New Cham setup and worries

[ScaleyStephen]

Your Chameleon - veiled chamelion Edward. best i can tell about male 3 months old thatr i have had for 9 days.
Handling none so far
Feeding - i am trying crickets and meal worms not gut loaded but dusted still. i have thus far given 6 in the morning right after lights on.
Supplements - nutrobal calcium and exoterra multy dusting in AM with above.
Watering - i have him set up with a auto mister set to mist every 6 hours for 4 minutes. i have seen him drink but only when i mist near him manually because im worried about him (artificial plantys for now)
Fecal Description -i have not had him tested yet but i have seen 1 poo that looks normal white and black no goo
History - purchased from reputable reptile supply shop

Cage Info:
Cage Type - glass exo 45x60x90 with screen top
Lighting - i have a arcadia 24w 12% now but want to switch to a 6% depending on what yall think i need for my setup. but his light schedule is 12 on 12 off with a watering just before and just after lights on/off. as of today this will be set by an auto on/off switch
Temperature basking is 28c with probe right at basking level and his cool side averages 22c throughout the day. i have a thermostat but it doesnt dim but will soon unfortunately due to poor guidance.
Humidity - humidity is 100% down to about 46% throughout the day measured by a combi exoterra probe. i have an auto mister set for 4 minutes every 6 hours as of right now
Placement - cage is located in my changing room which is relatively low traffic and is on a stand putting him almost at my eye level. (i am 6 ft) i crouch below him if i approach
Location - just south of cambridge

Current Problem - Edward doesnt bask or eat. he only goes back and forth on the mister hose. I dont know if i need to move him to his basking so he can see it or just leave him be to de stress but i have had him for 9 days and he hasnt eaten at all. i want to leave him be but i am worried at this point after 9 days. his coloration is pale and bland and i dont know if he only drinks when i spray near him. over the past several days i have moved and re structured his habitat so i understand the stress aspect but wanted to get some feedback from experienced poeple first.

 

[Beman]

Hi there. Can you post pics of your entire set up for me including the lights on top? As well as some pics of Edward?

 

[ScaleyStephen]

Of course! Update today he started shedding as well didnt notice until after original post. the first shows the hose that he exclusively hangs out on

 

[Beman]

Of course! Update today he started shedding as well didnt notice until after original post. the first shows the hose that he exclusively hangs out on

Ok I will go through your husbandry form as well but first off cage set up needs edits.

You want to switch to a 6% UVB bulb and the distance from the fixture sitting on the screen to the branches below should be 8-9 inches for correct UVI level. Using the 12% you can make it work but you have to raise the fixture 4 inches then have the branches from the screen 8 inches to put the cham in the same UVI level. Your losing too much of the top of the cage if you have a 12% sitting directly on the cage.

He is hanging on the hose because the cage needs changes. They are arboreal so they want to be high. With glass your going to have to get very creative to get branches where they need to be. I have seen people utilize plastic lattice and cut it to fit up against the glass to then secure branches with zip ties to it.
For an adult cham your cage is going to be too small. The fake plants are dangerous for them because a veiled will eat their plants. Also all the bark in the bottom is dangerous because it is also an impaction risk.

Start reading everything here. https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/

This is what you want it to look like... More like in the trees. https://www.chameleonforums.com/media/albums/my-enclosures.6672/

 

[nightanole]

Needs more heavy branches, leaves/vines are for hiding, not climbing on.
Along with either switching to 6%(or raising up the 12%) the bulb needs to be moved into the middle of the cage. That might encourage him to not hang out at the front top.

Auto mister. Some chams love misting, some hate it. If you have a hater, hes going to be constantly "hiding from the rain". You may just want a several minute soak at the beginning and end of day.

Finally you have substrate, and a water bowl. Along with the problem if you have a filthy bark eater, substrate+water+ crickets= infestation.

Id just get rid of all of it and have all the sticks and pots float several inches above the floor so the loose feeders cant hide, and its much easier to "spot clean".

 

[Beman]

See my feedback in red bold.


Your Chameleon - veiled chamelion Edward. best i can tell about male 3 months old thatr i have had for 9 days. Once baby is done shedding if you can get some good pics of the back of the back feet we can confirm gender for you.
Handling none so far
Feeding - i am trying crickets and meal worms not gut loaded but dusted still. i have thus far given 6 in the morning right after lights on. How are you feeding him? Free feeding, cup, feeder run? See image for gutloading and feeders. At this age they should be taking down easily 2 dozen feeders.
Supplements - nutrobal calcium and exoterra multy dusting in AM with above. Can you post pics of the labels of these supplements? I need to double check what they actually contain. For a Veiled we recommend using a calcium without D3 at all feedings and then 2 times a month say the 1st and the 15th you would use a multivitamin with A and D in it.
Watering - i have him set up with a auto mister set to mist every 6 hours for 4 minutes. i have seen him drink but only when i mist near him manually because im worried about him (artificial plantys for now) Make sure misting heads are aimed at leaves (real plant leaves are preferred) THen having branches that he can easily get to those leaves to drink from them. You want to have a misting when lights are on as well. Or a dripper. Veileds can be odd when it comes to drinking and some will only drink when they see moving water.
Fecal Description -i have not had him tested yet but i have seen 1 poo that looks normal white and black no goo
History - purchased from reputable reptile supply shop

Cage Info:
Cage Type - glass exo 45x60x90 with screen top This will be too small for the depth of 45cm as an adult. They need a minimum of 60x60x121cm as an adult. You will not find this in the glass enclosures. Those that use the exoterra glass ones get the extra tall and wide version to accommodate for the lack of height and depth.
Lighting - i have a arcadia 24w 12% now but want to switch to a 6% depending on what yall think i need for my setup. but his light schedule is 12 on 12 off with a watering just before and just after lights on/off. as of today this will be set by an auto on/off switch You want to switch to a 6% UVB bulb and the distance from the fixture sitting on the screen to the branches below should be 8-9 inches for correct UVI level. Using the 12% you can make it work but you have to raise the fixture 4 inches then have the branches from the screen 8 inches to put the cham in the same UVI level. Your losing too much of the top of the cage if you have a 12% sitting directly on the cage.
Temperature basking is 28c with probe right at basking level and his cool side averages 22c throughout the day. i have a thermostat but it doesnt dim but will soon unfortunately due to poor guidance. ok this is good. Keep basking in this temp range. Make sure your getting a temp drop at night. They need the cool down.
Humidity - humidity is 100% down to about 46% throughout the day measured by a combi exoterra probe. i have an auto mister set for 4 minutes every 6 hours as of right now.. I would get a pc fan and put it on top of the enclosure aimed so it is pulling air up and out of the cage to help with the chimney effect. You do not want to end up with stagnant air due to the cage being all glass.
Placement - cage is located in my changing room which is relatively low traffic and is on a stand putting him almost at my eye level. (i am 6 ft) i crouch below him if i approach
Location - just south of cambridge

Current Problem - Edward doesnt bask or eat. he only goes back and forth on the mister hose. I dont know if i need to move him to his basking so he can see it or just leave him be to de stress but i have had him for 9 days and he hasnt eaten at all. i want to leave him be but i am worried at this point after 9 days. his coloration is pale and bland and i dont know if he only drinks when i spray near him. over the past several days i have moved and re structured his habitat so i understand the stress aspect but wanted to get some feedback from experienced poeple first. See all feedback above... He may not touch food through a shed this really depends on the cham. But the enclosure is not set up for him properly which may be why he is backing off eating.

 

[ScaleyStephen]

for feedingh i am dojng a cup and letting a fewe roam as well

 

[Beman]

for feedingh i am dojng a cup and letting a fewe roam as well

Are you holding the cup or is the cup secured in the cage where the cham can walk up to it? Or do you have it on the ground? Free feeding will be dangerous due to the bark on the bottom. Also the crickets will dig into the bark and hide.

 

[ScaleyStephen]

Are you holding the cup or is the cup secured in the cage where the cham can walk up to it? Or do you have it on the ground? Free feeding will be dangerous due to the bark on the bottom. Also the crickets will dig into the bark and hide.

im securing it but it may be low but the roamers i place on basking to start 3 on basking and 6 in the cup. but i have so many now in the cage i dont know what to do

 

[Beman]

im securing it but it may be low but the roamers i place on basking to start 3 on basking and 6 in the cup. but i have so many now in the cage i dont know what to do

Read through everything I gave you and the husbandry program. It will teach you how to set the cage up better. But you will need to pull all that bark out and all the bugs... Bare bottom unless you want to totally convert the cage to a bioactive enclosure. https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/intro-to-bio-activity.2429/

 

[ScaleyStephen]

should i allow hiim to settle in before making the changes? poor guy is STRESSSSED

 

[nightanole]

should i allow hiim to settle in before making the changes? poor guy is STRESSSSED

Its no more stressful than a full cage cleaning. hes not going to settle since he doesnt like the setup right now. Its just going to be a cage cleaning. Take him out and put in the free range or travel tote or whatever, clean/rearrange the cage, and let him back in to explore and find all his spots again. Food cups id put as low as possible after the cleaning so he doesnt have to find it, he can see them right away.