WarBritain
New Member
I forgot to get a lot of the photos but here’s some photos of her. The photo where she is black was from the one day she turned black for a minute because I stressed her out. This is the current enclosure, I’m still working on it, this is only gonna be a temporary enclosure for her till I get her permanent one up. For reference she’s smaller than a pencil in length. The water bowl is for collecting water from my dropper. The magnetic feeding thingy is just so I have a place to drop my crickets into so I don’t stress her out. Also do you know why she might have been standing in the one picture? It was taken right after she had eaten. (Thought this posted last night but it didnt)Cage Info:
- Cage Type- Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? I have a Zoo Med ReptiBreeze Open Air Screen Cage, Medium size which is 16 x 16 x 30-inches. Yes, I think most of us start off with this size and then learn that it’s too small. As your little girl grows, which will happen super quickly, she will be needing much more space. The minimum size is a 2x2x4’ enclosure. However, if you can go bigger, she’ll appreciate the extra space. This is what I’ve done and is pretty easy. https://chameleonacademy.com/double-wide-chameleon-cage-project/
- Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? I have the ZooMed Tropical UVB & Heat Lighting Kit. This contains a Zoo Med;s Daylight Blue Reptile Bulb with I turn on 30 minutes after my morning misting and i leave it on until I turn it off which is around 7:30 - 8:15 and I do not turn it on untill the next morning. I also have a ReptiSun 5.0 Mini Compact Fluorescent which I turn on at the same time as the Daylight Bulb and I leave on untill around 8:45. This is perhaps the biggest problem with the chameleon kit - the uvb is basically worthless any farther away than 2-3”. The standard and what you’ll need to get asap is a linear T5 ho with either a ReptiSun 5.0 or Arcadia 6% uvb bulb. Then the basking branch needs to be about 8-9” below the lights. You will most likely need a lower wattage basking bulb. I would say to start with a 60w and see what temps that gives. Avoid colored lights.
- Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? The temp range I have created is 60-90 with her basking spot being around 80 degrees Fahrenheit. I’m a bit confused. If the basking area is 80, then where is she getting 90? The basking branch should be the highest branch in the enclosure (that is below the lights). 80 is perfect and you don’t need or want any higher. The lowest overnight temp I have had is 59 which occured a day after I got her. I measure these temps with multiple Zoo Med digital thermometers. What are your night temps usually?
- Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? I am not sure of my humidity levels because I don't have a way to measure them yet. This is just as important as knowing temps. Too humid during the day places her at higher risk for a respiratory infection. You want humidity to be between 30-50% during the day. If your night temps are consistently below at least 68, then you can run a cool mist humidifier and boost humidity as high as it’ll go. This simulates the hydration chameleons get in the wild thru night time fog. I try to maintain humidty levels with the misting and dripper. See next section.
- Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? I am using artifical plants. The best way to maintain humidity is with live plants. Our sweet veiled girls also really enjoy nibbling to completely devouring their plants, so it’s important that they be clean, safe and real. This will help. https://chameleonacademy.com/plants/ Pothos is now your new bff. Some plants will need a plant light, so plan accordingly. Pothos, philodendron (not on list but I use with my veileds), tradescantia and spider plants all do okay without special lighting. Remove all artificial plants. It only takes one nibble to cause a potentially fatal bowel obstruction. I hang my fake plants on the outside of my enclosure (usually the door) to give my chams more privacy.
- 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?
- This is the general layout of my room with the smaller beige rectangle being my bathroom and the larger beige square being my actual bedroom. Her cage is located on a little desk that resides in a small area of my room that has a cutout. I will show actual pictures if required. She is in the dark pink rectangle. She is surrounded by two walls on her left and back side. There is one air vent inside my room on the left wall near the top left corner of the large beige square, there are no fans and it is a medium traffic area but my door is always closed. The top of the cage is about 6 ft, 6in. Off the Ok. Height is safety for chameleons.
- I have to ask - are you aware that even if she never sees a male, she will routinely produce and lay eggs? She can start this as young as 5-6 months old. Generally, they will lay eggs every 3-4 months and the number of eggs they produce is directly related to how much they eat. Because producing large amounts of eggs increases risks for complications such as egg binding and the whole process takes so very much out of our girls that it shortens their lives, we take measures to reduce egg production and laying. This will help explain it. http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/2007/12/keeping-female-veiled.html Unfortunately, I don’t have the luxury right now to further talk your ears(?eyes) off and first you need to get your husbandry down as perfect as possible. When you have time, do check this out. https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/help-please.191685/page-3#post-1789678
- For being lethargic and having eyes closed, while I’m not a vet and can only guess what the problem may be, my guess is improper uvb and possibly giving the supplements incorrectly. If you’ve been using the ReptiVite more than once every other week, she’s been getting too much and some are fat soluble vitamins that can quickly build up. It’s also very possible that she had improper care where you got her from. You don’t say where she came from. If it was a chain pet store, they provide very questionable care and very often the poor animals they sell are sickly. Get the correct uvb asap and start feeding her more and with variety. Most of us buy feeders on line to get good variety. Many vendors sell variety packs. Check the forum sponsors. https://www.chameleonforums.com/sponsors/?tag=food Make an appointment with a good vet who has experience with chameleons for a wellness check and fecal. Parasites can cause so many serious problems. If you need help finding a vet near you, we can probably help. Just ask.
- Do post pics of your girl, her back heels and enclosure. I won’t be around until later tonight, but there’s many others who can/will be happy to help you further. I’m very glad that you’ve made your way here.
