is my chameleon male or female

Dave Weldon said:
...I hope I'm wrong but just in case, post info about your UVB lamp type and setup. What Ca/D3 supplements are you using and what is the schedule?...
Click to expand...
Howdy,

Don't forget the lamp and supplements info :). See if you can take a couple of well-lit, well-focused side photos that shows her in a standing position.
 
Lukedoust said:
I got a uv light diagonal on top of her cage a 100 watt lamp and calcium I use repton here is some pics u asked for...
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Howdy,

Well, thanks to Kinyonga, we have some info on the Repton ingredients: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/alan.cann/articles/vitamins.html
Calcium 220 mg
Vitamin D3 126 IU
I'll intrepret these numbers only to mean that there is some Ca and D3 in the product. If someone has a more complete listing then post it for us.

(One of these days someone will create a "sticky" or something that lists ingredients of all of the common supplement products:rolleyes:).

What mfgr and model UVB lamp do you have? If it is less than 6 months old, placed within 6-12" of your critter, and there is NO glass or plastic between the tube's actual surface and your critter then the UVB should be of sufficient quantity and quality to be effective at creating D3 in your chameleon's skin.

What are the basking spot and ambient temps?

(Just a note of concern...
Glass-sided enclosures have been found to create problems with many chameleons. Some suffer from low-level stress by seeing their reflection in the glass. Others don't understand the invisible glass barrier. Limited airflow can sometimes lead to URI problems. Glass has been popular in Europe for quite some time but there are some keepers over there that have been re-thinking its use. Just keep this in mind if health problems can't be pinned-down otherwise.)

Your photos don't show any leg-bone problems so MBD may not be advanced to that point if even present at all.

I may just be an alarmist in this situation, but she just doesn't look healthy to me :eek:. I'm worried that we're missing something...:confused:. Sorry if I've got you worried for nothing but there have been posts in recent history that have left me a bit on edge when it comes to chameleon health issues.
 
 
Lukedoust said:
...here are some pics of the cage...
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Howdy,

Thanks for posting the photos. Although it is possible that they may not be related her present condition, there are things that you can do to improve her situation. Part of the trick to keeping a chameleon is to eliminate the things that have been found to lead to health problems even if they are currently not causing one with your critter.

Move the basking lamp to above the screen top. Add an aluminum circular reflector to it. Position it for a basking-site temp of about 30C-35C (86F-95F).
Add a reflector (even just a piece of aluminum foil will work) on top of the UVB lamp. It can increase the UVB arriving at the chameleon by 50%. I'm not that familiar with your type of electrical connection to the UVB tube but I assume that there isn't any kind of plastic or glass covering surrounding the tube itself.

Unfortunately it appears that you have a glass bottom that can't be easily drilled to allow for water drainage. Ideally you would be able to remove the bark substrate and allow the pints of water misted daily to drain away from the enclosure. This minimizes the chances of bacteria and other microbial things (parasites) from establishing a foothold. I can't tell for sure how many sides of your enclosure are glass. Keepers in Europe have used glass enclosures for quite some time. Some of those keepers have been looking into the use of the all-screen style enclosure to eliminate some of the flaws of glass. For now, at least move the heat lamp above the screen top etc. See if you can get a simple digital thermometer with a remote probe to help set the basking temps etc. I think part of problem may be related to basking and ambient temps being out of whack. You want a temp gradient from the basking temp high, down to an ambient temp of around 20C-25C. Nights can drop to 16C-20C without a problem and even some benefits.
 
Dave, all sides glass minus the top, with very slight ventailaition in the front. I'll have to look at mine, but i think the bottom can be broken out and replaced easily enough.
 
well the heat of the basking temp is about right now i think but are you saying i need it heigher and what exactly is that problem lol
 
I think the main point is to move the basking lamp out of the cage; it's not too unusual for chams to burn themselves. I think Dave was also making the point that having it inside the tank makes the ambient (temperature not directly under the basking lamp) temp too high, partly b/c it's inside a glass-walled tank without a lot of ventilation. Having it (and the UVB) under a reflector can just improve the effect the lamp has, without having to have it so close. Sometimes, if the lamp is hot enough, it will explode when you mist the cage...another good reason to have it outside the enclosure!
 
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Howdy,

(Back in town!)

Many keepers have found that chameleons do better with their light sources coming from above. As was mentioned, having the hot light on the other side of the screen lessions the chance of burns. Also, there is less chance that your critter will damage its eyes when the light source is above them rather than to their side. Photokeratoconjunctivitis can be caused by our critters looking at their UVB sources. These UVB sources can be deceptively dim because they may not make much visible light while making invisible UVB energy. The heat gradient created by having the basking lamp outside the enclosure is much more controllable (less explosions too:().
 
Now...I just had to look up that word photokeratoconjunctivitis...and look it up...and I found something interesting that I will now have to look further into...
"Recent research indicates that exposure to UV radiation can adversely affect the immune system."
http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/hs/guidelines/uvradiation/gl_uvrad_2.html

It lead me to this familiar site too....
" Damage to the eyes is well documented in mammals. Immediate effects include photokeratoconjunctivitis (snow blindness, "welder's eye") and long-term effects include certain types of cataracts (opacity of the lens). Although there does not appear to be published literature on either of these conditions in reptiles, several reptile keepers have recently described symptoms of photokeratoconjunctivitis in lizards kept in close proximity to new high-UVB output lamps of several types. Typically, the lizard's eyelids swell up and close, and it becomes depressed and lethargic. The condition clears rapidly when the lamp is removed or exchanged for an older one or different type.4
The formation of cataracts has been described in snake eyes following the snake's forced exposure to bright light. However, in some cases the artificial light thought to be responsible was not emitting UVB.10
Reptile eyes do have some differences in their ocular structure and in the composition of the lens and aqueous humour. These differences may afford some protection from UV light."

"In the absence of more information, we need to ensure as far as possible that our reptiles are not exposed to levels of UVB which would be un-naturally high for a wild animal of that species in its normal habitat. In addition, a reptile should always be able to move out of the effective range of its UVB light. "Extra" UVB above the requirement for D3 production is of no benefit, since as we have seen, the photo-biosynthesis is a self-limiting process; when sufficient is made, additional ultraviolet light merely breaks down any excess formed."
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/uvinviv.htm

Can't find anything more about how it adversely affects the immune system.
 
When my female laid her eggs i gave her a mix of eco-earth and playsand. I agree that it is important to keep it moist so that she will be able to tunnel. Good luck.
 
Lukedoust said:
he/ she is about a year old and is digging but i have been told one of 2 things number 1 he is looking for a mate or 2 she needs to lay eggs here are a couple of pictures of him/ her lol
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f254/lukedoust1/P04-18-07_17.jpg
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f254/lukedoust1/P04-18-07_17-1.jpg
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f254/lukedoust1/P04-18-07_17-2.jpg
plus is he/she is female and has got eggs wha should i do?
Click to expand...
to tell the boy or girl the boy has spurred and the girl when she gets she digs a hole to lay her eggs[/QUOTE]
 
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