New Meller comes tomorrow! Need Advice!!!

[bakednowningz]

Okay so I've just gotten a new Cham from Backwaterreptiles, I originally wanted a Verrucosus Cham, but they advised me the ones they had didnt look like they we're ready to be sold, which was nice of them to inform me of that instead of sending me a sickly one, instead asked if I wanted a different species and offered me a discount on the one I wanted for the inconvenience. Decided to go with the infamous 90 Day Chameleon. Kinda scared cause I know it probably wont be easy. (No this isn't my first Cham but it's been quite some years since I've had to care for one.)

Moving on... I thought I would get a Verrucosus and completely designed the enclosure FOR that species, luckily the Meller lives off the coast of east africa which is basically Madagascar, and they are notably the same size. Unfortunately the Verrucosus is a much more hardened Chameleon than the infamous Meller. I'm concerned if my enclosure will be good enough for it, I've spoiled the cage and tried to make it not only an enclosure but an art of "Wild Growth" that is basically a piece cut out straight from the rainforest but also designed to be appealing to the eye if the Chameleon is busy hiding.

Im looking for advice what to add, I have a few things off the top of my head that I could immediately use, I just want to make sure Im not missing anything! Anyways here are some pictures of it so far...



The cage is a Reptarium 100 Gallon 30x16x48 (I'm aware it could be larger I plan to leave it open sometimes after acclimating to allow him to roam the room when he feels ready)
Temperatures in the basking area show around 90-100
Humidity in ambient is about 50% and drops to 85% towards the bottom of the cage (This is with maximum powered fogger and front enclosure completely opened, easily adjustable)
LED's are Dim-able, to almost none existent lighting, or off.
2 Different kind of Real Live Moss just about everywhere.
Wanting to add some Live mushrooms towards the bottom of the cage.
About 80-85% of the sword is covered, he probably will rarely touch it I would assume.

Things I know could use improvement:
-Deep dome on top shouldn't be touching the mesh.
-No UVB (Fiance bought the wrong bulb will get that tomorrow)
-No actual mist system, just a fogger. Looking into getting a Monsoon "Soon" and some sort of waterfall eventually.
-Not sure what to do with the bottom of the cage.

Please give me any advice you have, I intend to spoil him and make his acclimating as easy as I possibly can!

 

[laurie]

You said you are looking into getting a Monsoon and some sort of waterfall eventually.

I would trash both ideas. Monsoons are a piece of junk in my opinion. Just give in and get something like a mist king starter set. I have had several running for years. They cost more at first but will outlast several monsoons. - again my opinion.

Waterfalls are breeding grounds for germs and bacteria. You need to clean them at least daily, and hope your cham does not poop in the waterfall. I like my chams safe and healthy. Again, my opinion, but I do have a number or years in this hobby.

This is a link to a wonderful source of information on Melleri.
www.melleridiscovery.com/

Good luck.

 

[bakednowningz]

You said you are looking into getting a Monsoon and some sort of waterfall eventually.

I would trash both ideas. Monsoons are a piece of junk in my opinion. Just give in and get something like a mist king starter set. I have had several running for years. They cost more at first but will outlast several monsoons. - again my opinion.

Waterfalls are breeding grounds for germs and bacteria. You need to clean them at least daily, and hope your cham does not poop in the waterfall. I like my chams safe and healthy. Again, my opinion, but I do have a number or years in this hobby.

This is a link to a wonderful source of information on Melleri.
www.melleridiscovery.com/

Good luck.

Yup I've bookmarked that and have been reading it very thoroughly. Good call on the waterfall forgot theyd have to be cleaned regularly. I'd love the Mist King starter set, it's just so expensive for my budget really, and I just can't locate one on craigslist. I'll definitely try to get that instead tho as priority.

 

[Andee]

Mellers have the possibility to get much larger than any Verrucosus. They need to have preferably 4'x6'x6' enclosures, at the minimum. Mellers do not do well at all with small cages and tend to do best being free ranged if possible. Do you know how old your chameleon will be? A juvenile will be easier to raise than a baby, and might not need an immediate enclosure change. Adults would either need the enclosure permanently open, except maybe during sleeping hours, or to have a larger cage.

Your temps are too high in the basking range, it should be in the high 80's-90 degrees F.

Just put paper towels on the bottom of the cage, no substrate is good for chams, and it's easier to clean.

I wouldn't personally add the mushrooms. Mellers are known for eating vegetation and I'm not sure if mushrooms of any type are safe for chams.

I whole heartedly agree with getting a mistking, they are much better and chameleons seem to enjoy the mist more, though this always depends on the cham lol.

Melleri are only considered a 90 day chameleon because they are EXTREMELY sensitive montane species which are imported. Any montane species which is imported is going to be harder to take care of because montane species are harder to take care of to begin with, add that to being an import and you have troubles arise.

I suggest, taking your new Mellers to a vet after a two day settling in period, whether it looks like it needs it or not. Parasites are a possibility. Finding a GOOD gutload and getting a supplementation schedule that is rare and few between. Mellers chameleons do not need a lot of supplementation if they have a good gut load for their prey items, in fact too much supplementation for them is incredibly dangerous.

 

[jpowell86]

Every Mellers has an individual personality that drives what the animal is going to want/need. I have five Mellers...three are in free-range habitation while the other two prefer not to come out of their cage. So just pay attention to the colors of the animal, this will help in understanding if something is off. Automated mist systems are a must with these guys as they drink like crazy. Although, when Mellers first come in, via importation, they tend to develop respiratory infections. Make sure that the water they are receiving is well on the warm side....very warm. Andee is correct, a vet visit will probably be in order. I took all of mine so they could be dosed with Ivermectin. The one thing I would suggest with the cage is more horizontal branches for sitting...they prefer that position. I love Mellers and I hope you have success with yours!!

 

[bakednowningz]

Thanks for the information guys! He came in bright and earlie today. Seemed lively and immediately climbed on my arm up to my shoulder. as I went to set him in his cage he starred at me and wouldnt want to go in and had to sit there for a minute or so till he took.

No aggressive displays as I unboxed him, no black spots or anything. Once I put him in the cage and immediately began spraying him and the cage damp, he started showing me his gapping mouth and black spots. After spraying him for just a bit I began to cover his enclosure so he doesn't see any other animals or people. He wandered for quite some bit on the mesh screening, and now just seems to be basking in probably the warmest spot in the cage.

Now I do know they get big, very big, hes currently about 14" I would guess, with only a few notable black skin markings that concerns me a bit, but could just be dirt hard to really tell. If I had to guess he looks like hes a young adult with definitely way more to grow. Had he been a full blown adult with 20"+ I can definately see the cage being much to small for him. I will expand the cage upward a bit, and making it longer. (Think like the shape of a "T")
He doesn't seem to have wandered down yet where the it's richer in humidity in the 2 hours I've had him.

I will DEFINITELY work on changing the enclosure for more horizontal perches. I just wanted easier access for him to go up and down to adjust his temperature/humidity very easily if he needed to.

What I really want to do is shower him, as I've read on the Melleri discover site.... How soon can I begin doing that without stressing him as I want to keep him as hydrated as possible!

 

[bakednowningz]

"Your temps are too high in the basking range, it should be in the high 80's-90 degrees F."
-I just nailed the lamp a few inches higher than it was, I'll monitor the basking area and make sure the temps dont go higher than 90!

"Just put paper towels on the bottom of the cage, no substrate is good for chams, and it's easier to clean."
-Fair enough, already done!

"I wouldn't personally add the mushrooms. Mellers are known for eating vegetation and I'm not sure if mushrooms of any type are safe for chams."
-Ahh yes I heard that, they would be at the very bottom of the cage, after monitoring him to see if he really even goes down there, I'll determine if its safe enough.

"I whole heartedly agree with getting a mistking, they are much better and chameleons seem to enjoy the mist more, though this always depends on the cham lol."
-Been looking like I said its really out of my budget at this point, being as important as it is I'm definitely looking into getting it in the future. I plan on doing the shower thing regularly, I've got a Grapevine he can sit on and bask in the shower. I work from home so I can easily do this a few times a day till I get a Mistking

 

[Andee]

Sounds like he came in doing well, just mist him A LOT in the beginning for long sessions, make sure he's well hydrated <3. Good luck with your new little one and remember, pictures are always awesome when he settles in ^^

 

[jpowell86]

I would definitely go ahead and give him a shower. You will be able to tell if he is stressed, but he needs to drink. The acclimation time for these guys can be slower than other species, depending on the animal, so he may show some crazy colors when he sees you for a while. Awesome about the horizontal branches....and I totally agree with the vertical branches for thermoregulation. You will have to experiment to see what your new guy prefers, but my guys don't like temps above 85. Glad to know that he came in alive and thriving. From the sound of your description, he has quite a bit more growing to do!!

 

[scchameleon]

Bakedno,

Congrats on the Mellers! They are awesome Chameleons! I have had mine for about 60 days now. A couple of things that have made my Cham happy and healthy are below:

1. I mist my guy with a Mistking for 20 minutes at 9AM and 3PM. I also give him a splash for 5 minutes at 5:00 right before bed. He came to me a little dehydrated which is normal and I'm sure your guy is too. My guy drinks for 5 to 10 minutes a day!

2. Room temperature is his friend. I have a heat lamp on far right of cage but my guy stays on far left of cage where temperatures are room temperature (probably 75 degrees).

3. Offer a verity of feeders. My guys loves dubias, hissers, superworm salads, and crickets. They can put down the food so keep him fat and happy at first to get him established and so he will have enough energy to fight off disease or parasite.

4. Leave him alone! This is hard but I still do not handle my guy. I feed him and just admire him. Handling will only stress him out right now. Even if he is not showing stress colors or dots. give him 4 to 6 months fro him to figure out you are his friend that provides food for him daily. Remember someone probably grabbed him out of his tree in Africa less than 3 months ago!

Good luck! Mellers are awesome!

Get water on him soon and often!

 

[bakednowningz]

Okay so I attempted to shower him and see how it went. He panic'd a bit and just wanted out of the shower for most of the time, I kept him there for about 10 minutes wasn't too bad but only I'd say a fraction of that time he might of drank a tiny bit then just continued on trying to get out he didn't bother sitting on the grapevine for long. Tried to aim the shower on half of the grapevine and not on the other have so he could sit there more comfortably on a spot he preferred. Might just be to soon anyways, took these shots of him as I put him back in, the flash makes it hard to tell but hes got some dark patches, should I be concerned about them? I can't really tell if its just dirt or something else.

I've offered superworms he hasn't gone for them yet I'll leave about 5 in the cage and count them later and give him some time. I know I generally have to leave the creature alone, I don't want to bother him unless I must.

 

[Andee]

Those spots look like some bruises from importing or travel, or they could just be some really light burns. They aren't too bad and probably aren't anything to worry about, just keep an eye on them to make sure they don't spread, if they start to then consult the vet about them at your first vet appointment with him. He's a gorgeous boy, looks pretty healthy, how do his eye turrets look? Nice and full? That's the best way to tell of hydration.

 

[bakednowningz]

Those spots look like some bruises from importing or travel, or they could just be some really light burns. They aren't too bad and probably aren't anything to worry about, just keep an eye on them to make sure they don't spread, if they start to then consult the vet about them at your first vet appointment with him. He's a gorgeous boy, looks pretty healthy, how do his eye turrets look? Nice and full? That's the best way to tell of hydration.

Yup eyes look fine, I'll take him to the vet sometime this weekend to have him looked at. I was rather worried the condition he would come in. The only real things the bothered me was 1. Those dark spots on his skin which I will closely monitor and 2. When he arrived the bag had blood on it, little tiny spots of blood maybe like 10 dots with some smear where the bag absorbed the blood, it's not a bloody nightmare or anything but I noticed, it seems his horn may have broke off during importation? So there was a scab there, and the scab was peeled during the delivery to me so his nose is a bit raw.

Other than that coloration looks great, wish hed eat but I'm sure thatll come with a little time.

 

[Andee]

He probably won't eat for a couple days, could even be up to 5, he's got good weight on him though so I wouldn't be too worried. He will eat when he settles in. If he doesn't eat in a week or so, I would try some hornworms or silkworms with him. As long as he's well hydrated you shouldn't have to worry until then.

But yeah, they tend to get pretty beat up during the capture and travel process. Usually not too bad, thank god, but more than they should in my eyes. He just needs to destress and relax for a few days. Make sure he drinks and he's not showing signs of sickness. He should be a happy healthy boy if all goes well and you stay on top of things the first few months. It's all about the settling in process and learning what he needs. Mellers can be a steep learning curve but are amazing animals, montane species are just something else.

If you are worried about infection with the cuts or anything get some antibacterial cream (neosporin) without any painkiller additives or anti-itch stuff.

 

[bakednowningz]

He probably won't eat for a couple days, could even be up to 5, he's got good weight on him though so I wouldn't be too worried. He will eat when he settles in. If he doesn't eat in a week or so, I would try some hornworms or silkworms with him. As long as he's well hydrated you shouldn't have to worry until then.

But yeah, they tend to get pretty beat up during the capture and travel process. Usually not too bad, thank god, but more than they should in my eyes. He just needs to destress and relax for a few days. Make sure he drinks and he's not showing signs of sickness. He should be a happy healthy boy if all goes well and you stay on top of things the first few months. It's all about the settling in process and learning what he needs. Mellers can be a steep learning curve but are amazing animals, montane species are just something else.

If you are worried about infection with the cuts or anything get some antibacterial cream (neosporin) without any painkiller additives or anti-itch stuff.

Oh neat! Neosporins safe for them? Thats awesome good to know that can come in handy for these guys. I figured he wont eat for a few days, I'll be patient and just creep on him every now and then.

Thanks Heeps for the help guys! I really want to see him through, I've heard so many good things about them once they've acclimated, very excited for my little buddy, hes the only reptile I decided to get, while my Fiance has a few so he'll get all the attention he needs from me!

 

[bakednowningz]

Thanks Much for all the advice everyone!!!!!!!!

 

[Andee]

Your welcome, it's what we are here for ^^ we want to see all chameleons thrive and every one able to enjoy them just as much as we do.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Oh neat! Neosporins safe for them? Thats awesome good to know that can come in handy for these guys. I figured he wont eat for a few days, I'll be patient and just creep on him every now and then.

Thanks Heeps for the help guys! I really want to see him through, I've heard so many good things about them once they've acclimated, very excited for my little buddy, hes the only reptile I decided to get, while my Fiance has a few so he'll get all the attention he needs from me!

Congratulations on your Mellers. I love them and "one day" will have one. I've just worked with a group of really beat up wild caught quads, so would like to share some of my thoughts.

I would recommend you NOT take him to the vet. You will only stress him out and if he is reasonably healthy your vet won't have any advice to add that you haven't already heard here. The stress from capture, import and now to you will suppress his immune system, so you want to do everything you can to boost it. That means definitely not handling him at all and make sure you give him a TON of cover. I would have a lot more cover than you have.

Hydration is really important for any newly imported animal but especially for Mellers. They drink a LOT. A mister is your best bet, especially since you have a screen cage. When you shower him, the shower shouldn't hit the cage, it should hit the shower wall with fine mist bouncing from the wall into his cage or onto him.

Many of the foods you are offering him are not things he normally sees as food items, so stick to something that has a lot of movement and don't try to feed him out of a cup. I've seen Mellers newly imported, jet black with stress snap up crickets in a crowded cage at the importers'. He should eat. Wild caughts seem to eat. They might also die, but they eat pretty well.

Those black marks are damage to the skin from rubs and probably bites and general rough handling and abuse. I've seen a lot of Mellers at the importer who supplies BackWater and know the condition they come in. It's pretty awful but they can be pretty resilient. If necessary, use polysporin or Neosporin original ointment WITHOUT any pain meds or anything else added.

At some point, you probably want do do fecals, but let him settle in first. He has to recover from dehydration and that isn't an overnight thing. Let him get his immune system back on track. Others will give medications to worm right away but I don't unless the animal is in trouble. Expect your parasite problem to continue for months and months and months. My vet believes I will never be able to completely get rid of my parasites because they are throughout their body, just waiting to erupt.

Read OldChamKeepers post about the last surviving female quad on the west coast. There's a lot of information in that thread.

Good luck.

 

[bakednowningz]

Congratulations on your Mellers. I love them and "one day" will have one. I've just worked with a group of really beat up wild caught quads, so would like to share some of my thoughts.

I would recommend you NOT take him to the vet. You will only stress him out and if he is reasonably healthy your vet won't have any advice to add that you haven't already heard here. The stress from capture, import and now to you will suppress his immune system, so you want to do everything you can to boost it. That means definitely not handling him at all and make sure you give him a TON of cover. I would have a lot more cover than you have.

Hydration is really important for any newly imported animal but especially for Mellers. They drink a LOT. A mister is your best bet, especially since you have a screen cage. When you shower him, the shower shouldn't hit the cage, it should hit the shower wall with fine mist bouncing from the wall into his cage or onto him.

Many of the foods you are offering him are not things he normally sees as food items, so stick to something that has a lot of movement and don't try to feed him out of a cup. I've seen Mellers newly imported, jet black with stress snap up crickets in a crowded cage at the importers'. He should eat. Wild caughts seem to eat. They might also die, but they eat pretty well.

Those black marks are damage to the skin from rubs and probably bites and general rough handling and abuse. I've seen a lot of Mellers at the importer who supplies BackWater and know the condition they come in. It's pretty awful but they can be pretty resilient. If necessary, use polysporin or Neosporin original ointment WITHOUT any pain meds or anything else added.

At some point, you probably want do do fecals, but let him settle in first. He has to recover from dehydration and that isn't an overnight thing. Let him get his immune system back on track. Others will give medications to worm right away but I don't unless the animal is in trouble. Expect your parasite problem to continue for months and months and months. My vet believes I will never be able to completely get rid of my parasites because they are throughout their body, just waiting to erupt.

Read OldChamKeepers post about the last surviving female quad on the west coast. There's a lot of information in that thread.

Good luck.

I mainly only want to take him to the vet to get recommendation to treat for the parasites, it's one of my main concerns as I have nothing to deal with them now or even later, not to mention they come with a large parasite load. I plan to take him later, as I really don't know how to treat that, I'm used to captive bred Chams. Honestly my first WC Cham.

Hydration is going good! I sprayed him and he drank like a monster had me tiring out, definitely going to need that mist king.
As you mention the shower ordeal, I never bothered to think to aim it at the wall and bounce softer spray back. Good advice! See I love you guys!

For food I'm doing Superworms currently, till the Dubia's come in. I've got them in a shallow bowl with a natural stick going straight through it so they can climb up the stick and he can just take his aim whenever he feels ready. So far all the superworms are still accounted for , but that's okay poor guy doesn't have the stomach to eat yet...

"If necessary" exactly what would be Necessary? If the skin looked worsened or didn't seem to get any better? I have neosporin now, just need to know when would be the right time to give the wounds some.

and yes I've seen some unboxing videos of BackWater, usually in bad shape and never recommended. I'm understanding and optimistic though, I don't expect an animal to be kept in a box for half a day plus, and be in great condition, especially delicate creatures like Chams.

How would I do fecals? this refers to my original scare of not sure how to treat for parasites, being primarily a CB owner of smaller more common Cham breeds.

 

[Andee]

To do an easy thing of fecals, without taking him to the vet and stressing him out unnecessarily, just get some poop that is still moist in a plastic bag and put it in the fridge until you can get it into the vet to be shipped off.