Advice Needed for my 2+ yr old Chameleon - Please help

[Guest 144]

Supplements can be a pain to get your head round. I don't know the brand names of the ones you are using. You need to check the labels and use plain calcium with nothing else in it daily and calcium with d3 every two weeks and calcium with vits every two weeks. Hope that helps. I wonder why you are using two uv lights. I would keep your reptisun and use an ordinary household bulb for basking.

I have the Reptisun power compact (tube, t8) light which gives off UVB, and my basking light is a reptile basking spot lamp that gives off UVA

I will look around for plain calcium powder.

Ive been watching him a lot since I came home from work, and at first he wouldnt open either eye...but after a while I noticed he opens his left eye for small periods of time. I tried enticing him with a superworm in tongs, and he tried for it a few times, but I wasnt able to get it in his mouth. Im going to keep trying

Edit: Just saw his eye open and tried feeding again...this time I got it! He ate 5 superworms and 1 cricket fed with tongs. Since I do not have pure calcium supplements now, I used my ZooMed ReptiVite without D3. Its calcium is 24.9% min - 28% max. The second ingredient is precipitated calcium carbonate. Im hoping if I can keep him eating and drinking, he will recover

 

[kinyonga]

The reptivite has vitamin A from acetate so it's prEformed and can build up in the system.

You said you are using repcal with D3 in it..and it had beta carotene?? Are you sure you aren't confused and it's herptivite?

You should be giving your insects a wider variety of greens and veggies IMHO...and lettuces only good to provide moisture so I don't use much of it and if I do put some in its romaine.

 

[Guest 144]

The reptivite has vitamin A from acetate so it's prEformed and can build up in the system.

You said you are using repcal with D3 in it..and it had beta carotene?? Are you sure you aren't confused and it's herptivite?

You should be giving your insects a wider variety of greens and veggies IMHO...and lettuces only good to provide moisture so I don't use much of it and if I do put some in its romaine.

You are correct, I have both and mixed up my quote.

Since I am not sure what to do to help him recover, I felt the best thing is to just do one of each supplement a day to give him a boost, and then start the regular routine.

Feeding this week so far:
Tuesday - 5 superworms with herptivite
Wednesday - 5 superworms and 1 cricket with Reptivite with No D3
Thursday - 4 superworms and 2 crickets with Rep Cal Calcium with Vitamin D3

I have phoenix worms coming tomorrow along with Rep Cal Calcium without D3.

New feeding routine starting tomorrow will be 5-6 insects that will be a mix of crickets, superworms, and phoenix worms with a supplementation schedule of:

M-F dust with Rep Cal Calcium with no D3
First and Third Sat dust with Herptivite
Second and Fourth Sat dust with Rep Cal Calcium with D3
Sunday - no dusting

Does that sound good?

Today I noticed his tougue shooting faster and farther than normal. Still not accurate, but thats because his perception is off. Also noticed that he was just starting to open his one eye. Not much, but just a little.

Regarding gut loading, I need improvement here. What do you guys and gals keep your crickets and worms in? I have the large size cricket keeper, and buy 40-50 crickets at a time. This normally lasts 5 days, and I usually have around 15 - 20 that die off. The bin gets smelly after 2-3 days also. All I put in it is water gel and flukers cricket diet. Should I take the crickets out that I intend to feed the next day in advance, and place in like a tupperware with veggies to eat through the night? What veggies? My idea was mustard greens, carrots, sweet ptato, sweet red pepper, and zuchini /squash. I also looked into cricket crack. Would cricket crack be able to replace vegtables entirely?

 

[Kate]

I've heard cricket crack is good. You need both, dry and moist. If your crickets are dying off perhaps they are overcrowded. I suggest you check out Sandrachameleons blogs on gutloading.

 

[absolutbill]

Good luck with your male, hope you are able to bring him around.

As for your crickets, I use a 10 gallon aquarium with a screened lid (they have them at Walmart for pretty cheap). I buy 500 at a time, because bulk is a much better price and quality than a petstore. I only have 2 chams, so 500 lasts me quite awhile. I have a dish of water crystals in there (looks like kosher salt and you place some in a gallon container, add water, and voila!). There is a debate on the forum about using the water crystals. What I can say is that for 4+ years it's worked for me.

Then, I use dry cricket crack sprinked in the bottom of the cage on 1 end - like a feeding and watering end of the cage. Next to that I break a large carrot in 1/2 and use that as a "table". On top of the carrot I put a block of bug burger (you mix it up and cook it, then let it cool in a small pyrex dish and cut off slices when you need). The carrot prevents the bug burger from touching the bottom of the cage and helps keep it cleaner. On the opposite end I place cardboard (not styrofoam) egg crates - I use the ones from a flat of eggs and cut it in 1/2. That way your crickets have a place to crawl instead of crushing each other, which is why I think yours might be dying. Hopefully this helps, and keep the questions coming!