Gina J.
Member
Good evening,
I am a first time Chameleon owner and have had our baby, male Veiled (Venus), for about a month. The last few days, he has been acting funny, funny, meaning he will gape on and off a few times and lift his head as if he was swallowing. On top of that, he has been pretty lethargic and curls his tail as if he was sleeping (eyes open as far as I can tell) and has been very cranky as well, more so than usual. He is eating, but not as much. I offered him silkworms three times today, but he refused to eat them, which is odd because those are his favorite. He has never been a huge eater. If I can get him to eat 4 or 5 bugs a day, if I'm lucky, that doesn't mean he is not eating more. I have tried and tried to get him to cup feed, but he won't. He will crawl all over the cup but won't take the bugs. So, being the overly protective Mom I am, I have been cup feeding and free-ranging. He much prefers to hunt. He usually spends most of the day high in his enclosure, but he only comes up to bask for the last few days then goes back down in the plants. So, any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated. I don't have a reptile vet near me. Hell, I don't know of one at all.
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species: Vailed.
Sex: Male
Age: 3 months.
How long has it been in your care? About a month.
Handling – No, he doesn’t want anything to do with handling at this time. He will gape, hiss, lunge, and turn very dark if I get the tweezers or my hand to close. Until we build trust, I won't push trying to hold him.
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? Small crickets ¼ in, Fly larva small ¼ to1/2 in, Dubia roaches small, waxed worms small, silkworms small.
What amount? 2 of each.
What is the schedule? In the morning, around 8 am, I will put the feeding cup in the cage and leave it there until lights out at 8 pm. However, he much prefers to hunt. He is not taking to the cup much.
How are you gut-loading your feeders? Slices of carrots, sliced mango, sweet potato, and a few leaves of kale over night until feeding time in the morning.
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with, and what is the schedule? Flukers calcium powder D3 (once every 2 weeks) and calcium no D3(4x week). Light dusting.
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? Homemade drip. 1/2-gallon milk jug with a pinhole at the bottom.
How often and how long do you mist? Twice a day.
Do you see your chameleon drinking? Yes, I have seen him drink, but he is a shy drinker.
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Dark brown/black with a creamy/yellowish tail at the end.
Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? No
History - Any previous information about your cham might be useful to others when trying to help you. He is a very shy eater. I keep track of how many bugs are in the cup, but as I said above, he doesn’t like it so, I will free-range the feeders in his cage. The only problem with that is, I cannot tell how much he is eating.
Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage: Screened 24/24/48
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? Zoo Med Reptisun 5.0 T5-Ho Uvb Fluorescent Lamp - 24 w - 22", and a 100w regular light bulb for basking.
What is your daily lighting schedule? 12 hours on, from 8 am to 8 pm.
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? 70 at the floor to 86 at the highest part of the basking branch (about five inches from the top).
Lowest overnight temp? I have not thought to measure at night.
How do you measure these temps? Heat gun.
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? 45 to 50.
How are you creating and maintaining these levels? Misting once a day, lots of live plants. I live in Michigan, so our humidity is naturally high.
What do you use to measure humidity? Temp/ humidity gauge on top of the cage.
Plants - Are you using live plants? Yes, I made sure they were on the safe list.
Placement - Where is your cage located? In my Daughter's room.
Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? No.
At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? 64 in. It is sitting on a 16 in. stand.
Location - Where are you geographically located? US. Michigan
I am a first time Chameleon owner and have had our baby, male Veiled (Venus), for about a month. The last few days, he has been acting funny, funny, meaning he will gape on and off a few times and lift his head as if he was swallowing. On top of that, he has been pretty lethargic and curls his tail as if he was sleeping (eyes open as far as I can tell) and has been very cranky as well, more so than usual. He is eating, but not as much. I offered him silkworms three times today, but he refused to eat them, which is odd because those are his favorite. He has never been a huge eater. If I can get him to eat 4 or 5 bugs a day, if I'm lucky, that doesn't mean he is not eating more. I have tried and tried to get him to cup feed, but he won't. He will crawl all over the cup but won't take the bugs. So, being the overly protective Mom I am, I have been cup feeding and free-ranging. He much prefers to hunt. He usually spends most of the day high in his enclosure, but he only comes up to bask for the last few days then goes back down in the plants. So, any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated. I don't have a reptile vet near me. Hell, I don't know of one at all.
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species: Vailed.
Sex: Male
Age: 3 months.
How long has it been in your care? About a month.
Handling – No, he doesn’t want anything to do with handling at this time. He will gape, hiss, lunge, and turn very dark if I get the tweezers or my hand to close. Until we build trust, I won't push trying to hold him.
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? Small crickets ¼ in, Fly larva small ¼ to1/2 in, Dubia roaches small, waxed worms small, silkworms small.
What amount? 2 of each.
What is the schedule? In the morning, around 8 am, I will put the feeding cup in the cage and leave it there until lights out at 8 pm. However, he much prefers to hunt. He is not taking to the cup much.
How are you gut-loading your feeders? Slices of carrots, sliced mango, sweet potato, and a few leaves of kale over night until feeding time in the morning.
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with, and what is the schedule? Flukers calcium powder D3 (once every 2 weeks) and calcium no D3(4x week). Light dusting.
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? Homemade drip. 1/2-gallon milk jug with a pinhole at the bottom.
How often and how long do you mist? Twice a day.
Do you see your chameleon drinking? Yes, I have seen him drink, but he is a shy drinker.
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Dark brown/black with a creamy/yellowish tail at the end.
Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? No
History - Any previous information about your cham might be useful to others when trying to help you. He is a very shy eater. I keep track of how many bugs are in the cup, but as I said above, he doesn’t like it so, I will free-range the feeders in his cage. The only problem with that is, I cannot tell how much he is eating.
Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage: Screened 24/24/48
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? Zoo Med Reptisun 5.0 T5-Ho Uvb Fluorescent Lamp - 24 w - 22", and a 100w regular light bulb for basking.
What is your daily lighting schedule? 12 hours on, from 8 am to 8 pm.
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? 70 at the floor to 86 at the highest part of the basking branch (about five inches from the top).
Lowest overnight temp? I have not thought to measure at night.
How do you measure these temps? Heat gun.
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? 45 to 50.
How are you creating and maintaining these levels? Misting once a day, lots of live plants. I live in Michigan, so our humidity is naturally high.
What do you use to measure humidity? Temp/ humidity gauge on top of the cage.
Plants - Are you using live plants? Yes, I made sure they were on the safe list.
Placement - Where is your cage located? In my Daughter's room.
Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? No.
At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? 64 in. It is sitting on a 16 in. stand.
Location - Where are you geographically located? US. Michigan
