Drinking

[RACEMOM]

We have had our two veiled chameleons for about 5 weeks now, they are still VERY small. I have 2 questions:
1) how do I know if they are getting enough to drink? I mist 3-4 times a day.
2) I bought a new screen enclosure for them 18x8x8, is this too big? I am worried they won't be able to catch their food. I am feeding pinheads and fruitflies. Thanks.

 

[beeze]

You should also set up a drip cup for them. Take a plastic bowl and punch a tiny hole in the bottom to drip in the cage. How old are your chams? That cage doesn't sound to large unless they are tiny babies.

 

[Rocky]

18 in X 18 in X 8 feet? That does seem pretty big for babies, but if you are worried about them not catching their food try cup feeding them.

 

[RACEMOM]

The enclosure is 18in x 18in x 8in and the chams are one inch long (without their tails) I am most concerned about drinking I NEVER see them drink...I have grown very attached to them and don't want anything to happen to them. Thanks for the input.

 

[Ryan Jarosek]

The enclosure is 18in x 18in x 8in and the chams are one inch long (without their tails) I am most concerned about drinking I NEVER see them drink...I have grown very attached to them and don't want anything to happen to them. Thanks for the input.

how is the urate.. Is it white with Brown Fecal? If it is they are drinking just not when you are looking.

 

[RACEMOM]

Yes it is. Sounds like the drinking concern is over. Now what about their new house being too big?

 

[Justin Carl]

You most likely wont see them drink for a very long time.
Veileds pull a lot of moisture from the insects they eat, so you will rarely see a baby drink.
I've raised several, and I don't recall seeing a baby drink more then one time.
Just keeping supply water via misting and drippers and they will be fine.

 

[Ryan Jarosek]

Yes it is. Sounds like the drinking concern is over. Now what about their new house being too big?

I think the size is fine. Are you free ranging or cup feeding your feeders?

If you are free ranging make sure there is enough for them to find. Some will hide others will climb to the top near the basking light and get gobbled up. I free range all my food and have not had a problem as long as I provide enough feeders. I have to remove some at night that were hiding but most get eaten.

 

[RACEMOM]

I just put the crickets and fruitflies in the cage, but I have a lot of foliage so I am concerned they don't move fast enough to catch them, I have had them in a VERY small cage since we got them, so it has been easy for them to catch their dinner.

 

[Ryan Jarosek]

I just put the crickets and fruitflies in the cage, but I have a lot of foliage so I am concerned they don't move fast enough to catch them, I have had them in a VERY small cage since we got them, so it has been easy for them to catch their dinner.

Just keep an eye out and make sure the feeders are disappearing. I personally think they can handle a little bigger environment than we sometimes think they can. Also never underestimate how stupid the prey can be . Often time walking right in the line of fire of the Chameleon. Fruitflys will hang out in just about all levels of the cage from top to bottom. The crickets will hangout near the basking light usually on the screen.

in the event the cage is too big, you can get creative and partition the cage with a piece of screen or whatever you have handy.

 

[kinyonga]

Is the 18" the height?

The size of cage is not too big. I prefer to have a long short cage for babies so that they will stay in the range of the UVB most of the time.

I also do not use a dripper for small chameleons. Its too easy for them to aspirate fluid (get it in their lungs).

What is the basking temperature in the cage? What brand and type (linear/tube or compact) UVB light do you have? Do they get direct sunlight?
Do you know about supplementing and gutloading the insects? These are important if you want to keep your chameleon from developing MBD.

They should be separated when they are about 3 or 4 months old.

If you have a female, she should have a suitable place to dig to lay eggs in her cage once she is about 5 months old. They can produce eggs even without being mated.

Here are some good sites to read....
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/supplementation-mbd-1-a-2451/
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/index.htm
http://web.archive.org/web/20060502...rnals.com/vet/index.php?show=5.Vitamin.A.html
http://www.adcham.com/
http://www.chameleonnews.com/

 

[Sang]

does the white and brown urate have to be mixed, mines makin both, but its kinda seperate, but that could be cause it dried out as if shifted and slid a little bit down the leaf.

 

[kinyonga]

There should be a sausage-like brown (feces) part and a white part...and some half-gelled-like more clearish looking fluid.

 

[Sang]

well i got a white sausage and a brown sausage.. gel could of dried up in the time being. he gets misted 5 times a day with a auto mister 3 1 min intervals and 2- 2 min intervals. so i see him drinking.