New veiled has bumps on his side / burrowing questions (with tons of photos!)

[Charms]

Hi folks,

My wife and I built our first terrarium for our first chameleon. We then purchased a 3-month-old male veiled chameleon from a reptile expo in Southern California 2 weeks ago.
I have noticed two issues with this chameleon:

Problem 1: BUMPS ALONG THE CHAMELEON'S SIDE

We only noticed this problem today. My wife says these bumps developed under our care. He did not have these when we adopted him.
I've read that this might be a calcium deficiency, but I've also read it could be crickets biting him at night. Charms does not eat in front of us so the crickets wander the cage while we wait for him to eat. Then we have to pick out the remaining ones every few days.



Problem 2: DIGGING AND RESTING [NOT SLEEPING] IN THE SOIL (we have removed the moss you see in this photo)

Charms really likes to chill at the bottom of the enclosure. Sometimes there are crickets down there, so maybe he's hunting them, but he will often just hide there for a while.
He's in my office, and I don't play loud music. No kids so nobody bothers him. We do not handle him.


We haven't yet taken him to the vet because he's so easily stressed out. We're trying to let him adjust. But next week I intend to take a fecal sample to the exotic vet in my town.


Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - 3-month old male veiled, in my care for 2 weeks
• Handling - Never
• Feeding - I feed him 10 small dusted crickets per day in the morning when I turn his lights on, but he does not eat in front of me. They go in the shooting gallery with a few dubia roaches and one waxworm grub. The bugs basically just climb out of the gallery and once every few days we have to pick them up from around the enclosure. All bugs are gut-loaded with carrot, spring mix, and apple. He does appear to be eating because he has big, soft poops the same time every afternoon. We also tried doing a suspended cup with dubia roaches and vegetables, but he does not eat out of it, so I don't think he's actually eating the roaches or the waxworms. He seems to be VERY fussy about eating only crickets.
• Supplements - Once per day, food gets dusted with "Zoo Med Repti Calcium without D3."
  Once every 2 weeks, food gets dusted with "Rep-Cal phosphorous-free calcium with D3."
  Once per month, food gets dusted with "Zoo Med Reptivite with D3."
• Watering - I mist the entire enclosure for 1 minute, twice per day, sometimes three depending on humidity, with the Exo Terra mister (the one you pump). I've never seen Charms drink, but I'm told this is normal.
• Fecal Description - Not yet tested for parasites but I intend to this week. Stools are large, soft, moist, and in two parts: brown and white. I'm colorblind so it's hard to tell if the white has any orange. Pooping always occurs same time each day after basking for 2 hours in the morning.
  
  
• History - The only thing we know about him is that his parents (which we got to meet at the expo) were GIGANTIC, and the company that bred him is called "Inland Bearded Dragons."

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Glass and mesh combo, Repti Zoo 24"x18"x36"
• Lighting - Exo Terra 60W Daytime Heat Bulb, T5 HO UV lamp with stock tube bulb that came in the package. 10 hours of light per day, 14 hours of darkness.
• Temperature - Basking temp is 80F. Lower cage is 72. Night time low is 66. Temp and humidity both gaged with the Govee Smart Thermo-Hygrometer recommended by this forum.
• Humidity - Between 35 and 50% during the day (although it hits 70 or 80 temporarily when I mist twice per day), and ~40% at night
• Plants - Dracaena marginata, pothos, umbrella
• Placement - Cage sits atop a 3-foot desk in the corner of my office. No foot traffic except me working at the computer across the room during the day. He has the entire office to himself at night with door closed.
• Location - Southern California

 

[MissSkittles]

Ah…testing my brain. I’m not able to recall at the moment what exactly causes those bumps, but I want to believe it is calcium deposits. Yes, it is from husbandry issues. Give me a minute and I’ll go over your info.

 

[Sonny13]

Ah…testing my brain. I’m not able to recall at the moment what exactly causes those bumps, but I want to believe it is calcium deposits. Yes, it is from husbandry issues. Give me a minute and I’ll go over your info.

Agreed, Nachito from @Ghostbirb had the same.

 

[MissSkittles]

I’m still just waking up, so either I’m going to be brief or long winded. Sorry - life of a night shift worker.
Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - 3-month old male veiled, in my care for 2 weeks He’s a cutie
• Handling - Never You’ll want to start working on building trust. @Beman made an awesome blog here. https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/building-trust-with-your-chameleon.2396/
• Feeding - I feed him 10 small dusted crickets per day in the morning when I turn his lights on, but he does not eat in front of me. They go in the shooting gallery with a few dubia roaches and one waxworm grub. The bugs basically just climb out of the gallery and once every few days we have to pick them up from around the enclosure. First, for his age he should be taking in double that amount at least and he should be quite eager to eat. With those googly eyes, nothing misses their attention and he should be hunting down any escapees. This is quite concerning to me. Parasites is my first and main suspicion. A mouth or tongue problem is the second suspect I have. All bugs are gut-loaded with carrot, spring mix, and apple. He does appear to be eating because he has big, soft poops the same time every afternoon. We also tried doing a suspended cup with dubia roaches and vegetables, but he does not eat out of it, so I don't think he's actually eating the roaches or the waxworms. He seems to be VERY fussy about eating only crickets. He may have only been fed crickets or even mealworms as many tend to do and in time will accept other feeders. Just keep offering. But again, this could also be a parasite issue or an oral issue. Btw, no need to give him anything other than live insects. Give the produce to them.
• Supplements - Once per day, food gets dusted with "Zoo Med Repti Calcium without D3." Hopefully they don’t look like powdered donuts. A light dusting is all that’s needed and with some supplements, that can be hard to do. I place a tiny pinch of my supplement in a tall deli cup and then add my feeders. I don’t shake or swirl. As the bugs move around in the cup, they dust themselves perfectly. If on occasion they do get too much on them, I have no problem blowing the excess off them (when I move them via tongs to feeding station).
  Once every 2 weeks, food gets dusted with "Rep-Cal phosphorous-free calcium with D3." If you are using the ReptiVite with D3, you don’t want nor need this one. You’ll be giving way too much D3.
  Once per month, food gets dusted with "Zoo Med Reptivite with D3." The ReptiVite with D3 should be used at one feeding every other week, or twice a month if you prefer.
• Watering - I mist the entire enclosure for 1 minute, twice per day, sometimes three depending on humidity, with the Exo Terra mister (the one you pump). I've never seen Charms drink, but I'm told this is normal. Usually you want to mist for 2 minutes, twice a day. Be mindful of humidity since you have a glass enclosure.
• Fecal Description - Not yet tested for parasites but I intend to this week. Stools are large, soft, moist, and in two parts: brown and white. I'm colorblind so it's hard to tell if the white has any orange. Pooping always occurs same time each day after basking for 2 hours in the morning. Poop looks normal and urate is white. That doesn’t rule out a parasite problem though.

More to come…

 

[MissSkittles]

• Cage Type - Glass and mesh combo, Repti Zoo 24"x18"x36" Have you already been advised that this is too small for an adult? Males are active and usually patrol their enclosures several times a day. You need to give him the space to do so properly. While the minimum is a 2x2x4’ enclosure, I encourage to go bigger if you are able. Screen cages are very easily joined for double wides.
• Lighting - Exo Terra 60W Daytime Heat Bulb, T5 HO UV lamp with stock tube bulb that came in the package. Ok, you don’t say what strength the uvb bulb is - 5.0 or 10.0? Also, the uvb needs to span the entire width of the enclosure. If your enclosure is 24” wide, you need a 24” long uvb. 10 hours of light per day, 14 hours of darkness.
• Temperature - Basking temp is 80F. Good Lower cage is 72. Night time low is 66. Temp and humidity both gaged with the Govee Smart Thermo-Hygrometer recommended by this forum. Temps are all good
• Humidity - Between 35 and 50% during the day (although it hits 70 or 80 temporarily when I mist twice per day), and ~40% at night Night humidity could be increased since you have night temps below 68.
• Plants - Dracaena marginata, pothos, umbrella Good
• Placement - Cage sits atop a 3-foot desk in the corner of my office. No foot traffic except me working at the computer across the room during the day. He has the entire office to himself at night with door closed. Good
• Location - Southern California

While there are some things that need to be improved upon, your care is not so out of kilter that you should be having problems like you are. You haven’t had him long enough. So, I’m not a vet or anything like that and can only give my thoughts and suspicions.
First, he may have a health issue that is as of yet, unknown. Most responsible breeders won’t sell their babies until they are at least 3 months old, by which time they are usually proven healthy and strong enough. Then, was he truly bred by the vendor or was he “field collected” or “farm raised” I think is the other term? It’s very possible that he could have been wild caught in Florida or bred in a reptile mill. Since there are almost no primary breeders of veileds, those are the most common sources for them. This would greatly increase his risks for parasites or other health issues. Then, we have no idea what his husbandry was prior to you. Just because the vendor breeds beardies or other animals (or even if he does breed chameleons too), we can’t assume that the care was correct. We do see it often enough where people were told bad husbandry by a breeder. Another is he may have an injury or problem with his mouth or tongue. He’s so little that it would be difficult for you to see. Then there is the unknown that I can’t begin to guess at. Even though he is just a little guy and it will stress him out to be taken to a vet, if you don’t take him, he may not survive whatever is going on with him. The stress is temporary. Whatever is going on with him isn’t going to go away on it’s own. His size does limit that which the vet can do, such as blood work, but they have a lot more knowledge than I and can better help. Please don’t delay it any further. The younger a chameleon is, the fewer resources it has to fall back upon and the quicker they can decline and pass away. Attaching the vet list.
Regarding his going down to the substrate…that would/could be a sign of illness, unhappiness with his enclosure (he does need more branches or vines) or maybe his heat is building up and he’s trying to cool off.

 

[Ghostbirb]

Awesome! Thanks for going through this @MissSkittles I would have but haven’t had time!

You are in amazing hands!

The bumps can take time to go away, so making sure your husbandry is spot on is the best way to go!

Also is that a red bulb for heat? I can’t tell if it’s letting off red light or if it’s just the photo

 

[Charms]

Awesome! Thanks for going through this @MissSkittles I would have but haven’t had time!

You are in amazing hands!

The bumps can take time to go away, so making sure your husbandry is spot on is the best way to go!

Also is that a red bulb for heat? I can’t tell if it’s letting off red light or if it’s just the photo

Some of the photos were of a red bulb, but we have since replaced it with the 60W exo terra daytime heat bulb

 

[Beman]

Adding my 2 cents... You see these bumps when supplementation is incorrect and when both uvb and supplementation is wrong.

This is where cham keeping gets tricky because you really have to pay attention to the details. So his supplementation is totally incorrect. Take pics of your supplements so we can see exactly what you are using. @MissSkittles already posted for you what you have to use and how.

Going through your image...

We need to know exactly what you purchased for uvb. Not all fixtures or off brand uvb bulbs will work the same as an arcadia prot5 or reptisun unit. Also the fixture should run the entire width of the cage.

You need to double check temps in the cage. For chameleons they will go to the bottom if temps are too hot or if their food is on the bottom.

That is not a shooting gallery feeder. That is a hand made feeder from a lid to a critter keeper. Your placement for what you are using is incorrect and if that is not perfectly pushed against the screen it is not going to hold the insects. Placement should be at the basking level of the branch. Yours is sitting way too high in the cage. They should be able to stand on their main basking branches to see into the feeder.

You need many more real branches. They need to be able to move through out the cage at all levels.

Something is very off... Chameleons do not actively sit on the ground like this. It goes against their instinct to be high away from predators. So either this baby is just that hungry trying to find insects on the floor or temps are too high in the cage. These are the two most common reasons... Next is illness.

 

[Beman]

Additionally I think you may very well have a little girl. In that first photo I do not see a tarsal spur.

Your photo....





This is what a tarsal spur looks like on a 3 month old male translucent Veiled. There are pronounce nubs on the back of the back feet.




This is what a shooting gallery looks like set up properly at basking level with tons of 1/4 inch insects in it because they go for the movement of the insects. They can take to this method really fast. This was his first week home with me and he took to it by the second day.

 

[Raymond1412]

Additionally I think you may very well have a little girl. In that first photo I do not see a tarsal spur.

Your photo....

View attachment 360876



This is what a tarsal spur looks like on a 3 month old male translucent Veiled. There are pronounce nubs on the back of the back feet.

View attachment 360879


This is what a shooting gallery looks like set up properly at basking level with tons of 1/4 inch insects in it because they go for the movement of the insects. They can take to this method really fast. This was his first week home with me and he took to it by the second day.

View attachment 360878

Yes, she is most likely a girl. When I had my baby female (Nat) she looked very similar with no nubs/spurs and a very small casque like that. I would say she is digging for a place to lay her eggs, but she is way too young for that. You're probably right about the temp/hunting for bugs, Daffodil likes to go on the bottom when she has a rogue cricket or dubia.

 

[Raymond1412]

Some of the photos were of a red bulb, but we have since replaced it with the 60W exo terra daytime heat bulb

Also, when your baby gets bigger, maybe try using a little glass/plastic bowl to feed, I find that it is easier for my chameleon to see and access the bugs.

 

[Ghostbirb]

hmmm are we sure these are not little nubs right here? Sorry my eyes may or may not being tricks on me!

Anywho! @Charms could we possibly get a few photos of your cuties back feet just to double check

 

[Beman]

You are in good hands with the members helping you. I will go ahead and jump out of this thread.

 

[Charms]

I am at my wit's end with this chameleon. I think I need to return him to the vendor so he doesn't starve to death at this point.

I have done absolutely everything this forum has advised me to do. I bought the new thermo-hygrometer, I've broken down and rebuilt the cage twice with my wife, we've set up the shooting gallery in two different positions to ensure it's in a good spot to aim down at from the basking branch. I've built hanging cups with bugs throughout the enclosure. We've planted new plants and built new branches.

The chameleon refuses to eat.

Every day, his (her?) poops get smaller. They're currently a quarter of the size they were when we first brought him home. He ONLY wants to eat crickets on the mesh walls of the enclosure but they don't stay there long enough for him to grab them. He won't eat out of the shooting gallery, which I've now removed because some of you have said certain colors or objects freak your chameleons out.

Every time I go near the enclosure to mist or feed, the chameleon runs for his life. He's terrified of both of us, even though we are gentle and quiet people.

It all started when I replaced the red bulb with the 60W Exo Terra daylight bulb. I think the temperature might be too high or something, but people in this forum are now telling me the Govee Smart Thermo-Hygrometer I bought (at the behest of the people in this forum) is actually the wrong tool and now I need some kind of probe thermometer, but nobody has linked one so I don't know which to buy.

I also made an appointment with the exotic vet in my town that cares for chameleons, but this forum told me that vet isn't on the "approved list of vets" so it's a mistake to go there.

I've spent nearly $2000 on this project so far and I'm just going to end up with a dead chameleon, apparently. I'm at a loss on what to do next.

 

[Sonny13]

Hi, I’m sorry you’re going through this. I can only say you had some great advice and it can sometimes take time to distress after changes and eat from feeder runs. I would fill both with lots of crickets, that will eventually draw its attention and trigger a response to eat.

 

[Beman]

I am at my wit's end with this chameleon. I think I need to return him to the vendor so he doesn't starve to death at this point.

I have done absolutely everything this forum has advised me to do. I bought the new thermo-hygrometer, I've broken down and rebuilt the cage twice with my wife, we've set up the shooting gallery in two different positions to ensure it's in a good spot to aim down at from the basking branch. I've built hanging cups with bugs throughout the enclosure. We've planted new plants and built new branches.

The chameleon refuses to eat.

Every day, his (her?) poops get smaller. They're currently a quarter of the size they were when we first brought him home. He ONLY wants to eat crickets on the mesh walls of the enclosure but they don't stay there long enough for him to grab them. He won't eat out of the shooting gallery, which I've now removed because some of you have said certain colors or objects freak your chameleons out.

Every time I go near the enclosure to mist or feed, the chameleon runs for his life. He's terrified of both of us, even though we are gentle and quiet people.

It all started when I replaced the red bulb with the 60W Exo Terra daylight bulb. I think the temperature might be too high or something, but people in this forum are now telling me the Govee Smart Thermo-Hygrometer I bought (at the behest of the people in this forum) is actually the wrong tool and now I need some kind of probe thermometer, but nobody has linked one so I don't know which to buy.

I also made an appointment with the exotic vet in my town that cares for chameleons, but this forum told me that vet isn't on the "approved list of vets" so it's a mistake to go there.

I've spent nearly $2000 on this project so far and I'm just going to end up with a dead chameleon, apparently. I'm at a loss on what to do next.

You have gotten spot on feedback. These are not easy animals to care for and are by no means cheap for a correct set up. You literally have to have the feeder run at basking level so they can see in it and you have to load it up. I do not know if you are missing feedback posts as you will only get a notification for the latest post added to your thread. so you need to scroll up from that to see all info given to you. I told you your feeder run was not correct using the lid at the height you did. It is too high on the screen. And you have to put a few dozen 1/4 inch crickets in it to teach the cham where the food is. But if it is not where they are actively looking or have an ease of getting too it will take longer for them to figure it out.

The govee was not wrong but it is not the only tool needed. Govee measures your ambient temp and humidity. THese do not get used for basking temps. For that you can buy a simple $10 zoomed temp gauge with probe. The probe is hooked in at the basking branch directly below the fixture. Hook it there with a small zip tie. then you pull the gauge outside the cage as they are not water tolerant.

As far as being terrified of you. This is a normal chameleon response. It takes time for them to understand you are good and the bringer of food. Most will only tolerate people. There are some that will never. It is like having a fish tank. You look but do not touch for the most part.

There are a lot of vets not on the list we have that see exotics. It does not mean you can't go there and I do not know who would have told you that. It just means that a forum member has not taken chams there. That is what the list is. It is created from people that have had experiences with vets that actually know chameleons.

Again I think you are missing feedback. I have watched your threads from the beginning and you are getting a ton of help from the members here with accurate info. We can not teach you everything though. Some of that comes from reading feedback in other threads and simply learning what cham behavior is. That can not be taught that is learned with first hand experience.

 

[MissSkittles]

@Charms I’ve given you solid info and advice on changes to make as has everyone else who’s been advising you. I honestly don’t know what else I can say to help you. Are you allowing any decent time for your little one to find the feeding station? One of the ideas of having a feeding station is that it stays in the same place and your chameleon always knows where to find its food. If you keep moving it every other day, that defeats that purpose. Set up a feeding station at a level below but easily visible from the basking area and leave it there. Put the feeders in and walk away. He may be a shy eater or still feel very insecure/unsafe. It’s quite easy to make a shooting gallery style feeding station, but I believe if you are using the top of a critter keeper, that design will easily allow to bugs to escape. The enclosed parts of it need to be a smooth and solid plastic that they can’t easily climb. You can use a tall deli cup attached to a branch if need be. Just poke some holes in the bottom for water drainage. Whatever you use, put it in place and leave it there.
You need to get little one and a fresh poop sample to a vet asap. If little one has parasites and isn’t treated, nothing else will matter. Any exotics vet can test for parasites and treat. It’s when we run into more complex health issues that we really need those vets who have experience with chameleons.
https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/ If you haven’t already, go read all of the modules of the husbandry program carefully and take notes if you need to or write questions down to ask us here. Binge watch Neptune the Chameleon’s videos on YouTube and other platforms.
If you are feeling like you just can’t keep trying and are going to either try to return to the vendor or surrender to a rescue, do so sooner rather than later. If you aren’t making any progress, little one will only decline and rapidly reach a point of no return or hope. Don’t let it get there.

 

[Charms]

You have gotten spot on feedback. These are not easy animals to care for and are by no means cheap for a correct set up. You literally have to have the feeder run at basking level so they can see in it and you have to load it up. I do not know if you are missing feedback posts as you will only get a notification for the latest post added to your thread. so you need to scroll up from that to see all info given to you. I told you your feeder run was not correct using the lid at the height you did. It is too high on the screen. And you have to put a few dozen 1/4 inch crickets in it to teach the cham where the food is. But if it is not where they are actively looking or have an ease of getting too it will take longer for them to figure it out.

The govee was not wrong but it is not the only tool needed. Govee measures your ambient temp and humidity. THese do not get used for basking temps. For that you can buy a simple $10 zoomed temp gauge with probe. The probe is hooked in at the basking branch directly below the fixture. Hook it there with a small zip tie. then you pull the gauge outside the cage as they are not water tolerant.

As far as being terrified of you. This is a normal chameleon response. It takes time for them to understand you are good and the bringer of food. Most will only tolerate people. There are some that will never. It is like having a fish tank. You look but do not touch for the most part.

There are a lot of vets not on the list we have that see exotics. It does not mean you can't go there and I do not know who would have told you that. It just means that a forum member has not taken chams there. That is what the list is. It is created from people that have had experiences with vets that actually know chameleons.

Again I think you are missing feedback. I have watched your threads from the beginning and you are getting a ton of help from the members here with accurate info. We can not teach you everything though. Some of that comes from reading feedback in other threads and simply learning what cham behavior is. That can not be taught that is learned with first hand experience.

I've been reading all of the replies to all of my posts, believe me. We have made dozens of adjustments to the cage and regimen.

I did follow your guidance on adjusting the shooting gallery / feeder run. I rotated it 90 degrees so it's vertical, and lowered it to a few inches below the basking branch. I secured it so the bugs do not fall out of the bottom. But they just climb out anyway because the chameleon does not want to eat. When I put a dozen crickets in there, they just climb out after a few minutes and end up hiding around the enclosure.

Would you mind linking the temp gage you recommend? I'm just finding lots of meat thermometers on Amazon when I search "zoomed temperature gauge with probe."

I think one of the issues is that the temperature in the enclosure cannot be accurate if I don't know the sex of the chameleon. I don't want to take him out and stress him to get photos of the tarsal spurs, but I might just have to do that to know what temperature to set the basking area to.

 

[Charms]

@Charms I’ve given you solid info and advice on changes to make as has everyone else who’s been advising you. I honestly don’t know what else I can say to help you. Are you allowing any decent time for your little one to find the feeding station? One of the ideas of having a feeding station is that it stays in the same place and your chameleon always knows where to find its food. If you keep moving it every other day, that defeats that purpose. Set up a feeding station at a level below but easily visible from the basking area and leave it there. Put the feeders in and walk away. He may be a shy eater or still feel very insecure/unsafe. It’s quite easy to make a shooting gallery style feeding station, but I believe if you are using the top of a critter keeper, that design will easily allow to bugs to escape. The enclosed parts of it need to be a smooth and solid plastic that they can’t easily climb. You can use a tall deli cup attached to a branch if need be. Just poke some holes in the bottom for water drainage. Whatever you use, put it in place and leave it there.
You need to get little one and a fresh poop sample to a vet asap. If little one has parasites and isn’t treated, nothing else will matter. Any exotics vet can test for parasites and treat. It’s when we run into more complex health issues that we really need those vets who have experience with chameleons.
https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/ If you haven’t already, go read all of the modules of the husbandry program carefully and take notes if you need to or write questions down to ask us here. Binge watch Neptune the Chameleon’s videos on YouTube and other platforms.
If you are feeling like you just can’t keep trying and are going to either try to return to the vendor or surrender to a rescue, do so sooner rather than later. If you aren’t making any progress, little one will only decline and rapidly reach a point of no return or hope. Don’t let it get there.

I've been watching Neptune's stuff every day for weeks now. I even listened to her this morning while I cleaned.
I've put 2 plastic cups of different sizes in the enclosure, suspended from the basking branches, so the chameleon can look down on them and see that they're filled with bugs. I've also got the critter cage lid as the feeder run, but that doesn't work either. If you have a replacement idea for that, I'm all ears.

 

[Beman]

I've been reading all of the replies to all of my posts, believe me. We have made dozens of adjustments to the cage and regimen.

I did follow your guidance on adjusting the shooting gallery / feeder run. I rotated it 90 degrees so it's vertical, and lowered it to a few inches below the basking branch. I secured it so the bugs do not fall out of the bottom. But they just climb out anyway because the chameleon does not want to eat. When I put a dozen crickets in there, they just climb out after a few minutes and end up hiding around the enclosure.

Would you mind linking the temp gage you recommend? I'm just finding lots of meat thermometers on Amazon when I search "zoomed temperature gauge with probe."

I think one of the issues is that the temperature in the enclosure cannot be accurate if I don't know the sex of the chameleon. I don't want to take him out and stress him to get photos of the tarsal spurs, but I might just have to do that to know what temperature to set the basking area to.

Ok you are not always responding or liking the posts so we do not know if you are reading them or implementing our advice. That will be the issue with that lid you are using. It is not a shooting gallery and not designed for that type of use. Here is another DIY option. It does not have to be a huge bottle. But I recommend taking a lighter to melt sharp edges of cut plastic. https://dragonstrand.com/constructing-a-chameleon-feeder-run/

This is what I am talking about for guage with probe. They sell them in big box pet stores as well. https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Ther...0066&sprefix=zoomed+temp+guage,aps,149&sr=8-7

Per temp at this age no matter the gender you would not have it over 80 at basking.