jfnahabedian
New Member
Hello,
I am new to the forum and to chams and would appreciate helpful guidance. i have done a great deal of research to properly prepare for caring for a cham but i currently have a few concerns.
1. my cham has been sleeping several hours per day. how active should she be?
2. i have only seen her eat once... i have even tried watching her for several hours. i also tried keeping track of her fruitflies but it is very difficult as there are numerous ff in a large enclosure. i tried adding extra ff so she might encounter them more often but she doesn't eat them even when they are right in front of her. how do i ensure she has been eating enough?
3. i have been misting her habitat to ensure there are plenty of water drops for her to drink from periodically throughout the day but i have never seen her drink. how do i know if shes drinking? i've tried watching her for several hours but i have never seen her drink.
i am very concerned about these behaviors and have taken every step to ensure she has a great environment. please see my specifications below and let me know if you have any recommendations. i am new to this and trying really hard to do everything correctly. so, CONSTRUCTIVE criticism would be highly appreciated. thank you in advance!
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - veiled, female, ~3weeks old based on size (smaller than pinky finger), owned her for a week
Handling - almost never
Feeding - Feeding flightless fruit flies covered in calcium w/ Vit D3 fine powder. About 100 fruit flies in large enclosure. i also put in a few pin head crickets. Gut loading ff with apple slices.
Supplements - Using Rep-Cal phosphorus free calcium with Vit D3 ultrafine powder. I dust the fruitflies in a jar then put them in the enclosure.
Watering - Using Reptifogger set on min. It's on a timer so it turns on every 2 hours for 30min at a time on min. Less often at night. I mist about 3 times a day for several seconds to ensure water drops are on leaves for drinking.
Fecal Description - I have not found droppings. she is very young
History - I got her from a pet store
Cage Info:
Cage Type - glass terrarium about 18in x 30in x 18in. screen top. Planning to upgrade to large all-screen enclosure when she is older.
Lighting - zoomed fixtures and bulbs. uv an heat lamp on 14 hours during day. both off through the night.
Temperature - temp about 23C (73-74F) during the day and about 21C (70F) during night. basking spot is about 25C (77F) Lowest overnight temp 20C. I measure using a digital fischer scientific thermometer and humidity monitor.
Humidity - My reptifogger on current settings with timer maintains the humidity between 60% and 90%. I use a fisher scientific digital humidity monitor.
Plants - one small fern and some air plants. small fake plant. one large stick. some green moss from a nursery (non toxic, no dyes or anything added). one fresh pine stick.
Placement - terrarium is on a shelf about 5ft off of ground. not other significant environmental factors.
Location - Seattle Washington
I am new to the forum and to chams and would appreciate helpful guidance. i have done a great deal of research to properly prepare for caring for a cham but i currently have a few concerns.
1. my cham has been sleeping several hours per day. how active should she be?
2. i have only seen her eat once... i have even tried watching her for several hours. i also tried keeping track of her fruitflies but it is very difficult as there are numerous ff in a large enclosure. i tried adding extra ff so she might encounter them more often but she doesn't eat them even when they are right in front of her. how do i ensure she has been eating enough?
3. i have been misting her habitat to ensure there are plenty of water drops for her to drink from periodically throughout the day but i have never seen her drink. how do i know if shes drinking? i've tried watching her for several hours but i have never seen her drink.
i am very concerned about these behaviors and have taken every step to ensure she has a great environment. please see my specifications below and let me know if you have any recommendations. i am new to this and trying really hard to do everything correctly. so, CONSTRUCTIVE criticism would be highly appreciated. thank you in advance!
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - veiled, female, ~3weeks old based on size (smaller than pinky finger), owned her for a week
Handling - almost never
Feeding - Feeding flightless fruit flies covered in calcium w/ Vit D3 fine powder. About 100 fruit flies in large enclosure. i also put in a few pin head crickets. Gut loading ff with apple slices.
Supplements - Using Rep-Cal phosphorus free calcium with Vit D3 ultrafine powder. I dust the fruitflies in a jar then put them in the enclosure.
Watering - Using Reptifogger set on min. It's on a timer so it turns on every 2 hours for 30min at a time on min. Less often at night. I mist about 3 times a day for several seconds to ensure water drops are on leaves for drinking.
Fecal Description - I have not found droppings. she is very young
History - I got her from a pet store
Cage Info:
Cage Type - glass terrarium about 18in x 30in x 18in. screen top. Planning to upgrade to large all-screen enclosure when she is older.
Lighting - zoomed fixtures and bulbs. uv an heat lamp on 14 hours during day. both off through the night.
Temperature - temp about 23C (73-74F) during the day and about 21C (70F) during night. basking spot is about 25C (77F) Lowest overnight temp 20C. I measure using a digital fischer scientific thermometer and humidity monitor.
Humidity - My reptifogger on current settings with timer maintains the humidity between 60% and 90%. I use a fisher scientific digital humidity monitor.
Plants - one small fern and some air plants. small fake plant. one large stick. some green moss from a nursery (non toxic, no dyes or anything added). one fresh pine stick.
Placement - terrarium is on a shelf about 5ft off of ground. not other significant environmental factors.
Location - Seattle Washington