My Oustalet

[tylerg]

Hey guys, I am pretty new to this, and I have a Oustalet chameleon I recently bought about 2 weeks ago. His name is Atticus and he is about 1.5 years old. Supposedly he is very healthy and he is huge compared to any other chameleon I have seen. I just wanted to upload some pics and see what you guys think
And I was also wondering if it was normal for a chameleon to lay almost practically on its side when next to the basking lamp? I catch him sometimes laying on his side (as shown in the last picture) I hope thats normal. Most of the time he just lays on his favorite vine, but this started to make me wonder.

 

[Carlton]

He's great! Oustaletis can be huge! Is he wc? Most adult Oustaletis are. Maybe its the way he's sitting, but I see what looks like a skin fold along his side. I'd check for skin tenting to make sure he isn't slightly dehydrated. To do this, take a fold of skin between your fingers and lift it gently. Then release it. If the skin stays folded (tented) for a few seconds before flattening out again he needs more hydration.

As for lying flat on his side during basking, not unusual. I had a wc verrucosus who did the exact same thing. He free ranged the house and had a favorite sunny patch on the carpet where he would just about lie down on his side. He would sometimes lie down on his cage floor right after it was misted, and would lick water off my hand.

 

[Goggles]

Welcome to the forum!!
Do you know what the temperature is at his basking spot? The reason I ask is it looks like a "red" heat bulb. These really throw off the heat and could burn your chameleon if it gets too close. Most on here just use a regular incandescent light bulb for basking. He looks like a big guy and if he sat on the branch under the lamp his back would be very close to the bulb....maybe that is why he is sideways?

 

[tylerg]

Thanks for the feedback guys!
I am guessing WC means wild caught? I don't believe he was, the guy I bought him from breeds his own chameleons and other reptiles. I don't think he's dehydrated, because he drinks out of his dripper occasionally, I even try to spray him sometimes and he HATES it, he will start hissing at me and open his mouth. I don't think that is normal for chameleons, but I have only had him for a short time so maybe he is still getting use to me. I just accomplished hand feeding him for the first time today as well!
Also, I know the heating is above 80, I have a crappy thermometer in that corner as of right now only goes to 80. The guy I bought him from gave me 2 different lamps, and one was bigger than the other and also glows at night (never seen one of those before) and neither have uvb or basking bulbs in them I think. They both look like normal lights and the red one is tinted, from my research I don't think that is a good idea, but somehow that guy raised him like that, so I am purchasing the set UVB and basking light soon along with a timer and mist kit. I just don't know how he will handle the mist, because like I said he HATES water. He is huge, he is already over 20 inches!

One more thing, I have noticed that he sometimes lays down and sleeps on a vine during the day. I read that it isn't good for them to do that, but I think everything deserves a good nap. Is that not true?

 

[Kibu]

That is not normal for chameleons to "sleep" during the day. When they do this it is usually not them sleeping, but sometimes a calcium or vitamin a deficiency, or some other problem, try taking him outside for an hour a week, and try giving him some vitamins.

 

[tylerg]

I have given him Repcal Calcium with D3 and Multivitamins once this month, I know you're suppose to do that about twice a month correct? Also, I just walked in and saw him sleeping under the basking light and he was completely white I took a picture and I will upload it once it hits my email.

 

[Carlton]

I am guessing WC means wild caught? I don't believe he was, the guy I bought him from breeds his own chameleons and other reptiles. I don't think he's dehydrated, because he drinks out of his dripper occasionally, I even try to spray him sometimes and he HATES it, he will start hissing at me and open his mouth. I don't think that is normal for chameleons, Also, I know the heating is above 80, I have a crappy thermometer in that corner as of right now only goes to 80. The guy I bought him from gave me 2 different lamps, and one was bigger than the other and also glows at night (never seen one of those before) and neither have uvb or basking bulbs in them I think. They both look like normal lights and the red one is tinted, from my research I don't think that is a good idea, but somehow that guy raised him like that, so I am purchasing the set UVB and basking light soon along with a timer and mist kit. I just don't know how he will handle the mist, because like I said he HATES water. He is huge, he is already over 20 inches!

One more thing, I have noticed that he sometimes lays down and sleeps on a vine during the day. I read that it isn't good for them to do that, but I think everything deserves a good nap. Is that not true?

Um, you do need to re-think your husbandry based on what his former owner gave you. Yes, wc means wild caught. Hardly anyone breeds Oustaleti in captivity unless they are a real specialist, so I would really doubt he is captive bred. Also, the lighting and care info you got from his former owner isn't spot on. A dedicated cham specialist would not do this. You are going to need to monitor the temps and humidity in his setup more carefully. Temps are most easily checked using a non-contact temp gun (check LLReptile or other herp supplies...they are not expensive and fantastic!). You want to measure the surface temp of his skin while he's basking. A humidity gauge is also needed. Don't bother with the little analog gauges from pet shops. They are not accurate or reliable. Get an electronic one from a home improvement store.

Many chams hate to be sprayed directly especially if you are using straight cool tap water. Instead, use hotter water and spray all the cage foliage and try not to spray him as much. The more foliage in the cage the better for this reason. Oustaleti are native to drier spiney forest of Madagascar. The area does not get lots of rain, but does have fairly high humidity (from coastal fog, mist, forest transpiration and condensation).

Unless your room gets colder than about 60 F at night you don't need any sort of heat light at night. Don't use it.

Unless you have some sort of Compact Fluorescent bulb or linear tube fluorescent, the bulbs you have do not emit useable UV. He is going to develop nutritional deficiencies without it, so go ahead and get a ReptiSun 5.0 as you planned.

It is NOT good that he sleeps during the day. Healthy adult chams don't take naps.

 

[Carlton]

I have given him Repcal Calcium with D3 and Multivitamins once this month, I know you're suppose to do that about twice a month correct? Also, I just walked in and saw him sleeping under the basking light and he was completely white I took a picture and I will upload it once it hits my email.

Chams will turn lighter when hot, darker when cool. Also, many species normally turn a lighter brighter color when asleep. It is not normal for him to sleep under a light.

He should be getting calcium without D3 every day (lightly), calcium with D3 about once a week, multivitamin dust about once a month to 6 weeks. But, this is in addition to feeders that are well gutloaded. The dusts are just gap-fillers. Check out the insect gutloads offered by forum sponsors...there are good ones here.

 

[Kibu]

I agree with Carlton.

 

[allencg101]

He is beautiful im on my iphone so ill comment more when i get home with better info i have a male oustalates to an i love them they are awesome chams with very good memories!!!

 

[tylerg]

Once again thank you for all the feedback, honestly I am not 100% sure if he was wc or not I am just guessing because he bred more reptiles in his place. I will definitely look into the temp gun, and I always warm up the water used for misting before I use it, and he still rarely enjoys it. I will still have to get a mist system though to keep up the humidity correct?
I didn't know that I had do give him calcium w/o D3 daily, I will get that asap. I gutload all the food I give to him 24 hours before. He is a very picky eater, his favorite food is large crickets, he will eat maybe 1 or 2 worms a week or so. I don't know what else to get him, because I heard winged insects can harm the stomach and I don't know about cockroaches.

Also, he was sleeping and was completely white, so I tried giving him a watered syringe and he didn't take it. I pinched what skin I could (he was very tight) and it went back to normal. He knows where the dripper is and I have seen him drink before. The only thing I did think was odd was that he would drink for about 2 minutes straight and then hissed twice after. He didn't see me or anything, but he hiss for no reason haha.

 

[Carlton]

I will definitely look into the temp gun, and I always warm up the water used for misting before I use it, and he still rarely enjoys it. I will still have to get a mist system though to keep up the humidity correct?
I didn't know that I had do give him calcium w/o D3 daily I don't know what else to get him, because I heard winged insects can harm the stomach and I don't know about cockroaches.

Also, he was sleeping and was completely white, so I tried giving him a watered syringe and he didn't take it. I pinched what skin I could (he was very tight) and it went back to normal. He knows where the dripper is and I have seen him drink before. The only thing I did think was odd was that he would drink for about 2 minutes straight and then hissed twice after.

Whether you need a misting system or not will depend on your local climate and your house humidity trend. A good quality humidity gauge will help you determine what you need. If you have a large cage with lots of live foliage, you can spray him regularly in morning and late afternoon every day, and your normal humidity level in the room isn't too low you may not need it. Trial and error.

I can imagine that he would not really want water after being woken up. Doesn't really mean much. I suspect that he'll drink a lot whenever there's water available so keep an eye on the dripper and keep it going.

Flying insects harm the stomach? Never heard that one! He's a big boy and will probably eat a lot. But, as most likely he is wc he may not recognize our domestically bred feeders. It will take a while for him to get used to them and know they are on the "safe food list". Blaptica bubia cave roaches are going to be a good staple feeder for him as he'll probably like the larger ones. Not the same thing as cockroaches. They are easy to breed, don't climb well or fly, are fairly slow moving and easier to handle, and you can start your own colony. Superworms don't tend to move around too much so they may not attract his attention. Use them too if he'll eat them. Variety is the key! Try silkworms and horn worms...most cham LOVE greenish colored feeders.

 

[tylerg]

I live in Texas so it is always hot but my house temp stays at 72, and I don't have a humidity gauge yet, but what should I try and keep it to? I read that the wings on some insects may open up or something and could cause stomach problems making it to where he can't poop or along the lines of that. I will try out those roaches and worms, I have no idea where to find those, but I'll do my research!

 

[alexonti]

Hey
Awesome cham!!
JohnnyD who is a member at this forum sells dubia roches. You can get a good price and he can ship to Texas where i am from too

 

[tylerg]

Thanks, and I will send him a message then!

 

[mcleodschams]

Once again thank you for all the feedback, honestly I am not 100% sure if he was wc or not I am just guessing because he bred more reptiles in his place. I will definitely look into the temp gun, and I always warm up the water used for misting before I use it, and he still rarely enjoys it. I will still have to get a mist system though to keep up the humidity correct?
I didn't know that I had do give him calcium w/o D3 daily, I will get that asap. I gutload all the food I give to him 24 hours before. He is a very picky eater, his favorite food is large crickets, he will eat maybe 1 or 2 worms a week or so. I don't know what else to get him, because I heard winged insects can harm the stomach and I don't know about cockroaches.

Also, he was sleeping and was completely white, so I tried giving him a watered syringe and he didn't take it. I pinched what skin I could (he was very tight) and it went back to normal. He knows where the dripper is and I have seen him drink before. The only thing I did think was odd was that he would drink for about 2 minutes straight and then hissed twice after. He didn't see me or anything, but he hiss for no reason haha.

are you sure it was a hiss be sure its not like a sneeze or cough resiptory infections are another common cham problem i see

 

[tylerg]

Yes, it sounded just like as if I was scaring him and he would hiss at me. I haven't heard him do it again. And I was just remember that I fed him powdered crickets right before he got water and made that noise so maybe it was a sneeze.

This is random but, how long would do you think it would take for him to get use to me and possibly having him come to me and walk on my arm instead of picking him up and making him mad? I understand most are anti social, but I need to find a way to get him out of his cage from time to time for clean up and taking him to his outside cage. I have been hand feeding him lately instead of letting a cricket roam next to him and today I scratched under his chin and his casque, I heard they like that and it looked like he was enjoying it. Hopefully I am doing it right.

 

[mcleodschams]

i do all the same things . some chams never come to you i hear but so far all mine but 1 come to me and she is pretty new maybe 2 monthhs ive had her so it takes time all are different . my veiled male the younger one went threw a stage at puberty im guessing where he hated everything he just puffed at everything .lol now he just walks on our hand again, just a phase

 

[tylerg]

That's awesome I hope my Oustalet can come to me soon. When is the puberty stage? Does it occur at different times compared to different species of chams?

 

[tadeusz]

Thats a nice looking oustie! I have 2 captive bred and born males and I love them. Both of mine are about 1.5 years old. Your guy looks a little larger then mine and he could be over 2 years, but either way he looks good. If you have any questions on there care shoot me a message. I've had my guys since they were 3 months and they have been doing good with the setup I have.