I'm worried about our Cam

[Cam th Chameleon]

Chameleon Info: Cam the Chameleon

• Your Chameleon - Cam is a male. Approx 8 months old.
• Handling - We handle Cam about every two or three days.
• Feeding - We feed Cam mostly crickets, about 2-3 crickets in his enclosure every other day. We do gutload the feeders.
• Supplements - NatureZone cricket food and Flukers calcium
• Watering - We have a misting machine that mists the enclosure every hour for 14 seconds.
• Fecal Description - Looks pretty consistent with what we have read as normal BM.
• History - This is our first chameleon.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Wood and screen. It is approx 2' W x 2'D x 3'T. Plenty of sun and good heat lamp source. We keep it by the window and he seems to love hanging on the screen closest to the window.
• Lighting - Pet store bought lamp. It gets turned on in the morning. Sometimes we turn it off during the day if it is a hot day (we live in N Florida). We keep his enclosure next to a west facing window.
• Temperature - We have a temp gauge. Keep the basking area near the top of his cage at around 85. floor of his enclosure at approx 60 during the day.
• Humidity - We don't measure this.
• Plants - We have a large Sheffalera plant in his enclosure.
• Placement - The cage is rather large and sits on my son's bedroom floor. It is located beside his window.
• Location - N Florida

Current Problem - Cam is still fairly active (as chameleons go). He moves around. I just feel like he is very skinny and I personally have not seen him eat a cricket in weeks. We know that he is eating, bc we have to replenish the crickets every few days, but he looks skinny. When he was younger, he used to get excited when we opened his enclosure door and dropped crickets in. Now, I can put a cricket in front of him and most of the time, he acts like he doesn't even see them. We gut load pet store bought crickets. We do not add calcium powder every feeding, but instead, when we think about it, we will dust the crickets prior to putting them in the cage. Yesterday was the first day in a long time that he looked like he had a full belly. He is awake during the day, does not close his eyes during the day. We know when he is bedding down for the night (usually around 7-8 pm), bc he will find a spot on a branch or on the screen and curl his tail and close his eyes. Am I over reacting? Please help.

 

[Nursemaia]

You're enclosure is not big enough for a male veiled. He needs 2x2x4, it doesn't have nearly enough climbing branches, foliage or coverage, it shouldn't be sitting on the floor, you need to measure humidity, you need a uvb bulb in addition to his heat bulb, you need to mist less frequently but do much longer sessions, 2-3 crickets every 2 days isn't enough. He should be eating more than that. The crickets should be gutloaded and he needs a variety of feeders. You're also supplementing him incorrectly. It's calcium without D3 every feeding and calcium with D3 and a multivitamin 2x a month on alternate weeks.

 

[bobbydigital]

I noticed you only have one light. You're either missing a uvb bulb or a heat bulb. Being next to a window is not proper uvb light for them unless they're getting direct sunlight. Uvb does not penetrate through glass.

 

[Graves923]

Please read through this care sheet.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/

Follow everything completely. 2-3 crickets per day is not nearly enough let only every other day. Offer as much as he will eat in 5-10 minutes every day. My 7 month old male eats 10+ crickets everyday.

Gutload the feeders with fresh veggies like carrots, kale, escarole along with a good dry gutload like bug burger.

And as mentioned above, a proper supplement shedule and proper UVB lighting is a MUST. Otherwise, your cham will develop MBD.

Theres a lot of information to go through to properly care for a chameleon. Read the care sheet and fix one thing at a time.

 

[carol5208]

Please post a picture of your chameleon. Especially would like to view his legs. I am concerned of MBD without having a uvb light. You are basically starving him, so no wonder he is skinny. How long has he been in your care?

 

[opheliaeatsbugs]

You have found the right place to ask questions and improve your husbandry/care of your Cham. Obviously you care for him and making some changes will make him happier, he'll feel like eating and he'll stay healthy. That's a nice cage but it is too small for your chameleon. He's grown up and needs a larger home. Could you add to his current cage? Add another section to make it taller? Also... chams like to be higher than other creatures in his space (like you), could you elevate his cage so that he is not on the floor? He's probably nervous with everyone taller and bigger over him.

 

[Cam th Chameleon]

Guys, THANK YOU all sooo much for the insight! We didn't have a UVB light bc we put his cage in front of the window that gets a ton of light throughout the day, but I will buy a UVB light tomorrow! OMG, I feel like such a bad parent! We will enact these changes and I will post with his progress! I just hope it's not too late! Thank you!

 

[Cam th Chameleon]

Here's a current foto of Cam.

 

[opheliaeatsbugs]

He def doesn't look healthy I hope you can quickly make a few of the most important changes: he looks dehydrated to me, but I'm not a vet. You said his poop looked healthy but I'm wondering if the urates show any yellow or orange? 14 seconds isn't nearly enough time for him to get enough water - sometimes it takes a couple mins of misting before they start to drink. For example, Ophelia is misted 3x a day for 7 mins each time. Also, as stated, he needs a proper UVB right away. Take him out into the sun. Get a temperature and humidity gauge to make sure he is in the right range. He needs a bigger cage, more foliage, vines, etc. I think all this has been said already, sorry for the repeat. Read the care sheets and follow them 100%. I hope you can reverse his health. Keep us posted with progress

 

[Glen the Jackson's]

do everything that @Nursemaia said in his post. All of that stuff is needed and if provided you will have a happy cham!

 

[opheliaeatsbugs]

do everything that @Nursemaia said in his post. All of that stuff is needed and if provided you will have a happy cham!

"Her" post

 

[Glen the Jackson's]

He def doesn't look healthy I hope you can quickly make a few of the most important changes: he looks dehydrated to me, but I'm not a vet. You said his poop looked healthy but I'm wondering if the urates show any yellow or orange? 14 seconds isn't nearly enough time for him to get enough water - sometimes it takes a couple mins of misting before they start to drink. For example, Ophelia is misted 3x a day for 7 mins each time. Also, as stated, he needs a proper UVB right away. Take him out into the sun. Get a temperature and humidity gauge to make sure he is in the right range. He needs a bigger cage, more foliage, vines, etc. I think all this has been said already, sorry for the repeat. Read the care sheets and follow them 100%. I hope you can reverse his health. Keep us posted with progress

everyday i mist my cham with a bottle mister for like 15-25 mins and he LOVES it. fill it up with warm water and mist him so it replicates rain. as ophelia said, might take him a min or 2 to start drinking. usually takes mine about that.

 

[Glen the Jackson's]

"Her" post

sorry @Nursemaia !!! ***her***

 

[kinyonga]

UVB light does not travel through ordinary window glass so the chameleon needs a UVB light as nursemaia said.

 

[Cam th Chameleon]

I feel like he gets plenty of water. We hand mist also and he has gotten so used to it, that he even drinks from the water bottle. ONe thing we haven't done, which I just read is the water conditioner. We live in FL so the water is somewhat harsh. Wife is at teh store now getting UVB lamp, water conditioner, etc.

 

[Nursemaia]

I feel like he gets plenty of water. We hand mist also and he has gotten so used to it, that he even drinks from the water bottle. ONe thing we haven't done, which I just read is the water conditioner. We live in FL so the water is somewhat harsh. Wife is at teh store now getting UVB lamp, water conditioner, etc.

I seriously doubt he's getting enough water. He looks dehydrated

 

[Nursemaia]

If he's drinking from the water bottle that means he's really thirsty and that's not good. Is there any yellow or orange in his urates

 

[Glen the Jackson's]

usually chams will NEVER drink from a still water source such as a water bottle. they like to drink off of leaves as the fresh water is being sprayed onto them or around them. As i am misting mine, he literally drinks it out of the air as i am misting, drinks it as it runs in droplets on his face, or off of leaves around him. And i always mist him until he is done drinking, I always know when he is done when he starts to make his way to his basking spot lol

 

[leedragon]

you need like a sh*t more plants there. as it is now is like you mother put just a chair in your room and called a day. other things has already been pointed. your on a good way now.

 

[Glen the Jackson's]

oh and also, i would put the enclosure on a tall table, one where his highest point in the cage is taller than you. Makes them feel much more comfortable