Lots O Questions . . . Please Help!

S

starla

New Member
I've had my Cham for 3 days now and thought I did plenty of research but I ordered a Jacksons from my pet store and they got Flap Necks. I also thought he would be much smaller. He is about 7 or 8 inches long. The pet store told me to keep him in a 10 gallon tank for about 2 more months and that he was about 3 months old.

He (I'm not sure yet if it's a he) absolutely hates it in there. I'm trying to let him be but he will not rest till he gets out. As soon as I take the lid off he comes straight for me and climbs on me to get him out. I was letting him perch on top of his cage. (So that he wouldn't have so much interaction with me till he's comfy.) Tonight, though, I was keeping an eye on him while reading this forum and I heard a noise and he tried to get on the blinds which are too far and caught himself. So now I don't trust him out. Should I get his big cage now or just leave him in there for a month or so?

Also he still has not gone to the bathroom. He has eaten 4-5 crickets a day. I watch him drink at least 3 times a day. I know he's stressed. He traveled really far to get to me and had not been out of the thing they transported him in before I got to him, but he's eaten allot! He ate as soon as his cage was set up. He saw the cricket cage and went for it, so I fed him 4 that day!

The temp stays between 79 and 85 during the day and drops to about 74 at night. Humidity is very high. I mist him all through out the day and before bed time. I have the lights set on a timer from 9 am till 9 pm. Currently I have no live plants in the tank cause it's so small, but have several branches and vines attached with rope for him to climb up and across.

Please help! I would like to know what Ya'll think I should do to help him relax. He does go to sleep when the lights go off(We will see tonight) but doesn't seem like he really wants the lights to come on when they do. Any suggestions or answers will help.
 
Answers

Chameleons will get stressed if they are in a small cage. You need to purchase a med. screen reptibreeze cage. And get a 5.0 UVB bulb and you should be good to go.
 
So I should not go straight to the big cage? I have a bigger tank which is what i was going to use maybe I should just switch to that then go big? I do have a 5.0 UVB bulb and a 100 watt heat lamp, in a double holder so they are close should I put them in individual holders? I'll post some pics on sat when I have time.

Mainly What about not going to the bathroom??? I'm worried!
 
you are going to fry your chameleon with a 100 watt heat lamp in a 10 gallon fish tank. Chameleons should not be kept in fish tanks! Some of the glass reptariums are ok as they have extra ventilation as the fish tanks just have the screen top. Chameleons like heighth and there is no heighth to a 10 gallon tank.I would be trying to get out too. You have been misinformed by the pet shop. Get the bigger cage, keep the 5.0 uvb tube light. Have one fixture for that and get a dome fixture at home depot and try like a 40-60 watt for basking. I would not mist the cage before the lights go out. Leave the cage dry out. Also you can try misting him with warm water directly. He may not like it but it always makes my cham poop almost instantaneously. How big is the other tank you are talking about? No matter what size, fish tanks are just not good housing for chameleons period. Lastly if he is only a couple months old he should be eating around 12-15 crickets a day if you are feeding him 1/4 inch crickets. 4 crickets a day is not near enough food for a growing chameleon.
 
I thought that tanks were bad but the pet shop said he's too young for a big cage and that the other tank was too big. I have the lights up pretty high cause yesterday he had his mouth open which means he's hot, today he did not do that. I will buy a lower watt bulb and separate holders. The other tank is 16 in tall and 36 in wide. Much bigger than the 10 gal. tank! I will try to get him to eat more but I don't want to put them in the cage with him. He seems to eat when he wants, I offer them and he turns away so I figure he's not hungry. Is that why he hasn't gone to the bathroom?
 
Update: So I put a fan close to the cage for now to ventilate it, he's eaten 10 crickets today and went to the bathroom! I'm going to order his new cage this weekend but should I move him to the bigger tank till then? He seems much happier now with the fan and doesn't try to get out all day, I think he's gonna be ok!:p Pic's to come tomorrow.
 
Is it 7 inches including the tail, so actually only about 4 inches body? If he is 7 inches body, You Really need to get him out of the tank (and not just into a bigger fish tank either - into a enclosure meant for this type of lizard). 7 inches means he is likely not 3 months old, btw.
 
That's 7 in including the tail. Does that mean when they say 12 to 15 in that it's without the tail? Also how old do you think he might be at that size? Measurement was taken while stretched out walking with the tail fully extended.
 
If it's a flapneck, probably wild caught, used to space and lots of leaf coverage, and fresh air. It's hard on them anyway even in ideal caging conditions, they can be overcome by parasites quickly from the stress of adjustment, so poor conditions will only make this happen worse & faster.
I'd say get him in a big screen cage full of live plants ASAP. keep up with humidity & watering (spraying & dripping on Leaves) as they're known for being extra dehydrated too, this combined with stress will definitely affect going to the bathroom.
As soon as you see one (poop) save it in a baggie in the fridge and take it to a vet right away (best within 24 hrs) for a fecal test for parasites.
Flapnecks are also known for being a little sensitive to oversupplementation, so make sure you've got the right kind of supplements (plain calcium) and use the d3 & multivitamin ones just a little more sparingly than you normally would for a veiled or panther.
At that size probably still pretty young, so give more than 4 crickets. Also might be a good idea to try to get a hold of some small silk or hornworms to try and get extra moisture into him from the feeders. In the meantime, be sure to gutload the crickets with fresh veggies (greens like collard, dandelion, etc, sweet pepper, sweet potato, carrot) and maybe some fruit like orange or apple, to get some juicy goodness in them too.
Good luck. My first little guy was a WC flapneck, I loved him to pieces, did everything right and still lost him quickly, so get this guy on track properly & fast!
 
This is the type of cage you need, an aluminum screen cage.

For right now, I would move him into the larger aquarium until you can get a screen cage set up for him. Put the basking light, 60 watts max, at the far end of the tank. This pulls air from one end of the tank to the other, giving him a little better ventilation. This doesn't mean that you can put off buying the screen cage, it just keeps him from cooking until you do. Even the 30 gallon tank is not going to cut it, he'll need a screen cage as soon as possible. He will do fine, much better actually, in the screen cage.

Flapnecks can be difficult chams to keep, because their natural range extends into so many types of environments. How you care for each species depends on the type of environment they're from, but with flapnecks, you just don't know! Best thing to do is keep them in a cage that is large enough to allow for temperature gradients, which you definitely can't do in an aquarium (possibly with a very large one, but it is difficult).

Sorry to hear that you got caught in the 'pet store trap'. It's really frustrating when pet stores not only sell animals that they don't know anything about, but then pretend like they're experts! I work at a pet store that sells chameleons, and I'll be the first to tell you - just because we sell it, doesn't mean we know how to care for it! At the pet store I work at, there are only 2 employees (myself included) out of 10 who could give you reliable information about chameleons - but any of those 10 employees will sell you the animal. And even when I sell a chameleon, I always recommend that the new owner does their own research, and I tell them about this forum. I'm glad you found it! It really is an awesome resource.
 
Oh I like to mail it to him, he loves that! :p
So long as your not obsessed with collecting poop in bags LOL :D
 
You caught me... Lol.
I don't even really like chameleons. I just keep em around as poo-supply-devices. ;)
(p.s. Nobody thinks it's weird when people pick up dog poo in a bag... Or clean the cat litter into a bag.. Suddenly I'M the weirdo! Hahahah)
 
:D :D :D I havent laughed so much in ages! Heres some funny trivia.....

Lost to science - the world's biggest collection of lizard poo
After five years spent in hot and difficult pursuit of the rare butaan lizard, cousin to the mighty komodo dragon, the PhD student had managed to collect 35kg (77lb) of its faeces.

Which perhaps explains why he was so furious to return to Leeds University for his third year only to discover that a lab technician had thrown out his sack of samples.

"I was surprised to find my desk space occupied by another student," he said. "My personal effects had been carefully stowed in boxes, but there was no sign of my 35kg bag of lizard shit."
Click to expand...

story
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/200...lizard-faeces-daniel-bennett-leeds-university

http://blogs.nature.com/news/thegreatbeyond/2009/02/lost_35_kilos_of_lizard_poo.html

but get this: the day after he got the response from Leeds University, his girlfriend of ten years dumped him.

Ouch.
Click to expand...

:D
 
Alright, knock it off you two! This is supposed to be an Informative thread...
 
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The pet store said the breeders don't handel them so that leads me to think (I think he's a she) she was not caught. I have already ordered the cage but it may take up to 10 days to be delivered. I have been misting alot but don't use the dripper alot cause of the cage being so small. I will put her in the bigger tank for now. I do give the crickets a full menu. I dust 1 cricket out of 3. I have 3 supplements, 2 without D3 and 1 with. It says to mix 2 of them together. Should I keep doing that or cut down or add? Yesterday she ate 10 crickets but doesn't seem to want any today.

I tried the warm water mist today, she wasn't to happy but not that mad at me. I think I have made her alot more comfy. She's no longer trying to get out of her cage all day and seems more relaxed and has brighter colors.

The cage I'm getting is aluminium. I will also put live plants. I was thinking Hibuscus, pothos and Jasmine, but I read that they don't like changes in smell. Some advice would be good. I can tell already that she likes vines so I will do my best to make her new home just the way she wants it. The cage is 30 in W x 36 in H x 18 in D.
 
Advice number
1: you cannot i repeat keep a Chameleon in a fish tank :(
2: read the information posts on this site asap
3: please then take good care of your animal :)

I say this because since i have owned and cared for my mate i love my Cham most precious thing in the world worth more than......... i say no more you will find out if you take the right care :D
 
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