Need Advice

[firefrogg]

Hi guys!

I'm Alex from sweden, got my first chameleon 29/6-12.
So it will be 1,5 week now.

The thing is, when i got him, he shedded (shed - shedded?), and i think he got some left in his eye. I will get back to that. He ate the first day even sunday and monday. I fed him one cricket saturday and one sunday, on monday he ate 3-4 zophbasworms with some calcium +d3. Everything from my hand. I installed a waterfall on monday swell, believing he would drink from it. But on tuesday when i got home from work, he had some dirt in his left eye, some yellow-brown gush, and his tail was rolled together and he haven't moved from the place he slept.

I started spraying the terrarium with water and aprox. five minutes later the dirt was gone. I sat up a dripper believing he was dried out.

This monday, 9/9-12, i rebuilt his terrarium. I have read a lot in this forum and learned that they shall have a dry ground. I used to have wet soil and a heatercabel in it, to maximize the humidity.
And, before i were done, i let him out on the newspaper bottom to hunt a cricket. And he got it!! Yesterday he ate another cricket from my hand. That will be two in one week.

The plants i use is:
- Prunus laurocerasus
- One more, can't find the name of it.

This is were you guys get in.
What do you think about my terrarium, any tips?
How does he look?
How shall i feed him? i don't want the crickets to be free in the terrarium if they escape into my apartment.

The bowl in the bottom is to collect the water from the dripper.
And i will get som rocks to put on the soil for the plants.
Im will fill out the "info sheet", in a response thread.

 

[camimom]

Welcome!

chams wont drink from waterfalls.
They drink water droplets form being misted. not standing/running water.

He should be eating alot more bugs than 2 in a week. More like 5-15 a day.

also, you need to use the calcium with d3 twice a month, not everday, and you need a calicum without d3 for every feeding. and a multivitamin for twice a month.

what uvb bulb are you using?

what is the basking temp/

 

[JonRich]

Good looking Cham, a lot of pinks!!. Anyway, about the terrarium, it all looks good to me now. And sometimes they have a bit of trouble shedding around their eyes. If he will allow, you can gentally remove some of the shed in hard to reach areas.

I see your UVB is located on the inside of the cage, is the basking lamp also located inside?

Also , i hateeee crickets because they are notorious escape artists!! I would continue to handfeed or cup feed!

 

[firefrogg]

Chameleon Info:

Chameleon - Tamatave, Male, aprox 8 months old.

Handling - Everyday, always taking him ouside the cage so he could climd around in the windows, under my supervision. Handfeeding, etc.

Feeding - Try as much as i can. I offer crickets and zophobas.

Supplements - Once, on tre/four, zophobas. Calcium +d3

Watering - I spray the cage a couple of times a day and a dripper for at lest four hours.

Fecal Description - See picture of the last one.

History - Bought him of a guy who's buying from people in eroupe. He have had the chameleon for a couple of months. No problem. He uses a rain system though, and he hand feeds. The big different in cages are the he has more vent and a rain system and i got more space.


Cage Info:

Cage Type - Glasscage with stone background and fiber wood (masonit in swedish) sides, glass doors.

Size - W-75cm D-50cm H-107cm

Lighting - Two halogen spots, 240w and 80w. One 18w 5.0 uv-b.

Temperature - On top of the cage its about 34 Celsius and in the middle it is about 30 Celsius.

Humidity - Spraying a lot of water, live plants, dripper.

Plants - Live plants, bambusticks, and som real oak branches.

Placement - In the bedroom by the window.

At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? 2meters

Location - Gothenburg, Sweden


Current Problem - Don't eat.

 

[firefrogg]

Welcome!

chams wont drink from waterfalls.
They drink water droplets form being misted. not standing/running water.

He should be eating alot more bugs than 2 in a week. More like 5-15 a day.

also, you need to use the calcium with d3 twice a month, not everday, and you need a calicum without d3 for every feeding. and a multivitamin for twice a month.

what uvb bulb are you using?

what is the basking temp/

Thanks for such a quick response!
I think i had answered your questions further down in the thread?
Yes, i know that he should eat more. Thats why I'm worried.

 

[firefrogg]

Good looking Cham, a lot of pinks!!. Anyway, about the terrarium, it all looks good to me now. And sometimes they have a bit of trouble shedding around their eyes. If he will allow, you can gentally remove some of the shed in hard to reach areas.

I see your UVB is located on the inside of the cage, is the basking lamp also located inside?

Also , i hateeee crickets because they are notorious escape artists!! I would continue to handfeed or cup feed!

Yes, the uvb is inside the cage the nearest branch is about 10cm from it.
No, the basking lamps are outside the cage. there is a net between, so ha can't climb on the basking lamps.

 

[JonRich]

The urate in the fecal says he is dehydrated and needs more water. What does your dripper drip on and does he have easy access to it?

 

[camimom]

Thanks for such a quick response!
I think i had answered your questions further down in the thread?
Yes, i know that he should eat more. Thats why I'm worried.

Welcome.

I did see that, thanks a bunch.

Hes probably just still settling in.

Alsom i woudl reduce the amount o ftime you hold him for now, to let him settle.

since he is older, its ok if he goes a few days without eating. most important is drinking.

Did you see my suggesttions on supplementing?

 

[Swayne8998]

I'm not too much of an expert on panthers but to me that fecal doesn't look too good...

 

[JonRich]

Yes, the uvb is inside the cage the nearest branch is about 10cm from it.
No, the basking lamps are outside the cage. there is a net between, so he can't climb on the basking lamps.

good stuff!!

 

[Kate]

Welcome!

chams wont drink from waterfalls.
They drink water droplets form being misted. not standing/running water.

He should be eating alot more bugs than 2 in a week. More like 5-15 a day.

also, you need to use the calcium with d3 twice a month, not everday, and you need a calicum without d3 for every feeding. and a multivitamin for twice a month.

what uvb bulb are you using?

what is the basking temp/

My previous veiled cams did drink from waterfalls but that was before I became educated by forum members. They are a breeding ground for bacteria. I had one Cham who regularly pooped in it.

 

[camimom]

My previous veiled cams did drink from waterfalls but that was before I became educated by forum members. They are a breeding ground for bacteria. I had one Cham who regularly pooped in it.

I know. thats why i told him to get rid of it.

 

[firefrogg]

The urate in the fecal says he is dehydrated and needs more water. What does your dripper drip on and does he have easy access to it?

I think so to, but he doesn't look dehydrated?

It falls on one of the big leafs on the plant to the right.
Its kinda easy, he could drink from the dripper i he would like to.
The spot on the leaf the drop falls on is 5cm from nearest brach, in the middle of the cage.

 

[camimom]

I would remove the uvb bulb from inside the cage.

its just not safe.

is the top made of mesh?

 

[camimom]

I think so to, but he doesn't look dehydrated?

It falls on one of the big leafs on the plant to the right.
Its kinda easy, he could drink from the dripper i he would like to.
The spot on the leaf the drop falls on is 5cm from nearest brach, in the middle of the cage.

If the urates are white, hes fine.

any yellow and orange is signs hes dehydrated.

 

[firefrogg]

Welcome.

I did see that, thanks a bunch.

Hes probably just still settling in.

Alsom i woudl reduce the amount o ftime you hold him for now, to let him settle.

since he is older, its ok if he goes a few days without eating. most important is drinking.

Did you see my suggesttions on supplementing?

Yes i did, i will buy it as soon as i can, thanks!
But it won't effect the fact that he's not eating?

 

[Wykd]

My replies are only suggestions that may help him eat more.

Handling - Everyday, always taking him ouside the cage so he could climd around in the windows, under my supervision. Handfeeding, etc. Reduce this, maybe he is stressing and less attention to do his own thing.

Feeding - Try as much as i can. I offer crickets and zophobas. - Let the crickets free range, maybe he is a hunter

Watering - I spray the cage a couple of times a day and a dripper for at lest four hours. I drip for 8-10hours, lights on for 12, so he can drink more readily.

Fecal Description - See picture of the last one. looks orangish perhaps some dehydration?

History - Bought him of a guy who's buying from people in eroupe. He have had the chameleon for a couple of months. No problem. He uses a rain system though, and he hand feeds. The big different in cages are the he has more vent and a rain system and i got more space. Change in environment will unsettle them and they will need some time to settle in, it can take a week or 2 sometimes.

Lighting - Two halogen spots, 240w and 80w. One 18w 5.0 uv-b. I do not know about that lighting the uvb is ok, but 2 halogen spot lights? They focus light into beams and really put out more heat than a normal house light bulb.

Temperature - On top of the cage its about 34 Celsius and in the middle it is about 30 Celsius. Temp is to high imo. The best ambient temperature during the day for Panther Chameleons is room temperature, between 72 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. By placing the basking bulb approximately 8 inches away from a basking perch inside the enclosure, a basking spot of approximately 85-90 degrees Fahrenheit is achieved.

Humidity - Spraying a lot of water, live plants, dripper. Whats the humidity at?

 

[camimom]

Yes i did, i will buy it as soon as i can, thanks!
But it won't effect the fact that he's not eating?

Ok great.

and no it wont affect his eating. like i said hes probably just settling in.

 

[firefrogg]

I would remove the uvb bulb from inside the cage.

its just not safe.

is the top made of mesh?

Well, then I will have to rebuild the cage again.
The top is in glass, there´s an opening for about 15cm where i have the net and the basking lights.
The UVB-rays won't pass the glass.

Should i put a net in front of the uvb-lamp?

 

[camimom]

Well, then I will have to rebuild the cage again.
The top is in glass, there´s an opening for about 15cm where i have the net and the basking lights.
The UVB-rays won't pass the glass.

Should i put a net in front of the uvb-lamp?

I personally, would remove the glass top, and put mesh there.

If you really dont want to do that, then yes i would put net over the light so he cant touch it.