Help, Please

[BulletProofBambi]

Greetings all, new member here. I had the priveledge to rehome a 7 month old male Yemen chameleon from an overpopulated breeder. I have had reptiles before in the forms of snakes, leopard geckos, beardies etc, but nothing like a cham before. I've tried my absolute best to set his enclosure up correctly, or what I would call correctly but would appreciate any hints, tips and advice you can offer. I have included pictures. My main queries are that he seems to be spending a ton of time in his basking area and not much time wondering around. I mist twice a day with warm to the touch water. He was eating around 3-4 size 3 locusts a day but since re-organsising his enclosure a couple of days ago he just seems off. He doesnt seem interested in eating or drinking, has become very wary of me and withdrawn. I just want to make sure he is happy.

 

[Pharaoh2015]

Is his lamp in the cage?

 

[BulletProofBambi]

It is indeed, I have a ceramic lamp running on a habistat pulse control. I found that as the cage is mesh I cant have it close enough to the cage without burning a hole in it, to provide him a suitable basking place that gets up to temp. I have also blacked out the sides and back of the cage to make it a bit more private for him and to allow the humidity to hold.

 

[carol5208]

Do you have a UVB light? I do not see one unless is that a combo uva, uvb? They need both UVB and basking lights which provide UVA. Please do not keep the light in there like that. It is an accident waiting to happen. They can get burned very easily, and if he climbs up the side of the screen(which they do) he could climb to the cord of the light and then on the light itself not knowing how hot it is. Put the light on a clamp and raise it ablove the screen and then set your basking branch below that, but again not too close for him to get burned. They can also get burned without touching the light itself, just the heat alone. We have caresheets on this website in our Care Resources to the left of the page. There is a good one on Veild chameleons which should tell you everything you need. Rescreen the top if necessary with a screen that will not melt. You should be able to set your basking light on the top of the screen. I can with all my cages. And is that light in the back in the cage also? You are going to need to remove that one also.

 

[Pharaoh2015]

Chameleons climb on everything. My only concern is he will burn himself with it being that close to him/him being able to grab onto it. I think most people on here would agree with me on saying it would be best on the outside.

What your basking temp at? Male veileds that age need 90-95 degrees basking under the light. This can be achieved with a regular house incandescent bulb (60W or one a little higher).

Can you provide more details on your cage?
Size?
How tall do you have him off the ground? Chams love being high up, specially veiled chams because their normal altitude is high up in the trees. They also like to look down on us, makes them more comfortable I believe.

 

[Pharaoh2015]

What is at the bottom of the cage? Looks like a bin with sand?

I thought I saw a tarsal spur on that fella so you shouldn't need any substrate or laying bin. Substrate is just a site for bacteria which can lead to some health issues down the line.

Don't want to come off as critical, just love chams alot.

 

[BulletProofBambi]

The set up I have for him at the moment is a Exxoterra Flexarium 100 gallon. 150 watt ceramic heat lamp,Habistat pulse controller with built in heat sensor. Komodo 26watt UVB Bulb 10.0. A host of silk hanging plants, home made little dripper system running onto a broadleaf plant so as he can see it. Moss tray at the bottom to catch run off water and promote humidity. a few exxo-terra vines and some drift wood that has been disinfected before being placed. currently on a diet of crickets, locusts and the occasional grub worm treat. The light hanging in the background is the UVB light.

 

[BulletProofBambi]

The tallest part of his enclosure is about two metres high, Im a tall guy so the top is about eye level with me. If I were to replace the top with a metal mesh or screen would that not heat up to the point he will burn himself? His temp during the day in his basking spot is between 32 and 34 degrees celsius and drops to around 20 degrees in the evening/ at night.

 

[Pharaoh2015]

The tallest part of his enclosure is about two metres high, Im a tall guy so the top is about eye level with me. If I were to replace the top with a metal mesh or screen would that not heat up to the point he will burn himself? His temp during the day in his basking spot is between 32 and 34 degrees celsius and drops to around 20 degrees in the evening/ at night.

The temps are good. I think it's less likely to burn him then if it is in the cage. He can climb up on top of the light now or place his head on the bulb.

Has he gotten out? Lol

 

[sharp229]

I would replace the ceramic heater with an incandescent light bulb and put both it and the UVB bulb in deep dome fixtures on top of the cage. This should keep them far enough away to prevent the mesh from melting and ensure he does not get burned. If they are still too hot near the mesh, raise them even higher with binder clips.

I would also replace the substrate container with a drainage system that drains into a container under the cage. This reduces the potential for bacteria while also ensuring he will not end up ingesting substrate.

 

[BulletProofBambi]

So would you reccomend to leave them in there or remove them and take sharp229's advice and replace the system? He hasnt gotten out and is quite a friendly and inquisitive fellow when he wants to be. Not escaped but has been out of the cage and allowed to roam the living room. Is it normal for him to be closing one eye frequently due to shedding?

 

[sharp229]

I believe you will find that everyone will tell you it is not a good idea to have bulbs inside the cage. Chameleons will climb on everything, and they don't respond to heat the same way mammals do. If he decides to climb on the bulbs, it is likely he would be badly burned before he realizes they are hot.

Another option to get them outside the cage is to hang them a couple inches over the top of the mesh. It really depends what works better for you.

An incandescent bulb is better than a ceramic heater because it is more natural and chameleons will usually seek out brighter areas for heat. The basking spot should be around 90F and he should be able to climb within 7" of the UVB. A 5% UVB strip light is best for UVB, with ReptiSun 5.0 being the most recommended.

Closing one eye could be caused by many things. If the eye otherwise looks normal, he may have something in his eye, the light may be too bright, or he may have a vitamin A deficiency.

 

[BulletProofBambi]

Hey all, first I would like to thank you all for taking the time and imparting with some of your vast wisdom into the world of chams. I am enjoying the learning ccurve but continue to worry. He has been with me for a week and a half now, in which time I have reconfigured his set up 3 times now. I have found a wire top suitable for the cage and to rest the heat lamp on top of. All lights are now out of the cage and his basking spot is now about 12cm away from the lamp. He has done two poops, the first of which was about 5 days ago and a second 2 days ago. My worry is this, the first stool was bright orange with a small white spot on the top of it, was quite firm but appeared moist. The second was 2 days ago. This one was substancialy smaller and was a very dark brown/ near black colour with a very small white part near the top. Is this normal or should I be worried more than I already am? Thanks again.

 

[BulletProofBambi]

Must also mention that he hasnt eaten in three days today and started to shed a day or two ago.