Eddie Ridgeway
New Member
i just put the tinfoil up last night to keep him warm. what should i move and/or remove
Help!
- Thread starter Eddie Ridgeway
- Start date
timw1
Chameleon Enthusiast
You can start by reading the care section on this site https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/ Your cham looks like he is in bad shape.
Eddie Ridgeway
New Member
so what should i remove and/or re-arrange in his cage? or is it just the tinfoil
Jevin
Chameleon Enthusiast
I'd remove the tinfoil. Also, it looks like you have a red heat bulb. You should have a normal colored one.
Eddie Ridgeway
New Member
ive decided im going to force feed him, he was on the bottom of his cage (still alive) but hes only getting worse and i think forcefeeding is my only option right now.
jpf
Member
You should ask a vet first
Eddie Ridgeway
New Member
Hi. id like to thank all of you who contributed to helping me but unfortunately he passed away about an hour ago. i went in with a last ditch attempt to force feed him and he was just barely breathing, didnt want to grab onto anything, just laid there in my hand, barely breathing. I did everything i thought i could and again, thank you for trying to help but i was just too late.
CJ's Exotics
Chameleon Enthusiast
The good thing is that you at least reached out to us for help, instead of trying to just do it yourself. I'm sorry for your loss.
Your chameleon is near death...its way too thin....it's eyes are sunken in...younneed to solve the problems quickly or it will be too late. Please get your mom to read this information so she can help you with it.
Red light is not recommended...I would change it for a regular white household incandescent light of a wattage that puts the basking temperature in the mid 80's. Your thermometer is showing way too hot!!!!
Artificial leaves whether small or not are still something he might try to eat and if he does manage to eat one/some and become impacted he will almost certainly die.
You said..."what dusting stuff should i use on my crickets, and should i use the same stuff on silkworms?" ...unexplained what you needed to dust with.
Are you adding a dripper as i suggested so he will have another chance to drink too????? If you can get him to drink from the dripper then while his mouth is opening and shutting stick a cricket in head first between his teeth so he bites down on it and see if he will eat it.
You need more real plants in the cage so he has places to hide and get away from the UVB if he wants too.
If his eyes are sunken because he's not drinking then if he drinks it will help that...but if he's sick it won't. Has he been pooping?
If he won't eat the crickets you can try buying a jar of baby food or making a veggie puree yourself and using a needle less syringe or eye dropper to put a little in his mouth....BE VERY CAREFUL... If any gets into his lungs because you didn't give him a little at a time so he can swallow it will not be good.
I hope you will figure this out quickly because he hasn't got much time left if you don't. Good luck.
Red light is not recommended...I would change it for a regular white household incandescent light of a wattage that puts the basking temperature in the mid 80's. Your thermometer is showing way too hot!!!!
Artificial leaves whether small or not are still something he might try to eat and if he does manage to eat one/some and become impacted he will almost certainly die.
You said..."what dusting stuff should i use on my crickets, and should i use the same stuff on silkworms?" ...unexplained what you needed to dust with.
Are you adding a dripper as i suggested so he will have another chance to drink too????? If you can get him to drink from the dripper then while his mouth is opening and shutting stick a cricket in head first between his teeth so he bites down on it and see if he will eat it.
You need more real plants in the cage so he has places to hide and get away from the UVB if he wants too.
If his eyes are sunken because he's not drinking then if he drinks it will help that...but if he's sick it won't. Has he been pooping?
If he won't eat the crickets you can try buying a jar of baby food or making a veggie puree yourself and using a needle less syringe or eye dropper to put a little in his mouth....BE VERY CAREFUL... If any gets into his lungs because you didn't give him a little at a time so he can swallow it will not be good.
I hope you will figure this out quickly because he hasn't got much time left if you don't. Good luck.
Eddie Ridgeway
New Member
I didnt know that their eyes sunk in when they werent hydrated. i noticed it a little when he was dying (we couldnt burry him yet it was dark outside) so i just left him in the cage in the heat and when i went to take him out his eyes were completely sunk in to his skull. creepiest thing id seen in a year ._.
Eddie Ridgeway
New Member
Thank you. I seem to have very bad luck with chameleons. I've had 2 and neither has lasted very long and I don't know why. I followed everything by a book I got and I don't get how this one got sick. the other one was sent from Florida ( http://flchams.com/chameleons/premi...sale/premium-baby-veiled-chameleons-for-sale/ Baby chameleon from the Jethro bloodline) and he went from fine one hour and then I went back in his cage and he was dead with his tongue extended and all dark and crippled on the ground. this one had a bit of suffering, but again. I don't know WHY he got sick. what should I look at for the basic needs of these guys? I feel like I'm not doing anything right. and should I get an adult since they're hardier and won't get sick as easily?
RcManChild
Member
1. you cooked him, imagine is you were in a tinfoil box with a heat lamp on 24/7
2. not enough water...
If you decide to try another chameleon a few things to try...
1) you do not need a heat lamp, these radiat heat. should you choose to keep using one its not the end of the world but you need to watch your temps. At night generally room temperature is enough for them. Your temp is at 100 degrees from the picture. An Adult male should be 90-95 degrees at the basking spot with temps dropping as you move down the cage.
I would recommend getting a basking bulb and making sure that the basking temp is 90-95 degrees at only that spot. That should be enough for the chameleon.
2) chameleons drink moving water as you know. The waterfall is a sponge for bacteria unless you clean it every day or more, so get it out. It is better to mist longer and less frequently... So mist for 2-3 mins, 3x a day. This will allow water droplets to accumulate and give the chameleon to drink. Keeping humidity in the cage is not nearly as important as aloowing them to drink CLEAN water.
Fake plants are fine in my experience but does introduce risks.
Think of the tank as a system.
the top is the warmest where the chameleon can get. If its too hot for him he will move lower in the cage to a cooler location. What do you do in the sun when its to hot? move somewhere cool. This is what chameleons do.
Again when too hot you drink more water... The difference here is we can access a water bottle. where chameleons need water droplets or running water. The water fall you have is great for this. but if a cricket gets in these and then the chameleon drinks the water, the chameleon is basically drinking old, bacteria infused water which will cause signifigant health issues.
They also stress easily, to much stress leads to health issues. With some training and patience you can "train" a chameleon to be handled. If the chameleon is constantly scared of being eaten by your hand then he will not eat his own food... So when you 1st get a chameleon leave them be for 2-3 weeks. then SLOWLY introduce them to be handled. OR pick one that already enjoy being handled, and not one from a pet store.
Lights are on 11 hours a day.
The highest branch has a temp of 83 degrees where the chameleon would be. On the floor the temp is closer to 70-75....
She gets misted 4 x a day for a minimum of 2 mins each time.
The one issue is that the plants need to grow in...
My bulbs are different as I am using exo terra sun ray fixture, these provide both UVB and heat.
I gut load crickets. I use repashy gutload... i think... I mix with water, becomes a gel, drop into cricket container, feed to chameleon 24 hours later.
I also feed them horn worms once a week.
Things to look for
- appetite - 10 crickets every 2 days. If 8-9 crickets are still in cage on day two there is an issue...
- hydration - sunken eye, pinch the skin of the chameleon if it take 2 -3 seconds for the to go back to normal it is hydrated. if longer not as hydrated.
- size - weigh the chameleon on a weekly basis or so. if he starts dropping weight week after week issue.
- activity - although chameleons arent the most active, they will move around to regulate body temperature. day - day they should move a bit. They may sleep in the same spot every night however. Also hanging out on the ground is a sign of illness. They may go to the ground to get food or move about but they wont stay there for long at all.
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Goose502
Chameleon Enthusiast
Ok, fool me once...
I hope you have taken in this giant amount of great husbandry information. You have experienced two failures, it’s time to take a breather. This entire cage was set up wrong. I don’t know what book you used as reference, but it looks like you should start over. This forum can and will provide you with so much more information then most basic chameleon books will. The enclosure now needs to be taken apart and sterilized. I encourage you to look through the thousands of threads regarding proper enclosures. You need a stronger base to start with. Veiled chameleons are great for the “first chameleon” owner, but horrible for keepers who haven’t kept other reptiles first. When you feel confident about your enclosure, show us! We are more than happy to give our opinions on how it looks. When you’ve got a good enclosure going, look into feeders. Most of us breed our own feeders, or order online from reputable insect breeders (most are site sponsors). Please, do note purchase another chameleon until you’ve reached this point. You will be so much more confident with the next one. Look, we all learn from our mistakes. The beauty of this forum is with a little research, we can all learn from all of our collective mistakes, making us all better keepers. Do lots of research, set up a killer enclosure, then purchase from a reputable breeder. That formula makes failure hard to do. Good luck on the next one.
I hope you have taken in this giant amount of great husbandry information. You have experienced two failures, it’s time to take a breather. This entire cage was set up wrong. I don’t know what book you used as reference, but it looks like you should start over. This forum can and will provide you with so much more information then most basic chameleon books will. The enclosure now needs to be taken apart and sterilized. I encourage you to look through the thousands of threads regarding proper enclosures. You need a stronger base to start with. Veiled chameleons are great for the “first chameleon” owner, but horrible for keepers who haven’t kept other reptiles first. When you feel confident about your enclosure, show us! We are more than happy to give our opinions on how it looks. When you’ve got a good enclosure going, look into feeders. Most of us breed our own feeders, or order online from reputable insect breeders (most are site sponsors). Please, do note purchase another chameleon until you’ve reached this point. You will be so much more confident with the next one. Look, we all learn from our mistakes. The beauty of this forum is with a little research, we can all learn from all of our collective mistakes, making us all better keepers. Do lots of research, set up a killer enclosure, then purchase from a reputable breeder. That formula makes failure hard to do. Good luck on the next one.
Eddie Ridgeway
New Member
Ok. first off (dont take this personally this is to everyone) I PUT THE TINFOIL UP 2 DAYS BEFORE SO STOP SCREAMING AT ME FOR IT THE EXOTICS SPECIALIST TOLD US TO PUT IT UP BECAUSE HE WAS COLD
2. Give me a list please of everything i need to add, and everything i need to completely get rid of and just stop with it. (oh btw the fountain has a filter on it.)
Edit: i dont have a very big budget AT ALL! i saw the picture someone put up and though it looks completely awesome and im pretty sure when his chameleon passes away, heaven will be a DOWNGRADE. but i dont have enough money for a quarter of that cage. should i just sell my current setup and make it a project or can i work off what i have?
