

 

[MushuTheVieled]

Lighting and Gutloading

Damn it totally sucks that I'm going to have to buy another light fixture. I got my entire set up from a breeder so there's no refund being given. Either way i'll need the 100W UV when he's a little bigger right? No use in getting rid of it. He's not tiny anymore, and the bulb isnt directly on top of the cage, it's a deep lamp so there's about an 8 inch space between the top basking spot and the bulb. It might as well be a "clamp lamp" with the distance between the lizard and light. So I absolutely need a regular Basking heat lamp (non-UV 75W), and a UVB tube fixture? thanks for the imput, I appreciate it, I would also like to get a couple of other opinions/views on the situation before I spend 100 bucks that i dont have on a UVB specific light, when i already have a UVA/UVB. Apparently the breeder I got him from only uses those bulbs so i'm stressing. Thanks much, Kyle

 

[kinyonga]

For the basking light all you need is a regular incandescent household bulb in a domed hood.

 

[PrettyInInk87]

My concern is it being too hot in his enclosure. I'm sure you can monitor the temps and figure out how to keep them in the low 80's. Again, this is from my own personal experience and since I have been keeping my baby at 80 he has stopped "gaping".

I know what you mean about the money thing, I personally had to sell a few things to put my Cham's enclosure together, lol! So far so good with him.

About a week ago I and another forum member tried to rescue a Cham who was found in someones back yard but he was too far gone to do so. It was HEART BREAKING to lose him. I'm glad your taking the the steps to accomidate you little dude and am sure you will get everything set right. I'm sure you'll get lots more help tomorrow when other forum members log on.