Advice for a first time owner!!! Illness may be present (form filled out)

[torigissi]

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - female veiled chameleon, im not entirely sure on the age but i think 4-6 months, i've had her for a week now
Handling - pretty often, but not for long periods of time. maybe 20 minutes or less once every other day
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? cucumbers, spinach leaves, carrots, wax worms, meal worms, she doesnt like crickets too much. i put food in her cage and she ates when she wants. i put a calcium powder on most of her food
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? i mist her cage every 2-3 hours because it dries very fast and have a dripper going occasionally. i dont see her drinking often but sometimes she drinks from the spray bottle
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? poops seem regular looking, urate was a bit watery the other day. im not sure about 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? screen cage, 18x18x30
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? Zoo Med Tropical UVB & Heat Lighting, w/ a blue reptile bulb with 60 watts, then a 5.0 uvb light. i turn her lights off at 11pm-12 am and on at 12 pm
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? 85 from basking point, bottom of cage is between 69-74, overnight temp is usually 65-70 overall.
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? misting frequently, need to get a hygrometer
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? planning on getting an umbrella plant, only plastic vines and foilage right now
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? its about two feet off of the ground. very low traffic, not near fans or vent
Location - Where are you geographically located? pennsylvania


my veiled chameleon, kiki, seems to be having some breahting troubles. im not sure if this is from the environment change, could be a RI or she could just be stressed and i am reading it wrong. ive only had her for a week and ive heard her cough a few times. sometimes she stands up reaches up vertically and extends her body that way while her neck is puffed up, even if im not near her i see it randomly puff up. im not sure how fast an RI can come up, and affect her entirely but any advice would be extremely helpful!!! i am new to reptiles and want to have the best for her...

 

[jajeanpierre]

I'll let more experienced keepers answer your concerns about a possible respiratory problem, but if you are concerned, she should be seen by a reptile vet. I believe a chameleon with breathing problems will take on a more vertical posture to help it breathe. I also believe an egg-bound chameleon will hold themselves more vertically as well.

Your cage looks pretty bare from a chameleon's viewpoint. She doesn't have any good hiding places which she needs to feel comfortable. You mention the top of the cage being two feet off the ground, but I'm sure you mean the bottom is two feet off the ground. Still, that's pretty low for a chameleon--they feel a lot safer if they can look down on the big scary two-legged monsters.

I also wanted to comment on the light schedule you have. My chameleons are in in my office that has three windows but not a lot of direct light into the room. For all the glass, it is a pretty dark room. If the chameleons' lights were not turned on during the day, their cages would be very dark. Regardless of the timing of my artificial lights, they all settle down for the night before sunset and well before I turn off their lights. I've tried to get them on an 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. schedule, but they tuck themselves in for the night before 6:00 p.m. regardless of when I turn on the lights in the morning or turn them off at night.

I don't know if others have experienced that, but I just thought I would throw it out there. If she is unwell, you definitely want to reduce any stress, especially stresses that are interfering with her sleep. Stress suppresses their immune system. If you are working against her natural circadian rhythms, you will likely be stressing her.

Good luck.

 

[larrodinero]

I'll let more experienced keepers answer your concerns about a possible respiratory problem, but if you are concerned, she should be seen by a reptile vet. I believe a chameleon with breathing problems will take on a more vertical posture to help it breathe. I also believe an egg-bound chameleon will hold themselves more vertically as well.

Your cage looks pretty bare from a chameleon's viewpoint. She doesn't have any good hiding places which she needs to feel comfortable. You mention the top of the cage being two feet off the ground, but I'm sure you mean the bottom is two feet off the ground. Still, that's pretty low for a chameleon--they feel a lot safer if they can look down on the big scary two-legged monsters.

I also wanted to comment on the light schedule you have. My chameleons are in in my office that has three windows but not a lot of direct light into the room. For all the glass, it is a pretty dark room. If the chameleons' lights were not turned on during the day, their cages would be very dark. Regardless of the timing of my artificial lights, they all settle down for the night before sunset and well before I turn off their lights. I've tried to get them on an 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. schedule, but they tuck themselves in for the night before 6:00 p.m. regardless of when I turn on the lights in the morning or turn them off at night.

I don't know if others have experienced that, but I just thought I would throw it out there. If she is unwell, you definitely want to reduce any stress, especially stresses that are interfering with her sleep. Stress suppresses their immune system. If you are working against her natural circadian rhythms, you will likely be stressing her.

Good luck.

Very well chosen words jajeanpierre! My thoughts exactly!
My Chams put themselves in bed as well, and get up around the same time every day! I adjusted my chams light schedule according to their schedule!
Timers are an awesome thing! Then come sumer time they stay up later (of coarse) so I adjust accordingly then too!