worried about my chameleon

[larrynevitt]

Hi I dont know if you can help me but i have a one year old male veiled chameleon and recently i keep finding him on the floor in his tank in the evening i have two bearded dragons who im looking after for two weeks and they are in a tank roughly across from my chameleon.could they be the reason why hes started sleeping there because he can see them? i dont understand otherwise as he seems healthy eating going the toliet etc same old he just seems unhappy when hes in his tank ive just spoken to a local vet ans he seems to think that he might have a uv or calcium deficiancy but when i check the symptons he doesnt seem weak he climbs and balances on me and his tree! and hes a lovely shade of green which goes brighter when he comes out his tank. can you help me with this?

 

[bimac6]

Hi and welcome to the forum This place has great answers to lots of questions.

When you say 'tank', do you mean he is in a glass aquarium? It's very common for chameleons to become stressed because they see another one, but, I wouldn't think they'd start going to the ground because of it, usually that's a bad sign.
For us to help you, can you please fill this out as specific 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.

 

[fusionf5]

your chameleon goes to the toliet?

 

[bimac6]

your chameleon goes to the toliet?

 

[larrynevitt]

your chameleon goes to the toliet?

yer hes pooping and peeing ok

 

[ChamChick]

your chameleon goes to the toliet?

Yeah man, haven't you seen Rango?

 

[sdheli420]

mines slowly learning to read the paper as he goes..LOL

 

[larrynevitt]

Hi and welcome to the forum This place has great answers to lots of questions.

When you say 'tank', do you mean he is in a glass aquarium? It's very common for chameleons to become stressed because they see another one, but, I wouldn't think they'd start going to the ground because of it, usually that's a bad sign.
For us to help you, can you please fill this out as specific as you can?

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - male 1 year
Handling - everyday

Feeding - crickets locusts and oranges which i cut up in small bite size pieces in the morning and some late at night so he has some for the morning before i wake

Supplements - i dust the crickets when im getting them ready to put in his tank i use nutrobal calcium balancer and multivitamin supplement

Watering - i use a dripper like a box with a tube that drips into a jug which is covered with net to prevent him from falling in i see him drinking but im lucky to catch him but everyday he wees i mist the viv with a spray bottle
Fecal Description - every morning without fail, brown, long with a some sort of goo but i thinks thats ok to help him actually gokinda like lube i suspose

never been tested for paracites
History -well he did keep going through phases where hed sit with his mouth open which i knows it means hes hot but even when i took him out of his viv he sat in his tree with mouth open

Cage Info:
Cage Type -Exo Terra Glass Terrarium - Compact Top but hes moving into a a bigger wooden vivarium in the next week or so his viv seems too small for him and hell have more room to roam in the new one

Lighting - he has his basking lamp which is on and off through the timer through out the day as it does get very hot and his uv10.0 which came with the viv its compact

Temperature - 29c at basking spot rest of tank 23cf night time goes down to 18c

Humidity - i have a fogger in the water fall

Plants - no live plants in the tank he has his own devils ivy tree which he climbs and sits

Placement - high up on kitchen shelves so at head height to us

Location - england uk
Current Problem - finding him at the bottom of his tank in the evenings

 

[ChamChick]

Hi and welcome to the forum This place has great answers to lots of questions.

When you say 'tank', do you mean he is in a glass aquarium? It's very common for chameleons to become stressed because they see another one, but, I wouldn't think they'd start going to the ground because of it, usually that's a bad sign.
For us to help you, can you please fill this out as specific as you can?

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - male 1 year
Handling - everyday

Feeding - crickets locusts and oranges which i cut up in small bite size pieces in the morning and some late at night so he has some for the morning before i wake

Supplements - i dust the crickets when im getting them ready to put in his tank i use nutrobal calcium balancer and multivitamin supplement

Watering - i use a dripper like a box with a tube that drips into a jug which is covered with net to prevent him from falling in i see him drinking but im lucky to catch him but everyday he wees i mist the viv with a spray bottle
Fecal Description - every morning without fail, brown, long with a some sort of goo but i thinks thats ok to help him actually gokinda like lube i suspose

never been tested for paracites
History -well he did keep going through phases where hed sit with his mouth open which i knows it means hes hot but even when i took him out of his viv he sat in his tree with mouth open

Cage Info:
Cage Type -Exo Terra Glass Terrarium - Compact Top but hes moving into a a bigger wooden vivarium in the next week or so his viv seems too small for him and hell have more room to roam in the new one

Lighting - he has his basking lamp which is on and off through the timer through out the day as it does get very hot and his uv10.0 which came with the viv its compact

Temperature - 29c at basking spot rest of tank 23cf night time goes down to 18c

Humidity - i have a fogger in the water fall

Plants - no live plants in the tank he has his own devils ivy tree which he climbs and sits

Placement - high up on kitchen shelves so at head height to us

Location - england uk
Current Problem - finding him at the bottom of his tank in the evenings

There are a lot of things that need to be changed in your husbandry, from what I can see. Someone on this forum will help you I'm sure, as I am out the door. Good luck to you.

 

[pantherlover]

Hi and welcome to the forum This place has great answers to lots of questions.

When you say 'tank', do you mean he is in a glass aquarium? It's very common for chameleons to become stressed because they see another one, but, I wouldn't think they'd start going to the ground because of it, usually that's a bad sign.
For us to help you, can you please fill this out as specific as you can?

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - male 1 year
Handling - everyday

Feeding - crickets locusts and oranges which i cut up in small bite size pieces in the morning and some late at night so he has some for the morning before i wake

Supplements - i dust the crickets when im getting them ready to put in his tank i use nutrobal calcium balancer and multivitamin supplement

Watering - i use a dripper like a box with a tube that drips into a jug which is covered with net to prevent him from falling in i see him drinking but im lucky to catch him but everyday he wees i mist the viv with a spray bottle
Fecal Description - every morning without fail, brown, long with a some sort of goo but i thinks thats ok to help him actually gokinda like lube i suspose

never been tested for paracites
History -well he did keep going through phases where hed sit with his mouth open which i knows it means hes hot but even when i took him out of his viv he sat in his tree with mouth open

Cage Info:
Cage Type -Exo Terra Glass Terrarium - Compact Top but hes moving into a a bigger wooden vivarium in the next week or so his viv seems too small for him and hell have more room to roam in the new one

Lighting - he has his basking lamp which is on and off through the timer through out the day as it does get very hot and his uv10.0 which came with the viv its compact

Temperature - 29c at basking spot rest of tank 23cf night time goes down to 18c

Humidity - i have a fogger in the water fall

Plants - no live plants in the tank he has his own devils ivy tree which he climbs and sits

Placement - high up on kitchen shelves so at head height to us

Location - england uk
Current Problem - finding him at the bottom of his tank in the evenings

hi there, indeed, there are many aspects of your husbandry that need to be changed to improve the health of your chameleon.

-First off, maybe try to offer some greens like kale or collard greens as opposed to just orange.
-As for supplements, you need a phosphorus free calcium without d3.(I use zoomed repticalcium) A phos free calcium with d3, which is to be used sparsely. Also a good multivitamin. I use reptivite with d3 although some keepers have great success with herptivite.
-You also need to gutload your feeders.Think of your insects as empty shells until you feed them. They are as nutritional as you make them. Try kale, collard greens or dandelion greens. Also try to incorporate veggies like sweet potato, butternut squash & carrot.
-poop... once a day makes me think that you are feeding to much. A one year old chams bowel movements should gradually slowing down to once everyy 5 days or so. If your cham is pooping that much its either eating too much or digesting its food too fast.
-Lights... you should ditch the compact 10.0. Compacts have known to cause eye problems as severe as blindness. To my knowledge this manufacturer mistake has been corrected although it doesnt mean the bad ones arent still sitting on the shelf. Most keepers have success a linear 5.0 tube light. If your viv is getting too hot, chances are that the wattage is too high. Best results come from a clear glass incadescent house bulb of 40 or 60 watts. Chams need close to a 12 hr photoperiod. 12 hrs on, 12 hrs off.
-Handling every day is more than likely too much.
-How close are the beardies? I wouldnt rule out the fact that they may be stressing your cham out.

Hope this helps. If theres anything I missed, Im sure someone will chime in...

 

[Elizadolots]

I would recommend getting rid of the waterfall. Unless you're cleaning it every day it's likely going to grow bacteria like crazy. I'd also try to get real plants in the new enclosure. They help tremendously with humidity. As the bearded dragons appeared about the same time as the problem, I'd think it's a good chance they are related. Is it possible that the only place he can go where he can't see the other lizards is the bottom of the cage?

Can you block his view of the dragons?

 

[pantherlover]

Hi and welcome to the forum This place has great answers to lots of questions.

When you say 'tank', do you mean he is in a glass aquarium? It's very common for chameleons to become stressed because they see another one, but, I wouldn't think they'd start going to the ground because of it, usually that's a bad sign.

This to my knowledge is a wivestale. I have kept a cham behind glass and never once observed any signs of stress due to a reflection nor have I heard of a confirmed case of this. Some chams in glass enclosures have been known to develop respiratory infections if there is a lack of fresh air in the enclosure or the room. One symptom of this could be holding its mouth open... Do you ever hear any popping or wheezing or sneezing?

 

[carol5208]

I would not be dusting with multivitamins that often. Use your plain calcium and the multi a couple of times a month. Use you calcium with d3 a few times a month or so also. Do not want to over supplement with that multivitamin. Let your cham get some natural vitamins from eating the feeders that are gutloaded with fresh fruits and vegetables.

 

[larrynevitt]

Hi i forgot to mention i do feed the crickets carrots greens etc aswell the reason the waterfall has been taken out i did clean it every day as i changed the water so its fresh but he didnt bother with the waterfall anyway, my local vet says i have to keep the temp the same as i live in england and the weather has been really really cold in the last couple of months but now summers coming soon the heating will change because i dont want him to get over heated, im confused over the food because from day one i have been told to feed him everyday which hell eat about 5-6 crickets he wont eat anyt other fruit but oranges which seems to be his favourite thing to eat

 

[larrynevitt]

i only handle him when he comes to me when i open his tank hell come over and hint by trying to grab my fingers for me to get him out its like he hates being in his tank and loves sitting in his tree in the front room the new viv ill post a pic of the new tank when its complete just need to seal it and arrange his ivy to go around the tank

 

[larrynevitt]

yesterday when i came home and found him on the floor i put my hand in and he climbed on to me he then seemed to perk up and went a lovely bright green and sat in his tree eaching him orange slices could he just be fed up of his small tank? a chameleon specialist from the uk told me that if i change the uv 10.0 bulb for a new one this might help him is this true?? because he is showing no signs of weakness with his grip

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

a chameleon specialist from the uk told me that if i change the uv 10.0 bulb for a new one this might help him is this true?? because he is showing no signs of weakness with his grip

How old is your UV bulb? It should be changed about 6-9 months because they stop emitting UVB after that time even though they're still shining.

 

[larrynevitt]

How old is your UV bulb? It should be changed about 6-9 months because they stop emitting UVB after that time even though they're still shining.

well i am changing the bulb this weekend as it is out of date by a couple of months plus because im in the middle of finishing his new viv a will require a different type of uv bulb could this be the reason for him to be going on the floor in the evening? because hes more then capable of being in his tree so that rules out weakness because he was climbing all over the place yesterday i dont understand what is causing him to suddenly change where he sleeps hes done this for the last 3 days