Chameleon Info:
Cage Info:
Extraz:
Kripke convinced me to use a steam cleaner to clean the cage when there was no substrate. Pretty easy and effective, though expensive.
- Your Chameleon - He is a veiled chameleon named Khalid. I got him on 7/21/19 at a local reptile Expo from Captive Bred Specialties. The seller told me he was 10 weeks old at the time of purchase. That would put his birthday at May 12th, 2019. It's May 2024 now, so he should be about 5 years old!
- Handling - I don't take him out often at all. Just for vet visits. Sometimes when the weather is really nice, we go outside for 10 minutes. He seems happy in his enclosure and has lots of branches and leaves to run along.
- Feeding - I made a bug run bowl then one day got sick of how ugly it was and anted up the cash for a Full Throttle Feeders feeding cup. He eats crickets, dubia roaches and calci worms/BSFL/Phoenix worms, with the occasional superworm or hornworm as a treat. I've been tong feeding him a couple dubias or throwing in a few crickets in the enclosure every other day. Any crickets and dubias are gut-loaded using this frozen ice-cube method with some combo of carrots, sweet potato, squash, apples, oranges, mustard greens, turnip greens, collard greens, and bok choy. I have also used Repashy Bug Burger and froze it like the above method. I'd like to write a few recipes for these that I can have on hand and rotate through. I've seen him eat pothos. I would like to experiment with feeding fruits and veges but haven't yet.
- Supplements - I am dusting everything, every time, with Repashy Calcium Plus LoD. I dust the feeders in a homemade contraption. It's basically 2 32oz gas station cups and one has a mesh-hot glued to the bottom.
- Watering - There WAS a tall plastic cup on top of his cage with a small hole drilled in the bottom which I would fill with ice cubes, then eventually I opted for a Big Dripper because it was less daily maintenance. I also have a Mist King set up with a dual-head nozzle. It goes off at 6:50AM and 7:00PM for about 2 minutes at a time.
- Fecal Description - I've read the poop 101 post and they look healthy! He was tested for parasites 9/11/2019 and came back negative for all parasites.
- History - Khalid has purchased as a pink sized baby. This is my first reptile since I was an adolescent. I’m trying to learn a lot quickly. Khalid seems pretty easy-going, maybe that’s just his young age, though. I have 2 cats, one really skittish and easy going, and one year old curious, though generally well-behaved. I got a new large breed puppy March 2021!
Cage Info:
- Cage Type - Reptibreeze 2'x2'4'. Weed-stop fabric bag full of soil(- yes i sewed the bag myself), terracotta, coal, springtails and isopods, leaf litter, one thriving umbrella plant. Bamboo branch perches, these fake ropes made of aquarium silicone coco coir and burlap strips. There is a visitor pothos, but they hate it in there.
- Lighting - He has a 22" 5.0 UVB T5-HO Reptisun (Replaced every 6 months) placed about 4" above the top of the cage for UVB light. There WAS a 150w Ceramic Heat Emitter in it's own lamp, as well as a 75w clear bulb and an LED/coil plant light in the dual dome. He appeared to suffer a burn around December 2020. I replaced the CHE and the LED coil with a 60w incandescent. The temps don't get as hot, but I'd rather that than risk anymore burns. All the lights sit on top of a wire shelf above his cage, about 4" from the top of the screen. The basking branch is about 7" away from the top of the screen. His timer is set to go on at 6:00AM and turn off around 6:30PM. The basking light is on an Inkbird on/off thermostat set to 86° w/ 2° variance.
The following did not end up working to keep temps where I want them:I ordered the new Arcadia Reptile Deep Heat Projector in 80w to replace the CHE. This is because I just learned that CHE don't put out the whole spectrum of infrared light that chameleons need. The new DHP should do that. The reason overall I am using CHE or DHP is because they don't put off visible light and with the on/off thermostat, I didn't want a visible light going on and off all day. - Temperature - I have 2 temperature gauges and 1 hygrometer in the cage. I also have a temp gun. One temperature probe is on the basking spot and the second is in mid-lower area of cage. The probe in the middle of the cage is usually 10-15° cooler than basking temp. The heat in the house keeps the temperature around 62°. Temp gunning the casque in the summer reads about 85* F.
- Humidity - I use a clear film sheet (used for sealing windows in winter) around the sides when needed. Currently it is on the backside of the enclosure. The humidity is about 45% during the day, probably similar at night. I'm working toward following recommendations from this naturalistic hydration podcast, but I still have a ways to go in this aspect - I bought a cool mist humidifier to achieve above 70% humidity at night. I give the cage a 2-3 min mist cycle about 30 min before lights out to try to keep the humidity up at night. Despite any less than ideal conditions, he hasn't shown signs of dehydration or lung infection.
- Plants - There is an occasional hanging pothos and a 4' tall Schefflera Arboricola/umbrella plant, so there is a lot of foliage for him.
- Placement - It is in my main floor kitchen/dining/living area for warmth. There is a huge 10' weeping fig tree in front of the enclosure for privacy. There is a ceiling fan 20' in the air over the dining room (tall ceilings), but is rarely on. The 4' cage is about 21"off the floor.
- Location - Minnesota
Extraz:
Kripke convinced me to use a steam cleaner to clean the cage when there was no substrate. Pretty easy and effective, though expensive.
