Flapneck Chameleon

Haven27

Haven27

Member
Anyone know about Flapneck Chameleons? I'm hoping to find out what their relaxed colorations are, what size crickets my boy should be eating, some ways to make sure humidity stays about 50-60% without purchasing a super expensive mister/fogger (I already mist his kennel 4+ times a day, and he drinks a little every time). I have calcium powder for his crickets, but what multivitamin should I get? How many crickets should he be eating daily? I don't know his age, but from nose to the tip of his tail he is about 6-7" long. He has pooped 3 times since I received him, and their colors look healthy, but in his third I could see that he didn't fully digest the cricket and I'm thinking it's because they're too big for him. I'm getting him smaller crickets tomorrow. Also, his UVB light arrives tomorrow, and he has an infrared nighttime light, and a basking light. The tip of his tail is clearly dead, so I'm wondering if that was from a poor shed or something else? I've only had him three days. Today he drank but he didn't eat, but I imagine it's because he decided those crickets are just too big. Any info and advice is appreciated! I love him bunches!!
 
Here is my boy. I'm depicting things that concern me as well as some normal pics.
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He doesn't always have that indent ion in his side, but it worried me that he had come with broken ribs. And I can't tell if he's underweight for sure, but to me he is. The pic of the dead tail tip is also here.
 
He seems to be looking very poor in condition. Crickets should be the size between his eyes. No need for a mister if you can't afford it. Usually based off of personal opinions from other owners, drippers are the affordable way to go. Just find a leaf to catch the water and they'll usually go to it as a source. As far as multivitamin, I use herptivite. Are u dusting calcium with no d3 daily? And d3 bi weekly? Is he able to use the tip of his tail still? Also what are your feeders and are you gutloading your crickets? Too big of crickets can cause impaction. Generally the adult crickets have stingers and could stab their mouths and cause injury or infection so size matters!
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There should be no lights on at night. Unless the temperature in your house is below 65 he won't need heat.

In the photo that shows the dead tail tip his tail looks quite thin.
As far as the black tip of the tail goes, keep an eye on it that the tail doesn't continue to die further up. The dead part can be of concern if it's dry gangrene. It may have to be amputated if it's gangrene... or may just dry up and fall off on its own if it was only squashed.

What is the basking temperature? If it's too low he won't likely eat.
If the crickets didn't digest it could be that the temperature is too low or it could be an indication of parasites.

The dent in its side could have occurred if it was knocked out of a tree when captured.

Good luck with it!
 
I've worried every day because he doesn't look very healthy. I've only had him 3 days. He arrived via FedEx so I'm sure he wasn't well loved. He's eaten a total of about 10 oversized crickets that were dusted with Repti-Calcium with D3. We will remedy the size tomorrow! He seems to drink well and his poops seem okay. I need to examine some healthy urate online to compare. I'll look into a dripper. Any sorts of safe plants you recommend? Other than bromeliads? And as far as the tip of his tail, he can't curl it. It's simply dead. It's hard and unbending. The rest of his tail, however, curls and does what it ought to do per usual, thank goodness. I've tested his hydration by pulling gently on his skin and does go back down, but a little too slowly for my comfort so getting him properly hydrated is a first-goal for me. He's just the sweetest little guy.
 
Thank you for warning me about dry gangrene! I'll have an exotic vet examine him soon! I'm hoping he wasn't wild-caught, but rather bred in captivity, but I'm not positive. And you're sure he doesn't need even the infrared night time light? He's just so little and I worry about him being warm... The house is 73-75 F at night.
 
You could try the syringe method. That is too much d3 for him that you're dusting with. You could harm him. Cal without d3 daily, cal w d3 biweekly, multivitamin biweekly. Crickets should be gutloaded w collards or arugula. Plants are in the link I have given you above. As far as you receiving him in this condition, have you thought about contacting your breeder in exchange for a new one? It's very hard to care for a new cham that is healthy, let alone care for a sick cham for a first timer. It gets very, very costly and if you don't find a solution soon, things can spiral downhill quickly! Try different feeders, such as hornworms, phoenix worms (highest in calcium, highly recommended) , silkworms. What are your Temps for basking ? What are the Temps at night without the nightlight? As long as it doesn't drop below 65, it is okay to have no lights. Any lighting, including infrared, will disturb a chams sleep and can cause them to be lethargic.
 
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Dusting should be very lightly coated, imagine if you had to eat food covered in vitamins, yuck! Set a schedule for your dusting. Give him a break in between weeks. What kind of UVB do you have? How does your enclosure look? I don't mean to pressure you with questions, but I am concerned for him in his condition. If you decide to save him, the next steps you take are crucial. Umbrella plant seems to be remy's favorite.
 
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