Another New Member, Any Tips?

[RGEN]

Hello everyone I'm R-gen from California. Was hoping i could get a warm welcoming

Ive always been fascinated with chams and recently purchased a 3-4 month old male and have had him for about a little over a month now his name is 7. Was hoping for some users to help 7 and I make this work for a long healthy relationship.

I see that you are required to give information so other users can help.

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - His name is 7, male, 4-5 months
• Handling - Ive cleaned his cage the 3rd week i got him and he crawled up my arm. "by accident I think" But haven't really tried since. Every time i stick my hand in his encloser "slowly" he runs away pretty fast.
• Feeding – Mostly small/Med 10-20 crickets daily. Also i give him a couple mealworms every other day so he can get use to me hand feeding him.
• Supplements – Reptivite vitamins twice a month, and calcium twice a week
• Watering – Exo Terra Monsoon Solo - Automatic Misting System every hour for 60sec
• Fecal Description – Brown to black, its like squishing a rasinet in a paper towel.I have seen yellow and white a couple times but not at all often. I've never seen him urnate a clear liquid like ive seen in images / videos on the web.
• History - N/A

Cage Info:
• Cage Type – Zoo Med ReptiBreeze Chameleon Kit, Screen 30"x16"x16".
• Lighting – Tropical UVB & Lighting Kit from zoo med-1 Mini Combo Deep Dome Lamp Fixture
It came with a daylight blue 60w bulb by zoo'med and a Reptisun 5.0 uvb 13 watt.
• Temperature – 69 at night at the bottom during the day its 74, in the middle and where he bask's it ranges from 80-85 degrees, sometimes 90 at its highest. 12 hour cycle from 6:30AM to 6:330PM, 3 thermometers, 2 have humidity monitors.
• Humidity – I use a AcuRite 00613 Indoor Humidity Monitor at the bottom of the cage that also has a temp gauge reading 40 percent. In the middle i use a another Acu-Rite different ,Model: #13044HD with a wireless monitor 45-63% I mist only when i see it drop to the mid 30's to raise it back up.
• Plants - Are you using live plants? Yes, I have a large ficus that he can climb down on, Next to that i have a a plant i cant remember the name of, off the top of my head, safe though. and at the bottom i have a small Gardenia(Gardenia jasminoides)
• Placement – It sits in a corner of a room, i live alone not much traffic.
• Location – Granada Hills, California

It seems he really doesn't want me to be around when im in his cage, though when he realizes what i have in my hand "meal-worms" he creeps on over, . I've been giving him his space for some time now and I would like to try to work with him, any tips? I know that some chams are not friendly and have to work extremely slow. I have all the patience in the world when it comes to animals, so working at a slow pace doesn't bother me.
How about Supplement/Vitamin replacements, maybe increase / decrease what im already doing now?
How is my humidity and temps? Thanks for taking the time to read all this cant wait to hear from you all.

-RGEN & Se7en-

 

[kinyonga]

Since most feeder insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorous it's recommended that you dust the insects with s phosphorous-free calcium powder at almost all feedings.

It's recommended that you dust twice a month with a phosphorous-free calcium/D3 powder to ensure that the chameleon gets some D3 and allowing it to produce the rest from its exposure to the UVB. D3from supplemets can build up in the system and lead to health issues but D3 produced from exposure to the UVB won't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of the UVB at will.

It's recommended that you dust twice a month with a vitamin powder that has a beta carotene prOformed source of vitamin A. PrOformed sources of vitamin A will not build up in the system so this way you don't have to worry about overdoing it...and it leaves it up to you to decide how often/if your chameleon needs a prEformed source.

It's important to feed/gutload your insects well. I use a wide assortment of of greens and veggies such as dandelion greens, kale, collards, endive, escarole, squash, zucchini, carrots, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, etc and a small amount of fruit such as melon, berries, pear, apple.

Appropriate temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part in nutrient absorption.

What species?

 

[jamest0o0]

To add to that^ Don't feed mealworms, replace them with superworms and feed as a treat. Also as a heads up, your cage will be too small for an adult veiled according to the care sheets.

 

[RGEN]

Since most feeder insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorous it's recommended that you dust the insects with s phosphorous-free calcium powder at almost all feedings.

It's recommended that you dust twice a month with a phosphorous-free calcium/D3 powder to ensure that the chameleon gets some D3 and allowing it to produce the rest from its exposure to the UVB. D3from supplemets can build up in the system and lead to health issues but D3 produced from exposure to the UVB won't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of the UVB at will.

It's recommended that you dust twice a month with a vitamin powder that has a beta carotene prOformed source of vitamin A. PrOformed sources of vitamin A will not build up in the system so this way you don't have to worry about overdoing it...and it leaves it up to you to decide how often/if your chameleon needs a prEformed source.

It's important to feed/gutload your insects well. I use a wide assortment of of greens and veggies such as dandelion greens, kale, collards, endive, escarole, squash, zucchini, carrots, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, etc and a small amount of fruit such as melon, berries, pear, apple.

Appropriate temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part in nutrient absorption.

What species?

Hey konyonga. Thanks for information, I really appreciate it. My chameleon is a veiled, and I would like to order the s phosphorous-free calcium powder and phosphorous-free calcium/D3 powder as you suggested soon as possible. Do you have any brand names or exact item(s) in mind ? I was thinking Heprtivite once a month to give him a source of A.

I purchased a Large Exo Terra Cricket Pen and Have been putting "Flukers Orange Cube's" In each day and removing the little tiny bit that's left each morning from the previous day. I did know that you could put carrots and apple inside but the rest you listed is new to me, so thank you! Stupid question but should i gutload the crickets something different each day or mix around different foods inside the pen?

 

[RGEN]

To add to that^ Don't feed mealworms, replace them with superworms and feed as a treat. Also as a heads up, your cage will be too small for an adult veiled according to the care sheets.

Set them free this morning,haha lucky lil guys. Thanks btw, I will look into getting some Superworms. You said use them as treats. Should i use the SuperWorms for him to get used to me trying to hand feed him/handling?

 

[kinyonga]

Hey konyonga. Thanks for information, I really appreciate it. My chameleon is a veiled, and I would like to order the s phosphorous-free calcium powder and phosphorous-free calcium/D3 powder as you suggested soon as possible. Do you have any brand names or exact item(s) in mind ? I was thinking Heprtivite once a month to give him a source of A.

I purchased a Large Exo Terra Cricket Pen and Have been putting "Flukers Orange Cube's" In each day and removing the little tiny bit that's left each morning from the previous day. I did know that you could put carrots and apple inside but the rest you listed is new to me, so thank you! Stupid question but should i gutload the crickets something different each day or mix around different foods inside the pen?

I have used Rep-cal phosphorous-free calcium powder and Rep-cal phosphorous-free calcium/D3 powder and Herptivite. Herptivite only has beta carotene sources of vitamin A so you'll have to decide if you need to use one with prEformed vitamin A once in a while. I never have for veileds and there have been no problems.

The orange cubes have been said to be no good. I've never used them but so many people have said that. I make a salad with lots of the greens, etc that I listed in the gutload/feed. Its the same diet I used for turtles/tortoises, beardies etc so it made sense.

 

[jamest0o0]

Set them free this morning,haha lucky lil guys. Thanks btw, I will look into getting some Superworms. You said use them as treats. Should i use the SuperWorms for him to get used to me trying to hand feed him/handling?

Yeah no problems with that! Some members use them more often than me, i use about 1-2 worms a week because my cham tends to play hunger strike for worms. They are also high in fat, but a few a week shouldn't cause any problems, i'm no expert though. Personally i like silkworms, hornworms, butterworms, and bsfl the best. My cham loves them and they are nutritious.

 

[RGEN]

Yeah no problems with that! Some members use them more often than me, i use about 1-2 worms a week because my cham tends to play hunger strike for worms. They are also high in fat, but a few a week shouldn't cause any problems, i'm no expert though. Personally i like silkworms, hornworms, butterworms, and bsfl the best. My cham loves them and they are nutritious.

Ill keep an eye out on him make sure he doenst do the same thing to me haha "hunger strike"!

 

[RGEN]

I have used Rep-cal phosphorous-free calcium powder and Rep-cal phosphorous-free calcium/D3 powder and Herptivite. Herptivite only has beta carotene sources of vitamin A so you'll have to decide if you need to use one with prEformed vitamin A once in a while. I never have for veileds and there have been no problems.

The orange cubes have been said to be no good. I've never used them but so many people have said that. I make a salad with lots of the greens, etc that I listed in the gutload/feed. Its the same diet I used for turtles/tortoises, beardies etc so it made sense.

I've read this a billion times and now am over analyzing it. LOL so i dust the " Rep-cal phosphorous-free calcium powder" Everyday? or the "Rep-cal phosphorous-free calcium/D3 powder" Everyday?

 

[kinyonga]

Dust with phosphorous-free calcium powder almost every day...this helps make up for the poor ratio of calcium to phosphorous found in most feeder insects.

Dust with phosphorous-free calcium/D3 powder twice a month to ensure that the chameleon gets some D3 without overdosing it and leaving it to produce the rest of the D3 from its exposure to the UVB light. D3 produced from exposure to the UVB won't build up in the system like D3 from supplements will as long as the chameleon can move in and out of the UVB at will.

Dust twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene prOformed source of vitamin A. PrEformed vitamin A will build up in the system and lead to health issues....prOformed won't. This leaves it so you're responsible for deciding if/when your chameleon needs prEformed vitamin A.

Appropriate temperatures are important for good digestion and thus play an important part in nutrient absorption.

Feeding/gutloading the insects well is important too. I use a wide assortment of greens and veggies and a little fruit.
Hope this helps.

 

[RGEN]

Thanks everyone I will hold on to this information for a long time! (O:

 

[RGEN]

To add to that^ Don't feed mealworms, replace them with superworms and feed as a treat. Also as a heads up, your cage will be too small for an adult veiled according to the care sheets.

When the time comes and he starts to get to big do you think stacking could be possible? Maybe like getting another ReptiBreeze cage that measures the same 30" x 16" x 16". I already busted out my drill so i could hook up a better line for the monsoon solo tubing at the top for misting. It drills nicely in it. Hmm..