First time chameleon mom! I need your help….

[karenthecarpetchameleon]

Hello friends!

I just received my baby carpet chameleon Karen three weeks ago at 4 months old! She is adorable but sadly I underestimated what she would need for humidity and water in my area and she got dehydrated and is still currently pretty skinny! however she is eating well, popping well, looking better and I have misting on for 1 minute at 7pm, 12am, intermittent fogging from 12am-6am, then misting again at 7am for 1 minute, then 12pm for 3o seconds.

My enclosure is a curio cabinet hybrid - about 4 ft. tall with glass sides, a mesh top and ventilation at the bottom. It’s also bioactive! As I’ve increased my misting schedule and added the fogger I’ve noticed mold grow on the branches I’ve put in the enclosure and I’m not sure how I should proceed, if I decrease misting times then it’s below 50% humidity but if I continue this way the branches under the plants don’t dry out and I know that’s an issue. I spent a lot of time building this enclosure and I’m hesitant to scrap it…but I will if I need too.

She has daytime lighting at 7am-7pm and a heat bulb keeping the top temp at around 80*. I wish I could block off half the top of the mesh for humidity but it’s hexagonal enclosure and I need all the roof space in order to keep the Arcadia uvb bulb and plant light close enough as well as enough room for her heat bulb. Does anyone have any tips for me?

Two other concerns - my fruit flies are jumping out of ANY container I put them in! If the bowl is too big then Karen falls in and they swarm her and still get out! Anyone have any feeder containers that they can’t jump out of?

I’m also wondering about tinting the glass with one-way tint but I’m somewhat concerned about her seeing her reflection -the video I watched from Chameleon Academy says chameleons are smart and get used to it, however idk if there’s one-way fabric I get get to put on the sides? As of now I just have some paper taped up and she is much more comfortable to eat even though without the paper she has a lot of plants to hide in.

Thank you for your feedback, I’m so thankful to have a place to ask these questions!

 

[kinyonga]

Please post some photos of her so we can see all of her.

You said,..”As I’ve increased my misting schedule and added the fogger I’ve noticed mold grow on the branches”…you need to get rid of the mold for sure. I suspect you need better airflow in part. You need to create a chimney effect by placing the lights in a way that will help with that. Can you post some photos of the ventilation/screen you have at the bottom please?

Can you get small crickets or other insects than fruit flies?
What supplements are you using and how often for each?

 

[karenthecarpetchameleon]

Please post some photos of her so we can see all of her.

You said,..”As I’ve increased my misting schedule and added the fogger I’ve noticed mold grow on the branches”…you need to get rid of the mold for sure. I suspect you need better airflow in part. You need to create a chimney effect by placing the lights in a way that will help with that. Can you post some photos of the ventilation/screen you have at the bottom please?

I don’t have any good photos of her at the moment, I’ve been trying to bother her as least as possible while I get her hydration schedule. Here’s one I just took but it’s not the best!

Here’s a photo of the hydration holes I have at the bottom of the enclosure, they look very small but each one is 3” in diameter with mesh covering the backs. There are two openings. Possibly I can put a small fan at the bottom or top of the enclosure to maintain circulation? Would you recommend top or bottom for a fan?

I’m not sure how to place lights to help with ventilation.

I haven’t tried crickets yet, I can get small ones but how to keep them from jumping out?
Also I have small hornworms getting here today, I know they aren’t for constant use but hoping to boost her hydration with them as well.

The breeder I got her from, Frank Payne, recommends Repashy calcium plus LoD3 daily with vitamin A twice a month (haven’t done that). I have been doing the repashy calcium plus lo D3 every feed.

Thanks for your help

 

[GrannyK]

Welcome to the forum!!! I too have a carpet from Frank!! she is adorable!! You will love her. I got mine in June and she is still terrified of me. lol she will eat in front of me but not from my hand. I would try a small pc fan at the top to help with preventing mold and giving circulation. I only mist for 30 seconds in the am right after lights on and 30 ish seconds at night when lights out. Fogging overnight as well. My enclosure is much smaller though. Bioactive and glass like yours.
Frank also told me just Repashy lod every feeding. No extra vitamin a.? That seems like an awful lot of vitamins. Just curious if something has changed or did he tell you that for a specific reason?
Kinyonga has given you great advice , she is one of the best I didn’t know that trick with the lights.
I also feed my girl silkworms to assist with hydration boost and nutrition. She loves them.

 

[karenthecarpetchameleon]

Welcome to the forum!!! I too have a carpet from Frank!! she is adorable!! You will love her. I got mine in June and she is still terrified of me. lol she will eat in front of me but not from my hand. I would try a small pc fan at the top to help with preventing mold and giving circulation. I only mist for 30 seconds in the am right after lights on and 30 ish seconds at night when lights out. Fogging overnight as well. My enclosure is much smaller though. Bioactive and glass like yours.
Frank also told me just Repashy lod every feeding. No extra vitamin a.? That seems like an awful lot of vitamins. Just curious if something has changed or did he tell you that for a specific reason?
Kinyonga has given you great advice , she is one of the best I didn’t know that trick with the lights.
I also feed my girl silkworms to assist with hydration boost and nutrition. She loves them.

Awe so fun! May I ask how you kept track of her eating for the first few weeks? She doesn’t eat in front of me and has a hard time finding dusted fruit flies in a little condiment cup, some escaped and climbed the walls and she found those easier…? How does your gal eat? I haven’t tried silk worms and am at a loss on how to make sure my gal eats her food, especially with her being so shy.

How much do you fog overnight? I have intermittent fogging every other hour from 12-6am… not sure if I should just fog all night and mist only morning and evening…

I saw the vitamin a part on his care sheet so that’s where I got both snippets of that information!

Thanks for your help! I love that we both have sweet little carpets!

 

[GrannyK]

I switched to pinheaded crickets when I got her home. With them so small I let them free range she goes bananas over them. At first I didn’t see her eat but found poop and there were times I lost her so figured she was hunting lol. You can put a tiny carrot or something in the enclosure to keep them occupied (the crickets) . I also got silkworms from framschams. The medium are small enough for her. I only fog all night because I don’t have a timer, your intermittent is much better.
I would stick to the Repashy lod only every feed no extra vitamin for now.

 

[cherishsgirl]

Please post some photos of her so we can see all of her.

You said,..”As I’ve increased my misting schedule and added the fogger I’ve noticed mold grow on the branches”…you need to get rid of the mold for sure. I suspect you need better airflow in part. You need to create a chimney effect by placing the lights in a way that will help with that. Can you post some photos of the ventilation/screen you have at the bottom please?

Can you get small crickets or other insects than fruit flies?
What supplements are you using and how often for each?

Josh's Frogs (https://joshsfrogs.com/cp/josh-s-frogs-pinhead-banded-crickets-jfpins) have great cricket options like pinheads which are great for babies. Also educational science (https://www.educationalscience.com/silkworms) has neonatal silkworms that are great for babies as well.

 

[elizaann2]

I've heard that putting some kind of fruit like a banana in your feeder cup will help keep the fruitflies in one place.