Worried new veiled Cham owner

[Salix]

Hey everyone I'm in need of some major help my boyfriend and I are first time Cham owners and we learned everything from the pet store we got her from. After reading so many posts I have realized that a lot of what they gave us was wrong. We have her in a glass enclosure (24x18x18) I'm not sure what kinda light we have I didn't look at it but it is a two in one which is what they recommended, and a fountain I clean 2 times a week. About a 2 weeks ago I noticed she had been keeping her one eye shut and puffing it. Thinking it was shed stuck in her eye I let her be for a few days then she seemed to be acting normal and now she stopped drinking. She did use the fountain for the first few weeks be's stopped completely. She sits in the same spot all day eyes closed dark and sunken. She's started to shed again but is not doing anything to get it off of her. I care very much for her and want to do as much as I can to help her but i don't know what to do.

 

[xcrystalx]

hi there

you are not the first or the last who have been misguided by pet shops.good thing is you found here.

a pic of the setup would be great if poss

can you read what it says on the 2 bulbs?
judging by your description im guessing you have a light fixture like this? https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=c...Freptile-supplies%2Flight-fixtures%2F;475;347

could you fill this out so we can get a better understanding of your setup etc

also i would ditch the fountain.you cham shouldnt be relying on the fountain to drink.its unnatural to them.also they just harbour bacteria.chams drink from the droplets on leaves which are produced when you mist the cage.this needs to be done 3/4 times a day.they need peaks of humidity to rise a fall throughout the day.


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.

 

[Salix]

The fountain will be gone by tomorrow. Umm her poop is not good first few weeks was normal dark brown and white then was orange white and brown now there is no white and very little poop all together. It's one light 125 watt UVB/UVA light.

could you fill this out so we can get a better understanding of your setup etc

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - veiled, denial and approximately 7 months old, we have had her 2 months
Handling - A few times a week
Feeding - she gets crickets and meal worms. She eats about 20 crickets and about 15 meal worms. Feeders get orange and fresh fruit and veggies
Supplements - Calcium supplements
Watering - Fountain right now gonna get a dropper. Misting 2-3 times away
Fecal Description - mostly black brown no white
Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? No
History - Got her at a pet store and bought basically everything right out of her desplay.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - glass with top screen. 18x18x24
Lighting - 125 watt UVB/UVA heat lamp
Temperature - 80-85. Over night 75
Humidity - 50-65% misting to regulate?
Plants - Silk plants
Placement - Up on a shelf in our finning room. It's just me and my boy and we don't eat in there so traffic is low? The cage sits on a shelf 4 feet above the ground
Location - northern Alberta Canada

Current Problem - Not drinking and eyes being closed

 

[Salix]

How we have it set us

 

[pinsetter1991]

Looks like shes trying to get closer to the light... the glass cages make it a little hard to put branches, but i would try and get her more stuff to climb on. The majority of people out there will also tell you that any dirt substrate on the bottom of the cage isn't a good idea. Pet stores want more money, or they just don't know, so they tell you to get it, but insects hide in it and the chams will end up accidentally eating some of it.. it can cause GI issues. Chams live most their lives in the trees, so my main suggestion would be to figure out how to get more sticks and stuff for her to climb on. It might be hard with that cage... Others will probably post more suggestions.

 

[pinsetter1991]

i have a question for you, cham cages always need two lights, a heat lamp, and a uv light, you say you have a two in one? ive never heard of those, but anyways, depending on the type of glass, uvb rays may or may not pass through it, is the top of your cage glass or screen? its hard to tell. If its glass, that might be another part of the problem

 

[Salix]

I've always understood you needed 2 as well but the store uses only the UVB heat lamps it does produce a fair around of heat and it's wire cage on top.

 

[pinsetter1991]

as long as it produces enough heat and uvb rays, it should be fine. here is a picture of the general chameleon setup...

lots of branches to climb on and they can get as close or far from the heat as they want. attaching branches to glass can be hard though, so you might have better luck with vines.
About your chams eye problem though, the suggestion is usually to put the cham on a plant, and put the plant in your shower, have warm water spray the walls, not the cham directly, just mist her. That might help, im sure others will chime in with more suggestions for you

 

[Salix]

Thanks so much I'll be out and about to get more things for her!!

 

[symphonica]

Remember, chameleons live up in trees. So try to recreate what it would be like to be at the top of a tree. There is no substrate up in trees. Get rid of it, as accidental ingestion will cause blockages, and moist substrate will become a breeding ground for bacteria. No water fountains up in trees either, but sounds like you took care of that already. Mistings to create droplets on leaves, glass, vines, etc. is important and serves as a drinking source for your cham. Automatic misters are helpful if you work all day.

Chameleons prefer a tall tank over a wide tank. It's typically not recommended that beginners start with glass enclosures. A screened cage is recommended, and far cheaper than that glass enclosure they made you buy. A 4' x 2' x 2' screened enclosure (size recommended for adult veileds) is around $100. Glass enclosures are going to hold a lot more moisture and stagnant air. It becomes much easier for harmful bacteria to grow, and for your cham to end up with a respiratory infection (which can kill them). Yes, they need humidity, but air flow is just as important.

In terms of vines/sticks/plants, you want sturdy ones that are going to support the weight of the cham and with no risk of him falling (could cause broken bones and other injuries). You want the cham to be able to get to every part of the cage (right, left, up, down, diagonal, etc.) by walking across the vines. It should look like a 3D spider web in there.

UVB is critical to prevent metabolic bone disease (MBD). It's a degenerative disease, meaning that it gradually gets worse and there's really no cure once they get it. You can stop it from progressing but you can't really reverse its effects. UVB does not pass through glass at all, so if you put a piece of glass between your cham and the bulb, the cham's not getting any of it. Same with acrylic. You should have a screen or nothing at all between the bulb and cham. You should be using a 5.0 or 10.0, preferably a tube rather than a coil.

Heat lamps are to create basking spots for chams. This should be the hottest part of the enclosure, at about 85F. Should never be hotter than 87F. The rest of the enclosure should be 70-75F. You should have different temperature gradients throughout the enclosure, so that the cham can choose how warm he wants to be. Temps should drop to about 60-65F at night.

At night, make sure it's pitch black. There shouldn't be any lights on. Not even those red night lights that people claim "reptiles can't see." That's complete bs. If the temps are going to get below 50F, you can use a ceramic heat emitter. Complete darkness is very important to establish a sleep cycle.

Are you supplementing and gutloading correctly? Feeders (crickets or dubia roaches recommended) should be gutloaded. If you're not, they're basically useless in terms of nutrition. The cricket feeders that the pet stores sell is usually useless and a complete waste of money. Let us know if you need help with proper gutloading.

Their feeders should be dusted every day with calcium with no D3. Not enough calcium will cause MBD. You should be giving him multi-vitamins about 2-4 times a week, and D3 twice a month. Too much D3 will cause more harm than good, and you can overdose them.

I think I covered most of the basics...