a little nervous.

CharlesR · Mar 13, 2012

I am very new to this i just got Him/her yesterday. ive heard a lot of different opinions in the pet stores and frankly don't feel to comfortable going off of all of them.
There are two temp. thermometers one in basking and one on the bottom, it is a glass enclosure. the basking is around 90 all day and the bottom one is right about 80 constantly. and at night it didnt drop that much only to about 75.. i have the one light on a light hanger that can go up or down depneding on the temp. and the other UVB directly on the cage.
Its been eating mealworms and crickets so far 5 crickets and 1-2 meal worms.. i do have a powder with calcium and D3 that they told me to dust before each time i feed.. but ive seen i might need a one with out D3 and a multi.?
I am a little worried and since the last time i added a black sheet to the outside to somewhat cut down on its reflection idk if that can or will stress him/her? but there is a pretty good reflection on the glass.. also the floor matt is a pretty moist should it stay on the dryer side becasue i dont want mold or anything to happen? im very knew and i want to stress her/him as little as i can and its only my second day.. if there are tips you have for me or things that i should or shouldnt do please let me know.

CharlesR · Mar 13, 2012

Also they are the tiny crickets, im not sure how to keep them alive or what to feed them? sounds very stupid i know.. but i just want to do everything by the book and keep him/her happy. humitity has ran around 30-50% with me misting it a few times a day.

WOLVERINES135 · Mar 13, 2012

Hm, it all looks good to me but I'd say the bottom should be a little lower(in tempature) just in case it wants to cool down. Also as far as the calcium and feeding goes, you should be feeding it around 15-20 crickets each day lightly dusted with calcium with no D3, and have them dusted with calcium WITH D3 twice a month and you should have a multivitamin that you also dust the crickets with twice a month. Welcome to the forums and good luck, keep us updated with pics so we can see the progress he makes as he grows! Also you should be. Feeding the crickets plenty of fruits and vegetables (collard greens, bell peppers, oranges, carrots, etc. and some water source such as wAter gel or water pillows, we use these so the crickets don't drown in a pool of water. And if you want, you can buy a gut load to sprinkle over the food you feed the crickets to further enhance your Cham! I myself prefer and use dinofuel from kilgours chameleons.com, I've only had good things come of it. Good luck and I know you'll love your new addition to the family (your chameleon lol), and you'll learn a lot from the fellow members here.

CharlesR · Mar 13, 2012

Thanks a lot!! its a litter nerve racking cause of how sensitive they can be! also is this normal?

CharlesR · Mar 13, 2012

The shedding that is? you can see it on his head and a little on his joints on his legs

K9Luvn · Mar 13, 2012

WOLVERINES135 · Mar 13, 2012

CharlesR said:
The shedding that is? you can see it on his head and a little on his joints on his legs

Well, if it hasn't already been answered then, yes they will shed all over their body, and I know whatcha mean they're very nerve racking, they're also very addicting which you will soon find out and you'll just want to keep buying the little guys lol.

Elizadolots · Mar 13, 2012

Hi!

I think you're a bit hot...especially for a smaller enclosure (I'm taking it that it's not a 4 foot tall glass enclosure). 90 as a basking temp is okay if your chameleon can get away to a realm that is closer to 70 degrees.

This is especially true if the chameleon is a female. I can't tell from your picture because it's a bit blurry. Are there little fleshy nubs that sort of look like heels sticking out? If so, that's a boy, if not....'tis a little lady. And females should be kept cooler to help restrict excessive egg production.

If it were me, I would try lowering the basking temperature to 85 then measure the temps...if you get something under 75 at the bottom, that's probably okay for a male. If it's a female, I would lower the basking temperature to 82.

That's just me based on what I've read here. I'm sure there are many who keep them much hotter.

The black drape will not freak him out. In fact, I would recommend covering the enclosure with the drape at night (like you would a bird) so that no lights in the room will bother him.

What is the bottom of the cage like? Is it something you can drill a hole in? If so, you should do that, put the enclosure over a container and let the water drip into the container. Drainage is your friend. If you can't do that, consider pulling the mat and replacing it with paper towels. You can just toss those at the end of the day and replace them.

CharlesR · Mar 13, 2012

yea its glass on the bottom, and its not that big of a cage at all, the bottom is around 80.. so i will raise the light a bit more to cool her down, and im a little confused on the night i know it has 12 hours of the uvb or what not along with the blue basking light.. but the pet store has be doing a red light for the night time? so i switch the bulbs every 12 hours? is this wrong?.. does it like it completely dark? or is the red light better? but thank you

a little nervous.

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