New Chameleon and hes not the only one stressed out ..

[Beppo]

I am feeling a bit discouraged , this is my first chameleon and my first time observing in person chameleon behaviors and trying to learn them. That being said, it seems everyday something causes me to do a bit of a panic .. I just want him to THRIVE and i know one thing is for sure... I did a lot of research and ive never felt more unprepared in my life...
Did others feel this way when they brought their first chameleon home? Yesterday i found some spores growing in a plant and as a result decreased my misting down to one minute twice a day, i live in a already humid area in the PNW, but i now worry he wont have enough water .... i dont know what the happy medium is and i worry by the time i find it it will be too late ... i also feel quite dramatic saying all this, but i just love the little guy and feel so privilleged and hornored to have got him in the first place. I did plenty of research or so i thought, but now that hes here its a taking a lot of tweeking which i am sure is all normal as well. i just feel like something scares me everyday right now .. sounds dumb as i type it since this is my first time owning one and being able to observe his behavior. i was trying to locate the chameleon help form that is recommended to get help but i guess i am too old to figure this site out haha. Any help with finding that and with how to effectively dry out my enclosure during the day.. fans? less water? could i open the door for a little bit to air it out? do i need to consider an all screen enclosure instead? Thank you all in advance and sorry for my novel that makes me sound like i need therapy

 

[kinyonga]

Here’s a link to the husbandry questions…
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/

Chameleons have a way of keeping us all on needles and pins! Welcome to the world of chameleon keeping! There’s a definite learning curve….and so much to try to pick up at the beginning so you can avoid a lot of problems that some newbies fall into.

 

[Beppo]

Here’s a link to the husbandry questions…
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/

Thank you!

 

[kinyonga]

I added a few comments to my last post.

Please post some photos of your chameleon and the cage from the lights down.

 

[kinyonga]

There is lots of good and helpful information posted on the chameleon academy site and on Neptune the chameleon site too as well as on here.

https://chameleonacademy.com/
https://www.youtube.com/c/NeptunetheChameleon

 

[Beppo]

yes both have been very helpful! Thank you

 

[Beppo]

I added a few comments to my last post.

Please post some photos of your chameleon and the cage from the lights down.

 

[Beppo]

I can get better ones tomorrow when I get home from work. One is before I added potted plants to the bottom and put the pvc floor with a few drilled holes in the bottom, as opposed to the screen floor I did have

 

[Beppo]

Some more pictures I took this morning.

 

[elizaann2]

Welcome! You are not alone! This is my first year as a chameleon keeper too and I feel the exact same way. Everything new freaks me out. You are not alone!

 

[Beppo]

THANK YOU!!!

 

[ChamelaChameleon]

I'm a 5mo old Cham mom and freaking out is part of the journey. I must say, with what I've learn here and Cham Academy, I freak out less. I'm more confident with the care I'm providing and I definitely know how to meet his needs. So, go ahead and freak out. Based on my experience, people here will support you and escort you through this phase.

 

[Beppo]

Yes! Thank you! Thus forum has been so supportive already .... it really is a emotional Rollercoaster some days. Thank you for your kind words

 

[dinomom]

I am feeling a bit discouraged , this is my first chameleon and my first time observing in person chameleon behaviors and trying to learn them. That being said, it seems everyday something causes me to do a bit of a panic .. I just want him to THRIVE and i know one thing is for sure... I did a lot of research and ive never felt more unprepared in my life...
Did others feel this way when they brought their first chameleon home? Yesterday i found some spores growing in a plant and as a result decreased my misting down to one minute twice a day, i live in a already humid area in the PNW, but i now worry he wont have enough water .... i dont know what the happy medium is and i worry by the time i find it it will be too late ... i also feel quite dramatic saying all this, but i just love the little guy and feel so privilleged and hornored to have got him in the first place. I did plenty of research or so i thought, but now that hes here its a taking a lot of tweeking which i am sure is all normal as well. i just feel like something scares me everyday right now .. sounds dumb as i type it since this is my first time owning one and being able to observe his behavior. i was trying to locate the chameleon help form that is recommended to get help but i guess i am too old to figure this site out haha. Any help with finding that and with how to effectively dry out my enclosure during the day.. fans? less water? could i open the door for a little bit to air it out? do i need to consider an all screen enclosure instead? Thank you all in advance and sorry for my novel that makes me sound like i need therapy

It can seem to take forever to get all the parameters dialed in to be perfect. Then-the seasons change and you have to start all over! Lots of good monitoring tools are your friend for sure.

 

[Beppo]

It can seem to take forever to get all the parameters dialed in to be perfect. Then-the seasons change and you have to start all over! Lots of good monitoring tools are your friend for sure.

Thank you! Yes! It seems I find something new I could improve his habitat with every week

 

[ChamelaChameleon]

It can seem to take forever to get all the parameters dialed in to be perfect. Then-the seasons change and you have to start all over! Lots of good monitoring tools are your friend for sure.

@Beppo @dinomom The key point is you recognized a change was needed, what needed changing, and how to change it. Academia would call that a test/practicum. You passed! A+. Sounds like some great Cham Keepers are under development.

 

[absolutbill]

It's totally normal to spend the first months, heck, the first couple of years in full-on panic mode! As mentioned, you noticed an issue and that's the first step, as well as an important one! Is your cage screened in the front, and top? Slightly tough for me to tell, and I'm a little too lazy to go get my glasses You don't have to go to all screen yet, let's just take it one step at a time. Firstly, check your chameleon's poop - that's an excellent indicator for how much water they are receiving/taking in. You mentioned day misting - may I suggest a misting session just after lights out and just before lights on instead? If you don't have an automatic mister, maybe that's not feasible for you. Another option is to use a small computer fan, outside the cage, blowing to create a cross-breeze to help air circulation. Keep us posted, we are here to help. Good luck!

 

[Beppo]

It's totally normal to spend the first months, heck, the first couple of years in full-on panic mode! As mentioned, you noticed an issue and that's the first step, as well as an important one! Is your cage screened in the front, and top? Slightly tough for me to tell, and I'm a little too lazy to go get my glasses You don't have to go to all screen yet, let's just take it one step at a time. Firstly, check your chameleon's poop - that's an excellent indicator for how much water they are receiving/taking in. You mentioned day misting - may I suggest a misting session just after lights out and just before lights on instead? If you don't have an automatic mister, maybe that's not feasible for you. Another option is to use a small computer fan, outside the cage, blowing to create a cross-breeze to help air circulation. Keep us posted, we are here to help. Goodthr

the front is pvc with a screen service door at the bottom. I did go ahead and get a pvc fan but now that I reported plants with a thicker chunkier soil I think the fan is actually zapping too much moisture. Thank you! It sure is a challenge to get things just right! I'll keep you guys updated I feel real annoying so I'm going to try and calm down and sto pestering everyone

 

[absolutbill]

My suggestion is to treat this as you would any experiment when you are trying to dial in your humidity levels. Change one thing at a time, and make observations. If you change multiple things at once you won't know what worked and what didn't. Good luck!