weird behavior

Kiwi06

New Member
hi! ive had kiwi for almost 3 months now & shes been thriving, slowly starting to trust me & has been having healthy sheds & poop ( still reluctant to drink off of leaves in front of me so i hand mist her 2-3 times a day). she has started to trust me more so i bought an umbrella tree for her to sit on in my room by the window & just hang out. she normally lets me know if she wants out because ill leave the door open & let her come out on her own & if i dont she sometimes (not always) will sit by the gate & wait for me to open it. shes never super eager to escape so i dont think its an issue with her home i think she just really likes to be able to climb on something different every now & then. she doesnt always come out, sometimes the door will stay open & shell sit on the closest branch to the door & just sight see anything thats going on in my room (usually not much). lately shes been climbing to the back top left corner of her cage & looks at the spot that she hangs out when shes out. no matter how i organize the vines she likes that one corner and climbs on the mesh. her behavior has been normal up other than that until last night. out of nowhere around 1-1:30 am she started going crazy climbing on the side of her cage. it was almost like she got spooked by something but i didnt see anything that could of happened & i was sitting at my desk the whole time. she actually fell and it scared the crap out of me but she got up and started walking around. she seemed to calm down after she fell but i wanted to make sure she was okay so i opened the cage & she came out on a stick and actually started climbing on me( which was weird because she usually doesnt like to be on me but shell let me move her with a stick as long as i dont touch her). she was bright green the whole time which confuses me because i read they usually get dark when they get spooked by something. im gonna reattach the information i posted the first time i joined but updated. not much has changed enough for me to say this is why shes acting weird. i have to post it in the comments though since theres too many characters⬇️
 

Attachments

  • BCAF323A-C8C6-4E8D-B161-4806E8D1701C.jpeg
    BCAF323A-C8C6-4E8D-B161-4806E8D1701C.jpeg
    188 KB · Views: 92
  • 263E2BFE-8F6F-451E-8224-37F5DA7E4E97.jpeg
    263E2BFE-8F6F-451E-8224-37F5DA7E4E97.jpeg
    240.1 KB · Views: 100
  • 92A8DB89-88D4-44DE-A412-32DDC406FCC4.jpeg
    92A8DB89-88D4-44DE-A412-32DDC406FCC4.jpeg
    179.4 KB · Views: 118
  • 31054E20-CF62-454C-800A-BA9F409B7DB3.jpeg
    31054E20-CF62-454C-800A-BA9F409B7DB3.jpeg
    254 KB · Views: 117
  • Your Chameleon - Kiwi is a Veiled Chameleon who is (apparently) 6-7 months old. (purchased her from petco)
  • Handling - only handled her once while setting up her enclosure, currently getting her used to me. she came out on a stick for me about twice but i didnt want to stress her so i just showed her my hand for a few minutes & put her back in her home. she actually ate of ouf a cup for me for the first time within the past 3 days so i make sure i give her an extra fat wax or superworm so she knows its ok to eat out of my hand (& shell get a special treat☺ ) ** still not much handling, only with a stick but just to let her come out onto her plant & then when its time to go back inside**
  • Feeding - i feed her about 8-12 3 week old crickets everyday (sometimes more if shes looking for them) 1 waxworm every other day, & 1-2 superworms a day (depending if shes still hungry) ( im also still trying to find the perfect amount for her, some days she eats more than others) shell get about 4 crickets at around 11-12 & another 3-4 around 3. the one super worm is given in between the first two feedings & then occasionally one more after the second if i notice her looking around for more food( & if shes nice to me?) she also has some shredded carrots & lettuce in the bottom of her bowl for when she eats the worms so she can eat some greens too( wont eat them unless theres a worm on top?) she also gets hornworms but im currently put of those and in the process of getting more. she gets those the same way as the waxworms, about one every other day. She loves all of these insects but she didnt like silkworms for some reason. tried to feed her multiple on separate occasions. the first one took her a while to want to eat it but after that, she just lets them die in her bowl, she actually eats around them. Crickets are fed romaine lettuce, carrots, & other collard greens. same for the superworms. the crickets are also fed with flukers farm calcium fortified cricket quencher. *** still doesnt like silkworms, now is picky with wax worms but not eating as many crickets. her diet went up to about 18-20 crickets but she recently stopped eating as much. im not sure if its because shes growing or if something else is up. she never refuses a super worm but i dont give her then often since ive heard theyre only used as treats. i have been trying to find good sized hornworms for her but every time they seem to be way too big for her. doesnt eat greens anymore but occasionally chomps on her umbrella tree**
  • Supplements - every feeding her insects are dusted with Zoomed Repti Calcium(without d3) & every other feeding with Zoomed Reptivite. I am looking for the best vitamin to give her with d3 since she doesnt need it until about next week since she got it at the store before i bought her. ** she is now also on a d3 calcium about once every two weeks, still trying to find a good schedule for the vitamins as it can be confusing sometimes**
  • Watering - so heres a tricky one, i have a fogger that blows on her plants to create droplets & it helps with the humidity since my area isnt that humid of an area. i also have a dripper for her that is constantly cleaned & refilled along with the fogger. i havent noticed her drinking water but her eyes dont seem shriveled & her urates are a pretty bright white color. the second day i got her i noticed they were a little orange so i looked it up & sure enough that meant not enough water so i syringe fed her some water & she (surprisingly) drank some of it. after that everything seemed to be normal. ** i have slowly stopped using the fogger as much only because ive read the negative effects of it & she doesnt drink off the leaves enough for me to say its worth the risk. im current saving to order the mist king for when i upgrade her enclosure but for now i hand mist her & just make sure i see her drink a few drops from it. she usually runs away but sometimes she comes towards the sprayer which leads me to believe shes thirsty**
  • Fecal Description - usually normal poops, dark brown with a white urate. the other (4/8) it was a little wetter than normal but urate is still white & it was right under her fogger so not sure if thats why. she has not been tested with me, only had her for two weeks. **normal, super white urates & normal brown poop. i have not had a fecal done yet since i got her right before quarantine & the exotic vets near me arent taking new patients as of lately. i am working on getting it tested very soon though since everything is starting to open back up**
  • History - she was housed with a male previously but when i bought her, she was by herself in the enclosure. after calling the pet store i got her from, they told me she was 3 months & that they usually separate the males from the females when they sexually mature. not sure how accurate that was but he seemed confident when he said it. (she seems to have a pretty big belly but its not lumpy as if she has eggs in her but im not sure) i noticed she likes to slap the substrate with her tongue for some reason? ive decided to take the substrate out since i dont want impaction. **same history, nothing really has changed**
Cage Info:

  • Cage Type - She is currently in the reptibreeze screen terrarium, 16”x16”x30”. im currently in the process of finding her a new one thats bigger & taller with a better drain system. **saving up to purchase a dragon ledge cage but im waiting for unemployment:(**
  • Lighting - currently using the reptisun 5.0 uvb bulb, 13 watts( i heard very mixed things about this light but the bar light wont fit on her enclosure) im trying to find a good uvb bulb, if anyone could please leave recommendations. she also has a reptisun basking light which is 75 watts. i have the 12 hours schedule going so i have the lights go on at 10:30 & go off at 10:30 for now ( currently looking into a natural sun mimicking dimmer to help make it feel more natural)** i did get her a better light that was recommended to me. its the t5-ho 24 inch 5.0 ubv & i also have a 75w basking bulb**
  • Temperature -the top of her enclosure ( by the lights) is 82-85 F normally. the bottom of the cage is usually 71-74 F but at night drops to about 67-68 F. i have a stick on thermometer that is on the top & a probe thermometer at the bottom. **temps stay the same maybe getting a little warmer towards the top but only up to like 90 the hottest but usually around 85-88**
  • Humidity - humidity levels range between 45%-70%. it is usually 45 before i mist her in the morning & then it spikes up to about 60 % after that i turn the fogger on & it stays between 60% & 70% for a few hours. i also have a humidity gage in her terrarium. **humidity is definitely lower, usually between 30-40% until i mist her which is when it spikes to about 50-60%**
  • Plants - unfortunately im not using live plants right now but once i upgrade her enclosure im hoping to get some live ones. as of right now she has fake plants but she has vegetables in her cage & some greens on her vines incase she feels like munching. **i have real plants now! i do still have some fake vines & hanging plants for her to climb on since im still getting use to how to arrange the real ones to keep them healthy & able for her to climb on but also easy to clean anything out of. i had a dragon tree in her enclosure for her to hide & a dwarf umbrella tree on the side of her cage on the outside for her to hang out on. this morning i switched them & put the umbrella tree in the cage instead of the dragon tree since the umbrella tree has more foliage to it so it will cushion her if she falls & maybe make her feel extra safe since she can hide a little better. it is taking up a very big amount of space in her enclosure but i thought it would be better. im trying to reroot some of the plant to transfer it into a smaller pot**
  • Placement - shes in my room by a window but with no cold drafts, no vents. the top of the terrarium reaches about a little more than 5 feet off the ground **still by the window & she actually enjoys the view, i have blackout curtains for night time just incase especially since the sunrise messes with her light schedule**
  • Location - northern NJ, USA


Current issues: **everything i listed previous to the information. i dont know if this has happened to anyone else because i havent found anything with females acting like this but if anyone has any suggestions please let me know! im hopping to get an appointment soon with a vet to get a fecal done just to rule out parasites but im not sure, im only in school to become a vet tech so im not 100%. thanks in advance!!**
 
so i had to move her cage because i had to fix something in my room & i dont know of shes stressed out or what because she wont move from the bottom of the cage & i dont know if im overthinking or what but she was acting fine this morning but still climbing on the sides. she was dark so i let her be for a bit & came back & her colors were lighter but shes still at the bottom. i even misted her plants & she didnt even move. no vets are open near me right now & im nervouse
 

Attachments

  • 73C7A4C7-957C-4810-B575-84EAC39DF31D.jpeg
    73C7A4C7-957C-4810-B575-84EAC39DF31D.jpeg
    270.5 KB · Views: 89
Few things to note on your husbandry.

- I would start to cut back on how much you are feeding her. Over feeding can be problematic in females as it can cause them to have overly large clutch sizes.
- I'd recommend only feeding her in the morning 1x/day. This gives her time to process and digest her food under the basking light.
- I use Reptivite without D3 for my multivitamin 1x/week every other week. This video walks you through supplements.




- Her basking temps are also on the higher side which can also result in larger clutch sizes which puts more stress on the body. I'd try to get it closer to mid-low 80s.


To help answer your original question/concern... has anyone talked to you about female chameleons laying eggs? I think she may be more active to be getting ready to lay eggs since she is getting close to that age. Here is a great egg laying resource:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/egg-laying-and-the-laying-bin.345/
 
Few things to note on your husbandry.

- I would start to cut back on how much you are feeding her. Over feeding can be problematic in females as it can cause them to have overly large clutch sizes.
- I'd recommend only feeding her in the morning 1x/day. This gives her time to process and digest her food under the basking light.
- I use Reptivite without D3 for my multivitamin 1x/week every other week. This video walks you through supplements.




- Her basking temps are also on the higher side which can also result in larger clutch sizes which puts more stress on the body. I'd try to get it closer to mid-low 80s.


To help answer your original question/concern... has anyone talked to you about female chameleons laying eggs? I think she may be more active to be getting ready to lay eggs since she is getting close to that age. Here is a great egg laying resource:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/egg-laying-and-the-laying-bin.345/

i was definitely questioning it but sometimes she looks bigger than other times but ill definitely still set up a laying bin just incase but do you think that would cause her sporadic behavior that occurred recently? i just want to make sure im not overthinking or if its something i should be concerned about it. thanks for the help!!
 
Back
Top Bottom