Where to put food bowl

Hi again :)
I am a first time cham owner and he is a young veiled.
At first I put a small bowl of feeders at the bottom of the cage, for about a week. Then I used a mug for a few days before I learned how to make a 'run cup':


Once I made the run cup, I put it kinda in-view of the cage door, not behind many plants so that I can take it out and clean it every day. And I took away the mug.

I saw him eat every day before I took away the mug/bowl on the bottom of the cage, but now I haven't seen him eat. I have seen him on the ground a couple times in the last 2 days.

Is he looking for his old mug/bowl? Can he find the new run cup attached to the side of the cage? I mean it's a lot bigger... It's closer to his basking light.

All in all here, where should I put the feeder bowl? Should I keep two?

Thanks!


Chameleon Info:


  • Your Chameleon - He is a veiled chameleon named Khalid. I got him on 7.14.19 at a local reptile Expo. The seller told me he was 10 weeks old at the time of purchase.
  • Handling - I don’t take him out to ‘play'. But I’ve had to move him around a bit as I make adjustments to his cage.
  • Feeding - Superworms and crickets coated with calcium w/o d3. Vitamins every 2 weeks. I plan to have crickets as the staple, and am interesting in learning about more resources for food as a reptile store is not nearby. I feed Khalid as much as he wants to eat. I try not to give him so many crickets that there are some in there over night, but I usually see at least a couple in there all the time. Just started gut loading crickets with collard greens, mustard greens, carrots, and apples.
  • Supplements - ZooMed ReptiCalcium without D3, and Exo-Terra Multi Vitamin. I plan to order Repashy Calcium Plus LoD soon instead.
  • Watering - I got a ReptiRain system which mists for 60s every 6 hours24hrs a day using filtered water. I also added a bottle with a hole in the bottom and some melting tap water ice cubes which I will have full each day. I haven’t really seen him drinking, but his poop looks pretty good.
  • Fecal Description - I read the poop 101 forum and they look healthy! :) Has not been tested for parasites. Haven’t seen or found a vet yet.
  • History - No history on Khalid. Some pertinent info is that this is my first reptile since I was an adolescent. I’m trying to learn a lot quickly. Khalid seems pretty easy-going, maybe that’s just his young age, though. I have 2 cats, one really skittish and easy going, and one year old curious, though generally well-behaved. No other pets.

Cage Info:

  • Cage Type - 16”x16”x30" screen cage for now, will upgrade to 2’x2’x4' or bigger. Looking to put a humidity screen on one side.
  • Lighting -T5 HO 5.0 UVB Reptisun and a clear 60w non-LED bulb. 13 hours, 9:30-10pm
  • Temperature - I have 2 temp gauges and 1 hygrometer. One temp probe near basking spot, 83-84*. Second temp probe in mid-lower area of cage is between 70-80*, usually 5-10* colder than basking temp. Going down to 65* at night. Have a temp gun to confirm readings.
  • Humidity - The hygrometer is reading about 60% humidity, give or take. I have ordered a Mist King to help with more humidity at night.
  • Plants - Right now I have 2 fake vines and 2 pothos plants from Menards.
  • Placement - It is in my dining area. My house is very small and has an open-feel. There is a busy office, the kitchen/dining room/living room (where he is, and is honestly less busy than the office), then there is my bedroom, which is dark and quiet. I could move him there, but I also like to keep an eye on him. There is a ceiling fan over the dining room, but is rarely on. The cage is about 40"off the floor now, 33” high table and 6” or so of water basins as I was focused on figuring out humidity last week.
  • Location - Minnesota
 
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Oh hey! Another Minnesotan! Welcome to the forums. I've gotta run shortly so this won't be super personal, but here are notes on my first read-through:

  • You definitely want the food cup to be up high. Near the basking spot is great. Mine is on the front on the door so I can easily access it and remove when necessary. The cup on the bottom will not be necessary and you do not want to encourage spending time on the bottom. He will not have any problem finding the new feeder cup, but chameleons don't love when you change their environment and may take a moment to adjust.

  • I realize you've only had him for a couple weeks, but so far you haven't provided him with any vit D3 which is critical to their survival. I would make sure to switch to Repashy Lo D as soon as possible so he is getting everything he needs
  • Superworms are addictive and should only be used as occasional treats (not as a staple)
  • 60 seconds of misting is not enough and you should not be misting 24/7. Only mist when the lights are on (or shortly before they come on/after they go off). In screen cages, misting sessions should be at least 2 minutes long each time. Unfortunately the ReptiRain you have is a notorious waste of money around these parts. They have limited customizability and break ridiculously easily. You will need to supplement this with longer hand misting sessions or switch to a better misting system like the MistKing
Now a question: Is your UVB light a long & linear tube light? Or is it a small compact fluorescent? This is one of the most common mistakes to make as a beginner and it is super important to have the linear model of UVB. The compact ones will leave your cham with MBD in the long run

Also it would be great if you could add pics of the chameleon and its enclosure! These pics help us make useful suggestions for improving the cage interior. Although I already will give you the suggestion of adding more horizontal branches/vines/whatever you like for your chameleon to walk on. 2 fake vines will not be nearly enough.
 
Hey from MN ^^

Superworms are addictive and should only be used as occasional treats (not as a staple)
Ok, I got the infographic and have checked a couple online sites, as petco has squat, what is a good regiment? Crickets, Dubia Roaches,... superworms, wax worms sometimes, silkworms when available? Even my local grocer didn't have over half gutload options. I am trying to learn as fast as I can, sorry if it comes off rude :p Just wanna know
60 seconds of misting is not enough and you should not be misting 24/7. Only mist when the lights are on (or shortly before they come on/after they go off). In screen cages, misting sessions should be at least 2 minutes long each time. Unfortunately the ReptiRain you have is a notorious waste of money around these parts. They have limited customizability and break ridiculously easily. You will need to supplement this with longer hand misting sessions or switch to a better misting system like the MistKing
Ok, I switched to misting at night as an attempt to get humidity up, but I can stop. It's only been 2 nights or so, thanks for the correction! The MistKing should arrive Saturday and I will set it up right away, following a Natural Hydration podcast @Beman recommended.
Now a question: Is your UVB light a long & linear tube light? Or is it a small compact fluorescent? This is one of the most common mistakes to make as a beginner and it is super important to have the linear model of UVB. The compact ones will leave your cham with MBD in the long run
It's a tube.

Here's a few-days outdated picture. The lights are both different. The food on the bottom is gone. The side-attached food is now the bug-run thing instead of a clear plastic cup :)
241714
 
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