Approved enclosure?

[Jakama]

I have had this chameleon for five days now, and I just recently revised the enclosure. She is about 6 months old, and she is my first. I have tried feeding her crickets and mealworms, but she only really eats the mealworms, so I figure I'll stop feeding her crickets until she gets a bit older. I keep her hydrated with misting, and with a cup on the top of the enclosure with a hole in it. The enclosure has two ficus, a large piece of wood, some moss, a synthetic vine, and an orchid bark/sand substrate. The lamp to the side of the enclosure is a night lamp. I have already diagnosed the patch on her side as a burn, and I have adjusted the bulb since then to prevent repeat incidents. Does the chameleon community approve of this enclosure?

 

[jesse57]

I have had this chameleon for five days now, and I just recently revised the enclosure. She is about 6 months old, and she is my first. I have tried feeding her crickets and mealworms, but she only really eats the mealworms, so I figure I'll stop feeding her crickets until she gets a bit older. I keep her hydrated with misting, and with a cup on the top of the enclosure with a hole in it. The enclosure has two ficus, a large piece of wood, some moss, a synthetic vine, and an orchid bark/sand substrate. The lamp to the side of the enclosure is a night lamp. I have already diagnosed the patch on her side as a burn, and I have adjusted the bulb since then to prevent repeat incidents. Does the chameleon community approve of this enclosure?

the thing is you don't want her just eating meal worms the have no nutrition at all. Also you don't want her to only eat worms are it will take a while to get her back to eating crickets.

 

[jesse57]

Also what are you using for heat and sun light?

 

[Jakama]

I have a UVB bulb and a 100W heat lamp. Thanks for the cricket advice too. The guy at the pet store offered us what seemed like really big crickets, and she hasn't been eating any of that. She eats about four to five mealworms a day, but I think she has eaten a few crickets. That might account for why she looks a little thin, though.

 

[junglejoe]

hello.. thanks for posting.. dont take any of this the wrong way... she looks good.. i would change a few things up... get her up to her basking spot... up off the floor of the cage.. the dirt and floor are just a house for bacteria.. all the bug and chameleon fecies.. moisture..mold.. all can and will make your baby sick.. also on the meal worms.. try to break her of them.. keep them just a treat.. mealworms have a hard shell witch is actually hard for the chameleons weak digestive track to digest.. the meally's can impact her.. just a word of thought.. many people care for there chams differently.. just trying to help.. i hope i did.. good luck..

 

[Ace]

ummm....wats that black spot on her side?

 

[Jakama]

Thanks for the advice! Are you suggesting that I remove the substrate completely? Also, what is the closest she can be to the basking light before I have to be nervous? She has wandered up to within a few inches of the light on the mesh before and I had to coax her back down.

 

[junglejoe]

oops.. sorry one more thing.. you dont need to run 100 watt basking lamps.. thats actually way to much.. as long as you can have a temp of 78-87 degrees and basking site its ok.. 100 watt bulbs cost way more to run... and get the screen under them really hot.. if your cham is a screen climber it could get a severe injury it or cook it...you have the right plants and stuff..how to you mist or what is your moisture stratigy..I breed veiled chameleons about 14 yrs ago.

 

[Cainschams]

I think this would be a good idea. Fill this form out to the best you can and post it back in this thread. This way the suggestions wont be random and all over the place. Not that they arent good but it might be a little less chaotic for you to fill the form out and people can post under each section and give their suggestions

https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/

 

[Jakama]

Ace, I have asked around a few places and the general consensus seems to be that it's a burn, which would make sense- on the first day, my setup was pretty flawed and it was cold, so I think she wandered too close to the heat lamp. Assuming it is a burn, what do you think of it?

 

[Cainschams]

We posted at the same time so I thought I would bump it back up. Please look at my post above the last one of yours

 

[junglejoe]

if you go to a less intense bulb she can go just a few inches away.. invest in a thermostat...place it about 6-8 inches below the basking lamp.. you never want your temps to get hot.. if it reads 90"+ thats pretty hot..

 

[Ace]

Ace, I have asked around a few places and the general consensus seems to be that it's a burn, which would make sense- on the first day, my setup was pretty flawed and it was cold, so I think she wandered too close to the heat lamp. Assuming it is a burn, what do you think of it?

oh i was just asking, and it looked like a burn to me, but wanted to make sure, and if it might be something else...but it does make sense, but im no expert. just asking, other than tha she looks good besides a bit thin, then again it is important to watch over a female's food intake.

 

[junglejoe]

i agree with ace.. female chams do tend to need just a little extrs care.. example.. a female chameleon lays eggs.. it take alot of her very needed calcium to produce the eggs.. so supplement her just a tad more calcium.. but not to much.. to much calcium can create calcium build up on joints...on the burn.. just make sure she has enough heat to keep the basking area just right..80' temps.. use the UVB lights as usual.. but you can use a 40-50 houshold light.. or even a 60 watt plant light works good.. remember the hotter the cage.. the dryer and harder to keep humidity levels up.. also keep an eye on her crainal crest's.. the skin on top of her head. chameleons store water there.. if her head looks sunk in.. she needs a shower..

 

[junglejoe]

my thermostat

this thermostat does temp and humidity levels.. it remembers highs and lows of both.. it cost $10.00 at homedepot

 

[Apl3jck]

Ace, I have asked around a few places and the general consensus seems to be that it's a burn, which would make sense- on the first day, my setup was pretty flawed and it was cold, so I think she wandered too close to the heat lamp. Assuming it is a burn, what do you think of it?

I think it looks like a little pigmentation flaw... depends on the texture, if it looks/ feels normal other than the color, it might just be a pigmentation thing, like our equivalent of a mole. Mine has a spot on him that is permanently dark green. might want to take that into account.

 

[justjumpit621]

Check out this thread I replied to last year. If you look at my posts they tell you what you need for a veiled chameleon setup and care.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/new-veiled-need-advice-43202/index2.html

 

[Jakama]

Many thanks, Canischams. Female veiled chameleon. I am not sure how old she is, between four and six months. I have handled her once recently, when I took her out of her cage to rearrange stuff. I feed her mealworms and crickets, but she does not eat many crickets. She eats about five mealworms a day. I dust them with reptivite reptile vitamins, with D3. I am not sure how to gut-load my feeders, but I will start feeding her small crickets tomorrow, so if you have any advice on gut-loading crickets I would greatly appreciate it. I mist twice a day with hot water, and I have a cup of water with a hole in the bottom sitting on top of the enclosure. I have not seen her drinking, but I have seen her move over to where the water is dripping. The chameleon has not been tested for parasites. I do not have a thermometer, but the ambient temperature is very neutral. The cage is located in my room, and I do walk by it several times a day. I have a heat fan in my room that keeps the temperature pretty high. I have a 100W heat bulb and a 10W UVB bulb. I do not have anything to measure humidity. I live in California.

 

[Jakama]

Apl3jack, I had considered that, but she got the mark the day after we got her, so it seems unlikely that it could be a pigmentation flaw. Thanks for the advice, junglejoe, think I'll invest in that. What is a good temperature and humidity to keep her basking spot at?

 

[Apl3jck]

I see, then yea most likely a burn, does it seem to bother him?