Four Horned Chameleon Care Sheet/Info/Guide

A

andrewdurant

Member
Hi,

I just purchased a CB four horned chameleon that will be arriving at the end of the week. I have searched high and low but have not found any adequate care sheets for this new guy. Can someone please provide a link to one?

Thank You
 
KRGEE21 said:
Welcome to the forums, and congratulations. Quads are a wonderful species. Do you have your enclosure all ready to go?
This is the best that I have found as far as a care sheet specifically for quads.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/montane-care-sheet-critique-plz.79628/#post-749151

I have been using it for my guy whom I have had for about a year and a half now.
Click to expand...

I do indeed have my setup all setup. Thank you for your speedy reply I'm going to give that link a gander right now.
 
Welcome home! Congrats on the quad, where are you getting him or her from? This place is awesome so be sure to use it when ever you have a question or concern about your new little guy or gal. There’s many many years of knowledge here so take advantage of it.
 
KRGEE21 said:
Welcome to the forums, and congratulations. Quads are a wonderful species. Do you have your enclosure all ready to go?
This is the best that I have found as far as a care sheet specifically for quads.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/montane-care-sheet-critique-plz.79628/#post-749151

I have been using it for my guy whom I have had for about a year and a half now.
Click to expand...

Quick question. Could you please let me know what misting cycle you are using on your quad as well as durations of each mist? I have an AquaZamp rain dome system I will be using. And I have a 50 Watt as well as 40 Watt basking bulbs. Which one would you recommend I use? What basking spot temperature are you getting with your quad?

Thank you
 
andrewdurant said:
Quick question. Could you please let me know what misting cycle you are using on your quad as well as durations of each mist? I have an AquaZamp rain dome system I will be using. And I have a 50 Watt as well as 40 Watt basking bulbs. Which one would you recommend I use? What basking spot temperature are you getting with your quad?

Thank you
Click to expand...


I don't use any basking bulbs. I have fluorescent bulbs across the top--UVB and a daylight bulb. That's all the heat they get even if temps are in the low 60s.

They are a very forgiving species.

They don't like rain, but do like mist. I don't know any chameleon other than a Mellers that likes rain. I mist mine several times in the morning for several minutes at a time. I mist for 30 seconds at noon and then several misting sessions (for minutes at a time) through the late afternoon until maybe 8:00 p.m. I don't use foggers other than for tubs of babies.

The trick to this species is water and humidity. I let them dry out in the day, though.

Your misting cycles will be dependent on what is going on around you. Misting cycles for the same animal will be completely different depending on where you live. (Arizona versus Florida for example.)

I use cages with three solid sides, screen front and top. Occasionally for babies, I will use a solid door with a 6" screen service door below it.

By the way, I have babies--both graciliors and quads--ready to go right now if someone sees pictures of yours and is looking for one from a breeder rather than from a wholesaler. I've been too busy to try to even sell them. Bad me!
 
andrewdurant said:
Quick question. Could you please let me know what misting cycle you are using on your quad as well as durations of each mist? I have an AquaZamp rain dome system I will be using. And I have a 50 Watt as well as 40 Watt basking bulbs. Which one would you recommend I use? What basking spot temperature are you getting with your quad?

Thank you
Click to expand...

Agree with Janet, and my guy is one of her babies.
It does depend on where you are, and how you keep the environment in your home.
My schedule is a bit different as I have a mostly screen enclosure. I run a mist king. 5 minutes in the morning right after lights come on. 1 minute around noon, and 5 minutes about a half hour before the lights go off. I also run a cool mist humidifier for around 4 hours overnight right next to the enclosure.
My lighting is a t5 quad fixture with arcadia 5%uvb bulb, 2 day lights, and a plant growth bulb. I also have 2 jungle dawn led spot lamps due to the height of the cage and plants at the bottom.
The important thing is temperature gradients. I try to keep the top of the enclosure in the high 70's, 80 max, and down from there to the bottom. Shoot for mid 60's overnight.
If you want....there is a "how to ask for help" form that you could fill out. It will make it easier to offer suggestions, and help you tweak things if necessary.

When is you little one arriving?
 
Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
  • Four Horned Chameleon, not sure of sex yet, 4-6 months old, arriving tomorrow morning Friday 8/9/19
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
  • Not handled yet
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
  • Will be feeding medium sized crickets, small dubia roaches, BSFL, and mealworms occasionally. Gut loading with Kale, Mustard Greens, Potatoes, Apples, bug feed etc. 10-12 items a day, first six hours of lights on
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
  • Rapashy NoD almost every feeding, Rapashy Calcium Plus 4 x month
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
  • Planned on using fogger and AquaZamp Rain Dome throughout the day thinking 4 times a day while lights are on but open to suggestion of times of use and if fogger is needed etc. I also thought to offer drip system from container that would drip onto fake plant leaves for drinking.
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
  • N/A yet.
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
  • Bought from LLL Reptile, only recently found this site. This is my third Chameleon in my life.
Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
  • All Screened enclosure. 2 x 2 x 4 ft
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
  • Zoo Med Reptisun 5.0 bulb 24" fixture and 40 or 50 watt basking bulb. On for 12 hours a day. Not sure if this is adequate enough or should be changed.
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
  • My temp gun won't be here until Saturday but we use air conditioning here in the hot months and it is right around 70 ambient temp in the hot months and 68 in the cold months
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
  • Haven't received the device to measure this with but will be tomorrow Friday 8/9/19. Thought to use combo of fogger and aquazamp rain dome. Kind of got over my head with this little guy or gal.
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
  • Yes. 2 Ficus plants in 6" pots that the dirt will be covered with river rock on Saturday 8/10/19
  • Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
  • In Living room closest to bathroom, thinking this will help with humidity from the bathroom use. Not near any fans, air vents, but a highly trafficked area, however it is only me and my wife living here. The height of top of cage to room floor is about 6 feet 4 inches.
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?
  • I live 1.5 hours away from the Twin Cities (Minneapolis & St. Paul) in a town called Mankato. It is a small college town in South Western Minnesota. It gets real cold here with a lot of snow in the winter and can be really dry too as a result. In the winter it can be well below zero or up around 30-40. In the summer it gets to highs of around 70-80 with lows between 50-60.
Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
I am concerned that I need different lighting arrangements different than what I planned to use. And if I do need a recommendation what I need or if what I have will work please let me know. I also have plants and didn't factor that into the lighting needs. I also recently bought a fogger and don't know if it is necessary or if I could put it to good use. Lastly I am wondering about when and for how long each of these various devices needs to be on for. I admit it I kinda got over my head with this and didn't think it out as well as others on this site and I haven't owned a Chameleon in over 14 Years but wanted to get back into it. I hope you can help. Please feel free to critique my setup and give me any recommendations you may have so I can get this thing into high gear.

Thank you,

Andrew
--------------

Please Note:
  1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
  2. Photos can be very helpful.
 
andrewdurant said:
Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
  • Four Horned Chameleon, not sure of sex yet, 4-6 months old, arriving tomorrow morning Friday 8/9/19
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
  • Not handled yet
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
  • Will be feeding medium sized crickets, small dubia roaches, BSFL, and mealworms occasionally. Gut loading with Kale, Mustard Greens, Potatoes, Apples, bug feed etc. 10-12 items a day, first six hours of lights on
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
  • Rapashy NoD almost every feeding, Rapashy Calcium Plus 4 x month
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
  • Planned on using fogger and AquaZamp Rain Dome throughout the day thinking 4 times a day while lights are on but open to suggestion of times of use and if fogger is needed etc. I also thought to offer drip system from container that would drip onto fake plant leaves for drinking.
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
  • N/A yet.
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
  • Bought from LLL Reptile, only recently found this site. This is my third Chameleon in my life.
Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
  • All Screened enclosure. 2 x 2 x 4 ft
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
  • Zoo Med Reptisun 5.0 bulb 24" fixture and 40 or 50 watt basking bulb. On for 12 hours a day. Not sure if this is adequate enough or should be changed.
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
  • My temp gun won't be here until Saturday but we use air conditioning here in the hot months and it is right around 70 ambient temp in the hot months and 68 in the cold months
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
  • Haven't received the device to measure this with but will be tomorrow Friday 8/9/19. Thought to use combo of fogger and aquazamp rain dome. Kind of got over my head with this little guy or gal.
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
  • Yes. 2 Ficus plants in 6" pots that the dirt will be covered with river rock on Saturday 8/10/19
  • Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
  • In Living room closest to bathroom, thinking this will help with humidity from the bathroom use. Not near any fans, air vents, but a highly trafficked area, however it is only me and my wife living here. The height of top of cage to room floor is about 6 feet 4 inches.
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?
  • I live 1.5 hours away from the Twin Cities (Minneapolis & St. Paul) in a town called Mankato. It is a small college town in South Western Minnesota. It gets real cold here with a lot of snow in the winter and can be really dry too as a result. In the winter it can be well below zero or up around 30-40. In the summer it gets to highs of around 70-80 with lows between 50-60.
Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
I am concerned that I need different lighting arrangements different than what I planned to use. And if I do need a recommendation what I need or if what I have will work please let me know. I also have plants and didn't factor that into the lighting needs. I also recently bought a fogger and don't know if it is necessary or if I could put it to good use. Lastly I am wondering about when and for how long each of these various devices needs to be on for. I admit it I kinda got over my head with this and didn't think it out as well as others on this site and I haven't owned a Chameleon in over 14 Years but wanted to get back into it. I hope you can help. Please feel free to critique my setup and give me any recommendations you may have so I can get this thing into high gear.

Thank you,

Andrew
--------------

Please Note:
  1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
  2. Photos can be very helpful.
Click to expand...

What is a Jungle Dawn LED Spot Lamp? and can you recommend a particular 24" T5 quad fixture and the appropriate bulbs for it (names and brands would be helpful). Hopefully I can get this stuff on Amazon if that is what I need. I do have Prime. Thanks for all of your help, it is very much appreciated.
 
Last edited:
jajeanpierre said:
I don't use any basking bulbs. I have fluorescent bulbs across the top--UVB and a daylight bulb. That's all the heat they get even if temps are in the low 60s.

They are a very forgiving species.

They don't like rain, but do like mist. I don't know any chameleon other than a Mellers that likes rain. I mist mine several times in the morning for several minutes at a time. I mist for 30 seconds at noon and then several misting sessions (for minutes at a time) through the late afternoon until maybe 8:00 p.m. I don't use foggers other than for tubs of babies.

The trick to this species is water and humidity. I let them dry out in the day, though.

Your misting cycles will be dependent on what is going on around you. Misting cycles for the same animal will be completely different depending on where you live. (Arizona versus Florida for example.)

I use cages with three solid sides, screen front and top. Occasionally for babies, I will use a solid door with a 6" screen service door below it.

By the way, I have babies--both graciliors and quads--ready to go right now if someone sees pictures of yours and is looking for one from a breeder rather than from a wholesaler. I've been too busy to try to even sell them. Bad me!
Click to expand...

So it looks like LLL Reptile is out of Quads and cancelled my order. How old are your babies? Where are you located? and how much would you want for one? I'm interested. Thank you again for all your help.

Andrew
 
andrewdurant said:
So it looks like LLL Reptile is out of Quads and cancelled my order. How old are your babies? Where are you located? and how much would you want for one? I'm interested. Thank you again for all your help.

Andrew
Click to expand...
Janet is amoung the best options for quad quad or quad gracilior direct from the breeder. I got this male from her 9 or 10 months ago.
e:
IMG_0535.jpg
 
Last edited:
andrewdurant said:
What is a Jungle Dawn LED Spot Lamp? and can you recommend a particular 24" T5 quad fixture and the appropriate bulbs for it (names and brands would be helpful). Hopefully I can get this stuff on Amazon if that is what I need. I do have Prime. Thanks for all of your help, it is very much appreciated.
Click to expand...

Do you already have lighting?

I bought all my lights from Light Your Reptiles. Todd is terrific. www.lightyourreptiles.com. Light Your Reptiles is a distributor of Arcadia lights. Arcadia are the BEST UVB lights you can get.

I use a double T-5 fixture--either 6% or 12% UVB (mostly 6%) with a daylight bulb. If you already have a Zoomed fluorescent single 5% UVB fixture, just add the brightest LED lightbulbs in one or two of those lightbulb fixtures you can get for reptiles. Use LED lights so less heat. I use the double T-5 fixtures and that is sufficient for my plants.
 
andrewdurant said:
So it looks like LLL Reptile is out of Quads and cancelled my order. How old are your babies? Where are you located? and how much would you want for one? I'm interested. Thank you again for all your help.

Andrew
Click to expand...

I'll send you a PM. The youngest are my baby graciliors were hatched in April. I have a couple males from a slightly older clutch. Still babies but a bit bigger. The quad quads are in between. The oldest graciliors are starting to show their colors on their cheeks.

Did you want a T.q.quardricornis or a T.q.gracilior? I have both. The pretty orange male @bobcochran posted is a gracilior. They have red claws when mature (both males and females) and colored cheeks (males and females). The body colors are a little different between a quad and a gracilior. Both have horns. Gracilior horns tend to be longer and more slender and appear earlier than quad horns.

They are a really nice chameleon, always changing. They are very hardy and I think quite long lived.
 
Hey Andrew. In a way I think LLL being sold out is for the best. This will give you some time( I would suggest minimum a couple weeks-month) to get your set up dialed in, and you will be assured to get the sex that you want. Can't say enough great things about Janet, so you're in good hands.

242482


I am going to make a few comments after your responses below in blue. Also will add a couple of spread sheet for additional information.





Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
  • Four Horned Chameleon, not sure of sex yet, 4-6 months old, arriving tomorrow morning Friday 8/9/19
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
  • Not handled yet
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
  • Will be feeding medium sized crickets, small dubia roaches, BSFL, and mealworms occasionally. Gut loading with Kale, Mustard Greens, Potatoes, Apples, bug feed etc. 10-12 items a day, first six hours of lights on. Avoid meal worms. There are better options for treats. Superworms, horn worms, and silks. Only use these a couple times a week. Check the attachments for gut loading items.
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
  • Rapashy NoD almost every feeding, Rapashy Calcium Plus 4 x month Montanes tend to not need as much supplementation. The NoD is a good option. I use it twice a week, and you might want to consider using powdered bee pollen with it. Just mix the two together. If you are going to use the calcium plus I would suggest the LoD. I use it once a week, and dust only half of the feeders lightly
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
  • Planned on using fogger and AquaZamp Rain Dome throughout the day thinking 4 times a day while lights are on but open to suggestion of times of use and if fogger is needed etc. I also thought to offer drip system from container that would drip onto fake plant leaves for drinking. Instead of the rain dome it looks like you can get mister nozzles for the aquazamp system. I would use two nozzles with the corner mounts. Leave the space on top of the cage for lighting. As I said before I use a humidifier over night to maintain ambient humidity. If you're constantly running heat/AC it will dry out the air/enclosure pretty quick. You are also going to need to consider drainage for the enclosure. These guys use a lot of water. https://dragonstrand.com/drainage-solutions-for-chameleon-cages/

  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
  • N/A yet.
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
  • Bought from LLL Reptile, only recently found this site. This is my third Chameleon in my life.
Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
  • All Screened enclosure. 2 x 2 x 4 ft
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
  • Zoo Med Reptisun 5.0 bulb 24" fixture and 40 or 50 watt basking bulb. On for 12 hours a day. Not sure if this is adequate enough or should be changed. I would go with the dual fixture(UVB and 6500 daylight), and then add a plant light. Jungle dawn, or similar(sansi). I found with the taller cages(over 3 feet) the light from my quad fixture does not penetrate all the way to the bottom and plants were dying, so I added the JD LED's.
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
  • My temp gun won't be here until Saturday but we use air conditioning here in the hot months and it is right around 70 ambient temp in the hot months and 68 in the cold months
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
  • Haven't received the device to measure this with but will be tomorrow Friday 8/9/19. Thought to use combo of fogger and aquazamp rain dome. Kind of got over my head with this little guy or gal.
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
  • Yes. 2 Ficus plants in 6" pots that the dirt will be covered with river rock on Saturday 8/10/19 These guys like cover. You are probably going to want more plants, vines, branches etc. Set up so he has various pathways side to side, and up and down.
  • Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
  • In Living room closest to bathroom, thinking this will help with humidity from the bathroom use. Not near any fans, air vents, but a highly trafficked area, however it is only me and my wife living here. The height of top of cage to room floor is about 6 feet 4 inches. If you have a corner available I would use it. This will help hold humidity in on two sides of the enclosure.
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?
  • I live 1.5 hours away from the Twin Cities (Minneapolis & St. Paul) in a town called Mankato. It is a small college town in South Western Minnesota. It gets real cold here with a lot of snow in the winter and can be really dry too as a result. In the winter it can be well below zero or up around 30-40. In the summer it gets to highs of around 70-80 with lows between 50-60.- I actually know some people there through work. Small world.
Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
I am concerned that I need different lighting arrangements different than what I planned to use. And if I do need a recommendation what I need or if what I have will work please let me know. I also have plants and didn't factor that into the lighting needs. I also recently bought a fogger and don't know if it is necessary or if I could put it to good use. Lastly I am wondering about when and for how long each of these various devices needs to be on for. I admit it I kinda got over my head with this and didn't think it out as well as others on this site and I haven't owned a Chameleon in over 14 Years but wanted to get back into it. I hope you can help. Please feel free to critique my setup and give me any recommendations you may have so I can get this thing into high gear. See above for lighting, and yes I would say fogger or cool mist humidifier is going to be necessary for your environment. You are going to need it set up, and just constantly monitor the humidity levels with a weather station https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075QBRR6S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (or something similar) get an extra sensor. One for top of cage and one for bottom. You misting schedule will be dependent on that.

I also took a 10 year hiatus on cham keeping since my last one. There is so much more information available now. Don't get discouraged once you get rolling the rewards are great. Once you get set up post a few photos, and we can help adjust if necessary. Hope all this helps....

Thank you,

Andrew
--------------

Please Note:
  1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
  2. Photos can be very helpful.
 

Attachments

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Wow this is some immense information. Thank you so much everyone. I ordered a quad Arcadia fixture with one 6% UVB, two daylight and one plant bulb. I will order two jungle dawn as well. I will take up your suggestion and order a weather station with two sensors. I have my drainage all set up as well and I have a good amount of vines (5) but will order 2-3 more. I also have (5) Exo Terra Amapallo fake vines/plants and will order 2-3 more of these and currently have 3 Large manzanita branches but plan on ordering 3-4 more. I currently have 2 Ficus Trees in small 6" pots but I can fit two more in so I will order a couple more of these. This will give more cover which will be much better for the Chameleon.

@KRGEE21
Where might I buy powdered Bee Pollen? and
Where you suggesting Rapashy LoD in replacement of the Calcium Plus supplement?

Beautiful Pictures of the Chameleons too! and thank you Janet for reaching out.
 
That's awesome. You'll see a huge difference when you get them set up.

You can get the powdered bee pollen on Amazon, and yes the repashy LoD. Lightly once a week.

As far the vines/ plants go I would suggest a couple more live plants like a golden pothos, or heart leaf philodendron, and get a larger ficus or schefflera as a main central plant. Use the vines and branches you have to build around it. You want the bottom 2/3 of the enclosure to be pretty dense, and the top a little more open.

Dragonstrand.com

Order some dragon ledges. Soooooo much easier to hang plants and attach branches further up the cage. My enclosure attached.
 

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