May need some advice.

[Benzo]

Hello Everyone, first post and I need help so let's start with all the info.

My veiled chameleon Benzo, is a male so to pet store said. (the guy there said they have a regular customer who said he was a male) My boyfriend and myself have had him for just about 2 weeks and they could not tell me an age but if I could guess I'd say roughly 3 months (if anyone else could tell me if sex and age are accurate that would be amazing)

Any who, Benzo is a overly friendly little guy. As soon as his cage opens he wants to crawl up your arm and sit on your shoulder or on the top of your head. So, with that being said he is handled every day.

He eats crickets (8-10) and meal worms (3-5) daily. I feed the crickets Fluker's orange cubes (food, water and vitamins) plus give them actual water. I also coat them all in Repti calcium without D3. I also have zoo meds reptivite that I have used once on 4 meal worms.

We did switch his cage last night into a much bigger screened cage (16x16x30 I believe) vs a glass (10 deep x 10 high x 20 long) and started using a dripper, well I went to sleep roughly around 230am and woke up at 8am. And the bottom of his new cage was drenched and water was all over the stand under him. (Need to make some adjustments)
Prior to the dripper I would spray the top screen and he would come over and lick up the water hitting the vine under my sprayer. But also spray his cage about 3-4 times a day. The new cage is all screen but due to the cold weather where we live (Massachusetts) it's 40°F and below 24/7 so I blocked off 3 sides of the screen with black cardboard to keep heat in, at the highest point inside the cage is about 87°, center is at 82°, and bottom is at 72°. The humidity is averaging 40-45%. Due to the cold I have 4 lights to keep everything nice and warm for him. 2 zoo med 60w day lights, 1 zoo med infrared 60w and 1 zoo med reptisun 5.0 uvb 13w. All but the infrared get turned off around 11pm. The temp at the top of the cage around where he sleeps stays around 72° - 75° at night. We do not have any living plants yet but loads of plastic ones with vines and cork stump thing haha also, the cage is in the dining room, away from all windows, fans, doors, ect. The cage bottom sits about 2-3 feet off the floor.

So, with all that being said, yesterday around 3pm he starting acting very odd. He seemed confused and VERY tired. I was holding him and he couldn't keep his eyes open. I would move him to see how he would respond and he would tighten his grip and keep his eyes closed. This got me very very worried. He is our first cham. When my boyfriend came home from work I told him all my worries and he agreed. Well, around 8pm he started shedding. Which I'm wondering if that is why he was so confused and tired. He ate and drank yesterday. I woke up today and he seems back to normal aside from having an EXTREMELY bad hair day. He is itching and puffing trying to get the skin off. My poor baby

I guess the moral of my story is if anyone can tell me if I need to be nervous or if this is all 100% normal.

I hope I hit all the key factors but if not please ask any further questions. I will also add pictures.

Thank you all so much!
Samantha

 

[tropivcal]

Welcome to the forums! Sorry to hear your Cham isn't doing well. Please fill this form out so that we can get all of the information we can to help you and your Cham get better!


Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information, you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.


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?
• 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 - The current problem you are concerned about.


Pictures are helpful

 

[tropivcal]

Hope your Cham feels better soon!

 

[Benzo]

I posted all of that in my post ☺

 

[tropivcal]

I posted all of that in my post ☺

Oh I'm sorry I just kind of skimmed through it.

First of all, ditch the mealworms. They are all fat with a hard shell and no nutrition value.

Flukers isn't a great gutload. To be honest it's crap. What you could do is get some dandelion leaves, squash, carrots, and many other great options for gutloading that will be much more nutritious.

I would start putting a lights on a timer to go off at 7 pm and on at 8 am to mimic the sun rising and setting. That could very well be the reason that he is acting the way he is. If he is still doing this a week after you change the lighting schedule, I would recommend a reptile vet with lots of experience in chameleons.


Good luck hope he feels better soon!

 

[Replife]

So r u leaving the light on at night this is one of the biggest no no's ppl make and a red light should never ever be used with chams Heat at night is only necessary if your home gets lower than 55 degrees Fahrenheit if it is necessary then you want to use a ceramic heat emitter and I would say you have a girl closer to 6 months or so if it is a girl you will need a layin bin very soon

 

[Peachypink]

Congrats on your new Cham. I'm pretty sure it's a boy but I'm also looking from my phone.

First I would say ditch the red light. He does not need a heat source at night. They can safely drop to 55 at night and the temp drop at night is actually good for them as it helps with digestion. If he's in your house then whatever temp is ok for you is not going to be too cold for him at night. The light will also disrupt his sleep. He needs a good day/night schedule with completely dark at night to be able to regulate hormones.

Second I would also ditch the meal worms. We have some great sponsors on here that have a good variety of feeders you can order. Silk worms, dubia, Phoenix worms are great staples. You can add super worms, horn worm, wax worms as treats too. Meal worms have a high chitin level and are harder to digest. Also the orange cubes are worthless. Look into cricket crack or big burger. You can find those from the sponsors as well.

Third you needs to adjust your supplements a bit. The schedule most follow is...
Plain Calcium with no D3 daily
Calcium with D3 2x a month
Multi vitamin 2x a month

He needs the D3 at very low levels to help absorb the plain Calcium.

How long are you misting for? Even with a dripper he needs to be misted for a few minutes each time and at least once for 5 minutes. He needs this to stimulate him to drink as well as it gives him a chance to clean out his eyes.

Keep in mind too that veileds will eat the foliage, fake or not, so getting some live plants are in his best interest and will also help with humiditiy. You can also offer his fruit and veggies, nice leafy green stuff but no spinach.

Then I would read through the care sheet here and follow it to the letter.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/

 

[Replife]

Also I would like to point out a chameleons closing it's eyes in the daytime is a bad and substrate is not necessary with chameleons and sand is the worst as it can cause impaction

 

[Peachypink]

So r u leaving the light on at night this is one of the biggest no no's ppl make and a red light should never ever be used with chams Heat at night is only necessary if your home gets lower than 55 degrees Fahrenheit if it is necessary then you want to use a ceramic heat emitter and I would say you have a girl closer to 6 months or so if it is a girl you will need a layin bin very soon

I'm seeing thick spurs but like I said I'm on my phone. And I feel like the casque is male.

@Benzo A better picture of the back feet, very clear would help.

 

[Replife]

I'm seeing thick spurs but like I said I'm on my phone. And I feel like the casque is male.

@Benzo A better picture of the back feet, very clear would help.

Sorry but I disagree but I don't see it just a slight lump but no spur the first pic is zoomed it on the op's cham the second is my 8month old male

 

[Peachypink]

Sorry but I disagree but I don't see it just a slight lump but no spur the first pic is zoomed it on the op's cham the second is my 8month old male View attachment 174772 View attachment 174773

I'm thinking we are not going to agree on this. I still see a slight bump. Even a little lump is a lump. Not all supers are as pronounced as your boy. And the slight lump along with the shape of the casque is what has me convinced it's male.

 

[Benzo]

I will definitely switch out the cricket food and look into the recommendations.

Also, the lights I will put on a timer.
Should I get rid of the red light completely? Our living room is next to dining room and we watch TV at night and I don't want the light to disturb Benzo should I cover the cage?

I am misting with a spray bottle 3-4 times a day with a spray bottle. I see him drinking everyday multiple times a day.

What types of fruit and veggies should I get? And as for the food I'll get rid of the meal worms. I have heard that horn worms are very big and I'm a bit nervous to feed him anything that big. As for ordering feeders online is it better then going to a local pet store.

Sorry if I'm asking any dumb questions I just want to make sure I am doing everything I can for him.

I will get a better picture of his back feet if it will help.

 

[Replife]

View attachment 174774
I'm thinking we are not going to agree on this. I still see a slight bump. Even a little lump is a lump. Not all supers are as pronounced as your boy. And the slight lump along with the shape of the casque is what has me convinced it's male.

Wat fun would it be if we always agree lol but I agree the casque is indicative of that of a male

 

[Replife]

I will definitely switch out the cricket food and look into the recommendations.

Also, the lights I will put on a timer.
Should I get rid of the red light completely? Our living room is next to dining room and we watch TV at night and I don't want the light to disturb Benzo should I cover the cage?

I am misting with a spray bottle 3-4 times a day with a spray bottle. I see him drinking everyday multiple times a day.

What types of fruit and veggies should I get? And as for the food I'll get rid of the meal worms. I have heard that horn worms are very big and I'm a bit nervous to feed him anything that big. As for ordering feeders online is it better then going to a local pet store.

Sorry if I'm asking any dumb questions I just want to make sure I am doing everything I can for him.

I will get a better picture of his back feet if it will help.

He will have no problems with the horn worm's but only feed as a treat and it don't much matter a whole bunch where u get the feeders from but you're going to have a better chance of finding a larger variety on the internet and u can cover the cage if you would like but unless the TV a cage are super close it should not be a problem and as far as the red light goes I would take the bulb and throw it in the woods lol

 

[Benzo]

Here are some more pictures. Not as easy as I thought it would be to take haha

 

[Lizzie The Chameleon]

you have a male.

 

[Benzo]

He will have no problems with the horn worm's but only feed as a treat and it don't much matter a whole bunch where u get the feeders from but you're going to have a better chance of finding a larger variety on the internet and u can cover the cage if you would like but unless the TV a cage are super close it should not be a problem and as far as the red light goes I would take the bulb and throw it in the woods lol

HAHA!!!!! okay I will toss out the red light and put the others on a timer. The cage and TV are 20 or 30 feet apart so I'll leave it open.

What would be the best daily food for him other then crickets?

 

[Benzo]

HAHA!!!!! okay I will toss out the red light and put the others on a timer. The cage and TV are 20 or 30 feet apart so I'll leave it open.

What would be the best daily food for him other then crickets?

Also should I get a ceramic heat emitter for night time?

 

[Peachypink]

Also should I get a ceramic heat emitter for night time?

No need for night heat. A temp drop of at least 10 degrees is good for them. It helps their digestion.

For feeders as I mentioned above...dubia and crickets make good staples. Also silk worms, orange heads, mantids... look under the feeders forum and study up, there are so many options. I look and see if I can find a list of good veggies to feed a veiled.

I personally think that getting them on line is better unless you have a really good pet store that caries a variety. Banded crickets that you can get online seem to stay alive longer.

You can get hornworms that are small to start with and I put them in the fridge for a day and out a day to keep them smaller longer. They can take them down pretty big though since they are soft feeders. Just not too big. If I have any that get too big, I let them cocoon.

 

[Peachypink]

Wat fun would it be if we always agree lol but I agree the casque is indicative of that of a male

Lol. That'll be a miracle if that ever happens in this world. At least we can disagree respectfully.