Graceful Chameleon dehydrated?

[aslater09]

Hello, Ive had my graceful chameleon for about 7 months now and have had no problems.I recently finished her new enclosure thats she's been in now for about a week. Today when i woke up I turned on her light like i usually do and didnt notice anything but when i came back a few hours later she had her eyes closed even with the light on which ive never seen her do before . I fed her a BUNCH of crickets and she seems to be doing alot better now but im still a little concerned since Ive read before that its not a good sign if they are sleeping durring the day. Im not sure if she has been drinking as much water as she used to in her old cage and I also dont have a heating lamp and now that its starting to get cold im wondering if maybe that could be the issue also. Im also starting to wonder if my chameleon is even a girl the pet store that I got her from told me that she was but I havent seen her lay any eggs yet? I'll post a few pictures of her and her enclosure below.

 

[aslater09]

heres a few more pictures of Camilla

 

[Elizadolots]

Is she always that chubby? Do you have a laying bin in for her?

 

[aslater09]

No shes usually not like that, I just wanted to show the colors on her neck. This is her normally...

 

[aslater09]

And no i dont have a laying bin for her... what exactly is that? This is my first chameleon.

 

[carol5208]

If I am not mistaken that is a Flapneck and not a graceful. I could be wrong but I looked at some other photos of Flapnecks and I think that is what you have. Why do you not have a basking light?

 

[Trace]

That's not a Graceful Chameleon but, in fact, a Flapneck Chameleon (Chamaeleo dilepis). I can't decide if I see a tarsul spur on the back feet or not; is there one?

 

[aslater09]

You could be right. The store that i got her from didnt seem to know all to much haha. But Im on a bit of a tight budget and thats why I havent got around to buying a basking light yet. I also figured since I live in Houston and how hot its been this summer that I didnt need one but now that the temp. dropped like 20 degrees I prob will be buying one in the next few days!

 

[carol5208]

You could be right. The store that i got her from didnt seem to know all to much haha. But Im on a bit of a tight budget and thats why I havent got around to buying a basking light yet. I also figured since I live in Houston and how hot its been this summer that I didnt need one but now that the temp. dropped like 20 degrees I prob will be buying one in the next few days!

You don't need to buy one. just use a regular old white housebulb. That is what most of us use. They need heat to digest their food, so I suggest you put one in his/her cage especially if it is that cold by you

 

[carol5208]

That's not a Graceful Chameleon but, in fact, a Flapneck Chameleon (Chamaeleo dilepis). I can't decide if I see a tarsul spur on the back feet or not; is there one?

Trace, I was reading that sometimes the males will not have spurs, although it stated "subspecies" so what would they mean by that? thanks.

 

[Elizadolots]

If it is, in fact, a female, it's advisable for most types of chameleons to keep a sand filled "bin" at the bottom of the cage she can access. If you have enough room for a deep bin, then a 12 inch deep bin would allow her to lay her eggs there. If not, then a shallow bin would allow her to start scratching around to let you know she's needs to lay eggs. You would then move her to a different bin (maybe a large trash can?) with sand in it so she can lay.

One of the members has a great "laying bin" blog post. I'll find that.

**edited to add link to Jannb's blog on laying bins**

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/jannb/345-egg-laying-laying-bin.html

 

[aslater09]

That's not a Graceful Chameleon but, in fact, a Flapneck Chameleon (Chamaeleo dilepis). I can't decide if I see a tarsul spur on the back feet or not; is there one?

how can you tell its a flap neck? and im tryng to see if there are any tarsul spurs but i cant really tell. I'll try to take a few more pictures for you to see.

 

[aslater09]

If it is, in fact, a female, it's advisable for most types of chameleons to keep a sand filled "bin" at the bottom of the cage she can access. If you have enough room for a deep bin, then a 12 inch deep bin would allow her to lay her eggs there. If not, then a shallow bin would allow her to start scratching around to let you know she's needs to lay eggs. You would then move her to a different bin (maybe a large trash can?) with sand in it so she can lay.

One of the members has a great "laying bin" blog post. I'll find that.

**edited to add link to Jannb's blog on laying bins**

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/jannb/345-egg-laying-laying-bin.html

Oh, no I do have a tub with sand in it at the bottom of the cage but I havent seen her try to get in it ever. You can see it in one of the pictures I posted of the cage.

 

[Trace]

Trace, I was reading that sometimes the males will not have spurs, although it stated "subspecies" so what would they mean by that? thanks.

The dilepis come from a very wide swath across Africa and thus have exploited many different ecological niches so that over the years they've evolved into different species and sub-species. Some males have the spurs and some don't. Knowing whether there is a spur will help narrow down the choice of species. Here's an article on the dilepis: http://chameleonnews.com/06SepDeckers.html

how can you tell its a flap neck? and im tryng to see if there are any tarsul spurs but i cant really tell. I'll try to take a few more pictures for you to see.

Graceful Chameleons don't have such large flaps on the back of their heads. I kept my Flaps much the same way as a Veiled with great success. Unlike a Veiled though, I very rarely hear of unfertilized eggs/clutches from Flaps.

 

[aslater09]

I cant really make out if these are spurs or not. What do you guys think?

 

[carol5208]

I say female then, as I see no spurs. maybe a little tiny bit but not enough for me to say male. JMO here is a thread from before with a tarsal spur of a Veild. https://www.chameleonforums.com/tarsal-spur-49848/

 

[Trace]

I'm going female as well. She is definitely chunky but I'm not sure I would say gravid. That said, keep a lay bucket in her cage at all times; you can never too safe with the girls. Most Flapnecks are wild caught and it would be prudent to at least bring a poop sample to a vet to check for internal parasites. Maybe the stress of the new cage has caused something inside to flourish. Otherwise her colour is nice and all things considered you have done a good job with acclimating her to captivity. Her back legs look a little odd but maybe it's just the extra weight, is that a UV light on her cage then?

Perhaps giving us some more detailed information will help us to help you better:

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
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?
Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

 

[Seeco]

She is a big chameleon. You may need a full dedicated laying tub like a big party tub or garbage can.

 

[kinyonga]

The picture isn't all that clear because of the angle but in the 3rd picture in post #2 it looks like it might be a male.