Bark and my cham

[Chameleons Northwest]

I have one photo next to my name and one in my profile

Welcome to the wonderful world of Meller's. You have a beautiful chameleon who should bring you years of pleasure. They are a very nice species to work with, very social, and usually nice to their keepers. There is a separate sub-forum here for Melleri keepers. The husbandry for Meller's, or Melleri, is very different from other chameleon species. And, yes, they do come in slightly different color varieties. We would love to see more photos. Here are a few links you should investigate:

https://www.chameleonforums.com/melleri-group/

http://www.melleridiscovery.com/index.html

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/mellerichams/

You purchased yours at a good time. There are many on the forum now that own a Meller's. My husband and I are the happy owners of 2 adult Mellers, Hercules and Megana, since last fall.

At first, due to its colors I thought it was a Juvenile, though it is hard to tell from that small photo. But then I noticed how much larger it is than your hand. If possible, please post larger photos. The various color combinations mean something in the world of Meller's, and may be able to tell us a lot about your cham's age, breeding status, etc. Also, please lt us know its length and weight.

They do have specific needs that are different from other chameleons.

As far as long term care, I have only owned adults. But our Meller's adults do poop differently, and less frequently, than our veiled and panther chams. When we first got Hercules he didn't poop for days.

Please post answers to these husbandry questions (see below). It is very likely, since the person you bought him/her from told you the wrong species, that they also told you the wrong care requirements. We can help you tweak your setup to make sure everything goes well for your new cham.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - What kind of cage are you using? What is the size?
Lighting - What kind of lighting are you using? How long do you keep the lights on during the day?
Temperature - What temperature range have you created? Basking spot temp? What is the temperature at night?
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels?
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
Location - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas?

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon.
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What kind of schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Supplements - What are you dusting your feeders with and what kind of schedule do you use?
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings.

 

[dante8858]

I already have a herpimist but I am having trouble beacuse of the air quality where I live to keep the humity up....I am going to try te towel at the bottom of the cage and see what that does.

 

[dante8858]

What types of plants can I put in there? I want to make sure they aren't bad for him....


Here are a couple of photos of him(I think it's a him?)! The first two photos was the first day I got him and he was dehydrated....but he is doing much better now....I have never seen a cham drink out of a bowl/water bottle!!!!

 

[bucky]

Is that a glass cage you got him in? Id reccomend getting him into a HUGE screen cage,or a free range set up. I know melleridiscovery.com would probably have stuff on free range setups.

 

[dante8858]

It is glass on the front, back and bottom. The sides and top are screen.

 

[dante8858]

Gesang
Here is all the info....Hope this helps in my quest to set up the best home for ichii nazo! Thanks
Cage Info:
Cage Type - What kind of cage are you using? What is the size? The cage is fairly large....I couldn't find my tape measurer It has glass on the bottom, front and back and the two sides and top are screen.
Lighting - What kind of lighting are you using? How long do you keep the lights on during the day? I first had a 100w basking light but he stayed mostly towards the bottomof the cage so I felt it was probably to hot for him so now, I am using a 75w basking light and a 5.0 UVA & UVB light. I keep them on between 12 and 14 hours a day.
Temperature - What temperature range have you created? Basking spot temp? What is the temperature at night? Basking spot temp is around 80-90 degrees. The temp at night gets down between 75-80 degrees.
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? During the day the humity levels range between 20/30 and 75/80. I am using a heptimist (but with all the screen and my local air quality/temp it is hard to maintain a constant % of humity). I heard that I could probably cover up the screen sides of the cage with a clear plastic like a table cloth and this will help keep the humity in the cage. What do you think? I am just afraid of the top heated section of the cage. Will the plastic melt. I remember when I had my veiled in it a few of her cheaper vines melted when I first put them in! Last thing I need is for Ichii Nazo is to get burned by the plastic melting into his cage!
I also hand mist his cage about three to five times a day (to make sure he is getting enough water!) I am also currently trying the towel idea.
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? No live plants, don't know what I can put in there.....
Location - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? Cage is in my Livingroom in a corner, not a very high traffic area (I mean his cage is near one of my chairs that I sit in) and there is a ceiling fan but he is not under it.

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. I am sure now that it is a Meller, sex unkown, and age really unknown (I was told year and a half, but I was also told it was a elephant ear He shows no yellow at all I am thinking that he is still young due to this...can this be true. It looks like adult show the yellow from what I have seen so far.
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What kind of schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? I am feeding him gutloaded crickets (about 10-15 a day) and he has had two pinkies since I got him. He seems to want more that the 10-15 crickets that I give him. How many a day should he have? I feed him at night (early evening 4-6 pm), I give the crickets that Orange Cube by Fluker's. I read though that I can give them veggies and egg to help gutload them. What else can I give them?
Supplements - What are you dusting your feeders with and what kind of schedule do you use? I am using T-Rex 2:0 calcium no phosphorus with d3. I was dusting the feeders everytime I fed him, but I read that can be bad and lead to a Vit A overload. I am now only going to dust feeders once a week. Is that ok? Or should it be less often than that?
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? Do you see your chameleon drinking? I bought one of those rock water systems but he didn't even go near it, so I returned it. He drinks when I mist the cage and he has even drank out of the spray bottle. I put this small leaf dish in his cage to catch the water drops from the dripper on top of his cage but he has yet to drink from it by himself (I have put the dish under his chin when he was drinking from the spray bottle and he began to drink out of the leaf dish but that is the only time he has done that.) I know that they aren't drawn to still water, but I thought since the water droppings drip directly into the dish that he would see it and drink from it. Any other suggestions that I can do? I start working 10 hour days on Monday and I want to make sure he gets enough water during the day while I am gone! I won't be their to spray the extra two or three times a day (I used to work 7-4 and now I will be working 6:45-5:15)....
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. After I posted my original post about his lack of pooping I cleaned out the bark (since it was bad to have in there!) and I found a semi fresh fecal dropping. It was brown with some white in it. I am really unsure of the consistency since it was probably a day or two old. It was mostly dry.
One more question...well maybe two How do you measure him? Is it from nose to base of tail or do you include the tail? And what can I use to weigh him? I only have a human scale that will hardly register the weight of my 4 pound dog!

 

[Chameleons Northwest]

Oops. Just saw your info a few minutes ago. I have some time and will answer the first questions now.

YOU WROTE:
Here is all the info....Hope this helps in my quest to set up the best home for ichii nazo! Thanks
Cage Info:
Cage Type - What kind of cage are you using? What is the size? The cage is fairly large....I couldn't find my tape measurer It has glass on the bottom, front and back and the two sides and top are screen.

Please get a tape measure and let us know the dimensions.

Lighting - What kind of lighting are you using? How long do you keep the lights on during the day? I first had a 100w basking light but he stayed mostly towards the bottomof the cage so I felt it was probably to hot for him so now, I am using a 75w basking light and a 5.0 UVA & UVB light. I keep them on between 12 and 14 hours a day.

The basking light is probably fine, as long as the temps stay within range. Is your UVB light a tube (long) fixture or a compact (coiled or curly) fixture? The compact bulbs are very dangerous. If that is what you have you should turn it off now and then try to replace it as soon as you can with a 5.0 tube shaped UVB fixture.

Temperature - What temperature range have you created? Basking spot temp? What is the temperature at night? Basking spot temp is around 80-90 degrees. The temp at night gets down between 75-80 degrees.

What is the "ambient temp" in the cage? (The temperatures in the areas other than the spot lit area. Your night time temps may be a bit high.

FROM THE MELLERI DISCOVERY WEB SITE:
Comfort Day range: ambient 65°F to 80°F
Night range: 70°F down to 50°F
Heat spotlight only: 80-90°F
Heat stress is observed when the ambient temperature reaches 83-90°F

Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? During the day the humity levels range between 20/30 and 75/80. I am using a heptimist (but with all the screen and my local air quality/temp it is hard to maintain a constant % of humity). I heard that I could probably cover up the screen sides of the cage with a clear plastic like a table cloth and this will help keep the humity in the cage. What do you think?

DO NOT COVER THE SCREEN PORTIONS OF THE CAGE WITH PLASTIC. YOU WILL COOK THE CHAMELEON.

Misting by hand 3 times a day, and using the heptimist should be sufficient. Many chameleon owners augment this with an occasional shower in the bathroom. But that needs to be done a specific way so as not to endanger the cham.

I am just afraid of the top heated section of the cage. Will the plastic melt. I remember when I had my veiled in it a few of her cheaper vines melted when I first put them in! Last thing I need is for Ichii Nazo is to get burned by the plastic melting into his cage!
I also hand mist his cage about three to five times a day (to make sure he is getting enough water!) I am also currently trying the towel idea.

Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? No live plants, don't know what I can put in there.....

Mature Scheffleras shrubs are generally strong enough to support a Melleri. And then nice horizontal positions created by reptile vines.

Location - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? Cage is in my Livingroom in a corner, not a very high traffic area (I mean his cage is near one of my chairs that I sit in) and there is a ceiling fan but he is not under it.

Does the ceiling fan run a lot? That is probably affecting the humidity in the cage. If you continue to have trouble keeping the cham hydrated you may need to move him farther from the fan.

I have to go now. Will answer more questions later.

 

[kinyonga]

You said..."I am using T-Rex 2:0 calcium no phosphorus with d3. I was dusting the feeders everytime I fed him, but I read that can be bad and lead to a Vit A overload. I am now only going to dust feeders once a week. Is that ok? Or should it be less often than that?"...using a phos.-free calcium powder at most feedings is what I would recommend. Vitamin/mineral powders can be used twice a month....the one I use does not have D3 or preformed vitamin A in it. If the chameleon gets no sunlight then you may want to use a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder twice a month. Its debatable as to whether they need preformed vitamin A or not...but giving it separately gives more control over how much is given.

 

[Chameleons Northwest]

[/B]
One more question...well maybe two How do you measure him? Is it from nose to base of tail or do you include the tail? And what can I use to weigh him? I only have a human scale that will hardly register the weight of my 4 pound dog!

Normally they are measured from the tip of the nose to the "vent" (where the poo comes out). A postal scale can be used to weigh chameleons. For Meller's you probably don't need the tiniest scale. Get one that can weigh from an ounce or less to over a pound, in grams. These scales can be purchased at Office Depot, Office Max, some hardware stores and probably Walmart.

 

[BocaJan]

If you can't get a postal scale that weighs in grams you can convert oz to grams by multiplying the oz by 28.35 to get the grams.