Chameleon, Fish, Shrimp and misting in the screen

unixmiah

unixmiah

New Member
Hi,

I've switched out my old enclosure with was 60% glass and 40% screen. Now my Veiled has 100% screen cage. How do I retain humidity, my Veiled was shedding this weekend and I read somewhere to provide plenty of misting, spraying when they shed to help them shed better.

Medium-Screen-Chameleon-Cage-MistKing-Wedge3.jpg


How do I retain moisture on a screen cage? it seems like I have to mist each time to get it to a certain level and it's all gone after 20 minutes, it gets all dry.

How can I retain moisture without cover up his cage with ugly shower curtains. Can I setup the screen cage in a way to the humidity stays? How do most people with screen cages (the ones you're supposed to have for chameleons vs. glass enclosure)?

Show I stick a humidifier clay bowl instead of the mister?

--------------------------------------------------

Me second question was can you feed your Chameleon something heavy once in a while besides insects for a treat. I feel like giving my Chamemeon pieces of raw Shrimp or a piece of Raw salmon? Will this give them Diaherrea or the shits? will it give them any infection, stomach ache? if you can it would be go good formy little ones since they need a boost in food intake. I do give my Cham outdoor treats, large butterflies and mantis but it seems like it doesn' t have too much meat on it-- I know that's what they like.

Can I feed him little fish?-- looks like this one might like it-- i wonder if mine will like it. - it's really hard hunting down large insects, hard to come by.
 
I had the same issue with hand misting,until I got a mist king system. Now I retain 65%humidity on average. Potted plants help retain humidity as well.
 
You could also get Plexiglas cut a number of different ways,either a full side or two or possibly cover just the bottom half so he's got a humid lower environment at least with open air up top.
 
You can also use strong earth magnets to hold the plexiglass on and take it off for easy cleaning/removal in general
 
How can I retain moisture without cover up his cage with ugly shower curtains. Can I setup the screen cage in a way to the humidity stays? How do most people with screen cages (the ones you're supposed to have for chameleons vs. glass enclosure)?

If you don't like shower curtains (there are heavier weight crystal clear ones available from hotel suppliers that hang straight and look pretty nice), get some sheets of plexiglas, cut them to fit your cage mesh panels, and use them seasonally.


Me second question was can you feed your Chameleon something heavy once in a while besides insects for a treat. I feel like giving my Chamemeon pieces of raw Shrimp or a piece of Raw salmon? Will this give them Diaherrea or the shits? will it give them any infection, stomach ache? if you can it would be go good formy little ones since they need a boost in food intake. I do give my Cham outdoor treats, large butterflies and mantis but it seems like it doesn' t have too much meat on it-- I know that's what they like.

Can I feed him little fish?-- looks like this one might like it-- i wonder if mine will like it. - it's really hard hunting down large insects, hard to come by.[/QUOTE]

Feeding your cham items that it would probably never encounter naturally may introduce bacteria, parasites, other microorganisms, or proteins its GI tract can't handle. There is really no reason to do this. They are designed to eat insects...all of the structures including legs, wings, etc....stick to them.
 
Thanks @Carlton

you made it very clear-- it makes sense, they are made to eat insects. I read somewhere you can give them shrimp to boost protein intake but in nature they don't eat that stuff and can give them soemthing else from improper digestion.
 
My Jacksons chameleon loved raw shrimp, salmon and chicken. He lived for 8 years and I think the variety in his diet was one of the reasons he lived so long.

In the wild chams eat snails, slugs, other lizards, insects.. Pretty much anything that moves and will fit in their mouths. I can't remember who it was on the forums but their Cham ate a bird and survived!

Shrimp are crustaceans and so are Isopoda (pill bugs) that live on land. Many people feed those to their chams.
Cockroaches an insect which people feed regularly are in the family of Arthropoda which also includes crustaceans (shrimp)
Crabs which live in the ocean are pretty much the same as spiders living on land because they are also in the family of Arthropoda. So basically everything that we feed our chams and what they eat in the wild are closely related.

I guess my point is, and it's only my opinion, is that there are a lot of foods such as shrimp, chicken and fish that chams may not eat in the wild. However these foods (offered in moderation) may be similar to something they did eat in their diet which could provide bennifits that they can't get from mainly 3 different cultivated insects consisting of crickets, supper worms, and cockroaches.
 
unixmiah said:
Thanks @Carlton

you made it very clear-- it makes sense, they are made to eat insects. I read somewhere you can give them shrimp to boost protein intake but in nature they don't eat that stuff and can give them soemthing else from improper digestion.
Click to expand...

shrimp and salom and other meats cointain other amounths of salt vitamins protein that are not balanced for the way chamelons have evolved to deal with.

it can contain high amounths of D3 or other things that they can not tolaret well. use roach that can store more nutrients than butterflies can.

slugs and snails ar oki if breed in captivity otherwise they may contain parasites, rats birds and other animals do occur in the wild but it is a far less amount compare to invertabrates. How ever we do not offer our animals in captivity the means to balance their internal parasites.

Animals in the wilde do not live as long in the wild as they do in captitivy, or atleast as long as they could be.
 
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I've seen one Chameleon in one Documentary it was shooting at a fish by a pond a little fish-- then I saw this one guy who put a small fish bowl aquarium in his Chameleon enclosure to keep it entertained and all the Chameleon does is try to grab it like a cat--- it must like it.

I don't think I'll give it Chicken or Salmon after reading this thread, I understand they are not made for it-- I wouldn't mind giving him a fish bowl with small fish in it because it looks like they do that in the wild--
 
unixmiah said:
I've seen one Chameleon in one Documentary it was shooting at a fish by a pond a little fish-- then I saw this one guy who put a small fish bowl aquarium in his Chameleon enclosure to keep it entertained and all the Chameleon does is try to grab it like a cat--- it must like it.

I don't think I'll give it Chicken or Salmon after reading this thread, I understand they are not made for it-- I wouldn't mind giving him a fish bowl with small fish in it because it looks like they do that in the wild--
Click to expand...

What, keep aquaria?
 
Any fish you buy at a pet-co or petsmart, is more then likely sick. They have so many parasites and fungal diseases. I would not even poke one of their fish with a stick and put that stick near my chameleon. I would only feed known insect feeders. There are a ton of options.
 
unixmiah said:
I've seen one Chameleon in one Documentary it was shooting at a fish by a pond a little fish-- then I saw this one guy who put a small fish bowl aquarium in his Chameleon enclosure to keep it entertained and all the Chameleon does is try to grab it like a cat--- it must like it.

I don't think I'll give it Chicken or Salmon after reading this thread, I understand they are not made for it-- I wouldn't mind giving him a fish bowl with small fish in it because it looks like they do that in the wild--
Click to expand...

that clip is the person toying with his chameleons, forgive me but chameleons are not toys, nor cats nor birds who come to walks with you or sleep on your knees or pillows that is erroneous husbandry which does not do chameleon good
 
Guys, I wasn't talking about feeding your chams live gold fish but fish and crustaceans for human consumption which hopefully doesn't have any parasites.
As for feeding them insects found in the wild I just fed my panthers some moths and grasshoppers today. I believe their nutritonal value pretty much outweighs the risks. I'm sure everyone has noticed how quickly their crickets can get dirty and smelly along with all the waste they produce equals bacteria. Since I've owned chameleons they have eaten a variety of insects from outdoors when available, Cultivated bugs and a little seafood. I'm not saying to put them on a diet of just shrimp but offering other foods for a healthy diet. My Chameleons have all been long lived, have never been sick and have never had MBD so in a nutshell I'm going to keep doing what I've been doing. I'm not sure where you found the reaserch that chameleons can't digest such things. They are packed with antioxidants and other vitamins that are not found in cultivated insects.
Check this out http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=107
 
JaxyGirl said:
Guys, I wasn't talking about feeding your chams live gold fish but fish and crustaceans for human consumption which hopefully doesn't have any parasites.
As for feeding them insects found in the wild I just fed my panthers some moths and grasshoppers today. I believe their nutritonal value pretty much outweighs the risks. I'm sure everyone has noticed how quickly their crickets can get dirty and smelly along with all the waste they produce equals bacteria. Since I've owned chameleons they have eaten a variety of insects from outdoors when available, Cultivated bugs and a little seafood. I'm not saying to put them on a diet of just shrimp but offering other foods for a healthy diet. My Chameleons have all been long lived, have never been sick and have never had MBD so in a nutshell I'm going to keep doing what I've been doing. I'm not sure where you found the reaserch that chameleons can't digest such things. They are packed with antioxidants and other vitamins that are not found in cultivated insects.
Check this out http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=107
Click to expand...

a while ago I saw a girl posting pictures of her yemen wrapped in a blanket, when the question came why she did that she reply with " it is cold outside and as you it does too enjoy heat" think that chamelons can keep out of cold like us by isloating our heat from leaving our body with a blanked or whatsoever. But reptiles don´t due they do not produce their own heat and the blanked being useless in this matter.

Now my point is that what may be good for us is certanily no good for other species such as chameleons. There a atleast one memeber of this forum who is a vet and then we have christ, if we have the luck to have them pop in I do think their word can be taken as an absolut
 
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leedragon said:
a while ago I saw a girl posting pictures of her yemen wrapped in a blanket, when the question cam why she did that she reply with " it is cold outside and as you it does too enjoy heat" think that chamelons can keep out of cold like us by isloating our heat from leaving our body with a blanked or whatsoever. But reptiles don´t due they do not produce their own heat and the blanked being useless in this matter.

Now my point is that what may be good for us is certanily no good for other species such as chameleons. There a atleast one memeber of this forum who is a vet and then we have christ, if we have the luck to have them pop in I do think their word can be taken as an absolut
Click to expand...

Actually, this is the greatest debate ever! I'm really enjoying the sharing of opinions. I honestly am not trying to be facetious or anything, but I'm trying to pass on what I have learned by having a Cham that lived for 8 years and I would like to help others have the same long lived enjoyment of their chams.

However, I do have a confession to make. My father is actually a practicing veterinarian in Manchester, ME. He also specializes in exotics including lizards and cats. He has been practicing for over 40 years and he absolutely agrees with the diet I've been feeding my chams. Neo pretty much had a checkup on Sun and he's doing great.

In fact I just gave Neo some shrimp today and he loved it. He also ate a grasshopper from outside and some gut loaded crickets. I guess it's a matter of opinion, and trial and error of what a Cham diet should consist of. It would be interesting to have another opinion from a vet on the forums.
 
This is great also.

How do you give him the shrimp? Do you put it in a tank and let the shrimp swim and he grabs it? Or do you cut up the shrimp and hold it with tweezers?
 
unixmiah said:
This is great also.

How do you give him the shrimp? Do you put it in a tank and let the shrimp swim and he grabs it? Or do you cut up the shrimp and hold it with tweezers?
Click to expand...

I use frozen raw shrimp. I just defrost one in hot water and cut it up into little strips the size of the worms you are already feed your Cham and wiggle it around in front of his face with tweezers. Yours may or may not go for it. So far, my new Panther won't take it that way (yet) so I cut it up in little pieces and held it along with a cricket so it was hidden and he went right for it and gobbled it right up :)
 
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