New Baby Chameleon? Help please

[casperpetersen]

there is allso a possibility that it could be Chamaeleo arabicus, Chamaeleo calyptratus calcarife or Chamaeleo chamaeleon muse...

I take it back I think it´s Chamaeleo chamaeleon recticrista

 

[NewChamOwner]

If you see flies outside and you can go up to them slowly then hold the chameleon on your finger and put it close to the fly, close enough so that the cham can see the fly then just wait till the chameleon eats it, thats what i do with WC chameleons that I collect.

Okay I did that once but it doesn't eat when watching it I don't know why..

put a piece of fruit outside, put a cup over it(upside down), then put something large enough to make an opening in the cup (tilted),attatch a string to the object thats keeping the cup open and you have a trap!

Ok thank you, I'll try this when I get out of those small bugs I found on the leaves

why did you take an animal you're not prepared to care for and feed?

a piece of rotting fruit will eventually attract fruit/yeast flies. other options for feeding are small crickets, small locust, small stick insects, small larva (cabbage loppers, silkworms, butterworms, superworms etc), small termites (not ants), small moths, small terrestrial isopods (aka wood sow), aphids, etc
be aware that some bugs are potentially posionous, or the plants theyve been eating are. Cultured bugs are safer than wild caught bugs.

I took it because its the first time I see this nice animal, and to learn to care for it .
Thank you for food info.

I take it back I think it´s Chamaeleo chamaeleon recticrista

Okay ty


Um okay guys the cham is eating now from those small bugs I found on a grape leaf, there are alot of them on the tree..so when I get out of them I'll find another sources or use your fruit ideas, thanks .

But..It's not drinking? I tried to spray water in the aquarium but I've never seen it drinking from it yet.

And why it doesn't eat when I watch it?
I have put those small bugs in another small aquarium so once a whiles I put it in it to eat, but when I watch it it doesnt eat, when I put a video recording camera it eats when i watch the video at end lol..

Thank you everyone

 

[Chase]

Okay I did that once but it doesn't eat when watching it I don't know why..


Ok thank you, I'll try this when I get out of those small bugs I found on the leaves


I took it because its the first time I see this nice animal, and to learn to care for it .
Thank you for food info.


Okay ty


Um okay guys the cham is eating now from those small bugs I found on a grape leaf, there are alot of them on the tree..so when I get out of them I'll find another sources or use your fruit ideas, thanks .

But..It's not drinking? I tried to spray water in the aquarium but I've never seen it drinking from it yet.

And why it doesn't eat when I watch it?
I have put those small bugs in another small aquarium so once a whiles I put it in it to eat, but when I watch it it doesnt eat, when I put a video recording camera it eats when i watch the video at end lol..

Thank you everyone

Sometimes, chams won't drink in front of you. Especially WC. It takes a while for them to acclimate, so you may not see it drink but if the urate is white, you know its drinking.

 

[pssh]

Just put the bugs in the cage with him, dont transfer him. They dont eat around you because they are afraid of you. They often dont drink for the same reason. They will however drink when you are not around. Just make sure when you see his poop that the white part is white and not yellow or orange. If it is yellow or orange it means you need to give it more water.

Honestly, I wouldn't have captured this animal since you dont have any food resources for it. I think it would be best if you released it back where you found it if you can't find a source for buying bugs. He will eventually get too big for you to just feed him flies. He will also require a very large screen cage and a UVB source. If you cant find a place to buy bugs, how will you buy a UVB light and a screen cage?

 

[dodolah]

My suggestion is to get a screen cage somehow and put him outside. Since you live locally to where the cham live, you'll have no need to adjust the climate. Your cham will need sunlight to live. In that case, as long as u provide him with real sunlight daily, u won't need a uvb light. I really suggest keeping him for a while only and releasing him back soon after.

 

[susurrus]

I second what the last two said. If you can get back to where you found him, please release him back into the wild.

I took it because its the first time I see this nice animal, and to learn to care for it .

I think that's the exact wrong way to do things. While you can get away with leaving him outside so you're setup is a little easier than mine in Norcal, there's still a lot to learn. Everything will also change as it grows and if it's a female, you'll need to deal with egg-laying.

Please learn about a pet you're interested in BEFORE you acquire it. As they're native to your area you can probably find some people who keep them, learn from them and their animals, and then get your own. At least, that would be the responsible way to do it.

 

[casperpetersen]

have you considered an outside voliere? (if you got a garden or a rooftop)..

chamaeleo species is usually verry shy/easily stressed and that is properly why it do not eat while you are around, give it time to settle ...

can you post a picture of your terraium ?
and try simulate rain in the terrarium for one minute two times a day.

 

[NewChamOwner]

Sometimes, chams won't drink in front of you. Especially WC. It takes a while for them to acclimate, so you may not see it drink but if the urate is white, you know its drinking.

Okay it wasn't drinking with the sprayings, Now I created a dripper and it's drinking, even when I watch it, ty

Just put the bugs in the cage with him, dont transfer him. They dont eat around you because they are afraid of you. They often dont drink for the same reason. They will however drink when you are not around. Just make sure when you see his poop that the white part is white and not yellow or orange. If it is yellow or orange it means you need to give it more water.


Honestly, I wouldn't have captured this animal since you dont have any food resources for it. I think it would be best if you released it back where you found it if you can't find a source for buying bugs. He will eventually get too big for you to just feed him flies. He will also require a very large screen cage and a UVB source. If you cant find a place to buy bugs, how will you buy a UVB light and a screen cage?

1. The cham's aquarium is in the house but the bug's small aquarium is outside, I can't let the small bugs enter the house or the cham's aquarium because they can get out of it..And yeah I see that transferring it makes it angry

2. It ate today infront of me one fly that I put directly into it's aquarium ..And with the dripping system I created I saw her drinking immediately when I put it..

3. I checked his morning poop it was black and yellow, I knew it wasn't drinking, I have put the dripping system now and it's drinking so the next one should be white.. Thank you for this poop info

4. I'm currently taking care of it's food and water, But before it grows I will try to go to a decent pet store, I'll take care of it.

5. Does it require a UVB light? I mean it doesn't get this light in the wilds..
but I have one tho..

My suggestion is to get a screen cage somehow and put him outside. Since you live locally to where the cham live, you'll have no need to adjust the climate. Your cham will need sunlight to live. In that case, as long as u provide him with real sunlight daily, u won't need a uvb light. I really suggest keeping him for a while only and releasing him back soon after.

What's better a UVB light or sunlight? I can put it in sunlight, but not in winter, so I'll put my UVB light?

I second what the last two said. If you can get back to where you found him, please release him back into the wild.



I think that's the exact wrong way to do things. While you can get away with leaving him outside so you're setup is a little easier than mine in Norcal, there's still a lot to learn. Everything will also change as it grows and if it's a female, you'll need to deal with egg-laying.

Please learn about a pet you're interested in BEFORE you acquire it. As they're native to your area you can probably find some people who keep them, learn from them and their animals, and then get your own. At least, that would be the responsible way to do it.

....I really have no comment..but..I've never seen chameleons before, neither in wild nor in that pet store..but I'll take care of it and learn I guess if I release it I'll never get a chance to find another one.. but I am really doing my best for it.

have you considered an outside voliere? (if you got a garden or a rooftop)..

chamaeleo species is usually verry shy/easily stressed and that is properly why it do not eat while you are around, give it time to settle ...

can you post a picture of your terraium ?
and try simulate rain in the terrarium for one minute two times a day.

1. Why is an outside voliere needed?

2. It's okay my simple dripping system is working fine for it now thank you, it's even drinking when I watch it


Thanks everyone

 

[justjumpit621]

seriously? Sunlight IS UVB and a much better source than a man made lamp. Put the cham's cage outside and leave the bugs in with it. If you do not do this you will most likely kill it.

 

[justjumpit621]

how cold does it get? if it was wild it must not get too cold for it. leave it outside all of the time.

 

[justjumpit621]

they can tolerate temperature ranges from mid sixties to 90 (Fahrenheit). Babies need a bit cooler temps so make sure to put many shady hiding spots for it. live plants usually do the best job.

 

[casperpetersen]

1. Why is an outside voliere needed?

The outside voliere is not needed for it´s survival...(ass proven by thousands of people around the globe) but if you think about it... if it is a Chamaeleo chamaeleon recticrista it lives out in the wild near you and it would properly have a better chance of survival, especially if it´s a wild speciment...

Can you post any pictures of the terrarium?

 

[NewChamOwner]

Okay I'll post a picture of the terrarium when possible..

I have one more question..I got this chameleon from the wild, so noone was taking care of it, so my question is..

Does it really need a perfect temprature AND calcium?
I think it doesn't get that from nature, Like weather keeps changing too cold or too hot so..

 

[casperpetersen]

give it the same conditions as there is outside...and good ventilation plus exoterra solarglo 100w(or sometihing similar) if you will keep it inside...

 

[pssh]

He still needs calcium. Even though he's from the wild, you can't re-create exatly what happens in the wild. If he's going to be a pet, you need to take care of it as well as you possibly can. That includes a little extra cacium to make sure he doesn't get metabolic bone disease.

 

[NewChamOwner]

He still needs calcium. Even though he's from the wild, you can't re-create exatly what happens in the wild. If he's going to be a pet, you need to take care of it as well as you possibly can. That includes a little extra cacium to make sure he doesn't get metabolic bone disease.

Okay thank you, and what does calcium look like, I mean liquid I add to the cham's water or what, and where should I buy it from?

And what's the exact UVB light it needs?

Thank you.

 

[casperpetersen]

you can use this foreksamble:

http://www.goldencockatoo.com/247.html

just shake the bugs in the powder before you give them to your cham.

 

[Eyal]

Look . Did you found it outside or what? Cause i've lived in israel ( im isreali ) and there are alot of European chams out there... Looks like its a european chameleon ...

Then just get a screen cage of some kind or if you cant take care of him , release him.

RELEASE HIM ONLY IF ITS A EUROPEAN CHAMELEON, nothing else.


This is a wild cham in Israel which survives the rough heat.

 

[pssh]

Any kind of plain phos-free calcium w/o d3 is good. But if he doesn't get outside often, then you need to offer a plain phos-free calcium w/ d3 twice a month. He will also need a multivitamin once a month.

Most members here recomend a Reptisun 5.0, but you can also use a reptiglo 5.0. The latter just needs to be changed more often.

 

[chameleon97]

You need a larger enclosure. I'd build a 4 feet tall 2 feet wide cage with wood and screen as an outside cage, And keep the chameleon outside as much as possible. If you do this, you dont need a UVB light or calcium w/d3. Screen also has better ventilation than glass.

I dont know how much it rains there, but the rain is great drinking water for the chameleon. But I wouldn't leave it in the rain. Make sure there's lots of safe plants*, for hiding spots and to get out of the rain.

*Here are some safe plants to look for.
http://www.flchams.com/safe_plant_list.asp

Your climate is ideal for chameleons. However, daily misting with warm water is needed. I dont know how much it rains in Isreal, but let it rain on the cage so your chameleon is hydrated. But if it's a bad storm or something, Bring the cage in.

For food, you can breed flies, crickets/grasshoppers/locusts/roaches, and different larva. Feed a few bugs a day. Dust them with a Phos free, D3 free calcium. Not too much dust, though.


-Steve