Concerned with my Cham

[Pascal the Cham]

The day

Your chameleon is in a dire situation, I'm sorry to say. It looks like skin and bones and they closed eyes are a very large concern. There are a lot of husbandry changes you need to make (almost everything unfortunately, to be honest), but a vet should be your first priority. Below I'll comment on specific husbandry changes that are important to make as soon as you can. But focus on making a vet appt first - at this point it is not optional.

Handling: Chameleons are not a good animal for handling, especially when you first get them. They are stress prone and frequent handling will make them distrust you. They need time to settle in first. Several weeks at least.

Feeding: Your gutload has almost no nutritional value to it. In order for crickets to provide your chameleon with the nutrients it requires, you need to offer the crickets healthy food like fresh produce (leafy greens like collards, mustard greens, turnip greens, escarole, sweet potato, papaya, etc) or a quality pre-made gutload (like Cricket Crack, NOT anything made by Fluker's). If you are feeding your crickets calcium, you can stop. That will not work for your chameleon.

Supplements: It appears you aren't supplementing at all, which is a critical aspect of chameleon care without which your chameleon will quickly fall ill. I recommend dusting feeders daily with Repashy Calcium Plus LoD. You do not feed the insects this, but cover the insect with it and then feed them to the chameleon.

Caging: Your enclosure is significantly too small for your chameleon. Even for a young one, you should use no less than 16x16x30. Adults need 24x24x48" enclosures and I would recommend just switching to one of these if your chameleon makes it.

Lighting: This category needs a total overhaul as well. First off, ditch the blue daylight bulb and replace it with a regular white household incandescent bulb instead. Colored lights are not recommended for chameleons.
More importantly, you don't list any UVB light at all?? Your chameleon needs a T5 HO linear UVB light right away if you do not have any. Without it, there is no chance of survival.

I implore you to read through the resources on this website in addition to making the above changes (but still vet above everything else) because there are many mistakes made in your current setup.

the daylight blue says it has UV. I have seen that a different lights can be used but I thought this worked.

 

[janjan20]

The blue light looks like is only giving off UVA and heat. For heat most keepers us a 40-60w incandescent light bulb. The night time bulb is not required. Chameleons require a light source that provides UVB this helps with D3 production which in turn helps with calcium absorption etc. Using a linear T5 light bulb and fixture is recommended because it distributes the light across the entire enclosure. Hope this helps

 

[Thehippie]

Sorry to hear that your chameleon isn't doing well. The best thing you can do right now is take it to a vet asap and fix the husbandry asap

 

[nickeeyy]

Agreed; 1st & foremost to exotic vet & then back here to review response to specific topic.

I have this exact blue bulb you've photo'd here & yes it's tested UVA; a UVB is absolutely required. We've used many & I have found that the 26 watt Reptisun 3in1 Lamp is excellent !

Please feel free to hit any of us/me up with feelings, thoughts, questions

It's a very tough commitment ... agree !

Hoping Pascal pulls through !

 

[cyberlocc]

Caging: Your enclosure is significantly too small for your chameleon. Even for a young one, you should use no less than 16x16x30. Adults need 24x24x48" enclosures and I would recommend just switching to one of these if your chameleon makes it.

OP if you prefer Glass, you can do so (but it's expensive)

Your going to want the 36x18x36 enclosure, and make sure that it's up high enough so the basking branch is at Eye level.

I was going to make a large post about this the other day, then decided not to. However I am questioning if maybe I should.

Guys 24x24x48 is not and never was an ideal cage size. We are making it so, every time you recommend a reptibreeze 24x24x48. The best breeders in the world, have STOPPED recommending them.

Chameleons do not use 60% of that cage. Dragonstrand breeders are 24x18x42, medium atriums are 30inches tall, Kammers suggest Atrium dimensions, Frank Payne just made a post about this.

Tall cages are not the Answer.


OP if you want a cheaper cage then the large glass, go with screen. This screen, http://www.lllreptile.com/products/...FOtGX_Z0SSgX5lErtoMFwVHxs6vZmslBoCQ_oQAvD_BwE

That's a screen cage that's slightly bigger than the Medium Atrium, for 100. Dragonstrand is not currently taking orders, so that's the best bet ATM.

If you want to look around, or build your own. Here is a better minium guide IMO.

Other Acceptable Cage Dimensions -
Baby Size: 24"L x 12"W x 24"H
Juvenile Size: 24"L x 16"W x 30"H
Adult Size: 30"L x 18"W x 36"H

That's from the Kammers, who are arguably the best Panther Chameleon breeders in the world .

I personally keep my panther in a 48x24x48 cage. The amount of minutes in a day he spends in the bottom 24 inches of the cage, I can count with one hand as it's usually zero. Sometimes though he will in the lower half, sometimes not, most days he spends 90% of his day on his highest branch and the one 4/5 inches below it. He uses 100% of that 48 inches wide however, every single day.

 

[Syreptyon]

The day


the daylight blue says it has UV. I have seen that a different lights can be used but I thought this worked.

Please read through this very, very thoroughly: https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/

You have a lot to learn still.

 

[Benclark]

Your chameleon does not look good at all. For starters, he is very dehydrated which is why his eyes are so shrunken in. The tank you are keeping him is very small and is not ventilated, which is vital for a healthy chameleon. How are you feeding him? It is important to make sure that chameleons get their nutrients from the food they eat. I dust my crickets with calcium and multi-vitamins. Also, offer your chameleon fresh greens to help hydrate them as they do not drink from a bowl. I hate to say it, but I doubt your chameleon will make it. I would take it to a vet as soon as you can to see if anything can be done. Best of luck.

 

[cyberlocc]

Your chameleon does not look good at all. For starters, he is very dehydrated which is why his eyes are so shrunken in. The tank you are keeping him is very small and is not ventilated, which is vital for a healthy chameleon. How are you feeding him? It is important to make sure that chameleons get their nutrients from the food they eat. I dust my crickets with calcium and multi-vitamins. Also, offer your chameleon fresh greens to help hydrate them as they do not drink from a bowl. I hate to say it, but I doubt your chameleon will make it. I would take it to a vet as soon as you can to see if anything can be done. Best of luck.

It's too small, it is Ventilated just fine though, sigh...

 

[nickeeyy]

Hi there any update on Pascal ? ... thanks

 

[Pascal the Cham]

Hey everyone... thank you all for the help and advice. I should be getting an update on him today but I took him back to the pet store I bought him from and they were going to get him checked. He didn’t look good at all in the morning but he started to get better as the hours went by and they were hopeful with assistance of the vet that he could be ok. I’ll post an update once I have it.

 

[cyberlocc]

Hey everyone... thank you all for the help and advice. I should be getting an update on him today but I took him back to the pet store I bought him from and they were going to get him checked. He didn’t look good at all in the morning but he started to get better as the hours went by and they were hopeful with assistance of the vet that he could be ok. I’ll post an update once I have it.

Did you get/ Look at other cages while there?

 

[Pascal the Cham]

Yes, I purchased a screen 16x16x30. Suggestion on keeping humidity? I have it set up and trying to get it to stay at the right level. I see the plants are the most recommended along with misting.

Did you get/ Look at other cages while there?

 

[CamoChameleonsHuman]

Yes, I purchased a screen 16x16x30. Suggestion on keeping humidity? I have it set up and trying to get it to stay at the right level. I see the plants are the most recommended along with misting.

That's still quite small for a veiled. You'll need another larger cage later on. It's best to just go big or go home right off the batThere are 3 things you can do for humidity. Cool mist humidifier, misting system, and window insulation kit to block off sides of your screen enclosure.

 

[cyberlocc]

Yes, I purchased a screen 16x16x30. Suggestion on keeping humidity? I have it set up and trying to get it to stay at the right level. I see the plants are the most recommended along with misting.

They sell this plastic material at the home stores. I forget what its called now, but its just a thin white sheet of plastic. Like 15 dollars. Can be cut with scissors.

Anyway, what I do is remove the screens from the back and sides, and ideally you would silicon/glue or something it on, but you wont have time for that, so put it on the inside of the cage, and screw it down between the frames, I was going to make a thread about this, when I built my QT cage, but I got busy and didn't, and now I not sure what I did with all the pics ect.

If you want to do the door (not the bottom vent, that needs to stay screen) you can do so with the thick shower curtain liner stuff from the home stores or Walmart. Just unspline the screen and spline in the liner, as tight as you can. Then you can lightly, use a hair dryer to shrink the material to tighten it more. Not the easiest thing to do, but go slow and you can get it done.

And yes, you will need a bigger one soon.


This breeder uses a similar method.

If you want to do the bio, like he did. Then you want the plastic over the bottom vent, which means you cannot use the shower curtain on the door.

I wouldn't bother Bio on the 16x16x30, you will replace it in a month or 2.

You can still do Bio with a Shower Linered Door, you just need a soil bin. So get a plastic Bin/Box, a few inches deep (4-5) that is as wide as your cage, and 1-2 inches less deep. This way the vent has a gap between it and the bin, for air to pass.

 

[nickeeyy]

Hey everyone... thank you all for the help and advice. I should be getting an update on him today but I took him back to the pet store I bought him from and they were going to get him checked. He didn’t look good at all in the morning but he started to get better as the hours went by and they were hopeful with assistance of the vet that he could be ok. I’ll post an update once I have it.

Please keep me updated ... I hope he pulls through !

 

[janjan20]

Yes, I purchased a screen 16x16x30. Suggestion on keeping humidity? I have it set up and trying to get it to stay at the right level. I see the plants are the most recommended along with misting.

Just remember veileds can handle daytime humidity between between 40-50% with spikes after misting. Higher humidity (70-100%) is recommended at night because the air is cooler and it helps them retain moisture. Most keepers run a fogger or cool mist humidifier at night.

Hope your little guy pulls through