I need help

[ChamChom]

So I'm trying to figure out if I need to take my veiled chameleon to the vet or not? I have money set aside but my car isn't working at the moment so I'm trying to judge how panicked I need to be. Anyway.

I have a young veiled chameleon named Virgo. I did get him from PetSmart which I have now learned is a horrible thing and I feel really guilty for contributing to that. Nothing I can do about that now, Virgo is in my care and is here to stay.

I noticed gaping a few hours ago. The ac was off (I have a windows unit, not cental ac) so after a little research I thought maybe he was just hot and turned the ac on to cool him down. The gaping is still happening. I left the room and when I came back his mouth was almost unhinged but he snapped it shut when I got close to his cage. I'm sitting about 2ft away now and he's started gaping again but it's not as wide. I'm scared maybe a breathing issue as he's sitting close to the heat lamp so he can't be too hot, and doesn't do it at me so it can't be defense. If it's thought I do need a vet I live in the Dallas area, the side away from FW. Please help I just got him and he's just a baby.

He has not had a UVB light for a minute. My cats managed to knock it to the ground and it ended up broken. I do have a new one available to me, but it is about 45 minutes away and as I said my car is out of commission. I am doing what I can to get him some rays. Take him outside for about 15 minutes each day to sit in the sun around midday but it is getting cooler.

He eats around 12 crickets a day, most of them during the morning time. His lights go on and off at 8&8 everyday. His cage gets misted around 3 times, and he has a fogger for at night that he sleeps above. He main food is crickets but he does occasionally get mealworms. I have not found any roaches that would be small enough for him. I used to dust his food in calcium powder but now use drops for the crickets. Just a little on their food tray (i feed them veggies and stuff) I'm wondering if I need to reintroduce dusting though?

I put a picture of the gaping. It's far away since I just zoomed in so that he wouldn't close his mouth again. Another one of him just trying to climb onto the ceiling. The plant in his cage is a pothos, he has eaten a little bit of it. He is playing stripper off of his dripper tube. I think it's to get closer to the heat lamp? He still does it even when it's warm so I am unsure if it's a cold thing or a "I know you don't like this" thing. His veil is a little grey, which means burn (before the gaping happened. it darkens whenever his body darkens aswell)? It did get like smaller and less grey with a shedding. it's just on the very tops of his ridges.

He is moving around a lot, and his eyes look normal. His color is pretty dark though. He recently had his first shed aswell, it only took him a day he did really good

He's my first reptile. I've learned they're not first time reptile pets, but I am doing my best. I'm researching almost constantly, and trying to think back to when I was 10 and wanted one and my mom made me write a paper to prove I could handle it. I am now 18, me and my boyfriend got him together when we just went in to look at the cats. I know it's irresponsible and I've apologized to the lizard. Me and Virgo have been learning along the way and just need some help

Also an age estimate from someone experienced? PetSmart couldn't tell me, of course.

Thank you!

 

[Beman]

So I'm trying to figure out if I need to take my veiled chameleon to the vet or not? I have money set aside but my car isn't working at the moment so I'm trying to judge how panicked I need to be. Anyway.

I have a young veiled chameleon named Virgo. I did get him from PetSmart which I have now learned is a horrible thing and I feel really guilty for contributing to that. Nothing I can do about that now, Virgo is in my care and is here to stay.

I noticed gaping a few hours ago. The ac was off (I have a windows unit, not cental ac) so after a little research I thought maybe he was just hot and turned the ac on to cool him down. The gaping is still happening. I left the room and when I came back his mouth was almost unhinged but he snapped it shut when I got close to his cage. I'm sitting about 2ft away now and he's started gaping again but it's not as wide. I'm scared maybe a breathing issue as he's sitting close to the heat lamp so he can't be too hot, and doesn't do it at me so it can't be defense. If it's thought I do need a vet I live in the Dallas area, the side away from FW. Please help I just got him and he's just a baby.

He has not had a UVB light for a minute. My cats managed to knock it to the ground and it ended up broken. I do have a new one available to me, but it is about 45 minutes away and as I said my car is out of commission. I am doing what I can to get him some rays. Take him outside for about 15 minutes each day to sit in the sun around midday but it is getting cooler.

He eats around 12 crickets a day, most of them during the morning time. His lights go on and off at 8&8 everyday. His cage gets misted around 3 times, and he has a fogger for at night that he sleeps above. He main food is crickets but he does occasionally get mealworms. I have not found any roaches that would be small enough for him. I used to dust his food in calcium powder but now use drops for the crickets. Just a little on their food tray (i feed them veggies and stuff) I'm wondering if I need to reintroduce dusting though?

I put a picture of the gaping. It's far away since I just zoomed in so that he wouldn't close his mouth again. Another one of him just trying to climb onto the ceiling. The plant in his cage is a pothos, he has eaten a little bit of it. He is playing stripper off of his dripper tube. I think it's to get closer to the heat lamp? He still does it even when it's warm so I am unsure if it's a cold thing or a "I know you don't like this" thing. His veil is a little grey, which means burn (before the gaping happened. it darkens whenever his body darkens aswell)? It did get like smaller and less grey with a shedding. it's just on the very tops of his ridges.

He is moving around a lot, and his eyes look normal. His color is pretty dark though. He recently had his first shed aswell, it only took him a day he did really good

He's my first reptile. I've learned they're not first time reptile pets, but I am doing my best. I'm researching almost constantly, and trying to think back to when I was 10 and wanted one and my mom made me write a paper to prove I could handle it. I am now 18, me and my boyfriend got him together when we just went in to look at the cats. I know it's irresponsible and I've apologized to the lizard. Me and Virgo have been learning along the way and just need some help

Also an age estimate from someone experienced? PetSmart couldn't tell me, of course.

Thank you!

Hey there welcome to the forum. What wattage is the heat lamp your using? Make sure you are not running the fogger during the day. Wet fog and heat can lead to a respiratory infection.

Can you post more pics for me? And include the entire set up you have.

Per some of your questions. No liquid supplements. There are specific powdered ones you need to use.

Sun in the meantime is good but you want to get a T5HO fixture ordered with either a 5.0 or 6% bulb. I would buy a 24 inch fixture because the adult cage will need that length.

 

[ChamChom]

UPDATE: I just saw him eating some substrate. I will be removing. It's ReptiBark. The thinnest possible layer just to hold moiser so it didn't flow out of the cage. It's a mesh cage btw, Small Zilla Fresh Air Screen Habitat.

what should I use at the bottom of his enclosure to prevent him from consuming it?

ALSO there is no noise when he breaths, and there is not head tilting. I've turned off his heat lamp incase he was overheating. Thermometer said 60 but I think it's wrong as the mesh was warm to the touch. The lamp sits about an inch away from the top of the cage. Humidity was at 80, is that too high for day time?

 

[ERKleRose]

No substrate at all, take all of it out ASAP
What do you use to measure the temps? You’ll want the heat bulb 9”+ away from the basking area
The humidity is way too high for during the day (30-50% daytime), that plus the heat and gasping is almost a sure sign of a respiratory infection, so you need to take him to the vet

 

[ChamChom]

Hey there welcome to the forum. What wattage is the heat lamp your using? Make sure you are not running the fogger during the day. Wet fog and heat can lead to a respiratory infection.

Can you post more pics for me? And include the entire set up you have.

Per some of your questions. No liquid supplements. There are specific powdered ones you need to use.

Sun in the meantime is good but you want to get a T5HO fixture ordered with either a 5.0 or 6% bulb. I would buy a 24 inch fixture because the adult cage will need that length.

Heat lamp is I belive 50watt, Thrive Daytime Blue bulb

Fogger does not run during the day, just for night time, gets turned on at 8pm when his lights get turned off. Along with a misting.

Enclosure is a Small Zilla Fresh Air Screen Habitat.

I will switch back to the powder for calcium. It's repticalcuim without d3. That's the bulb I have available to me, my aunt used to have a cham and never gave away the expensive parts lol, brand new bulb still in box waiting I just need to get there.

 

[Beman]

Start reading this...It will tell you how to have everything set up then ask questions here. https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/
and this one. Note on this one you have a young one so basking not hotter than 80 at the branch. https://chameleonacademy.com/veiled-chameleon-care/

You will need to make a lot of changes. that cage is far too small and not set up for a chameleon. You need to order a 2x2x4 or order a kit by Neptune the chameleon. https://www.pangeareptile.com/blogs...0Tng3aLGxgYOKdxM498NRICFRWSY-mxjZsdXpgmKd8Of4
Take out everything... no waterfall no cone and whatever that blue thing is. Nothing on the bottom at all no bark and no rocks. bare bottom only. You need some full veiled test plants. You will cover the dirt of the pots with 1-2 inch river rock sold at craft stores. Then he can not eat the dirt. You need to go collect branches outside. Nothing from a pine tree, cedar tree, almost anything else will be fine. They are arboreal so the only thing in the cage should be the plants and the branches.

You have a young male.

If you see continued gaping that indicate respiratory infection... Baby is trying to get higher because there is also no UVB source.

You will want to scroll up through your thread. You will only get notifications on the very last post to your thread.

 

[ChamChom]

No substrate at all, take all of it out ASAP
What do you use to measure the temps? You’ll want the heat bulb 9”+ away from the basking area
The humidity is way too high for during the day (30-50% daytime), that plus the heat and gasping is almost a sure sign of a respiratory infection, so you need to take him to the vet

Working on the substrate removal right now. Since he likes to hang from the ceiling and on the dripper tube sould I have the bulb 9" away from the top and just ignore the basking area until he stops climbing like that?

I put a picture of the thermometer. It was on the ground when I found it (sticky gave up) so I think it may be off by a lot. Do you know of a better one I could be using?

I'll stop misting mid day to keep the humidity lower.

Searching for a exotic vet now. If you know of any in Dallas please share

 

[Sonny13]

You’re already in good hands and it’s already mentioned the high humidity, but I’m seeing some kind of fogger or humidifier active during daytime. Advised is to use them only when lights are off and temps under 65 (<70), otherwise you’re risking a URI. This is also increasing your humidity.

 

[ERKleRose]

Working on the substrate removal right now. Since he likes to hang from the ceiling and on the dripper tube sould I have the bulb 9" away from the top and just ignore the basking area until he stops climbing like that?

I put a picture of the thermometer. It was on the ground when I found it (sticky gave up) so I think it may be off by a lot. Do you know of a better one I could be using?

I'll stop misting mid day to keep the humidity lower.

Searching for an exotic vet now. If you know of any in Dallas please share

Younger chameleons love to screen climb, plus him looking for uvb makes that even more so. Have his basking branch at the top but to where his back and casque are not touching the top screen at all. Good job on moving the bulb and taking out the substrate! When you get your 24” T5HO Arcadia 6% or Zoo Med 5.0 uvb bulb, you’ll want that 8-9” away from his basking branch, as well.

That thermometer is no good, what you’ll want to get is a digital thermometer with a probe, and place the probe where the top of his back is when he’s on his basking branch. Depending on his age, you’ll want the temperature there to be between 80-85*F. You’ll want another digital thermometer near the bottom of his cage, along with 2 hygrometers, 1 near the top and 1 near the bottom of his cage, as well

What’s his current misting schedule and lengths of each misting, and do you know if his fogged is cool mist or warm mist?

@Gingero lives in Dallas and has a great vet! I’ve also attached a vet list below

 

[ChamChom]

Younger chameleons love to screen climb, plus him looking for uvb makes that even more so. Have his basking branch at the top but to where his back and casque are not touching the top screen at all. Good job on moving the bulb and taking out the substrate! When you get your 24” T5HO Arcadia 6% or Zoo Med 5.0 uvb bulb, you’ll want that 8-9” away from his basking branch, as well.

That thermometer is no good, what you’ll want to get is a digital thermometer with a probe, and place the probe where the top of his back is when he’s on his basking branch. Depending on his age, you’ll want the temperature there to be between 80-85*F. You’ll want another digital thermometer near the bottom of his cage, along with 2 hygrometers, 1 near the top and 1 near the bottom of his cage, as well

What’s his current misting schedule and lengths of each misting, and do you know if his fogged is cool mist or warm mist?

@Gingero lives in Dallas and has a great vet! I’ve also attached a vet list below

thank you so much for the vet rec & list!

he gets misted with a normal spray bottle for just a couple sprays at 8am, and 8pm when I turn his lights. the mid day one is less scheduled but usually around 3 or 4. should I adjust the times and/or be more structured with it? Oh and is tap water okay? I keep reading mixed things. - I feel like I'm doing this part completely wrong honestly.

the fogger (random blue thing at the bottom) is actully a diffuser from walmart. it has never once had oils in it and has been only water creating a vapor, it comes out cold. I presume I will be told to get something different and I am looking as I type this. what qualifies as a good fogger? This is also only ever turned on at night when the lights go off. It automatically cuts off when it runs out of water which is always before morning.

I'll start looking for digital thermometers and hydrometers now.

I went outside and gathers some more plants for his cage like another person advised. some garden thyme and some Walmart has umbrella trees so I will be ordering one of those when payday comes. I've been slowly getting more plants since I got him, I haven't had him for long but I always knew the pothos wasn't enough. I've also heard spearmint is good? should I get some of that?

Getting the uvb the second my car gets fixed which should be this weekend! I'll make sure to mount it high up

I haven't noticed any gaping since I turned off the heat lamp and let it cool off a bit. I have since turned it back on so he doesn't freeze but have moved it several inches up. It's about 5" from the top of his cage and the recommended 9" from his basking area (the horizontal wood ladder. He loves the thing I promise. ik wood is frowned upon but the second it even hints at rotting, mildew, or mold I'll be removing and replacing. thats why he doesnt have a branch right now it started getting squishy and rotting. he was also attempting to eat it. working on finding a long term replacement.)

I'm starting to think that maybe it was a combination of over heating and he ate a lot of his crickets back to back with no real time to swallow or digest so maybe his tummy hurt?

Should I be not offering a whole bunch of crickets at a time? like should I only offer 3 or 4 a couple times a day instead of all at once in the morning? and does he need to be fed everyday or every other? right now I'm doing every morning. and does he need more than crickets? I've looked into dubia roaches but all the ones I find are like super big and I don't think he'll be able to chew them.

I'm going to use this reply to thank everyone for their advice. I truly am trying to be a better chameleon parent and deeply regret buying him on a whim the way I did. But I'm making an active attempt to learn and better his home and life. Virgo is too cute to not have everything he needs and me being unprepared is no excuse. I just hope he can forgive me once his home is better.

 

[Beman]

I'm going to use this reply to thank everyone for their advice. I truly am trying to be a better chameleon parent and deeply regret buying him on a whim the way I did. But I'm making an active attempt to learn and better his home and life. Virgo is too cute to not have everything he needs and me being unprepared is no excuse. I just hope he can forgive me once his home is better.

Most of us start out very similar to where you are at now... I have been in this hobby for 6 years now. My boy Beman is 6 and a half years old now. Take a look at my thread from his 5th bday. A little bit of inspiration for you. https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/happy-5th-birthday-beman-and-newbie-inspiration.190137/

 

[ERKleRose]

thank you so much for the vet rec & list! No problem, we’re here to help!

he gets misted with a normal spray bottle for just a couple sprays at 8am, and 8pm when I turn his lights. the mid day one is less scheduled but usually around 3 or 4. should I adjust the times and/or be more structured with it? Oh and is tap water okay? I keep reading mixed things. - I feel like I'm doing this part completely wrong honestly. For his mistings, you’ll want them to be at least two minutes long each time, as that is how long it takes to elicit a drinking response. Depending on your humidity levels, it could need to be longer or even add in a late afternoon misting (3-4pm is fine). If your humidity is good during the day, and he needs to be hydrated more, a dripper is perfect! Only use tap water if it is treated with a water conditioner first, but I would avoid it if you can. I personally use and recommend reverse osmosis/ distilled water, especially if you get an automated misting system (like Mist King or CliMist). In fact, most people only use ro/di water

the fogger (random blue thing at the bottom) is actully a diffuser from walmart. it has never once had oils in it and has been only water creating a vapor, it comes out cold. I presume I will be told to get something different and I am looking as I type this. what qualifies as a good fogger? This is also only ever turned on at night when the lights go off. It automatically cuts off when it runs out of water which is always before morning. @JacksJill will give a better answer than me for the diffuser, as I’ve never used one. You can use a people humidifier or a reptile fogger, as long as it is a cool mist one only. Keep it out of the cage and use tubing without any crinkles in it, like vinyl/aquarium tubing. Place the tubing so the fog rolls down from the top of the cage, and make sure to clean the fogger and tubing as it can hold a lot of bacteria if left uncleaned. The Chameleon Academy website has a good fogging schedule you can use, and once you get more humidity info and become more comfortable and see what your cham needs, you can tweak it from there!

I'll start looking for digital thermometers and hydrometers now. Awesome!

I went outside and gathers some more plants for his cage like another person advised. some garden thyme and some Walmart has umbrella trees so I will be ordering one of those when payday comes. I've been slowly getting more plants since I got him, I haven't had him for long but I always knew the pothos wasn't enough. I've also heard spearmint is good? should I get some of that? Veiled will eat their plants, so I’d stick to only the ones on the Chameleon Academy’s safe plant list to be safe. Make sure you clean the plants and repot them in fertilizer-and-pesticide-free orangic potting soil. I add organic worm castings to the plants as a natural plant food myself to give them an extra boost! Make sure that when you’re putting the rocks over the soil that they’re too big for him to eat

Getting the uvb the second my car gets fixed which should be this weekend! I'll make sure to mount it high up Great! Make sure to have it at the right distance. You can keep bringing him outside even after you get his uvb bulb, it’s great enrichment, and the real sun is always better than fake sun! If you’re taking him out consistently, you’ll need to cut any D3 supplements out of his diet. He’ll be fine for now, so don’t worry about it yet

I haven't noticed any gaping since I turned off the heat lamp and let it cool off a bit. I have since turned it back on so he doesn't freeze but have moved it several inches up. It's about 5" from the top of his cage and the recommended 9" from his basking area (the horizontal wood ladder. He loves the thing I promise. ik wood is frowned upon but the second it even hints at rotting, mildew, or mold I'll be removing and replacing. thats why he doesnt have a branch right now it started getting squishy and rotting. he was also attempting to eat it. working on finding a long term replacement.) Once you get replacement branches (he needs tons, all throughout this cage and then his bigger cage, too), take the ladder out. The only “furnishings” that should be in his cage are branches, safe vines, and safe plants

I'm starting to think that maybe it was a combination of over heating and he ate a lot of his crickets back to back with no real time to swallow or digest so maybe his tummy hurt? How big of crickets are you feeding him? It sounds like a respiratory infection, so I’d take him to the vet to be safe. Make sure to bring fresh poop of his (less than 24 hours old and stored in the fridge) with you so the vet can run a fecal (you’ll want 3 fecals in a row tested to make he is clear of parasites)

Should I be not offering a whole bunch of crickets at a time? like should I only offer 3 or 4 a couple times a day instead of all at once in the morning? and does he need to be fed everyday or every other? right now I'm doing every morning. and does he need more than crickets? I've looked into dubia roaches but all the ones I find are like super big and I don't think he'll be able to chew them. In the morning is perfect as it’ll give him the rest of the day to warm up and digest them. Hold is he? @Beman can give you a good feeding schedule, as I have no idea on male veileds that aren’t fully grown. You can order bugs online! They come in tons of sizes, so you can offer a big variety without having to worry about them coming in too big! The food sponsors on here are great! There’s lots of other websites, too, so let us know if you need any recommendations! Make sure you gutload (feed) your insects before feeding them off. I’ll add gutload and feeder variety sheets once I post this, along with a safe plants list

I'm going to use this reply to thank everyone for their advice. I truly am trying to be a better chameleon parent and deeply regret buying him on a whim the way I did. But I'm making an active attempt to learn and better his home and life. Virgo is too cute to not have everything he needs and me being unprepared is no excuse. I just hope he can forgive me once his home is better. Tons of people have started out like this, no worries. The important thing is that you’re asking for help and taking the info and improving!

 

[ERKleRose]

Here’s the images and the plant list link, along with a link to the forum’s food sponsors!
https://chameleonacademy.com/plants/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/sponsors/?tag=food

 

[MissSkittles]

You are getting help and advice from some of the very best keepers so I have nothing to add. I just wanted to pop in and say Hi and welcome to the forum! You aren’t alone in starting out a bit rough and no doubt that you’ll be learning how and making changes to give Virgo a great life. Very glad that you found your way here.