Chameleon laying in odd position under UV bulb?

[Sashquatch409]

Hi all,

Recently my Elliots Chameleon has been quite dark in colour and laying under her UV bulb in an odd position, hanging upside down on the mesh and isn't really eating either.

She's being misted twice a day. Once in the morning and once at night.

Her food is crickets dusted with calcium I've recently put a cup in there to hold the crickets and also let one loose so she could hunt them but she isn't really bothered.

When I take her out of her cage she goes bright green?

I've attached two photos of her cage and her in the odd position

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Warm and kind regards,
Sash

 

[Gingero]

Hmm seems like something could be off with her husbandry... Also could be her trying to hide from you.

Could you please fill out the how to ask for help form:

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

 

[Sashquatch409]

Hmm seems like something could be off with her husbandry... Also could be her trying to hide from you.

Could you please fill out the how to ask for help form:

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

Thank you Gingero for your swift reply. I'll post the form below.

 

[Mrs.Rocky]

Hi all,

Recently my Elliots Chameleon has been quite dark in colour and laying under her UV bulb in an odd position, hanging upside down on the mesh and isn't really eating either.

She's being misted twice a day. Once in the morning and once at night.

Her food is crickets dusted with calcium I've recently put a cup in there to hold the crickets and also let one loose so she could hunt them but she isn't really bothered.

When I take her out of her cage she goes bright green?

I've attached two photos of her cage and her in the odd position

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Warm and kind regards,
Sash

I’m no expert at all. but when my chameleon did that her basking was too high and it was actually burning her. And since it’s her favorite spot she refused to move from there. When I finally fixed my thermometer to it’s appropriate placement in her enclosure I found it was reaching over a 100. swapped the bulb to a lower wattage. Now reading 75-85 Fahrenheit. But please fill form out and you will get a lot of help from a lot of wonderful people who know there stuff.

 

[Sashquatch409]

• Your Chameleon - Elliots Chameleon,female and 8 months old. I've had her for 3 months
• Handling - Once a week
• Feeding - Medium crickets one every morning and one in the afternoon if she's eaten it. I use bug gel pots and cucumber.
• Supplements - Pro rep calcium dust every cricket and nutrobal once a week
• Watering - Misting twice a day and sometimes I use a needless syringe albeit rarely. I don't most for long as I feel I would flood her out!
• Fecal Description - Pet store said she's been checked and her fecal matter is shiny, black with a white tip (forgot its name)
• History - Can't find any care sheets for my particular cham! It's only for panther and veiled? (Forgive me if that's a dumb statement)

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - the cage is glass on all sides except the top which is mesh. The dimensions are 16x18 inches I believe
• Lighting - Exo Terra light that sits on top, Evo Terra compact top which has a repti glo compact 2.0 on one side and a daytime heat lamp. Lights off when we go to bed (around 10pm) and light on around 8am
• Temperature - the temperature does not go past 20c. The thermometer is at the top of the cage so assuming it gets cooler towards the bottom?
• Humidity - I must twice a day once in the morning and once at night. Ensuring it's dry
• Plants - 3 live plants weeping figs
• Placement - Utility room next to kitchen, only place where there's enough plug sockets.
• Location - UK

Current Problem - Chameleon is sitting in a odd position under the uv build and is quite dark. Once taken out she goes green? She isn't really eating either.

 

[kinyonga]

Could she be gravid?

Here's a bit of a care sheet...Susan James was/is known as the mother of all chameleons and kept/bred/raised many species...
https://www.adcham.com/html/taxonomy/species/chellioti.html

 

[Lennoncham]

the temperature does not go past 20c. The thermometer is at the top of the cage so assuming it gets cooler towards the bottom?

what type of thermometer are you using?

20c is only 68f. She may be trying to warm up. Laying side ways give more surface area to absorb mor heat from the light. Going darker also helps absorb more heat.

if she can’t get warm enough to digest her food this could also cause her to slow her eating.

 

[Sashquatch409]

what type of thermometer are you using?

20c is only 68f. She may be trying to warm up. Laying side ways give more surface area to absorb mor heat from the light. Going darker also helps absorb more heat.

if she can’t get warm enough to digest her food this could also cause her to slow her eating.

That makes sense, however she lays under her UV most of the time rather than the heat?

 

[Lennoncham]

That makes sense, however she lays under her UV most of the time rather than the heat?

repti glo compact 2.0 on one side

Is this your uvb bulb?

 

[Sashquatch409]

Is this your uvb bulb?

Hi Lennoncham,

I've attached a few more photos two of her and one of the bulb itself. She has green blotches on her now? I saw her drinking and she ate a cricket earlier. Is it vet time? Can anyone recommend a good vet in Essex?

 

[Lennoncham]

First I wanna say I know nothing about this species. Hopefully @kinyonga knows something?

With a 2.0 uvb there is probably very little if any uvb actually getting into the enclosure. That and the coil bulbs are just garbage. You will want to switch it out for a liner t5ho 5.0 uvb bulb.

 

[kinyonga]

Sadly @Lennoncham i don't know much about this species since I've never kept them.

Is 30 the higher temperature? I'm thinking it should have a basking area in the low 80's where it can warm up.
Also,if it's a female it may be gravid. Is it WC?

 

[Sashquatch409]

Thank you both for your help!

I put a little tub of substrate at the bottom so she has somewhere to lay if need be. But shes not taken any notice... Any ideas on her colourings? The green blotches?

 

[kinyonga]

They don't lay eggs...they have live babies.
The blotches are part of the reason I'm wondering about being gravid....if it is a femal. Can't tell the sex from your photo.

 

[Sashquatch409]

They don't lay eggs...they have live babies.
The blotches are part of the reason I'm wondering about being gravid....if it is a femal. Can't tell the sex from your photo.

They have live babies? Interesting. Is that specific to Elliots Chameleon? She is a female... Is she's gravid is she just looking for a mate?

 

[kinyonga]

https://www.chameleonforums.com/thr...eleon-care-questions-elliots-chameleon.98616/

http://www.geocities.ws/lovebug952001/Trioceros_ellioti.html

 

[Riddell1984]

That makes sense, however she lays under her UV most of the time rather than the heat?

A vet told me that chameleons often go to the brightest area in their cage for heat as in the wild they associate sunlight with heat.
I recently had to put a day light heat lamp in during the day instead of my ceramic because my cham kept going to the uv for heat. Now he goes to the day light and is happy as Larry there.

 

[nightanole]

https://www.chameleonforums.com/thr...-bulbs-with-a-solarmeter.173251/#post-1543419


Based on Gingero's numbers, that bulb is doing nothing.

 

[kinyonga]

There are quite a few species of chameleon that produce live babies.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I agree that with THAT particular UV bulb, you essentially have NO UV.
Get a T5 HO strip florescent ASAP.