Worried about Lucy

[jackie stone]

Lucy is only 6 weeks and I have had her 11 days,her lights go on at 6am and when I come down at 7am she is sat in the middle of the ficus and looking for food,she ate a couple of crickets and then she basked until about 2pm and now she has gone high up in the leaves and has now been there for 3 hours and I dont think she will be up again til the morningIs this normal settling in behaviour?Or because she is a baby and she is growing?I suppose when she is huge she will find it difficult to hide,what do you guys think?Thanks Jackie

 

[chameleon97]

My Female Veiled (named Lucy ) Did this, too. I would make it as planty as you can.

-Steve

 

[jackie stone]

will that help?more plants?

Going to get my son to put a pic on here to see if it is her enclosure which isnt right

 

[clairf]

Hi Jackie

Basil was a couple of weeks older than Lucy when he joined us but still did this occasionally. He eventually came out of it and has evolved into the darling little ' I hate the world ' lovable chappy he is now

It could be, with her basking most the day that her built in thermostat has kicked in and she has taken herself off to cool down a bit...

As long as she is eating and drinking with space and cover to hide in I wouldn't worry but I am sure others will be along to advise.....

 

[Miss Lily]

Amy spent a lot of time hiding when I first got her. She only sits out in the open to bask a bit more the last few weeks. I would think that Lucy would eat more than 2 crix a day. What size are you feeding her? Amy would eat anything up to 20 small crix a day for the first few weeks I had her. Then it got ridiculous the amount she was eating so I increased the size for her so she needed less to fill her up. She was also very shy and would creep to the food pot when nobody was around. Occasionally I'd see her feed but not often - but the food kept disappearing so I knew she was eating!

 

[jackie stone]

This is her home,do I need more plants?She is eating small/medium crickets and small locusts

 

[Miss Lily]

Is that a coil bulb? If it is, it may be hurting her eyes. What heat bulb & UV bulbs do you have?

 

[gad58y]

lucy is probably trying to get away from the heat from your spot bulb,i would also get a cage for it if your going to keep it in the viv,as your little girl may burn herself on it.
what are your basking temps?

graeme

 

[clairf]

Is that a screen at the back? Just thinking about airflow..not just ventilation.

And I am speaking from experience when I say it's be only a matter of weeks before she gets onto that bulb ..the type of viv it is I can see there's not much hope of getting it outside so it's either a lamp guard or a rearrange....
Also ...looking for but can't see a UV tube...as Tiff asks...is it a coil bulb? Don't think it is as |I think I can see the reflector bit...but could be wrong
If it were my situation I would go for a rearrange if you can because I found a guard just gives the little monkeys something else to reach for / climb on..

 

[jackie stone]

There is a cage aound the bulb it is just difficult to see in the pic,there is a mesh back and it is a converted cabinet so I can remove another of the sides and replace with mesh if need be,the basking temp is 32 degrees and the uv bulb is a 5.0 yes it is a coil bulb,is that not right?

 

[Miss Lily]

The coil UV bulbs have been known to cause eye problems. Maybe it is too bright for her which is making her hide as it hurts her eyes. You need to get a linear tube - either Repti-Glo or Reptisun. Better to be safe than sorry!

 

[clairf]

There is a cage aound the bulb it is just difficult to see in the pic

See ! Told you...it's me.....I should of gone to specsavers

 

[jackie stone]

The coil UV bulbs have been known to cause eye problems. Maybe it is too bright for her which is making her hide as it hurts her eyes. You need to get a linear tube - either Repti-Glo or Reptisun. Better to be safe than sorry!

Thank you.I am sorting it,going to make a reflector until I can get the tube and hubby is going to replace the lid of the cabinet with mesh and have the lights on top giving her more space and ordered more plants off ebay too

 

[jackie stone]

See ! Told you...it's me.....I should of gone to specsavers

no worries,I asked for help and you are all giving me helpful feedback thank you.I have ordered some moe fake vines and plants so she has more places to hide and sleep

 

[gad58y]

your basking temp is alittle too high (32=90f) for a 6 week old yemen,needs to be about 80-82f then increase as she get older
hope this helps

graeme

 

[Miss Lily]

no worries,I asked for help and you are all giving me helpful feedback thank you.I have ordered some moe fake vines and plants so she has more places to hide and sleep

Real plants are far better than fake ones! They hold moisture for longer in drip form and also help with humidity, plus some chams eats leaves so the plants need to be non-toxic. Give B&Q a try - they usually stock Schefflera (Umbrella plants) and Ficus (Weeping Fig) in a few different sizes. I use the £2.99 umbrella plants mostly. Hibiscus are also another fave of chams and keepers. Amy has eaten quite a few leaves from her umbrella plant and Hibiscus. She has been a 'leaf muncher' since I got her at 3 months old.

 

[jackie stone]

Thank you off to B&q tomorrow

 

[clairf]

Also, hibiscus ( lovely big colourful munchable blooms lol ) and nastirsians ( we get seeds and grow these aswell)....and passion flower.....oooooo and I've heard Pothos although apparently if the trig has a break in it or breaks it emits a sap that can cause eye iritation.......

 

[Miss Lily]

Wash the leaves in soapy water and rinse well to remove any pesticide residue before you put them in the cage. Most people would also advise repotting the plant in organic soil and/or putting rocks on top of the soil to stop your cham from eating it either intentionally or unintentially while hunting.

Also, try to lower the temps as Gad5by suggested - I meant to comment on your temps this earlier but had to go out! I think you will find that Lucy will be happier and more active with temps in the low 80's and the linear UV bulb. I know it all sounds daunting and a lot to get to grips with, but chams are well worth it and rewarding when you get their homes just right!

 

[clairf]

Wash the leaves in soapy water and rinse well to remove any pesticide residue before you put them in the cage. Most people would also advise repotting the plant in organic soil and/or putting rocks on top of the soil to stop your cham from eating it

I have a soil eater.......and I put stones on the top anyway but either deliberatly or accidently he shoots at the stones to dislodge them I now cover the pot tops with mesh.
Also the mesh is a lot easier for when you are moving about in the viv...it drove me nuts everytime I so much as breathed in there all the bloomin' stones would fall of and I'd have to build this fortress again...