New chameleon owner

am feeding him small medium he is 5 weeks on thursday starting to hang on top of cage today ws like ermmm he aint dont it again though.only if we ws close cud of mated em lol has urs showed any colours yet or still too young? :p
 
KazzyC said:
On the tub it's described as a high potency calcium balancer & multivitamin supplement to help bone growth in snakes, lizards and tortoises.

Contents per gram :-
200mg calcium & 150IU D3, plus vitamins A, E, K, B1, B2, B6, B12 C, Folic acid, nicotinic & pantothenic acids, biotin, niacin, and minerals Na Fe, Co I Mn Zn Se Cu
Click to expand...

I'm a bit skeptical about supplement that combine calcium and vitamins all in one. Firstly, many sources say that combining vitamins and minerals can degrade the components, and also, you lose control over the dosage of the supplementation.
A cham needs far more calcium supplementation than vitamin supplementation, so it's better to use separate sources of supplements.

Vitamin D3 from artificial sources can build up in the cham's system to levels where it affects calcium absorption and can lead to MBD. So any supplement with D3 in it should not be used too frequently.

It doesn't say whether the source of Vitamin A is beta carotene or pre-formed Vitamin A.
If it is beta-carotene, there is a good chance that it doesn't supply vitamin A to the cham because the jury is still out as to whether chameleons can actually process beta carotene.
If it is pre-formed vitamin A, this can build up to harmful levels in the cham's system quite quickly (causing edemas and affecting calcium absorption), so the supplement should not be used frequently.

You will be able to find places that ship recommended supplements like Herptivite and Repcal the UK on eBay.
 
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I presume you meant to type either 50W or 150W - 750W would have cooked your cham by now (and a leg of lamb ;)) and burnt down your house...

LOL, stupid me, it's a 75W infrared bulb :)

Thanks for all the info, it's really good of you to help. I'm going to print it all out so I can refer to it and try and get the things you said I need.

Thank you ever so much :D
 
im using a 100 watt i thought it wud b too hot bt seems ok got it in the 80's 82 bout tht and i use a 10.0 uvb light as it is dark mesh julirs helpd me out with all mine gd man:cool:
 
I have one like this:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Indoor-Outdoor-Max-Min-Thermometer-Hygrometer_W0QQitemZ150134358881QQihZ005QQcategoryZ48624QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

It's slightly better because it also has an outdoor probe (that extra wire coming off the unit). Then you can use the main unit to measure the ambient temp and humidity in the cage, and you can run the probe wire up to where your cham sits in his basking spot and get a measurement of the basking temps too.
And like the other one, it records maximum and minimum temps and humidity, so you can check what is going on when you're not around to watch.
 
You've been given lots of good advice here already...just have a few comments that I don't think were made yet...
Make sure that any plants you add are non-toxic and well-washed both sides of the leaves.

Both Nubtrobal and the Bug Grub you mention have D3 and vitamin A in. They don't say if the vitamin A is from beta carotene or preformed. You need to be careful not to overdo D3 from supplements and preformed vitamin A.
 
Just so you know chameleons can not see in the infrared spectrum of light. A normal incandescent light will work just fine. Chameleons do translate light=heat. So being able to see the light will be helpful to them.
 
Tygerr said:
It doesn't say whether the source of Vitamin A is beta carotene or pre-formed Vitamin A.
If it is beta-carotene, there is a good chance that it doesn't supply vitamin A to the cham because the jury is still out as to whether chameleons can actually process beta carotene.
If it is pre-formed vitamin A, this can build up to harmful levels in the cham's system quite quickly (causing edemas and affecting calcium absorption), so the supplement should not be used frequently.
Click to expand...

I checked on eBay and found that the Herptivite has beta-carotene in it. I couldn't find any Repcalto, but I will keep looking for some.

HERPTIVITE

Rep-Cal's HERPTIVITE is a superior multi-vitamin, multimineral and amino acid food supplement developed from the latest findings in reptile and amphibian nutritional research. Its formulation contains all natural source ingredients with a base of "sea vegetation." Unlike other companies which use non-nutritional "bases," Rep-Cal's "sea vegetation" base is rich in essential trace elements and minerals. HERPTIVITE contains precise levels of vitamins and minerals combined in perfect balance to ensure correct utilization of protein and other essential nutrients for growth, reproduction, maintenance and many aspects of your reptile's functions. HERPTIVITE is the first reptile vitamin without Vitamin A. Instead we use Beta Carotene which is an anti-oxidant that is converted into Vitamin A in a regulated way, so there is no threat of Vitamin A toxicity. Make Rep-Cal's HERPTIVITE the dietary supplement of choice for your reptile
 
KazzyC said:
I checked on eBay and found that the Herptivite has beta-carotene in it.
Click to expand...
Yes, that's why it is recommended: it doesn't contain preformed Vitamin A.
Now as I said, it is not confirmed whether chameleons can even obtain vitamin A from beta carotene, but at least the beta carotene doesn't build up to toxic levels like preformed Vitamin A can.
I should have been more clear when I mentioned that earlier.
There is still a lot of debate around Vitamin A supplementation. You can read some of that discussion here: "Chameleons and Vitamin A article"

KazzyC said:
I couldn't find any Repcalto, but I will keep looking for some.
Click to expand...
Once again, my mistake. Must have had my hands tied behind my back when I typed that. I meant to type REPCAL. Repcal is the calcium supplement made by the same people that make Herptivite.
It comes in two varieties: one without Vitamin D3, and one with Vitamin D3 (both are phosphorus free). You need both varieties.
 
Thanks for all your help Tygerr, it's really appreciated. There's no Repcal on eBay at the moment :( but I'll keep searching for some.
 
Can anybody recommend a good veiled book? I've got the Barron's book "Chameleons", but there's not that much info on them in there.
 
been trying for a few days to buy off tht site and is nt letting me going to a error page have bought stuff from there quite alot bt all sudden nt letting me anyone else having this prob?:(
 
 
she looking gd kaz dnt seem stressed when out i got mine out today he gt ikkle stressed showing his markings he ws ok when feeding him though seemed to come to front of cage to see es and look for cricks hows urs been today?
 
Hi Alan,
no she doesn't seem to get stressed out at all. I have heard that chameleons don't like being handled, but Karma waves her front legs at me if I go near her so she can grab my finger and climb up on me. It's quite cute seeing her doing it :)
Her colours seem to be getting more prominent and she sometimes shows some lovely purpley colours down her flanks. How's your little boy doing?
 
he is doing gd is a little stress head though only when u go near him he had tint of purpleness in him gave him some exrcise.does urs sleep on same spot every night mine is all round the cage lol slept in 2 places twice bt in new spot tonight he is fussy lol have to keep up date on ya girl woith pics:)
 
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