Yellow Boogers

[Terrypaylo]

Hello! I got a veiled cham like two days ago I'm totally new to this so sorry if I seem paranoid for no reason but I've done some research on them and today I noticed that he's got some yellowish boogers covering his nostrils. I had to dig at it to get it off but I finally got it off my little squirmy guy his nose still seems sorta runny and I don't know if it could be a respiratory infection or what but Please help me I really don't want him to die! he's about 8 months old

 

[etclement]

Try filling out the help request sheet here, so we can get better info about the chameleon and your husbandry. Trust me, it will help a lot.

 

[Terrypaylo]

Try filling out the help request sheet here, so we can get better info about the chameleon and your husbandry. Trust me, it will help a lot.

Try filling out the help request sheet here, so we can get better info about the chameleon and your husbandry. Trust me, it will help a lot.

Terry i believe is a boy he is a veiled chameleon, and ive had him for about two day so since sunday.
I havent been handling him too much because i know he doesnt like it but today i put him by a window so he could get some natural sun light
I give him crickets i try to give him 3 in the morning and 3 at night but i think he’s only ate one so far. I gut load them with a high calcium cricket feed
I havent been dusting the crickets but the ones im gut loading were dusted at pet smart so i dont what they used. I got those crickets saturday so they dont have much dust on them
I mist him by hand i kinda just drip water over his leaves. I try to do this at least 5 times a day because the leaves tend to dry out easy.
He hasnt pooped yet and i got him from petsmart so they didnt tell me anything about parasites
All i really know is that he hangs from the screen in his tank often and he is usually a dark color except at night hes very bright green. I know he hisses a lot for no reason. Like i wont even be near him and he’ll hiss at just nothing at night and during the day

He’s in a glass reptile tank with a screen hood its 2ft wide 1 foot deep and 1 ½ ft high
He has a day light from zoomed its a 60watt and a 13 watt UVB i turn on his day light and uvb at 6:30am and turn them off at 6:30 pm i dont use the red light that came in the box cause i heard they dont need it
I try to keep his humidity at or above 50% i drip his leaves and keep a bowl in there to keep humidity constant i use a thermometer and hygrometer to monitor everything
I have yet to get him live plants so for now he has plastic i plan on getting some sort of ficus
His tank is near an air vent but the air doesnt hit the tank. Should i move him? He’s about 4 ½ feet from the ground
I live in southern florida near tampa

And the problem is he had yellowish boogers sorta that i had to pick off and im not sure if that normal. He’s also been hiss at nothing, and barely eating. I have a lot of questions haha
here are some pictures of him right now his tank and the food i give his crickets

 

[serenaj25]

Terry i believe is a boy he is a veiled chameleon, and ive had him for about two day so since sunday.
I havent been handling him too much because i know he doesnt like it but today i put him by a window so he could get some natural sun light
I give him crickets i try to give him 3 in the morning and 3 at night but i think he’s only ate one so far. I gut load them with a high calcium cricket feed
I havent been dusting the crickets but the ones im gut loading were dusted at pet smart so i dont what they used. I got those crickets saturday so they dont have much dust on them
I mist him by hand i kinda just drip water over his leaves. I try to do this at least 5 times a day because the leaves tend to dry out easy.
He hasnt pooped yet and i got him from petsmart so they didnt tell me anything about parasites
All i really know is that he hangs from the screen in his tank often and he is usually a dark color except at night hes very bright green. I know he hisses a lot for no reason. Like i wont even be near him and he’ll hiss at just nothing at night and during the day

He’s in a glass reptile tank with a screen hood its 2ft wide 1 foot deep and 1 ½ ft high
He has a day light from zoomed its a 60watt and a 13 watt UVB i turn on his day light and uvb at 6:30am and turn them off at 6:30 pm i dont use the red light that came in the box cause i heard they dont need it
I try to keep his humidity at or above 50% i drip his leaves and keep a bowl in there to keep humidity constant i use a thermometer and hygrometer to monitor everything
I have yet to get him live plants so for now he has plastic i plan on getting some sort of ficus
His tank is near an air vent but the air doesnt hit the tank. Should i move him? He’s about 4 ½ feet from the ground
I live in southern florida near tampa

And the problem is he had yellowish boogers sorta that i had to pick off and im not sure if that normal. He’s also been hiss at nothing, and barely eating. I have a lot of questions haha
here are some pictures of him right now his tank and the food i give his crickets

View attachment 181511 View attachment 181512 View attachment 181513 View attachment 181515 View attachment 181516 View attachment 181517 View attachment 181518

Did he have this issue when you first got him? Chameleons need screen or mesh cages, anything with open air constantly flowing through as their respiratory systems are fragile. Having your cham in a glass box like that may kill him if he's in there for long enough. Also, you need to dust your feeder bugs with calcium without D3 every day and calcium with D3 two to three times a month otherwise he may develop metabolic bone disease. Please do your research before getting an animal like this because they are not for beginners and require lots of maintenance. Please get a large nest cage or build one yourself for the chameleon to live in that is more tall than it is wide because the chameleons need climbing room as well since they are tree dwellers naturally. Hope this helps

 

[serenaj25]

*mesh not nest

 

[serenaj25]

in addition, that is why you may find your chameleon near the top of the cage. He needs fresh air! try to get live plants and more foliage for the mesh cage that you get because chameleons are easily stressed when they have no place to hide.

 

[serenaj25]

a proper enclosure should look something like this

 

[Terrypaylo]

a proper enclosure should look something like this

is that yours? if so what kind of plant is that and where can i find it? i have been looking into getting him a better habitat but thats what the ladies at petsmart told me to get for him thank so much! is that why he hasnt been eating btw? i dont really understand how i should be feeding him

 

[serenaj25]

is that yours? if so what kind of plant is that and where can i find it? i have been looking into getting him a better habitat but thats what the ladies at petsmart told me to get for him thank so much! is that why he hasnt been eating btw? i dont really understand how i should be feeding him

no I found this as a picture off the internet. Ficus, umbrella plants, and any bushy plant is great for keeping humidity up and takes up space. you can also use a large bird cage as a cage if you add enough vines and plants to take up space because they are less expensive than the mesh ones. thats what I use for my veiled. He may be developing a resperatory infection, but I'm sure if you move him into a proper enclosure it will go away on its own if it isn't severe yet. You should be gut loading your feeders with repashy bug burger, or fresh vegetables such as kale, collard greens, or any veggie with lots of vitamins and calcium. The enclosure is probably the reason he has been hissing and not eating also. In the meantime, try putting him onto an indoor plant if you have one so he can have some Time out of that cage and try to feed him while he's on the plant, that always seems to work for me when my cham is shedding or in a bad mood.just make sure he is safe from any pets or children that could injure him and NEVER leave him alone. put some crickets in a bag with a small amount of the calcium you can find it at petco or petsmart and shake them up until they are coated. Then you can dump the crickets into his cage and he will eat or place them on a leaf near him if he's on an indoor plant and he will most likely eat it.

here are some links to vitamins and calcium you can use for feeding. Remember D3 calcium 2-3 times per month and regular calcium without D3 every feeding. You can also add a small amount of the vitamin powder to his regular calcium maybe once every week.

http://www.petsmart.com/reptile/foo...n-calcium-with-vitamin-d-supplement-4461.html
http://www.petsmart.com/reptile/foo...e-repti-calcium-reptile-supplement-21812.html
https://www.petsmart.com/reptile/fo...ent:GSC - Brand - Specialty - Reptile | Food

 

[Terrypaylo]

no I found this as a picture off the internet. Ficus, umbrella plants, and any bushy plant is great for keeping humidity up and takes up space. you can also use a large bird cage as a cage if you add enough vines and plants to take up space because they are less expensive than the mesh ones. thats what I use for my veiled. He may be developing a resperatory infection, but I'm sure if you move him into a proper enclosure it will go away on its own if it isn't severe yet. You should be gut loading your feeders with repashy bug burger, or fresh vegetables such as kale, collard greens, or any veggie with lots of vitamins and calcium. The enclosure is probably the reason he has been hissing and not eating also. In the meantime, try putting him onto an indoor plant if you have one so he can have some Time out of that cage and try to feed him while he's on the plant, that always seems to work for me when my cham is shedding or in a bad mood.just make sure he is safe from any pets or children that could injure him and NEVER leave him alone. put some crickets in a bag with a small amount of the calcium you can find it at petco or petsmart and shake them up until they are coated. Then you can dump the crickets into his cage and he will eat or place them on a leaf near him if he's on an indoor plant and he will most likely eat it.

here are some links to vitamins and calcium you can use for feeding. Remember D3 calcium 2-3 times per month and regular calcium without D3 every feeding. You can also add a small amount of the vitamin powder to his regular calcium maybe once every week.

http://www.petsmart.com/reptile/foo...n-calcium-with-vitamin-d-supplement-4461.html
http://www.petsmart.com/reptile/foo...e-repti-calcium-reptile-supplement-21812.html
https://www.petsmart.com/reptile/food-and-care/health-and-wellness/rep-cal-herptivite-reptile-and-amphibian-multivitamins-2051088.html?gclid=CjwKEAjw3KDIBRCz0KvZlJ7k4TgSJABDqOK7s15p92RRPjwvrj5w37h3Oe8nrzStCaUkbD9qXIK6ARoCXzPw_wcB&lsft=utm_source:google,utm_term:2051088,utm_mediumLA,utm_content:GSC - Brand - Specialty - Reptile | Food

would this be good?
http://www.petsmart.com/reptile/sup...=search&searchterm=chameleon kit&ps=undefined

 

[Lennoncham]

Are you sure is a boy? If it's female it may not be eating because she is getting ready to lay eggs.

 

[Terrypaylo]

Are you sure is a boy? If it's female it may not be eating because she is getting ready to lay eggs.

it might be a girl im not sure the people at the pet store told me it was too young to tell but that it was probably a boy. can she lay eggs if she hasnt been around any males

 

[Lennoncham]

it might be a girl im not sure the people at the pet store told me it was too young to tell but that it was probably a boy. can she lay eggs if she hasnt been around any males

The pet store said they can't tell because they are not allowed to guarantee what sex it is. Yes they can lay eggs if they have not been mated. I'm no expert but looking at ur pics it looks like it may be female and she looks kinda fat may have eggs. Can you get some better pics of her from the side so we can see her back feet and base of her tail. If it is a female you will need to setup a laying bin for her.

 

[Terrypaylo]

The pet store said they can't tell because they are not allowed to guarantee what sex it is. Yes they can lay eggs if they have not been mated. I'm no expert but looking at ur pics it looks like it may be female and she looks kinda fat may have eggs. Can you get some better pics of her from the side so we can see her back feet and base of her tail. If it is a female you will need to setup a laying bin for her.

sorry for the bad quality it's trying to sleep right now haha

 

[kinyonga]

Welcome to the forum and the world of chameleons!

Although it always best to research before buyinhtml

How old is it? You said it eats 6 crickets a day... of what size? Dusting at the store is not going to work...they need to be dusted just before feeding them to the chameleon. More on dusting later.

chameleon there is nothing to do once you have one but move on and learn quickly...and this is the right place to do that!

Putting it in the window will give it light but not the UVB it needs...UVB won't pass through the glass.
If the vent is blowing near him I would move the cage so he won't get a draft.
Be careful you dont hurt it if you remove the boogers!
You said its hissing...could it be wheezing? Maybe its a respiratory infection?
Whats the temperature in the basking area?

You can sex it by looking at its heels...males have tarsal spurs...
http://web.archive.org/web/20060819...m.com/html/husbandry/glossary/tarsalspur.html

You have substrate in the cage...what is it? You have to be careful it's not something that will not pass through it if it accidentally eats some of it.

For real plants...make sure they're non toxic and well washed...both sides if the leaves.
You might want to cover the soil with rocks big enough that the chameleon can't ingest them too.

If it's a female....and sexually mature...it needs an egglaying bin in its cage veiled females can lay eggs without having been mated.
Ask me about this if she's female.

It's recommended that you dust the insects with a phosphorous-free calcium powder at almost every feeding to help make up for the poor ratio of calcium to phosphorous found in most feeder insects.

It's recommended that you dust with a phosphorous-free calcium/D3 powder twice a month to ensure that the chameleon gets some more without overdosing it and letting it produce the rest of the D3 from its exposure to the UVB light. D3 produced from exposure to the UVB won't build up in the system like D3 from supplements will as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it at will.

It's recommended that you dust twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene prOformed source of vitamin A. prOformed sources wont build up in the system like prEformed sources will and thus it leaves you in control of the prEformed vitamin A.

Appropriate temperatures allow for proper digestion and thus play a part in nutrient absorption.

Feeding/gutloading the crickets and other insects with a wide assortment of greens and veggies such as dandelion greens, kale, collards, endive, escarole, squash, zucchini, sweet red pepper, sweet potato, carrots, etc and a small amount of fruit such as berries, melon, apples, pears provides a good diet for the chameleon.

 

[Terrypaylo]

Welcome to the forum and the world of chameleons!

Although it always best to research before buyinhtml

How old is it? You said it eats 6 crickets a day... of what size? Dusting at the store is not going to work...they need to be dusted just before feeding them to the chameleon. More on dusting later.

chameleon there is nothing to do once you have one but move on and learn quickly...and this is the right place to do that!

Putting it in the window will give it light but not the UVB it needs...UVB won't pass through the glass.
If the vent is blowing near him I would move the cage so he won't get a draft.
Be careful you dont hurt it if you remove the boogers!
You said its hissing...could it be wheezing? Maybe its a respiratory infection?
Whats the temperature in the basking area?

You can sex it by looking at its heels...males have tarsal spurs...
http://web.archive.org/web/20060819...m.com/html/husbandry/glossary/tarsalspur.html

You have substrate in the cage...what is it? You have to be careful it's not something that will not pass through it if it accidentally eats some of it.

For real plants...make sure they're non toxic and well washed...both sides if the leaves.
You might want to cover the soil with rocks big enough that the chameleon can't ingest them too.

If it's a female....and sexually mature...it needs an egglaying bin in its cage veiled females can lay eggs without having been mated.
Ask me about this if she's female.

It's recommended that you dust the insects with a phosphorous-free calcium powder at almost every feeding to help make up for the poor ratio of calcium to phosphorous found in most feeder insects.

It's recommended that you dust with a phosphorous-free calcium/D3 powder twice a month to ensure that the chameleon gets some more without overdosing it and letting it produce the rest of the D3 from its exposure to the UVB light. D3 produced from exposure to the UVB won't build up in the system like D3 from supplements will as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it at will.

It's recommended that you dust twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene prOformed source of vitamin A. prOformed sources wont build up in the system like prEformed sources will and thus it leaves you in control of the prEformed vitamin A.

Appropriate temperatures allow for proper digestion and thus play a part in nutrient absorption.

Feeding/gutloading the crickets and other insects with a wide assortment of greens and veggies such as dandelion greens, kale, collards, endive, escarole, squash, zucchini, sweet red pepper, sweet potato, carrots, etc and a small amount of fruit such as berries, melon, apples, pears provides a good diet for the chameleon.

the pet store told me it was approx 8months from what i can see she is a FEMALE! the substrate is mulch also bought from petsmart but i am getting an eco carpet tomorrow. i try for her to eat 6 crickets but in reality i think shes only ate one since shes been here and it was a little smaller that her head if not the same size she ate it with ease but didnt eat anymore after that. she ate it while she was by the window but wont eat the ones in her tank. i hope its not a resperitory infection but if it is what should i do? the thermometer in her tank stays around the 70's-85 during the day its higher but at night it goes around the 70's. whats this whole deal with the egg laying im so lost on that

are there any powders minerals and vitamins you can suggest for me cause i probably need them asap. And ive been putting that cricket feed and water in a sponge for the crickets in their keeper should i change their diet to strictly veggies and fruit? thank you so much for all this help its soooo appreciated

 

[kinyonga]

I use Rep-cal phosphorous-free calcium powder and Rep-cal phosphorous-free calcium/D3 powder and Herptivite...but there are other good ones out there too.

I use natural ingredients to feed the insects because I know that way what they are getting. I've kept chameleons for over 25 years.

Once the female is sexually mature she can produce eggs. When will get mustard yellow splotches on her body and blue dots when she ready to produce eggs. Whether she will lay eggs or not depends in part on how much you feed her and to some degree temperatures. Since it's hard to determine when the first lay will be or if she will lay at all we recommend putting a suitable opaque container of washed playsand in the cage so she has a place to dig to show you that she's ready. The container should be at least 12" x 8" x 8". If there is no place to lay them the female can die eggbound. If overfed constantly once she's an adult she can produce a large clutch, prolapse, develop MBD or become eggbound so you need to do things right.

 

[etclement]

the pet store told me it was approx 8months from what i can see she is a FEMALE! the substrate is mulch also bought from petsmart but i am getting an eco carpet tomorrow. i try for her to eat 6 crickets but in reality i think shes only ate one since shes been here and it was a little smaller that her head if not the same size she ate it with ease but didnt eat anymore after that. she ate it while she was by the window but wont eat the ones in her tank. i hope its not a resperitory infection but if it is what should i do? the thermometer in her tank stays around the 70's-85 during the day its higher but at night it goes around the 70's. whats this whole deal with the egg laying im so lost on that

are there any powders minerals and vitamins you can suggest for me cause i probably need them asap. And ive been putting that cricket feed and water in a sponge for the crickets in their keeper should i change their diet to strictly veggies and fruit? thank you so much for all this help its soooo appreciated

As for supplements, I use Repashy Calcium Plus. It's an all in one, including vitamins, so it's super easy. However, you can't overdust on Repashy, or it can cause a lot of problems. The crickets should seem lightly dusted, not pure white. Also, a vet visit never hurts.

 

[JustJay]

I'm still new to this and still learning but what I've learned so far is that buying from petco or petsmart isn't a good idea! Their staff isn't too knowledgeable about the reptiles they're selling and they tend to keep them in the wrong type of habitat which adds to the stress they've already experienced due to packaging and shipping. That stress then makes it easier for them to develop some sort of dooming sickness unless treated properly and if it isn't too late. Your habitat set up is pretty wrong but that's because of the misinformation from the employee. They definitely need a screen type enclosure so air can pass threw. They also need a lot of live plant foliage to hide and climb around in. As for lighting I've learned it's best to have a 5.0 uvb and a blue daylight basking bulb. If it's not too late take back everything (minus the cham) and get the chameleon kit. It comes with everything you need to start up.

 

[JustJay]

It's best to try and do as much research as possible before buying your first cham. I too just kinda jumped into this head first without realizing I needed floaties so I wouldn't drown! This forum are the floaties by the way because I was drowning in worry about everything my lil guy seemed to be doing. This forum will definitely help! Like I said tho I'm still super new but I just wanted to share A little of what I've learned so far!! New cham owner to new cham owner!