In Need of some Help

[Lckyclvr4213]

We recently bought a Baby Veiled Chameleon, about 1 month old. I am just wanting to make sure he is getting enough water, I mist the cage throughout the day and we have a dripper but seeing how we have to rearrange the cage. B/c of the Vine getting to moist, the leaves that it drips on now or only like 2-3 of them. So thats why i mist more often, so what else can i do. The other thing is i know the salt comes through the nostrils, and i have gotten it off once, but im not sure if im hurting him. Also he had more salt on there today and i got most of it off but still looked like it was blocking his nostril what else can i do? One more thing, we have a UVB light and a Spot light. The cage is about 12*18*20 and the UVB Light is on the left hand side and the Spot light is on the right. We have a thermometer, but its only the sticker kind, and its right on the inside of the door. It constantly says 73-77,How can we make it warmer for him. We also put plastic rap on the back and both sides to keep more heat in. Any Suggestions on these things?

 

[zero742]

I had the same problem initially with keeping my heat up, so I went and bought a smaller infrared heat bulb and an 8" fixture to go with it. It brings the temps up considerably, but I did have to adjust my misitng schedule, as it seems like it wouldn't stay quite as humid as long as it should between misting. Having a hygrometer helps if you don't already have one with keeping the humidity constant.

 

[Lckyclvr4213]

We have a Infrared light for at nighttime that is 100w. I think putting some real plants in there would help, they just told us to not overcrowd his cage b/c hes so small?

 

[herpluv]

Infrared

Does the infrared light bring the temperature up? The reason I am asking is because they do need a nighttime to be cooler than the daytime heat, though, that is just what I read. Anybody else know about this?

 

[Brad]

Lckyclvr4213 ... welcome to the Chameleon Forums

A few suggestions:
I would not be manually removing the salt deposits you are seeing. This can add a lot of unneeded stress which does hurt your chameleon. Also, I recommend putting your lighting on top of the cage. This is more natural and allows your cham to move up or down to help regulate its temperature. Your temps are too low. Try a higher wattage bulb to increase the heat. You are going to need to unstick the thermometer or get another one; a hygrometer is needed as well (humidity).

1 month?
That is really young. Did you buy from a pet store?

herpluv: yes, a temperature drop at night is what you want. Just like in nature.

 

[Lckyclvr4213]

About the Lighting

We do have the infrared at the top of the cage, thats where all of his lights are at. But with the infrared at night its a 100w and with his cage not being that big it shines everywhere, there are about 2 dark spots up in left corner but thats it. Im not to sure he stays in the dark all the time during the night. The lady we got him from told us we needed the infrared 100w because we are in a basement? I just dont want this to screw with his sleeping paterns? Also with the salt, i called a guy and he told me to just use a moist cotton ball, if it doesnt fall off by itself so that he can still breath regularly? we are getting a hygrometer so that should help. Im just more worried about him being warm enough at night but also haveing dark places to go??

 

[nosferatu]

What is the wattage of your daytime spotlight? I would imagine the temperature beneath your spotlight (depends on how far from cage/basking spot) is higher than 73-77....be careful though as you have a very young cham that it does not get too warm (I have read that the ideal basking temperatures for baby chams should be lower than older chams...perhaps low 90's but someone else here should confirm that)

In general...you should not need the infrared light at night unless your house temperatures are really low (maybe <65 or so)

The best way to determine if your cham is getting enough water is to observe that he is actually drinking during or after you spray him. Also pay attention to his urates (white part of his excrement...if it becomes yellowish/orange then he is likely not getting enough water)...in addition...other signs such as sunken eyes and/or reduced "turgor" in his skin can indicate under-hydration

 

[Lckyclvr4213]

The wattage of our spotlight is 100w not sure of the UVB, and the spotlight is right ontop of his cage. We went out and got a Hygrometer today and its been staying between 45-50, but later tonight it dropped down to 39. Is it ok for it to drop that low at night? or how should we keep it up higher, he has a screen cage? i did the most research i could before we got him, but some things you just arent told about. Also when we came home today he was shedding like crazy, it was unbelievable. Any more suggestions!

 

[nosferatu]

Lckyclvr4213,

I think humidity levels around 60-70 is considered ideal...in my opinion it is more important to actually observe that your cham is drinking either from your drip system or during/after sprays...sometimes it requires quite a bit of spraying before he may actually start to drink...just experiment a little (spraying near him vs. lightly spraying on him for a few minutes...ensure proper drainage in your cage though)

Well...maybe I was wrong about your nighttime temps....39 degrees is definitely on the "too cold side" (are you chams inside?)...you may want to check the accuracy of your thermometer...Do you have any digital thermometers (e.g. cooking thermometer that you can move around the cage in different positions)...

I would also question the accuracy of the 73-77 degree reading with a 100 Watt spotlight (I think that maybe too strong for your cage size...depending on your ambient temp...I would think 50-60 W should be enough for that cage size...you don't want to cook your little cham) and your temps may actually be too high...Therefore, try to make sure you are getting accurate temp readings (what is the temp directly beneath the light in the highest area your cham can reach)...

 

[Brad]

Keeping your chams in a basement will make things more tricky. You will have to monitor the temperatures and humidity more closely. To add more heat you may want to try the ceramic bulbs. I don't have a lot of experience keeping chams outdoors or in basements (basements are rare in my area).

Nosferatu and others already offered some good advice.

 

[Lckyclvr4213]

Thanx for all the help!

The 39 temp was for the Humidity at night that it dropped down to, we would know better then to let the Actual Temp drop that low. Also we spray constantly and have a drip system, and never have caught him drinking. There are times that he likes when we lightly spray him and others where he doesnt. But his skin seems to be fine, and no sunken eyes, he just got done shedding today. Also for his "poop" its all white except just the very tip of it is yellowish/orange. Nothing really i think to worry about. Seeing how he is still a lil too small to go in the shower, we sometimes bring him up by the kitchen sink and he will sit on our hand while we have the water running, he likes the steam part, its very soft running water. Also about the Actual Temp. the Therometer is right in the middle of the cage, so its not actually catching the top temp. The side we have the UVB Light on he usually sits at the highest point, but where the Spotlight is at he is usually right in the middle not to high not to low.