Why’s my baby chameleon digging?

[Bigbrothet1$$]

So I’ve had my chameleon for like 5 days now and I know that female chameleons swig when they wanna lay their eggs. The only thing is that I’m assuming my chameleon is about 3-4 months old is a boy veiled chameleon (it has that third toe on the back of its legs). And I noticed they wholes started to appear and I just caught him making one and in it. Should I be worried? What does it mean? I think he’s asleep as well? Idk.

 

[Gloriawood]

So I’ve had my chameleon for like 5 days now and I know that female chameleons swig when they wanna lay their eggs. The only thing is that I’m assuming my chameleon is about 3-4 months old is a boy veiled chameleon (it has that third toe on the back of its legs). And I noticed they wholes started to appear and I just caught him making one and in it. Should I be worried? What does it mean? I think he’s asleep as well? Idk.

Hi! I’m not great about telling ages so we can let someone else say for sure about that. I’m not so sure I see male coloring on your baby. Are you able to get any pictures that are better lit? And maybe of the back of the foot? I know you said you saw a tarsal spur ( that ‘third toe’) but is like to just double check if you don’t mind.

The other thing to check is your husbandry. Do a review and make sure nothing is off. Sometimes if they are uncomfortable they will try to escape. Most often when we see this it is temps or enclosure size, but could be other things too.

Welcome and we are glad to have you! Does your baby have a name yet?

 

[Bigbrothet1$$]

His name is pastel! Or paskel, or jocjever you prefer! Before yesterday I had never seen him do that but I recently got a mister and he definitely doesn’t like it . I hope this is a better picture, I’m not home rn and this is the only image the app will let me upload. When it comes to the enclosure I don’t think it’s to small buti do intend to get a bigger cage in the near future. Don’t wanna make this to long so I’ll send another reply in the near future when I have time, sorry I cousin say more rn.

 

[Bigbrothet1$$]

Hi! I’m not great about telling ages so we can let someone else say for sure about that. I’m not so sure I see male coloring on your baby. Are you able to get any pictures that are better lit? And maybe of the back of the foot? I know you said you saw a tarsal spur ( that ‘third toe’) but is like to just double check if you don’t mind.

The other thing to check is your husbandry. Do a review and make sure nothing is off. Sometimes if they are uncomfortable they will try to escape. Most often when we see this it is temps or enclosure size, but could be other things too.

Welcome and we are glad to have you! Does your baby have a name yet?

Here’s some better pictures of the back of his legs

 

[Gloriawood]

Ok yes he looks male to me. It was just difficult to tell in the previous picture. I would suggest a husbandry review to try and narrow things down. Here is the form. Copy and paste it and fill in with as much info as you can.

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
• Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
• Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.



--------------



Please Note:

1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
2. Photos can be very helpful.

 

[Bigbrothet1$$]

Here’s pictures of everything I am and have been using. The yellow temp taker says 63 because I just sprayed the cage. Also all the plants on the sides are plastic but the one in the bottom right is a real plant and it’s a pothos.

 

[Bigbrothet1$$]

Ok yes he looks male to me. It was just difficult to tell in the previous picture. I would suggest a husbandry review to try and narrow things down. Here is the form. Copy and paste it and fill in with as much info as you can.

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
• Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
• Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.



--------------



Please Note:

1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
2. Photos can be very helpful.

Also for the misting I have it set for every 3 hours for 5 minutes at a medium setting if mist.

 

[Bigbrothet1$$]

Ok yes he looks male to me. It was just difficult to tell in the previous picture. I would suggest a husbandry review to try and narrow things down. Here is the form. Copy and paste it and fill in with as much info as you can.

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
• Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
• Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.



--------------



Please Note:

1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
2. Photos can be very helpful.

Are all the answers to your questions in written form:

 

[Bigbrothet1$$]

Ok yes he looks male to me. It was just difficult to tell in the previous picture. I would suggest a husbandry review to try and narrow things down. Here is the form. Copy and paste it and fill in with as much info as you can.

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
• Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
• Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.



--------------



Please Note:

1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
2. Photos can be very helpful.

Another thing is that I haven’t seen him eat within the past 24 hours

 

[LizardLurkin]

Here’s pictures of everything I am and have been using. The yellow temp taker says 63 because I just sprayed the cage. Also all the plants on the sides are plastic but the one in the bottom right is a real plant and it’s a pothos.

There are lots of more educated people here than I, but immediately I do want to suggest a UVB bar as opposed to the bulb you have. It unfortunately doesn't give the appropriate UVB for your cham. Something like this is a lot better, just know you have to replace the bulb every 6 months as, though they will continue to give light, they won't continue to give UVB!

It's also best to only mist the enclosure twice a day for two or so minutes, 30 minutes before the light goes on and before the lights go off. The reason you want to do it this way is so the surfaces in the cage, the plants and branches, completely dry out over the course of the day. The two mistings in conjunction with the dripper should supply ample drinking opportunities without create risk of respiratory infections.

For a veiled, also! You will want only live plants because they often eat leaves, and plastic plants will cause digestive issues if they nibble it. I believe you also want to avoid substrate (unless you're going bioactive? I believe) for a similar reason. I'm not sure why he may be digging into the substrate. Once they reach maturity, they may want to get out due to mating instinct, but he does seem rather young for that.

The temps seem fine for a baby also. An adult male will need 85 farenheit in his basking spot (I believe) so keep that in mind for the future
Humidity levels during the day should hover around 40 to 50%, with a night spike to 80 to 100%. I think once you get more live plants in, managing the correct humidity levels will become less difficult, but you can always try wrapping the two sides and the back with a shower curtain to hold humidity in overnight to achieve a high humidity spike.

Oh!
I also have to warn you that your cham will quickly outgrow that cage. It's recommended that you get a 24x24x48 enclosure.
Also, this image may be helpful for your cham's diet. Mealworms aren't super recommended as their outer crunchiness tends to be a little difficult for the cham to digest, but having silkworms and crickets is good, definitely.

Welcome to the forum, I hope you find some helpful advice!

 

[MzLaurie]

So I’ve had my chameleon for like 5 days now and I know that female chameleons swig when they wanna lay their eggs. The only thing is that I’m assuming my chameleon is about 3-4 months old is a boy veiled chameleon (it has that third toe on the back of its legs). And I noticed they wholes started to appear and I just caught him making one and in it. Should I be worried? What does it mean? I think he’s asleep as well? Idk.

Hmm a sleep walking/digging chameleon?!? Now that’s a new one! But hey anything’s possible in life. I see everyone is responding about husbandry over hauls. That’s good cause he looks very healthy and we all want him to stay that way. The fake plants have to go and you need more vines. Order some zip ties and Bend A Branch from Fluker Farms on Amazon, real cheap. Get 2 medium and one thick. That should allow you to create a nice climbing jungle gym. Get a pathos and a monstera plant to start. Make sure the nozzle on the mister is on very fine and prop the monstera up with the vines passing under some of the leaves so he can get out of the spray if he needs to. Is this a bio setup or is he digging in the plant soil. If it’s not bio then I would get rid of the substrate as the feeders hide in it and it makes keeping the cage clean very difficult. Any your pics look real good. And if you got a boy there at the five month molt you will start to see patterns in his skin then more and more color changes with each molt till he is a year old. Once he has stopped growing the molting will slow and he won’t molt all at once. Also he may start to get grumpy when molting starts. The only times you need to assist and remove molt is when the tip
Of the tail doesn’t shed and a ring stays at any part of the leg or ankke. This can cut off circulation so you will need to gently remove it. Don’t use water, they are dry shedders.

 

[MzLaurie]

Btw if you get some vinyl like a shower curtain liner and cut it to fit the back and one side panel then tape it to the frame on the outside, it will help keep water in the cage and help the humidity levels. I use vinyl that’s not clear so it gives him some privacy areas.

 

[Bigbrothet1$$]

There are lots of more educated people here than I, but immediately I do want to suggest a UVB bar as opposed to the bulb you have. It unfortunately doesn't give the appropriate UVB for your cham. Something like this is a lot better, just know you have to replace the bulb every 6 months as, though they will continue to give light, they won't continue to give UVB!

It's also best to only mist the enclosure twice a day for two or so minutes, 30 minutes before the light goes on and before the lights go off. The reason you want to do it this way is so the surfaces in the cage, the plants and branches, completely dry out over the course of the day. The two mistings in conjunction with the dripper should supply ample drinking opportunities without create risk of respiratory infections.

For a veiled, also! You will want only live plants because they often eat leaves, and plastic plants will cause digestive issues if they nibble it. I believe you also want to avoid substrate (unless you're going bioactive? I believe) for a similar reason. I'm not sure why he may be digging into the substrate. Once they reach maturity, they may want to get out due to mating instinct, but he does seem rather young for that.

The temps seem fine for a baby also. An adult male will need 85 farenheit in his basking spot (I believe) so keep that in mind for the future
Humidity levels during the day should hover around 40 to 50%, with a night spike to 80 to 100%. I think once you get more live plants in, managing the correct humidity levels will become less difficult, but you can always try wrapping the two sides and the back with a shower curtain to hold humidity in overnight to achieve a high humidity spike.

Oh!
I also have to warn you that your cham will quickly outgrow that cage. It's recommended that you get a 24x24x48 enclosure.
Also, this image may be helpful for your cham's diet. Mealworms aren't super recommended as their outer crunchiness tends to be a little difficult for the cham to digest, but having silkworms and crickets is good, definitely.

View attachment 362662

Welcome to the forum, I hope you find some helpful advice!

Thank you so much!!!! Definitely needed this, I plan to get a bigger cage but that’ll take me a while as I need money . I plan to go bio active as well when I get the new cage and include more plants. I’m eating for my other pothos to grow more so I can out it in the cage and take out some of the plastic plants as well. And I’ll definitely look into getting a strip for the cage.

 

[Bigbrothet1$$]

Hmm a sleep walking/digging chameleon?!? Now that’s a new one! But hey anything’s possible in life. I see everyone is responding about husbandry over hauls. That’s good cause he looks very healthy and we all want him to stay that way. The fake plants have to go and you need more vines. Order some zip ties and Bend A Branch from Fluker Farms on Amazon, real cheap. Get 2 medium and one thick. That should allow you to create a nice climbing jungle gym. Get a pathos and a monstera plant to start. Make sure the nozzle on the mister is on very fine and prop the monstera up with the vines passing under some of the leaves so he can get out of the spray if he needs to. Is this a bio setup or is he digging in the plant soil. If it’s not bio then I would get rid of the substrate as the feeders hide in it and it makes keeping the cage clean very difficult. Any your pics look real good. And if you got a boy there at the five month molt you will start to see patterns in his skin then more and more color changes with each molt till he is a year old. Once he has stopped growing the molting will slow and he won’t molt all at once. Also he may start to get grumpy when molting starts. The only times you need to assist and remove molt is when the tip
Of the tail doesn’t shed and a ring stays at any part of the leg or ankke. This can cut off circulation so you will need to gently remove it. Don’t use water, they are dry shedders.

For now it’s not a bio set up but I plan to make it when when I get a new cage, only problem is I don’t have the money . But I definitely do intend to get rid of the plastic plants entirely within the near future. Also thank you for the molting advice I didn’t know when he would first start to molt .

 

[Eileen]

Thank you so much!!!! Definitely needed this, I plan to get a bigger cage but that’ll take me a while as I need money . I plan to go bio active as well when I get the new cage and include more plants. I’m eating for my other pothos to grow more so I can out it in the cage and take out some of the plastic plants as well. And I’ll definitely look into getting a strip for the cage.

Hi and welcome. I'm really new here as well and am in the process of upgrading my enclosure too. Your boy is adorable.. I think I missed his name if you gave it?
Lots of good advice here. I did the thing with the shower curtain, and have a Mist King on order, but my little girl HATES it when I hand mist so I'm sure she'll be terrified of the auto mister. This was a good idea about a monestera leaf. Mine are absolutely huge..I don't have it in the enclosure, but I'm hoping the rubber plant will work. I need to raise it up high enough so she can get under.
Does yours climb the screen?

 

[Bigbrothet1$$]

His name is pastel!! Or you can call him paskal, whichever you prefer! What’s your chameleons name? I definitely plan to do the curtain thing, but is there any way you find it best??? And dw pastel hates when I hand mist as well so I try my best to do everything around him. My only plant is a singular pothos plant but I have a second one and I’m just eating for it to get a bit bigger. I’m thinking of getting a much taller plant as well though, I just don’t know what to get. And yeah he climbs the screen! He does it either to sleep or when he feels like getting close to crickets . Is your enclose also a screen btw? And if so does your chameleon also climb it?

 

[Eileen]

Thank you so much!!!! Definitely needed this, I plan to get a bigger cage but that’ll take me a while as I need money . I plan to go bio active as well when I get the new cage and include more plants. I’m eating for my other pothos to grow more so I can out it in the cage and take out some of the plastic plants as well. And I’ll definitely look into getting a strip for the cage.

His name is pastel!! Or you can call him paskal, whichever you prefer! What’s your chameleons name? I definitely plan to do the curtain thing, but is there any way you find it best??? And dw pastel hates when I hand mist as well so I try my best to do everything around him. My only plant is a singular pothos plant but I have a second one and I’m just eating for it to get a bit bigger. I’m thinking of getting a much taller plant as well though, I just don’t know what to get. And yeah he climbs the screen! He does it either to sleep or when he feels like getting close to crickets . Is your enclose also a screen btw? And if so does your chameleon also climb it?

Yes I have a total screen so I put a shower curtain on the back and one side. I don't know if this was the best way, but I just cut it to size and duct taped it in spots onto the edges of the screen on the outside. She does climb it some, but not as much as she did at first. I noticed she wanted to get up there so I added 2 sticks for her to sit up on, making sure it was the right distance from the basking light. Now thats where she goes all the time! I think it takes them a while to get used to their new home. I hate the thot of having to move her.. but I've been assured here that she'll be fine. Her name is Jade. I love Paskal.. sounds more masculine than Pastel.
I'm switching out my plastic plants too.. and ordered these from Amazon.. I hope they are as nice as they look: https://a.co/d/2dYovX4

 

[Bigbrothet1$$]

Yes I have a total screen so I put a shower curtain on the back and one side. I don't know if this was the best way, but I just cut it to size and duct taped it in spots onto the edges of the screen on the outside. She does climb it some, but not as much as she did at first. I noticed she wanted to get up there so I added 2 sticks for her to sit up on, making sure it was the right distance from the basking light. Now thats where she goes all the time! I think it takes them a while to get used to their new home. I hate the thot of having to move her.. but I've been assured here that she'll be fine. Her name is Jade. I love Paskal.. sounds more masculine than Pastel.
I'm switching out my plastic plants too.. and ordered these from Amazon.. I hope they are as nice as they look: https://a.co/d/2dYovX4

ooohhhh yeah I’ll definitely do the curtains then. And I don’t wanna move paskal either but he’s gonna grow out of his cage in a short amount of time. And I love the name jade!!! What type of chameleon is she?

 

[Gloriawood]

Ok here are my responses to your review. I’m going to split this in two parts. This is a lot of info and I don’t want you overwhelmed. So take it a little at a time and ask all the questions you need. You can never ask too many.



Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - hes very handsome and looks to be in decent health which is not always the case coming from pet stores. It can take up to 2 weeks for them to settle down and get comfortable.
• Handling - good not to handle them too much, they are more of a look at pet, like fish, than one you handle every day. HOWEVER you do need to build trust with them so it’s not difficult when going to vets, checking weight, giving meds, etc.
• Feeding - silk worms and crickets are great! I’d cut the meal worms. I see you’ve already been given the feeder chart, I’ll add the gutload one here.
• Supplements - repticalcium is perfect. Make sure it does not have D3 (I think the one with your kit is good). Continue dusting bugs at every feeding with this. You need to add a multivitamin 2 times a month. Easiest schedule is 1st and 14th of each month, dust with the multivitamin instead of the calcium. Reptivite with D3 or repashy plus loD are the two recommended options. I’ll also attach photos of those.
• Watering - dripper is great. Misting time is recommended 2 min twice a day. However there is some room to play here. It all depends on your environment and humidity. Not seeing him drink is not a concern, as most people never see them drink. They are very secretive about it. So you are lucky to have seen him already!
• Fecal Description - this is how we monitor hydration. The white part you are seeing is his urates. You want white. You may also see orange or yellowish. As long as 50% or more of the urate is white, hydration is good. Parasite testing is something we really advocate for especially coming from petco. However, I know that is out of your control when you are at home with your parents still. Just keep a very very close eye for signs of parasites for now.

 

[Gloriawood]

Second half

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - screen cage is great, however this is going to much too small very quickly for your guy. 2x2x4 is the minimum size for an adult. Chewy.com often has sales on them. We also have several site sponsors where you can find one as well as the lighting you need.
• Lighting - unfortunatley, you have the wrong lighting as you’ve already been told. This is very very important to fix asap. You need a linear T5 HO UVB. Arcadia and reptisun are the only 2 brands that we recommend and have tested to put out the correct uvb. Also, no colored bulbs. Plain white incandescent light for heat. Light schedule is usually 12 hours on 12 hours off for both lights. You can get cheap timers that turn them off and on automatically.
• Temperature - your temps look good!
• Humidity - Humidity could be a bit higher but isn’t terrible. Aim for 40-50 day and 80-100 night time.
• Plants - pathos is perfect. Replace the fake ones asap. One bite of a plastic plant can cause big big issues.
• Placement - height is safety for these guys. The higher the better.