Veiled chameleon questions

Ante777

New Member
Hi people!
This is my new chameleon , he is approx. 3 months old , male...
I've had him for 3 days only , didn't handle him at all , feed him with 4 crickets a day(doesn't want more) . I usually vitaminize his food with Nekton MSA and Nekton REP...I spray his cage twice a day , but I didn't see him drink.I also tried to give him water via syringe (without needle,ofc) , but he didnt' want it.
His feces is pretty normal I guess , dark brown and white.
He is currently in a glass cage ( http://www.petsolutions.com/images/200/15566666.jpg , this one ) but only for this week until his enclosure is done.
He has an 10.0 UVB lamp ( exo terra ) and a 40 w spotlight ( JBL ) .
Temp at the spot is approx. 32 c and in the middle of the enclosure is about 25..
Humidity is about 60 - 70 % due to a high spraying rate , because I was worried if he drinks..
He has a scyndapsus plant, and a ficus and few dry branches.
Cage is in a pretty calm room , and we' re from Croatia:)

Here he is :





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So..I have a few questions...

1.How often does he need suplements , beacuse I have heard that every meal has to be vitaminized , and on the vitamins it says 10 % of the food?
2.Does he drink , eventhough I don't see him ?I mean , if he's thirsty , he would have drank from the syringe?
3.Due to a high spraying rate, a very thin layer of water (1 mm ) was on the bottom of the cage today..And I saw him at the bottom (maybe for half an hour)( I instantly got worried, because I know they don't go to the bottom unless they feel sick ) ..But he didn't just sit on the bottom , he was walking , exploring..Now he is basking again on the branch..So i was just wondering is it normal for him to go on the bottom , is he only exploring his cage..?

Probably I worry too much , but I want everything to be perfect:D

Thank you very much for your replies..:)Greetings from Croatia , and sorry if my english was bad..:p
 
welcome to the forums where you will find lots of good info on just about everything to do with your cham. your english is quite good, better than some people on here that have english as a first language haha. 1) you should have three different supplements, these being a) calcium without D3 (used at most feedings) b) calcium with D3 ( used twice a month) and a multi vitamin (used 1 to 2 times per month) FYI, D3 helps your cham absorb calcium, they get this naturally from the sunlight. 2) alot of owners rarely see their cham drink and I am one of them, that is why it is important to provide a dripper to provide water throughout the day and heavy mistings so they can drink off of the leaves. and 3) your cham was probably just exploring his new pad so I wouldn't worry too much about him being down at the bottom, my veiled used to do that occasionally too when she was younger. hope this helps.
 
The Nekton products used to have prEformed vitamin A in them....do they still have it?? (It would say retinol, acetate, palmitate, etc. instead of beta carotene.)

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.

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.

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.

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/20060502...rnals.com/vet/index.php?show=5.Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/20060421.../index.php?show=6.Vitamin.D3.and.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/

Sorry this is to long...but hope it helps.
 
Thank you very much for your replies!:)
I finally saw him drinking :D
I will sure read all the articles you posted about vitamins.:)Thanks.
I have another question..
How much is normal for a chameleon this size to eat?And how much eats an adult?
He eats about 5 crickets a day in average,today 6..Is it ok?
And can a chameleon go one day without feeding?

Thank you
 
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