LizardMomx2
New Member
I saw that but they were out of stock.
Constant Shedding / Not Eating Much
- Thread starter LizardMomx2
- Start date
I saw that but they were out of stock.
Hydra_cosplay
Avid Member
Oh dang there's here also, https://www.thecritterdepot.com/col...een-cage-free-shipping?variant=31468384026762 little bit more expensive, but seems like they have some in stock when you click on the specific size. Mainly cause it's the deluxe one is prob why price is higher. It comes with a clear door which is nice for viewing though.
TimothyOnTop
Established Member
Yes the sooner the better like yesterday and I would get bigger cage at least 24x24x48 for each minimum but they are adorable little chams the female doesn't look too stressed which is good but it won't be long she will start showing signs of extreme stress
LizardMomx2
New Member
Thank you! I wish I could just go out and get everything in one day. I'd stay up all night getting it set up for her. Having to wait for everything online is frustrating. This forum has helped me immensely with support and resources!
LizardMomx2
New Member
Putting my responses in red. Please do take note that if I sound mean or harsh, that is not my intent. I do want to help you and your chameleons to enjoy many happy healthy years together.
- Male & Female chameleon - they're considered babies but I don't know the exact age. I've had them for about 12 days. I am not a good judge of age, but I would guess they are around 3-4 months old.
- Handling - I try not to handle them much. Just a few times.
- Feeding - Small crickets. I give them 5-6 in a run feeder for breakfast and again for dinner. He eats 3-4 each meal and she might have one. Typically, she just hangs on the feeder and looks at them for 2 hours. It is better to feed early in the day so that they have time to bask and digest. This quantity is not enough for either of them. They each should be getting approx 15+ feeders daily. I feed the crickets leafy greens and orange cube cricket feed. Pretty much the orange cubes aren’t good for anything. The greens are good, but you could add more. Attaching feeder and gutload graphics for you. Variety in both is important.
- Supplements - I dust all the crickets in calcium w/o D3. This is good, but you’ll need to add a couple of other supplements. Basic schedule is phosphorus free calcium on every feeding except one per week. That one weekly feeding you want to give a calcium with D3 and the next week a multivitamin. You may find it easier to use ReptiVite with D3 and instead of juggling the D3 and multivitamin every week, you’d use the calcium without D3 at every feeding except twice a month, where you’d use the ReptiVite with D3.
- Watering - I use a chargeable, personal humidifier in their cage during the day. No humidifier during the day. High humidity + high heat = respiratory infection. I also spray water on their plants 2-3 times a day. I have not seen them drink off the leaves. Many chameleons are secret drinkers. The hydration schedule suggested by a leader in chams is to use a humidifier at night for several hours when it is cool. Mist/spray for at least 2-3 minutes twice daily - before lights go on and after they go off. During mid day, use a dripper for about 20 minutes.
- Fecal Description - I just see white/brown droppings. They look normal. No vet visit yet. The white is the urine, called urate. This is a great indicator of how hydrated your cham is. A little yellow or pale orange on one end is ok, but if all is dark your cham is dehydrated.
- History - I bought them from a breeder son
Cage Info:
- Cage Type - Repti Breeze - Small - 18x18x30 First, this is way too small. Second, regardless of what the breeder told you, they each need their own enclosure. More about this at the end. The minimum size for Yemen chams is 2x2x4’, so you’ll be needing two of those. You can maybe get away with using your current one for another couple of months for your female, but eventually they’ll both need much bigger.
- Lighting - 60w daylight blue reptile bulb; Reptisun 5 UVB mini 13-watt tropical - lights go off at night and they sleep from 8pm-8am For uvb, you need a T5HO fixture with a 5.0 (or Arcadia 6%) uvb bulb. It needs to be as long as the width of the enclosure. Reptisun makes a pretty good 24” one that includes the bulb. The uvb bulbs (5.0 one) will need to be replaced every 6 months. Colored bulbs aren’t recommended as chams have sensitive eyes.
- Temperature - Basking is about 85 degrees; Too hot. Temps need to be no higher than 80* at basking spot. House temp at night is about 74. This is fine. At night they can handle temp drops as low as the 50’s and some coolness at night is desired.
- Humidity - I have not measured humidity yet. This is super important. Ideal humidity is between 30-50% during the day. At night when it’s cool, it can go all the way to 100%.
- Plants - I just have one plant but I don't know the name. I'll attach a picture. They recommended it at the reptile place. Looks like you have a schefflera, or umbrella plant. This is safe. Pothos is always a great plant for chams. Yemen chams will nibble/eat their plants so it needs to be safe. Here is the list that I go by. https://chameleonacademy.com/plants/ Fake plants may be easy, but if your cham eats a fake leaf, it could easily become impacted. Leave the fake plants on the outside of the enclosure.
- Placement - Where is your cage located? Cage is in the living room about 2 feet off the ground. Too low. Chams feel safest up high and when they can look down upon their world.
- Location - Independence, Missouri (very humid)
Current Problem - I'm concerned about the female. She doesn't seem to be growing. She acts fine except that she doesn't eat much. The chameleons typically stay apart from one another. It was just once that they got close and that's when I snapped the attached picture. Otherwise, there doesn't seem to be any aggression that I can tell. From your pic, it looks like her eyes are closed, which is a bad sign. She is either extremely stressed to the point of shutting down or she is ill. Keeping them both together is highly stressful. Chameleons are true loners and only ever come together for mating. They don’t even like to see another cham in the same room. However, even if your chams were separate, the presence of your cat is also highly stressful, whether the cat gets up and looks at them or not. Adding to all of this stress is further stress that the enclosure is very lacking in branches and vines and they have limited traveling opportunities and no hiding places from anything.
So, this is a lot to digest and you have many big changes ahead of you. I know it may seem overwhelming...I and many others here have been in the same position as you. The most urgent changes you need to make is separating your chameleons into their own enclosures, getting the correct uvb and correct supplements. The rest you can go a bit more paced at.
Some great resources to learn all about chams: https://chameleonacademy.com/ and look up Neptune the chameleon on YouTube. She is a forum member and has a video for just about everything and is always making more. And of course, don’t be afraid to ask as many questions as needed. We are here and enjoy helping.
View attachment 276360View attachment 276361
Another question - I'm in the process of buying new lighting for the new cage. The new cage is actually 30" wide so I ordered the T5HO fixture with a 5.0 uvb bulb (30"). Do I need an additional light, as well, like a day time bulb?
JoshOfTheJungle
Member
If there are any ReptiCon expos around you, I’d suggest going to one of those for some supplies. You can find 2x2x4’s all day for $80
LizardMomx2
New Member
Yep, that's where I bought my chameleons and my small mesh cage two weeks ago but now the reptile fair is gone. I didn't think it'd be so difficult to find the big mesh cages or I would have bought two of them at the show.
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
You’ll need the uvb light and a basking light.
