Bobs First cage review

[Bob 9-1-19]

Something I have wanted to do for some time now but never seemed to be able to find the time to get to it. We have had Bob for a while now Sept.1 we brought him home and was told he was 4 months roughly I believe he was a little younger than that personally anyway ill get right to it with the info on his cage

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
• Bob is a male obviously 8 months old and in our care for about 4 months now
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
• Bob is handled about every day mostly just out of his cage and on to his plant for some sun exposure other times I will let him play on the window usually last maybe 30 minutes to an hour before he gets bored and starts to look for trouble to get in to at witch time I usually just put him back in his cage.
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
• For the first 3 months honestly we ate almost entirely crickets we did get him meal worms once but later figured out that they were pretty fatty I Hated not giving him more variety but thats about all we could find at the time now we are ordering online and feeding him dubia roaches and horn worms and superworms as a treat we always gutload the crickets or dubias with a mixture of all kinds of veggies off the safe list mixed with a little bee pollen we made a big batch and blended it down and froze it then cut it in to cubes best thing we ever did for time savings when feeding the bugs we are trying to breed crickets and now superworms and dubias as well mild success so far with the crickets yet to be seen with the rest i feel like its a numbers game and was just starting out to small
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
• Every feeding with retical without d3 then every other week a rotation of reptical with d3 and reptivite without d3
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
• We hand mist twice a day a few minutes sometimes we see him drink sometimes we dont we have a reptizoo automatic mister its really nice because u can just pour water right in the top of it i have it set to go off every 2 hours for about 30 sec. the reason for doing it so often is its winter time here in Missouri and we heat with a free standing insert fireplace that is right next to his cage it blows the heat away from his cage and it does not get to hot even being right beside it but it does absorb a lot of his humidity we are trying to accomplish
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
• Poop has always looked normal from what i have read on here but lately it has got a little runny on the urate portion almost clear liquid at first then all the same from there
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
• Bob was a pet co chameleon ( I know im part of the Problem looking back i regret that dision)

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
• Started out with the dreaded Chameleon kit then quickly upgraded to the reptibreeze 2x2x4 I like this cage much better
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
• Zoo med uvb 24" HO 10.0 and then we have a plant light i think its 75 watts if i remember correctly
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
• I keep 2 ceramic heat emitters in the double light fixture hooked to a ranco temp controller that i had from my saltwater aquarium i used to keep one side is set to never let him get below 65 and the other is used to control his basking temps it always stays at 82-84 and both will shut off in the event it hits 90 to keep from adding more heat in the off chance the firepace is heating more than usual the cage floor is usually around 72 and the coldest ive seen it was 68 the highest ive ever seen his basking area is around 95 but that hardly ever happens
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
• I run a cool mist humidifier through the night i do let it cycle on and off a few hours at a time so its not running constantly. Humidity is a battle next to the fire place as mentioned above thats why i mist so often and have the humidifier at night but i only get to maybe 70% at night on a good night more like 65 most of the time and in his cage i see 35% during the day unless its a little lower in the cage i see 45% there thoughout the day i just remodeled his cage Hanging the plants from Fishing line creating what i hope to be a more humid pocket for him to get to but its to early to report on that as of yet
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
• We have 4 plants in the cage right now and its pretty full really not sure i would want any more they are a Pothos,Hibiscuss,Umbrella plant,and a really tall corn plant cant remember its official name all safe
• 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?
• 6.5' off the floor to the top next to a fireplace in the main living room but honestly we are not a high traffic home so not to worried about any of that there is a fan in the living room i try to keep it on low of off when possible
• Location - Where are you geographically located?
• Missouri just south of Springfield about 20 miles

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
Just want to make sure im doing my little buddy right
--------------

Please Note:

1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
2. Photos can be very helpful.

 

[Ares05]

You didn't fill out the bottom cage section

 

[Bob 9-1-19]

Sorry Im not sure what happened I think I posted before I was actually done posting what I wanted to post

 

[Bob 9-1-19]

 

[Bob 9-1-19]

Here is a picture of his heat emitters

 

[Ares05]

Chameleon Info:

My reminders/critiques are in red.

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
• Bob is a male obviously 8 months old and in our care for about 4 months now
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
• Bob is handled about every day mostly just out of his cage and on to his plant for some sun exposure other times I will let him play on the window usually last maybe 30 minutes to an hour before he gets bored and starts to look for trouble to get in to at witch time I usually just put him back in his cage.

As for the window I would be concerned he might fall, unless yo are holding him. I would put a plant near a window for him to climb on instead of just letting him on the window screen/sill

• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
• For the first 3 months honestly we ate almost entirely crickets we did get him meal worms once but later figured out that they were pretty fatty I Hated not giving him more variety but thats about all we could find at the time now we are ordering online and feeding him dubia roaches and horn worms and superworms as a treat we always gutload the crickets or dubias with a mixture of all kinds of veggies off the safe list mixed with a little bee pollen we made a big batch and blended it down and froze it then cut it in to cubes best thing we ever did for time savings when feeding the bugs we are trying to breed crickets and now superworms and dubias as well mild success so far with the crickets yet to be seen with the rest i feel like its a numbers game and was just starting out to small

Dont feed too many hornworms and supers, supers are very high in fat and hornworms are good for nothin except hydration. Too Many can cause diarrhea

• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
• Every feeding with retical without d3 then every other week a rotation of reptical with d3 and reptivite without d3

So from my understanding you are doing d3 once a month and reptivite without d3 once a month, and then plain calcium every feeding. I would do d3 and the vitamin twice a month each, alternating weeks.

• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
• We hand mist twice a day a few minutes sometimes we see him drink sometimes we dont we have a reptizoo automatic mister its really nice because u can just pour water right in the top of it i have it set to go off every 2 hours for about 30 sec. the reason for doing it so often is its winter time here in Missouri and we heat with a free standing insert fireplace that is right next to his cage it blows the heat away from his cage and it does not get to hot even being right beside it but it does absorb a lot of his humidity we are trying to accomplish

Do not put any vents, heaters, or ac's near his cage ever. As for the watering schedule, I would mist for 2-4 minutes 2-3 times a day. Make a schedule. I mist 2 times a day, 4 minutes in the morning, 5 minutes at night. My misting goes off 30 minutes before the lights are on, and 30 minutes after the lights are off, so the cage has time to cool off before misting. Personally I have a MistKing, best purchase ive ever made. If you mist too much during the day, the mix of heat with the humid air can cause RI.

• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
• Poop has always looked normal from what i have read on here but lately it has got a little runny on the urate portion almost clear liquid at first then all the same from there

I would get him tested for parasites. Even if the poop looks normal, its very possible he could still have parasites. I am currently dealing with coccidia with my guy, and his poop looked completely normal.

• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
• Bob was a pet co chameleon ( I know im part of the Problem looking back i regret that dision)

More reason to get him tested for parasites.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
• Started out with the dreaded Chameleon kit then quickly upgraded to the reptibreeze 2x2x4 I like this cage much better
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
• Zoo med uvb 24" HO 10.0 and then we have a plant light i think its 75 watts if i remember correctly

I would use a Reptisun 10.0/5.0, or Arcadia 6%-12%. Personally I use Reptisun 10.0.

• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
• I keep 2 ceramic heat emitters in the double light fixture hooked to a ranco temp controller that i had from my saltwater aquarium i used to keep one side is set to never let him get below 65 and the other is used to control his basking temps it always stays at 82-84 and both will shut off in the event it hits 90 to keep from adding more heat in the off chance the firepace is heating more than usual the cage floor is usually around 72 and the coldest ive seen it was 68 the highest ive ever seen his basking area is around 95 but that hardly ever happens.

Its hard to tell what you are trying to say. You shouldn't need to use CHE during the day, let alone two. If you have a proper wattage basking bulb, you should only need to us a CHE at night if it gets below 60 degrees. His basking place should be around 84-86 degrees at his age, as he reaches adulthood you can bump it up to 89-93.

• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
• I run a cool mist humidifier through the night i do let it cycle on and off a few hours at a time so its not running constantly. Humidity is a battle next to the fire place as mentioned above thats why i mist so often and have the humidifier at night but i only get to maybe 70% at night on a good night more like 65 most of the time and in his cage i see 35% during the day unless its a little lower in the cage i see 45% there thoughout the day i just remodeled his cage Hanging the plants from Fishing line creating what i hope to be a more humid pocket for him to get to but its to early to report on that as of yet

Humidity should only be 30-40 degrees during the day, 70-100 during the night. The humidifier is great, keep using it. Run it more if it isn't getting up to the required humidity, just don't run it during the day at all.

• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
• We have 4 plants in the cage right now and its pretty full really not sure i would want any more they are a Pothos,Hibiscuss,Umbrella plant,and a really tall corn plant cant remember its official name all safe
• 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?
• 6.5' off the floor to the top next to a fireplace in the main living room but honestly we are not a high traffic home so not to worried about any of that there is a fan in the living room i try to keep it on low of off when possible

Move him away from any fireplaces, ac's or vents.

• Location - Where are you geographically located?
• Missouri just south of Springfield about 20 miles

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
Just want to make sure im doing my little buddy right
--------------

Please Note:

1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
2. Photos can be very helpful.

 

[Bob 9-1-19]

So from my understanding you are doing d3 once a month and reptivite without d3 once a month, and then plain calcium every feeding. I would do d3 and the vitamin twice a month each, alternating weeks.

Guess I worded that a little funny its calcium with d3 twice a month and reptivite without d3 twice a month on a rotation

 

[Ares05]

Alright, did you read the rest of what I said?

 

[Bob 9-1-19]

Its hard to tell what you are trying to say. You shouldn't need to use CHE during the day, let alone two. If you have a proper wattage basking bulb, you should only need to us a CHE at night if it gets below 60 degrees. His basking place should be around 84-86 degrees at his age, as he reaches adulthood you can bump it up to 89-93.

Guess I'm just running them incase the temp fluctuates any at all they will kick in to keep it constant

Humidity should only be 30-40 degrees during the day, 70-100 during the night. The humidifier is great, keep using it. Run it more if it isn't getting up to the required humidity, just don't run it during the day at all.

Ok I can try changing my humidifiers to bump that up

would use a Reptisun 10.0/5.0, or Arcadia 6%-12%. Personally I use Reptisun 10.0.

It is a reptisun 10.0

More reason to get him tested for parasites.

I need to find a vet close to me I haven't even looked yet

Do not put any vents, heaters, or ac's near his cage ever. As for the watering schedule, I would mist for 2-4 minutes 2-3 times a day. Make a schedule. I mist 2 times a day, 4 minutes in the morning, 5 minutes at night. My misting goes off 30 minutes before the lights are on, and 30 minutes after the lights are off, so the cage has time to cool off before misting. Personally I have a MistKing, best purchase ive ever made. If you mist too much during the day, the mix of heat with the humid air can cause RI.

As far as the fireplace goes it's not like a traditional fire place the sides don't even get hot it really doesn't radiate heat his way either all the air is blown away from him but it is difficult to keep humidity up I can try to change the frequency of the misting and amounts i just can't imagine letting the mister run for 2 minutes straight it would seem like I'm trying to flood his cage but I'll give it a shot and watch to see how long it holds any humidity

As for the window I would be concerned he might fall, unless yo are holding him. I would put a plant near a window for him to climb on instead of just letting him on the window screen/sill

It's not the window in the picture it's just a standard window\sill with the couch backed right up to it and I usually hang out in case he makes a run for it

 

[Ares05]

Guess I'm just running them incase the temp fluctuates any at all they will kick in to keep it constant

Ok I can try changing my humidifiers to bump that up

It is a reptisun 10.0

I need to find a vet close to me I haven't even looked yet

As far as the fireplace goes it's not like a traditional fire place the sides don't even get hot it really doesn't radiate heat his way either all the air is blown away from him but it is difficult to keep humidity up I can try to change the frequency of the misting and amounts i just can't imagine letting the mister run for 2 minutes straight it would seem like I'm trying to flood his cage but I'll give it a shot and watch to see how long it holds any humidity

It's not the window in the picture it's just a standard window\sill with the couch backed right up to it and I usually hang out in case he makes a run for it

1. If the temp fluctuates a lot, get a higher wattage bulb
2. Good
3. I got confused when you said zoo med, my bad lol
4. Start looking, a vet is 100% required.
5. They need at least 2 minutes to trigger a drinking response. 2-4 minutes will be fine if you only do it 2 maybe 3 times a day. If you have good drainage it will dry out properly before the next misting. If the fireplace is creating a humidity problems, just move him away. Problem solved.
6. I would still put a plant so he feels safer and happier while out of his cage.