Help! I’m worried about my chameleon!

[Kate_n_17]

Hi!! So i recently bought a baby veiled chameleon (I think he’s a male but they were unsure of his gender when i bought him) but i’m guessing he’s about 2 months old and i’ve had him for about 2 weeks and I’m just a little worried about him. He’s been showing some signs of stress such as wobbling a lot and puffing up when i go over to his cage. i was handling him a lot when i first got him which was a mistake and i’ve left him alone for the past couple days but not sure if it’s getting any better. today i went over to his cage and he puffed up his chin a lot like more than i’ve ever seen before and then he opened his mouth and started what looked like he was gagging or something. it was really strange and then he did it again a little later. i know that puffing up is a defense mechanism but this just seemed out of the ordinary. i wasn’t able to catch the gagging but i did get a picture of his chin/throat being really puffed up and i’ll attach that here. i miss him pretty frequently throughout the day and i have the little dripper system which he likes to drink from. i have the zoo mee uvb reptile coil bulb but i’m not sure if that’s good since it’s florescent but it says it’s great for chameleons. i also have the fluker’s basking bulb and i feed him medium sized crickets and try to dust them with calcium without d3 every day and calcium with d3 once ever two weeks and i also occasionally dust them with herptivite. he doesn’t eat a whole lot from what i’ve seen. he usually doesn’t like to eat when i’m watching so it’s hard to know how much he’s eaten because the crickets often hide so i can’t see if he’s eaten them or not. but from what i see he eats maybe 3 crickets a day which is definitely not good for a baby. i have also tried hand feeding him but he wants nothing to do with that. i have all fake plants in the cage but i did order a big live pothos plant that is getting her tomorrow so i’ll put that in as well. the picture of his cage that i attached was from a few days ago but i’ve since then moved it next to my dresser instead of in front of it but it’s still on the floor. i’m just pretty worried about him because every time i even walk over to his cage he turns dark grey but it’s weird because when he’s on my hand he is so bright green. please let me know if you guys have any suggestions!

 

[Lennoncham]

Hi. He is getting mad because you keep bugging him. You need to give him more time to settle in.

you will want to switch out the uvb bulb for a linear t5 ho 5.0 uvb. For a basking light you can use a regular white incandescent household bulb.

you need to get his cage up off the floor. Chams like to be high up. This will make him feel safer.

 

[MissSkittles]

Crickets are hard to feed as they jump all over and out of even some ‘escape proof’ feeders. I’ve found that BSFL are really good sized feeders for the little ones. Also small silkworms are great and baby roaches. Rule of thumb is the feeder can’t be any bigger than the space between the eyes.
Also, give the little guy lots of time to settle in and get used to you & gain trust that you aren’t going to eat him. So far he just sees you as a scary giant predator. Give him time, patience and respect.
These may help with feeding.

 

[KittyB]

Hi!! So i recently bought a baby veiled chameleon (I think he’s a male but they were unsure of his gender when i bought him) but i’m guessing he’s about 2 months old and i’ve had him for about 2 weeks and I’m just a little worried about him. He’s been showing some signs of stress such as wobbling a lot and puffing up when i go over to his cage. i was handling him a lot when i first got him which was a mistake and i’ve left him alone for the past couple days but not sure if it’s getting any better. today i went over to his cage and he puffed up his chin a lot like more than i’ve ever seen before and then he opened his mouth and started what looked like he was gagging or something. it was really strange and then he did it again a little later. i know that puffing up is a defense mechanism but this just seemed out of the ordinary. i wasn’t able to catch the gagging but i did get a picture of his chin/throat being really puffed up and i’ll attach that here. i miss him pretty frequently throughout the day and i have the little dripper system which he likes to drink from. i have the zoo mee uvb reptile coil bulb but i’m not sure if that’s good since it’s florescent but it says it’s great for chameleons. i also have the fluker’s basking bulb and i feed him medium sized crickets and try to dust them with calcium without d3 every day and calcium with d3 once ever two weeks and i also occasionally dust them with herptivite. he doesn’t eat a whole lot from what i’ve seen. he usually doesn’t like to eat when i’m watching so it’s hard to know how much he’s eaten because the crickets often hide so i can’t see if he’s eaten them or not. but from what i see he eats maybe 3 crickets a day which is definitely not good for a baby. i have also tried hand feeding him but he wants nothing to do with that. i have all fake plants in the cage but i did order a big live pothos plant that is getting her tomorrow so i’ll put that in as well. the picture of his cage that i attached was from a few days ago but i’ve since then moved it next to my dresser instead of in front of it but it’s still on the floor. i’m just pretty worried about him because every time i even walk over to his cage he turns dark grey but it’s weird because when he’s on my hand he is so bright green. please let me know if you guys have any suggestions!

Just want to offer a comment about the "dark grey" the first picture you posted .. that's a shade some will turn when basking... darker absorbs more of the heat, so don't fret if your Cham looks dusky or dark when sitting under lights.. Some Chams have more extreme variations in their colours.. For a baby however, he should be eating a lot more! my boy was insatiable when I got him at 6 mos. I notice you mention him "wobbling" do you mean swaying? if he's doing that while puffing up he's basically telling you off definitely switch out your lighting... and you've been given some good feeder advice, also definitely get that boy elevated! Chams are like birds in that respect, they "perch"

 

[KittyB]

Also! not sure if it was mentioned but lil dude (boy) Chameleons have these things called "Heel spurs" basically like a much smaller version of cowboy spurs lol.. They become pretty obvious as they get bigger. Your guy looks so wee in those pictures and from the angles you posted I cannot really see.

 

[MissSkittles]

I’m wondering about your temperatures, which if too high could cause gaping. Having recently gotten a little one, I notice that he does a very pronounced ‘leaf walk’ which includes a little wobble...more so than my adults.
If you would like, you can answer the following questions of the help form and someone can review all of your husbandry...make sure all is correct so you and little one have many happy and healthy years together.

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.

--------------

Please Note:

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

 

[Sewellau1]

I would not recommend handling him and give him time to settle in at his own pace. These are all normal behaviors and over time he will get more comfortable with you. Just try to leave him alone for now because even being in a new enclosure and environment is enough stress alone. I think you are doing good so don’t worry! Also, make sure to have real plants in the enclosure to avoid him eating any plastic or fake plants. They also help keep up the humidity better.

 

[Kate_n_17]

I’m wondering about your temperatures, which if too high could cause gaping. Having recently gotten a little one, I notice that he does a very pronounced ‘leaf walk’ which includes a little wobble...more so than my adults.
If you would like, you can answer the following questions of the help form and someone can review all of your husbandry...make sure all is correct so you and little one have many happy and healthy years together.

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.

--------------

Please Note:

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

Here is my info

• Your Chameleon - He is a veiled chameleon, I’m not positive of the sex because they said he was too young to tell when I got him at petco but they think he is a boy, and he’s about 2 months, and i’ve had him for almost a month.
• Handling - In the beginning I was holding him a lot which I have since realized was putting a lot of stress on him so I now handle him usually twice a week for about 5 minutes.
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? I feed him crickets usually about 10 a day he has definitely started to eat a lot more in the beginning he was only eating like 3 a day but he is eating a lot more. I usually feed him in the morning so he has time to digest throughout the day. I also give him hornworms as a treat because he loves them so much. I am gutloading my crickets with the fulkers cubes but I am going to switch to vegetables and things like that.
• Supplements - I dust his crickets with fulker’s calcium without d3 every feeding and i dust them with herptivite and calcium with d3 every 2 weeks.
• Watering - I have the little dripper dripping system and I also mist his cage about 5 times a day for 30 seconds ish. I have seen him drinking a few times.
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. He does poop a lot his urate is pretty much always white there has been a tiny bit of orange in it sometimes but i don’t think that’s anything to worry about and he has not been tested for parasites.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - It is a screened enclosure and it is 16”x30”
• Lighting - I have the fulker’s incandescent basking bulb and the exo terra reptile uvb 100 bulb. The lights are on a timer to go on at 10am and go off at 10pm.
• Temperature - His basking spot is around 90 degrees and his cage floor temp is around 75 degrees. the lowest overnight temp would probably be 65. I measure these temps with a thermometer.
• Humidity - My humidity levels usually range from 40-50% and I use a mister to keep it humid and a hydrometer to measure the levels.
• Plants - I only have one live plant and it is a pothos but I haven’t put it in yet.
• Placement - His cage is on the floor but I will be putting it higher up and it’s in my room so it’s not really a high traffic area. There is a fan in my room but I don’t have it on a lot sometimes at night and that’s pretty much it.
• Location - Pennsylvania

 

[Sewellau1]

Everything seems good! Also don’t worry about the temperature drop at night it’s actually good for them!