Is he chubby?

While perusing the Josh’s Frogs website I see that they sell soil. Have you ever heard about it? I am hesitant to bake my soil now after hearing from @MissSkittles .

I am seriously considering just buying a much better Dragon Strand or Tamura from another member. Tax return here I come! 😂
That way a natural plant environment would be much easier. You have a very fair point about plastic sheets…
Picking Schitts Creek GIF by CBC


Should I post my husbandry form here or is there a specific thread for that?
are the dubia pellets from dubia.com ok or should I purchase the bug burger?
Dubia dew

Roach chow

I am going to call regarding the insurance. Hoping it’s still not too expensive but am more than happy to pay the vet and get reimbursed than just pay the vet and get nothing 😆.

Also, thank you both for taking time out of your day to help me and share your experience and knowledge. It is appreciated more than you know ❤️.
 
You can post it here, just copy and paste. Then fill it out. :)

Chameleon Info:

  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with, and what is the schedule?
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long do you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
  • Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high-traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem -
 
Your Chameleon:


  • The species, sex, and age of your chameleon.
    • Panther-ambilobe, male, est. close to 3 years old. I'm not sure of his exact birthdate.








Handling -


  • How often do you handle your chameleon?
    • I usually let him choose when he wants to come out. He is very chill so even if I need to give him a body check he doesn't mind being coaxed. He also comes out when I clean or deep clean his enclosure.




Feeding -


  • What are you feeding your cham?
    • Hornworms, dubia, wax worms, super worms, nutrigrubs occasionally(we went over this and I am making changes)
    • I went to the reptile show yesterday and picked up some silkworms and more hornworms
  • What amount?
    • 5-7 of the smaller dubia every other day. Depending on his mood he might eat a superworm or wax worm also. Then he gets a horn worm for dessert. He gets a couple wax worms in his feeder along with a couple super worms but there’s a 50% chance he'll eat them. (we went over this and I am making changes)




  • What is the schedule?
    • Every other day




  • How are you gut-loading your feeders?
    • Dubia get the dubia pellets from dubia.com and water crystals
    • Hornworms get the powder made hornworm food
    • Superworms-the food they are shipped with
    • Wax worms- none




Supplements -


  • What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with, and what is the schedule?
    • Repti Calcium No D each feeding( we covered this and I replaced with Repashy)
    • Repcal Herptivite twice a month ( we covered this and I replaced with Repashy)




Watering –


  • What kind of watering technique do you use?
    • The Big Dripper
    • Exoterra monsoon solo 2 mister




  • How often and how long do you mist?
    • mist is about every two hours for 1-2 minutes

( this has since been adjusted)


  • Do you see your chameleon drinking?
    • No (unless with the syringe)







Fecal Description -


  • Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings.
    • Brown with mucous
  • Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
    • He was treated by a vet on October 18th with parasitic medication. He wasn't shedding properly and was having strange looking poops. There was never a fecal exam done as I couldn't collect one before the appointment. I was to take him in again if his symptoms didn't improve-which they did. This is when I also found out that the UV bulbs need to be changed out yearly regardless of light production. I purchased a new one and he started shedding almost immediately and the poops improved.




History -


  • Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.







Cage Info:





Cage Type –


  • Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?)
    • I have a reptizoo 24'' x 18'' x 36'' Reptile Terrarium

https://www.wayfair.com/pet/pdp/reptizoo-55-gallons-terrarium-rptz1029.html





Lighting –


  • What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using?
    • Reptisun T5 HO 24" linear fluorescent bulb with reflection UV
    • Zoomed Repti basking 50W bulb




  • · What is your daily lighting schedule?
    • The lights turn on around 7am and off at 8pm on a timer

Temperature –


  • What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)?
    • at night about 60 degrees, basking spot is 80-84 degrees and bottom is about 69 degrees




  • Lowest overnight temp?
    • about 60 degrees




  • How do you measure these temps?








Humidity –


  • What are your humidity levels?
    • around 50- I need to either get a different timer with options for day and night or a new fogger/mister












Plants –


























Placement –


  • Where is your cage located?
    • Dining room
  • Is it near any fans, air vents, or high-traffic areas?
    • no
  • At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
    • i'd say about 5’ 6" or 5’7”




Location –


  • Where are you geographically located?
    • Washington state
 
Left at 3pm and finally got home about 5pm from the vet. He refused to stay in the container on the way home so that was fun 🤦🏻‍♀️. He was great on the way there but I’m pretty sure now he associates the container with having blood taken and wasn’t taking the chance. He’s still puffed a bit and not happy with me. Sitting in the corner giving some fierce side eye 😒.
 
Beman said:
I buy mine on amazon. I would just buy it where ever and keep using your plain no D3 until you get it.

I did not realize you had that kind of cage. Note with cutting the glass, I have seen these break the panel. So you could buy a wet vac instead. and wet vac the bare bottom of the cage.

2 minutes is better than a shorter period. Just add a dripper.

So reptile insurance is either really good or not worth it depending on the luck you end up with lol. This is the one typically purchased. https://www.petinsurance.com/exotics/lizards-reptiles-frogs/
Just note you pay the bill upfront to the vet then provide the receipt to nationwide and they reimburse you. Keep in mind they will not cover any prior issues that the vet has seen the cham for.

Framschams always has silkworms and great pricing.

Bug burger is good for dubia not silkworms. Silks and hornworms need their own specific chow.

So the live plant controversy... I think of it this way and I may sound stupid... to me fake plastic plants for my cham is the equivalent of me sleeping and sitting on plastic sheets and plastic covered furniture. I would not want to do that so I do not think my cham would prefer hard plastic over real plants. Also real plants help balance humidity and keep the air cleaner. I use the happy frog organic soil. @MissSkittles has baked soil and can tell you specifics on that. But no you would not end up with more gnats later unless you brought in new plants. I literally have not seen fungus gnats in years. Took about 4 months after I moved for them to all die off and not one since.

You are always more than welcome to post your husbandry form at any time for a member to give you a review. @MissSkittles and I tend to be the ones that go through them but other members are starting to join in on the fun.
Click to expand...
I called Nationwide and got a quote. About $18/month or $180/yearly. $250 deductible then 70% covered up to $10,000 per year.
 
janjan20 said:
You can post it here, just copy and paste. Then fill it out. :)

Chameleon Info:

  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with, and what is the schedule?
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long do you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
  • Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high-traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem -
Click to expand...
I wasn't sure if I was supposed to tag anyone when I completed the form?
 
I squished it up and am breaking this into 2 parts. I will have my feedback in bold.
Your Chameleon:

  • The species, sex, and age of your chameleon.
    • Panther-ambilobe, male, est. close to 3 years old. I'm not sure of his exact birthdate. Ok
  • How long has it been in your care?
Handling -
  • How often do you handle your chameleon?
    • I usually let him choose when he wants to come out. He is very chill so even if I need to give him a body check he doesn't mind being coaxed. He also comes out when I clean or deep clean his enclosure. Awesome
Feeding -
  • What are you feeding your cham?
    • Hornworms, dubia, wax worms, super worms, nutrigrubs occasionally(we went over this and I am making changes)
    • I went to the reptile show yesterday and picked up some silkworms and more hornworms Great variety
  • What amount?
    • 5-7 of the smaller dubia every other day. Depending on his mood he might eat a superworm or wax worm also. Then he gets a horn worm for dessert. He gets a couple wax worms in his feeder along with a couple super worms but there’s a 50% chance he'll eat them. (we went over this and I am making changes) Without looking back and rereading everything, I’ll say to take it easy in the supers and waxworms since they are very fatty. I feed all of mine Mon, Wed & Fri and will give a small treat in one of the weekend days - a superworm or couple of waxworms or a hornworm.
  • What is the schedule?
    • Every other day
  • How are you gut-loading your feeders?
    • Dubia get the dubia pellets from dubia.com and water crystals You should add in some fresh produce as well, to round out their diet. From the Dubiaroaches.com site: This dubia food combined with quality fresh produce will assure that your roaches are ready to feed to your pet.
    • Hornworms get the powder made hornworm food
    • Superworms-the food they are shipped with Maybe give them a slice of carrot or similar every now and then for hydration
    • Wax worms- none
Supplements -
  • What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with, and what is the schedule?
    • Repti Calcium No D each feeding( we covered this and I replaced with Repashy)
    • Repcal Herptivite twice a month ( we covered this and I replaced with Repashy)Ok
Watering –
  • What kind of watering technique do you use?
    • The Big Dripper
    • Exoterra monsoon solo 2 mister
  • How often and how long do you mist?
    • mist is about every two hours for 1-2 minutes ( this has since been adjusted) Do you mean you’ve adjusted it to or from this? Every 2 hours is far too often. Usually misting for about 2 minutes twice a day (right before lights on and off) is enough.
  • Do you see your chameleon drinking?
    • No (unless with the syringe) Many are very secretive about drinking
Fecal Description -
  • Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings.
    • Brown with mucous
  • Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
    • He was treated by a vet on October 18th with parasitic medication. He wasn't shedding properly and was having strange looking poops. There was never a fecal exam done as I couldn't collect one before the appointment. I was to take him in again if his symptoms didn't improve-which they did. This is when I also found out that the UV bulbs need to be changed out yearly regardless of light production. I purchased a new one and he started shedding almost immediately and the poops improved. In the future, I advise not letting any vet give any parasitic med without identifying what and even if your chameleon has parasites. Those meds can be hard on the kidneys (I think all meds are) and each type of parasite has its own type of treatment.
History -
  • Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
 
Cage Info:
Cage Type –
  • Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?)
    • I have a reptizoo 24'' x 18'' x 36'' Reptile Terrarium This is a bit smaller than is ideal. The standard minimum is 2x2x4’. I’ve upgraded mine to double sized and after seeing how much my chameleons use all of the space, encourage giving them as much space as you can.
https://www.wayfair.com/pet/pdp/reptizoo-55-gallons-terrarium-rptz1029.html
Lighting –
  • What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using?
    • Reptisun T5 HO 24" linear fluorescent bulb with reflection UV Perfect. This will need to be changed every 6-8 months (unless you have a solarmeter with which to test the output). Arcadia bulbs last for a year, so next time you may want to get an Arcadia 6%.
    • Zoomed Repti basking 50W bulb
  • · What is your daily lighting schedule?
    • The lights turn on around 7am and off at 8pm on a timer Good
Temperature –
  • What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)?
    • at night about 60 degrees, basking spot is 80-84 degrees and bottom is about 69 degrees Good
  • Lowest overnight temp?
    • about 60 degrees Good
  • How do you measure these temps?
  • digital probe thermometer at the basking spot https://a.co/d/dnUGcg6
Humidity –
Plants –
Placement –
  • Where is your cage located?
    • Dining room
  • Is it near any fans, air vents, or high-traffic areas?
    • no
  • At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
    • i'd say about 5’ 6" or 5’7” Good
Location –
  • Where are you geographically located?
    • Washington state
Not sure specifically if there’s an issue that I’m looking for the cause or you are just wanting to double check everything. Again, I’m being lazy and not going back and rereading. Your husbandry looks good to me. Just a few improvements for it to be even better. I’m sure @Beman already advised you on a good way to help your guy lose a bit of weight. I don’t know if his gular edema could be related to him being a bit chubby, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it is. Unlike us, chameleons are more sensitive to being overweight and their bodies don’t handle it well at all. A good way to give him more exercise and a way to compensate for a smaller than ideal enclosure is to create a free range area for him to hang out on for a few hours every week. If you have other animals (cats or dogs) they will have to be locked out of the room. Just remember that if you do this, height is very important. I hope I’ve been of some help to you. If I wasn’t clear on anything, just let me know. :)
 
MissSkittles said:
I squished it up and am breaking this into 2 parts. I will have my feedback in bold.
Your Chameleon:

  • The species, sex, and age of your chameleon.
    • Panther-ambilobe, male, est. close to 3 years old. I'm not sure of his exact birthdate. Ok
  • How long has it been in your care?
Handling -
  • How often do you handle your chameleon?
    • I usually let him choose when he wants to come out. He is very chill so even if I need to give him a body check he doesn't mind being coaxed. He also comes out when I clean or deep clean his enclosure. Awesome
Feeding -
  • What are you feeding your cham?
    • Hornworms, dubia, wax worms, super worms, nutrigrubs occasionally(we went over this and I am making changes)
    • I went to the reptile show yesterday and picked up some silkworms and more hornworms Great variety
  • What amount?
    • 5-7 of the smaller dubia every other day. Depending on his mood he might eat a superworm or wax worm also. Then he gets a horn worm for dessert. He gets a couple wax worms in his feeder along with a couple super worms but there’s a 50% chance he'll eat them. (we went over this and I am making changes) Without looking back and rereading everything, I’ll say to take it easy in the supers and waxworms since they are very fatty. I feed all of mine Mon, Wed & Fri and will give a small treat in one of the weekend days - a superworm or couple of waxworms or a hornworm.
  • What is the schedule?
    • Every other day
  • How are you gut-loading your feeders?
    • Dubia get the dubia pellets from dubia.com and water crystals You should add in some fresh produce as well, to round out their diet. From the Dubiaroaches.com site: This dubia food combined with quality fresh produce will assure that your roaches are ready to feed to your pet.
    • Hornworms get the powder made hornworm food
    • Superworms-the food they are shipped with Maybe give them a slice of carrot or similar every now and then for hydration
    • Wax worms- none
Supplements -
  • What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with, and what is the schedule?
    • Repti Calcium No D each feeding( we covered this and I replaced with Repashy)
    • Repcal Herptivite twice a month ( we covered this and I replaced with Repashy)Ok
Watering –
  • What kind of watering technique do you use?
    • The Big Dripper
    • Exoterra monsoon solo 2 mister
  • How often and how long do you mist?
    • mist is about every two hours for 1-2 minutes ( this has since been adjusted) Do you mean you’ve adjusted it to or from this? Every 2 hours is far too often. Usually misting for about 2 minutes twice a day (right before lights on and off) is enough.
  • Do you see your chameleon drinking?
    • No (unless with the syringe) Many are very secretive about drinking
Fecal Description -
  • Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings.
    • Brown with mucous
  • Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
    • He was treated by a vet on October 18th with parasitic medication. He wasn't shedding properly and was having strange looking poops. There was never a fecal exam done as I couldn't collect one before the appointment. I was to take him in again if his symptoms didn't improve-which they did. This is when I also found out that the UV bulbs need to be changed out yearly regardless of light production. I purchased a new one and he started shedding almost immediately and the poops improved. In the future, I advise not letting any vet give any parasitic med without identifying what and even if your chameleon has parasites. Those meds can be hard on the kidneys (I think all meds are) and each type of parasite has its own type of treatment.
History -
  • Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
Click to expand...
I have changed the misting to every 12 hours for 2 minutes. Should be right before lights out and after lights on.

I have basically removed the super worms and wax worms from his diet. He is chubby so I am taking it down to just dubia, silkworms and hornworms. I am waiting for the bloodwork from the vet and then will adjust his amount and frequency of food.
I’ll have to mess with my fogger. I don’t know that it has a setting for just once per day so will maybe turn it on manually?
 
MissSkittles said:
Cage Info:
Cage Type –
  • Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?)
    • I have a reptizoo 24'' x 18'' x 36'' Reptile Terrarium This is a bit smaller than is ideal. The standard minimum is 2x2x4’. I’ve upgraded mine to double sized and after seeing how much my chameleons use all of the space, encourage giving them as much space as you can.
https://www.wayfair.com/pet/pdp/reptizoo-55-gallons-terrarium-rptz1029.html
Lighting –
  • What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using?
    • Reptisun T5 HO 24" linear fluorescent bulb with reflection UV Perfect. This will need to be changed every 6-8 months (unless you have a solarmeter with which to test the output). Arcadia bulbs last for a year, so next time you may want to get an Arcadia 6%.
    • Zoomed Repti basking 50W bulb
  • · What is your daily lighting schedule?
    • The lights turn on around 7am and off at 8pm on a timer Good
Temperature –
  • What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)?
    • at night about 60 degrees, basking spot is 80-84 degrees and bottom is about 69 degrees Good
  • Lowest overnight temp?
    • about 60 degrees Good
  • How do you measure these temps?
  • digital probe thermometer at the basking spot https://a.co/d/dnUGcg6
Humidity –
Plants –
Placement –
  • Where is your cage located?
    • Dining room
  • Is it near any fans, air vents, or high-traffic areas?
    • no
  • At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
    • i'd say about 5’ 6" or 5’7” Good
Location –
  • Where are you geographically located?
    • Washington state
Not sure specifically if there’s an issue that I’m looking for the cause or you are just wanting to double check everything. Again, I’m being lazy and not going back and rereading. Your husbandry looks good to me. Just a few improvements for it to be even better. I’m sure @Beman already advised you on a good way to help your guy lose a bit of weight. I don’t know if his gular edema could be related to him being a bit chubby, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it is. Unlike us, chameleons are more sensitive to being overweight and their bodies don’t handle it well at all. A good way to give him more exercise and a way to compensate for a smaller than ideal enclosure is to create a free range area for him to hang out on for a few hours every week. If you have other animals (cats or dogs) they will have to be locked out of the room. Just remember that if you do this, height is very important. I hope I’ve been of some help to you. If I wasn’t clear on anything, just let me know. :)
Click to expand...
Thank you for taking the time to respond to all my info! What would you recommend for a free range? I’m very paranoid about him falling.
I worry about EVERYTHING 😅. We don’t have trees here really that don’t have sap.
 
Ill throw my hat in for the edema. Just remove all supplements but calcium for a month, and see if it goes away. Most chams are oversupplimented. Some can take it, some chams vit/min needs change over time and the year 2 supplement/sched doesnt work after year 4. I have had the fix as simple as "no supplement november" when they get slow.
 
CharlieWhiskey said:
I have basically removed the super worms and wax worms from his diet. He is chubby so I am taking it down to just dubia, silkworms and hornworms. I am waiting for the bloodwork from the vet and then will adjust his amount and frequency of food.
Click to expand...
Waiting on blood work is not necessary. He is overweight. The bloodwork is not going to tell you he is overweight it is going to tell you if there is an issue like uric acid being too high which can be linked to poor organ function and hydration levels. It will tell you if there are signs of infection etc. Once they are overweight if you continue to feed at the same schedule and amount they just continue to hold more weight. Adults do not need the same food intake because they are no longer growing so it converts to fat. With him being in a small cage he also does not have the ability to move around much so he is not converting the food to compensate for a raised activity level either. Even with larger cages if they are fed too much it simply is just too much and turns to fat storage.
 
Beman said:
So yes because soft bodied feeders will have a higher moisture content and combining with Dubia will balance the food so he does not end up with loose stools.

The concern about him drinking from the syringe is it shows desperation to drink. Because chams innately do not drink in front of people. They tend to be very shy about this. So you do not want him learning this either because he now becomes dependent on you for all water intake.

Even if he wants only hornworms or only silkworms it is not the end of the world because they are not fatty feeders. And he is overweight. Silkworms may be a better option as you can control their growth better than hornworms.

Fungus gnats are part of new plants. No matter what you do if you use soil straight out of the bag this is something that comes with it. And then there is about a 3-6 month cycle and they are gone. you can however bake your soil on a low temp to kill off any soil gnat eggs that may be in there.

You need a drainage tray if nothing else to ensure your not having water damage to your home. Also it allows you to mist long enough to really provide enough water to trigger a drinking response. Something like this works well. You can cap off the hose adapter or add tubing to it to drain if you set the tray at an angle so that is slopes to the front. amazon link for drainage tray
Click to expand...
Quick note that I’ve had great success with a product called “Mosquito bits” in getting rid of fungus gnats in my reptile room. You let them soak in the water you will water your plants with for like an hour and it kills all the gnat larvae over the course of a month or so. Highly recommend.
 
nightanole said:
Ill throw my hat in for the edema. Just remove all supplements but calcium for a month, and see if it goes away. Most chams are oversupplimented. Some can take it, some chams vit/min needs change over time and the year 2 supplement/sched doesnt work after year 4. I have had the fix as simple as "no supplement november" when they get slow.
Click to expand...
This is what I do lol! But I have switch him to LoD and the edema has been so much better!
 
nightanole said:
I’ll throw my hat in for the edema. Just remove all supplements but calcium for a month, and see if it goes away. Most chams are oversupplimented. Some can take it, some chams vit/min needs change over time and the year 2 supplement/sched doesnt work after year 4. I have had the fix as simple as "no supplement november" when they get slow.
Click to expand...
Hmm never knew you could do that. Perhaps I can try it if his bloodwork is good.
 
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