Minor concerns

[MattiBee]

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to see what you guys think of a few concerns i have with my cham...

My main one is supplementing, he is only a young one and i am sure i am not the first person on here to have a young one that doesn't want to eat when people are watching. My problem is it doesnt look like the locusts still have any supplement by the time he eats them (i do still supplement according to what ive been told on here, and i feed the locusts gut load with a light dusting), after they have sat in his viv for a little while and he thinks it is 'safe' to start eating. I have dusted a wax worm on alternate days with either vits, calcium or calcium &d3 but i dont want to keep feeding him a waxworm every other day. So is there any other ways you can suggest to get him his supplement untill he is willing to cup feed.

Secondly there is a branch in his viv that he seems to have taken a liking to, and trys bitting it every now and again. He's not getting anything off of it but i just wondered if he is doing this as a sign that he is lacking certain vits/minerals. He only does it very rarely but i just wanted to address the problem before it becomes a bigger problem.

Here is the basic idea of what ive set up:

12" x 18" x 24" (L W H) well ventilated viv with twigs/branches of various size and fake plants at the moment (until he is a little bit older)

80-85F ambient temp

85-88F Basking temp

50-65% humidity (it spikes when i spray to about 75/80% but i figured that happens to everyone)

locusts offered daily, dusted with a schedule that i try to stick to (see above)

spraying twice daily for a few mins, until he drinks

UV 5.0 bulb that he can get within about 4-5 inches of if he wants to

7.30am - 7.30pm light


If you think anything is wrong with this please mention and i will be happy to take any advice into consideration. I may have missed stuff off of this list as i am at work and probably not meant to be writing this so please ask if you need any more information.

Thanks

Matt

 

[MattiBee]

by the way he is a 6 month old male ambanja (according to the reptile shop, ill get a picture) and has had a small burn on the end of his tail that you may have seen in a previous thread. This has now healed really well after being treated with tamodine (iodine) and seems to be doing just fine as the last few marks are coming away in what appears to be a due shed.

 

[MattiBee]

this is a pic of him at the top of his viv, the thick plastic with holes is to prevent too much water hitting the wall behind the viv when im spraying.

would you say he is an ambanja, male and around six months, he is probably around 2.5 inches long (not inc tail)

Also the light looks really close to him in this picture but that is just the angle i took it from

Thanks
Matt

 

[sharkey]

when you say 'supplement' are you talking about the dust on the locust? or are you talking about the gut loading?

if you mean gut loading - then the locust uneaten should be removed daily and switched out for fresh ones. then allow the old locust a day or 2 to eat more food b/f you give them to your cham.

if you are refering to the dusting - the dust will come off the locust as they walk around. that doesn't mean that it is totally gone. the cham doesn't have to eat a heavily dusted food to get the nutrition. some people just dip the feet/abdomen in the dust - not the entire creature.

 

[MattiBee]

yeah i meant the dust that you put on them, i figured that it is not a problem if they walk most of it off, i give them a slightly heavier dusting so that by the time they walk it off they still have some on them, just wanted a little reassurance lol. thanks for your reply, any ideas if this is an ambanja or is it too early to tell.

 

[sharkey]

just make sure that what you gut load w/is good quality food. i don't use wax worms - just crix and silks (mainly silks). i find the wax worms are too small and die off too quickly.

i have jackson's and a veild - someone else will need to identify your panther!

 

[MattiBee]

ok thanks, yeah i just use waxworms as treats for my lizards, mainly to get them some dust supplement in their diet. I have been trying to get silks in my country (england) for ages now and the one site i have ordered them off has been messing me about and still hasnt sent any a week and a half after my order! If anyone on here is from England and knows of a good silkworm site please let me know!

At the moment i am feeding my locusts greens, with a small amount of the vitamins and minerals on the greens. Is there anything else you can suggest?

 

[sharkey]

most people use carrots, oranges, apples, dark greens (like you use) and sweet potato, i believe

i live in fl and so also add strawberries, dandelion greens, cucumbers, banana, peach, grapes and cooked egg yoke. i've tried adding uncooked oatmeal and wheat germ but they are never consumed. there are various recipies on this forum and other websites - each to his own!

i also use fluker's brand vitamine fortified gel cubes for their liquid.