Is My Chameleon Safe and Healthy?

[Sidney Johnson]

I got my first chameleon about 8 months ago, he was a young veiled (about 4 weeks old). We had named him Micheal Jackson. We got him from pet smart for about 70 dollars. After about a week and a half, he tragically died. We found him laying on the ground of his enclosure, his skin turning a light tan. We got a refund on him and the next week we bought another chameleon from petsmart for the same price (It was very alarming because petsmart did no job of cleaning the old chameleons feces off of the cage they put our new chameleon in). We named the new chameleon Vertiligo. After about a month he too died the same way. After the second death we waited a while before we decided to get another chameleon.

When we finally decided to get another chameleon we made sure not to get it from petsmart. we went to Scott Smiths All Animal Expo, and got one for 35 dollars. Right away we noticed this one was not only healthier looking but also much fatter and more energetic. After a week we couldnt figure out a name and we reffered to him as "Fill In The Blank" when it hit us, his name should be "Phil". Phil is still alive but after the other two chameleons deaths i want to make sure it will stay this way.

Phil is roughly 4 months old and sheding in the pictures. The waterfall in the picture is rarely filled and when it is it is only on for a few hours. So there should be no bacteria buildup. I clean his cage by disasembling, washing it in a bleach and water mix (1 part bleach, and 40 parts water), I scrub and rinse until there is no bleach smell and i reasemble. I feed him 3 crickets in the morning and usually about 4 in the afternoon. There are hornworms in his cage at all times, and every 4-5 days i will feed him a few superworms and phoenix flies (2-3). I dust the crickets with calcium without D3. I use a uvb lamp and a heat lamp for about 11 hours a day. Where he usually sits, it gets up to about 85 degrees. But he goes down sometimes around 75 and will go up by the lamp (for short periods) where it gets as high as 98 degrees. I do mist the tank as often as I can (4-8 times a day), though sometimes i cant very often. usually it takes him about a day to completely shed his skin.

My Concerns:

He has a big shake in his walk and I am worried it might be MBD, I have been giving him alot of calcium and he has even disharged a small amount through his nose, wich i read was a sign of to much (I did lower his calcium).

I am also woried that he is a little to antisociel, when I put food in his enclosure and i get within a few inches of him he hisses and runs. (When I was first cleaning his cage and moved him to a temporary enclosure he jumped out of my hands and fell on to the floor).

My question is wether or not you think he is being cared for properly and if not what adjustments or changes would you make.

 

[CamrynTheCham22]

I am so sorry for your tragic losses. I tip my hat to you for not giving up.

By 'shake in his walk' do you mean whenever he tries to take a step he rocks back and forth a few times, and then finally places his foot?

Also, hornworms are very fatty and should only be fed as a treat. My question is how often does he actually eat the hornworms?

98 degrees is about 10 degrees too hot. It runs the risk of thermal burns.

How strong is his grip? When he walks, does he lift his body off of whatever surface he was on, and then continue walking? Does he move a considerable amount or is he laying down most of the time?

Last question for now: Do you dust his feeders with calcium?

 

[Sidney Johnson]

Sometimes he does rock back and forth but he also shakes the feet he is walking with. He also very rarely actually eats the hornworms, but il take them out and only feed them on special occasions from now on. I'm not really sure how I am able to tell how strong his grip is, but he does reach for crickets with his two front feet off of the ground sometimes, so I guess strong. He also does lift his body off the surfaces he is walking on. He does move a lot, as I'm writing this he's walking to the other side of his cage to catch a ferocious cricket. I do dust his feeders with calcium but I try to be careful because according to another forum post, white crust around his nose means that he may be getting too much, and he had a white crust. but I do dust every cricket and he eats around 6 a day, but I don't dust the other bugs. I usually gut load the crickets with tomatoes, potatoes, peaches, and grapes.

 

[CamrynTheCham22]

You can see how strong his grip is when he grasps branches. Sounds like his grip is fine from what you describe. Is it possible for you to post a video of the leg shake?

 

[timw1]

Wow, you can win money with that first pic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Enter that pic in the monthly photo contest and prepare for your gold photo medal!

 

[timw1]

He hisses because he is a veiled chameleon. Please consider a linear uvb bulb and some live plants.

 

[Graves923]

I do dust his feeders with calcium but I try to be careful because according to another forum post, white crust around his nose means that he may be getting too much, and he had a white crust. but I do dust every cricket and he eats around 6 a day, but I don't dust the other bugs.

White crust around the nose is not related to calcium intake. Reptiles have a gland in their nasal passages that allows them to expel excess salts from their body. In my experience, changing your water source will help with white crust around the nostrils. I switched to distilled water after I had an issues with this while using tap water.

When dusting your crickets, you can put a tiny pinch of dust in a small container with the feeders and shake it lightly to dust them evenly. I use an old pill bottle to dust my feeders. As long as the crickets dont come out ghost white, you are dusting enough.

 

[Sidney Johnson]

thank you for the advice graves923