twinklefingers
Member
Hi I’m Ray! I’m a newb cham owner but really excited to treat my new pet Khalid as best I can. I don’t have any really pressing concerns, but I am a little insecure about my lighting currently. Last week I was worried about the humidity, but I feel it is more under control now.
Here’s more about me and Khalid. If you have suggestions or comments, please let me know!
Chameleon Info:
Cage Info:
I fell for the ‘all-you-need’ chameleon kit
Reptibreeze 16"x16"x30", Naturalistic Vine, Cage Carpet, Naturalistic Plant, Repticalcium sample, Digital Thermometer, Tropical Lighting Kit w/ UVB
Have since added:
He had a healthy shred over the last two days. It only took a couple days and it all came off. I think his poop looks healthier now than when I first got him, it’s certainly bigger. He was opening his mouth today in his basking spot. He’s never showed me any aggressive colors yet, if he has any at this age. Moves around the cage frequently, basks a lot. Sways a little after he eats, did some shakes when he was shedding. Seems pretty happy.
I am planning to go out of town for 4 nights in the next week or so. I can have someone stop by to feed and refill ReptiRain maybe twice in those few days if I’m lucky. Any recommendations on that?
Here’s more about me and Khalid. If you have suggestions or comments, please let me know!
Chameleon Info:
- Your Chameleon - He is a veiled chameleon named Khalid. I got him on 7.14.19 at a local reptile Expo. The seller told me he was 10 weeks old at the time of purchase.
- Handling - I don’t take him out to ‘play'. But I’ve had to move him around a bit as I make adjustments to his cage.
- Feeding - At first it was mealworms, then superworms, now I found some wax worms - all of these were coated with calcium w/o d3. I’ve recently begun dusting with vitamins the last two days. I also introduced crickets within the first week of having him. I’m learning about gut loading but have made a cricket container with the orange cubes in there for now. I plan to have crickets as the staple, and am interesting in learning about more resources for food as a reptile store is not nearby. I feed Khalid as much as he wants to eat. I’ve seen him eat about 5 crickets/ day and go down to his worm bowl a couple times a day, but he’s kinda a grazer right now. I am starting to feed him in the morning only. I saw him eat some pothos today. I try not to give him so many crickets that there are some in there over night, but I usually see at least a couple in there all the time.
- Supplements - ZooMed ReptiCalcium without D3, and Exo-Terra Multi Vitamin. I have been on 3 days off 3 days, with the calcium, but plan to do it every day going forward. Not knowing when his last dose of vitamins were, I gave him some yesterday for the first time. Plan to do that every week or two?
- Watering - I was misting by hand 3 times a day, but want something more reliable. I got a ReptiRain system which mists for 45s every 3 hours between 9am - 10pm using filtered water. I also added a bottle with a hole in the bottom and some melting tap water ice cubes which I will have full each day. I haven’t really seen him drinking, but he has yet to get used to the position and schedule of the ReptiRain and the bottle, I think.
- Fecal Description - When I first brought him home, his droppings where black and white, the black but being rather small. Today I noticed a few big brown drops and white sac attached. I read the poop 101 forum and they look healthy! Has not been tested for parasites. Haven’t seen or found a vet yet.
- History - No history on Khalid. Some pertinent info is that this is my first reptile since I was an adolescent. I’m trying to learn a lot quickly. Khalid seems pretty easy-going, maybe that’s just his young age, though. I have 2 cats, one really skittish and easy going, and one year old curious, though generally well-behaved. No other pets.
Cage Info:
- Cage Type - 16”x16”x30" screen cage for now, will upgrade to 2’x2’x4' or bigger. Looking to put a humidity screen on one side.
- Lighting - He gets UVB via this light https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-25156-Reptisun-Fluorescent/dp/B00A8RI8TK this is his heat lamp 60w blue https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Daylight-Incandescent-Reptile/dp/B000255OV8/ His timer is set to go on at 9:30AM and turn off around 10PM. The timer is hooked up to his lights as well as his ReptiRain water, so the water does spray him at night.
- Temperature - I have 2 temp gauges and 1 hygrometer. One temp probe near basking spot, having trouble getting it to read 80 degrees. It’s more like 75 degrees in basking spot. Second temp probe in mid-lower area of cage is between 66-75*, usually 5-10* colder than basking temp. Over night I was going down to 65*, but recently upped that to about 70*.
- Humidity - The hygrometer was reading about 60% humidity, give or take, but since I got the ReptiRain a few days ago, it’s read 99% all the time, which I think is wrong, it just needs to dry out. And I don’t want to disturb him by taking it out or messing with it.
- Plants - Right now I have 2 fake vines and 2 pothos plants from Menards.
- Placement - It is in my dining area. My house is very small and has an open-feel. There is a busy office, the kitchen/dining room/living room (where he is, and is honestly less busy than the office), then there is my bedroom, which is dark and quiet. I could move him there, but I also like to keep an eye on him. There is a ceiling fan over the dining room, but is rarely on. The cage is about 40"off the floor now, 33” high table and 6” or so of water basins as I was focused on figuring out humidity last week.
- Location - Minnesota
I fell for the ‘all-you-need’ chameleon kit
Reptibreeze 16"x16"x30", Naturalistic Vine, Cage Carpet, Naturalistic Plant, Repticalcium sample, Digital Thermometer, Tropical Lighting Kit w/ UVB
Have since added:
- Hygrometer and another thermometer https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076M5WCR7/
- 2 Pothos plants, 4” and 6”, potted, and the soil is covered by regular (large and small) sized marbles
- A large plastic plant https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/exo-terra-mandarin-jungle-plant
- A large waterproof vine for climbing https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/exo-terra-jungle-vine
- ReptiRain https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Automatic-Misting-Machine/dp/B0002DJ0QA/
- reptisun t5 HO 5 UVB 24” fluorescent light (the 30” hood included a 5.0 UVB light)-
- https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-26053-Reptisun-Terrarium/dp/B00AQU8F2O/
- i haven’t set this up yet because it’s a lot bigger than the top of the cage... the person at the store said i could use it along the side, attached to the adjacent wall, but I’ve also read that the light should be coming from the top only, not the side - thoughts? a
- the dripper i made, using ice cubes
- A mug for food, as well as a hanging container
- a few garden rocks to hold down substrate
- zoomed timer power strip
He had a healthy shred over the last two days. It only took a couple days and it all came off. I think his poop looks healthier now than when I first got him, it’s certainly bigger. He was opening his mouth today in his basking spot. He’s never showed me any aggressive colors yet, if he has any at this age. Moves around the cage frequently, basks a lot. Sways a little after he eats, did some shakes when he was shedding. Seems pretty happy.
I am planning to go out of town for 4 nights in the next week or so. I can have someone stop by to feed and refill ReptiRain maybe twice in those few days if I’m lucky. Any recommendations on that?