Is my chameleon Dehydrated? *Poop pictures*

[AlexKouns]

Hello all,

I am new here and this is my first post! I got my new baby panther chameleon 6 days ago and everything has been going as well as I could have hoped. He is a little over a month old so he is just a delicate baby. I have only seen him drink twice, but was not worried because I know that is normal with a lot of cham owners. However, I began to notice that his poop/urate started to have a bit of an orangish tint. I know this is possible dehydration and wanted to post these pictures of his feces from the past two days to get some other opinions on it. I mist heavily 3-4 times a day (until everything is dripping wet), and have a dripper that runs all day (I turn it off at night). His enclosure is a 16 x 16 x 30 Zoo Med screen cage. He always has access to water so I am unsure why he would not be drinking. Today, I also tried to drop water on his head but he never opened his mouth to drink. I also attached an image I took of him today so you can see what his eyes look like. Personally they do not look sunken in to me but would love other opinions! So would you agree that his droppings look like he is dehydrated? I appreciate all advice and opinions and want to ensure that my baby is as healthy as possible!

These photos are his feces from the past two days (The first picture was yesterday and the second picture was this morning)
With the second photo, there was some more urate that was attached but fell off when I picked up the droppings.

 

[David Esparza]

it is a little to dry that enclosure is way to big for him if he’s that small

 

[AlexKouns]

it is a little to dry that enclosure is way to big for him if he’s that small

Both of those fecal samples were sitting for I am not sure how long (but were pooped out the day I said), so maybe it could have dried out? Plus the paper towel maybe could have soaked up some moisture? I can try to get a very fresh sample but it is hard if I am not watching him every second of the day. What would you say about the color of the urate though?

And do you really think it is too big? I feed him from a feeding dish that he comes right to when I put flies, crickets, worms in so I know he is eating and the food is not getting away from him. But what would you recommend? The breeder I bought it from said the cage size is okay as long as I know he is eating, which he is.

 

[GoodKarma19]

I'm not familiar enough with babies to comment. @Chameleon Mike @Brodybreaux25 - thoughts?

 

[David Esparza]

Both of those fecal samples were sitting for I am not sure how long (but were pooped out the day I said), so maybe it could have dried out? Plus the paper towel maybe could have soaked up some moisture? I can try to get a very fresh sample but it is hard if I am not watching him every second of the day. What would you say about the color of the urate though?

And do you really think it is too big? I feed him from a feeding dish that he comes right to when I put flies, crickets, worms in so I know he is eating and the food is not getting away from him. But what would you recommend? The breeder I bought it from said the cage size is okay as long as I know he is eating, which he is.

ya because I’m not a pro with baby chameleons but maybe for him a good cage would be 16x16x36 he could live in their until he’s like 1 year old or less

 

[Daesie11]

it is a little to dry that enclosure is way to big for him if he’s that small

False. Chameleon babies survive in the wild. They will survive in an adult sized enclosure. That's roughly how big my guy was when I got him and I had him in an18x18x36. His poops also looked similar to that. He is just so small that his poops look different! I would still suggest setting him up with a vet just so they can do a wellness check and fecal exam to rule out anything, as a good practice!

 

[Daesie11]

ya because I’m not a pro with baby chameleons but maybe for him a good cage would be 16x16x36 he could live in their until he’s like 1 year old or less

16x16x36 is in no way adequate for a chameleon of 1 year of age. As you said, you're new to chameleon keeping. Please allow the more experienced keepers to give advice to other new keepers to avoid confusing them.

One of our breeders will chime in with advise.

 

[Brodybreaux25]

it is a little to dry that enclosure is way to big for him if he’s that small

No, the size of this viv is fine.

 

[GoodKarma19]

Everything @Daesie11 said. She has more experience than me with younger chams, and I defer to her knowledge! Cage size is totally fine for now, though a 16x16x30 will need upgrading by the the little one is around 5-6 months, tops.

 

[Brodybreaux25]

Urates are fine, even perfectly hydrated chams will produce orange urates from time to time.

 

[AlexKouns]

False. Chameleon babies survive in the wild. They will survive in an adult sized enclosure. That's roughly how big my guy was when I got him and I had him in an18x18x36. His poops also looked similar to that. He is just so small that his poops look different! I would still suggest setting him up with a vet just so they can do a wellness check and fecal exam to rule out anything, as a good practice!

Okay awesome! I will try to get a fecal sample to the vet hopefully on Friday, as I will be busy tomorrow. Thank you for your advice. Do you think I am misting enough? I want to get the mist king eventually but just put a lot of $$ into him and his setup and am waiting for a couple more paychecks lol

 

[Daesie11]

My guy is currently in an 18x18x36, and about 4-5 months old(probably closer to 4) and I'm already working on upgrading him. The enclosure is adequate but you'll learn quite fast that you want to give them the absolute best, and that means giving them so much room that they dont know what to do with it!! I am building a 48x24x48 enclosure by the end of next month.

 

[AlexKouns]

Everything @Daesie11 said. She has more experience than me with younger chams, and I defer to her knowledge! Cage size is totally fine for now, though a 16x16x30 will need upgrading by the the little one is around 5-6 months, tops.

Yes I was definitely planning on upgrading when he gets a little older! Thank you!

 

[Brodybreaux25]

Yes, a dehydrated Cham will produce orange/yellow urates but that doesn’t mean orange urates are always a sign of dehydration. This is a common misconception due to oversimplification of accepted husbandry.

 

[Daesie11]

My guy is currently in an 18x18x36, and about 4-5 months old(probably closer to 4) and I'm already working on upgrading him. The enclosure is adequate but you'll learn quite fast that you want to give them the absolute best, and that means giving them so much room that they dont know what to do with it!! I am building a 48x24x48 enclosure by the end of next month.

I think so but someone may correct me if I'm wrong.
Also the mistking is definitely a must have for convenience, but is easily one of the last things you can purchase to try to spread out costs. It is more of a luxury than a necessity.

 

[AlexKouns]

Urates are fine, even perfectly hydrated chams will produce orange urates from time to time.

Awesome! Thank you, that is a pretty big relief as I was getting nervous.

 

[AlexKouns]

My guy is currently in an 18x18x36, and about 4-5 months old(probably closer to 4) and I'm already working on upgrading him. The enclosure is adequate but you'll learn quite fast that you want to give them the absolute best, and that means giving them so much room that they dont know what to do with it!! I am building a 48x24x48 enclosure by the end of next month.

Ya i plan on building my little guy a setup similar to that size! Don't know exact dimensions yet but obviously will be at least the recommended 24x24x48, but most likely a little bigger for him.

 

[Daesie11]

Ya i plan on building my little guy a setup similar to that size! Don't know exact dimensions yet but obviously will be at least the recommended 24x24x48, but most likely a little bigger for him.

Sounds like you're on the right track! Good to see a new keeper that has done their research

 

[Brodybreaux25]

Since we’re on the subject, this would be a good opportunity to review all your plans to ensure you both get off on the right foot. Not required but can only benefit you.

Please fill out the “how to ask for help” form and post your answers back here. Quality pictures will help us help you.

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 to 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?

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Please Note:

1 The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.

2 Photos can be very helpful.

 

[Multivitamins]

Both of those fecal samples were sitting for I am not sure how long (but were pooped out the day I said), so maybe it could have dried out? Plus the paper towel maybe could have soaked up some moisture? I can try to get a very fresh sample but it is hard if I am not watching him every second of the day. What would you say about the color of the urate though?

And do you really think it is too big? I feed him from a feeding dish that he comes right to when I put flies, crickets, worms in so I know he is eating and the food is not getting away from him. But what would you recommend? The breeder I bought it from said the cage size is okay as long as I know he is eating, which he is.

No such thing as too big. Can you fill out the help form and people can help steer you in the right direction being better informed to your specific situation and husbandry

I think stores will tell you an enclosure is too large simply to make you a repeat customer sell you a 16* then an 18 then a 24* I feel like 24*24*48 is the go to (zoomed reptibreeze XL)