New with questions :)

[Linds0806]

Hello New here.

My name is Lindsay, I live in Georgia. My boyfriend and I got our first chameleon about a month ago. We’re not sure of the age, but his name is Pascal. My best guess (after trolling pictures/threads on this forum) is that he is about 5 or 6 months old. The first image is from September 15, the day we got him.

My boyfriend and I kind of purchased him on a whim. The story is kind of funny. Hurricane Irma was kind enough to leave my house unscathed by fallen trees, but the tree that fell on my neighbors house also took out a powerline— so we were without power for a week. My girls [yes- I have two; Mary Caroline (3 y/o) and Scarlett (8 y/o)] stayed with my mom who still had power, and my boyfriend and I struggled through the week of cold showers and a hot bed. After work one day, we went to petsmart ( I know) to enjoy their air conditioning and animals- and this is where I fell in love with Pascal, who was discounted because a younger chameleon was for sale right next to him . I didn’t buy him that day, I thought about him for two days, and went back for him after my power was restored. We got the repti-breeze habitat, which actually seems to accommodate him perfectly. He likes eating crickets. My boyfriend has sort of been in charge of the cricket keeping and habitat maintaining. Crickets are harder than the chameleon thus far- why do so many die?!

Maybe I’ve worried some of the reptile gurus on here with my lack of experience with Chameleons... However, please rest assured that I’m caring and intelligent, and I’ve somehow managed to care for and keep 2 children alive for several years.

That being said, everything has gone super smooth with Pascal since we got him. He shed ALL OF HIS SKIN 2 weeks ago, which I feel like was traumatizing for all of us... he was rubbing his entire body on everything he could find, and when my boyfriend tried to handle him afterwards- he bit him. Since then his mood totally improved and he went back to his normal sweet/timid personality.

Well, up until a week or so ago, I’d been spraying/misting filtered water onto the leaves/vines in his habitat, he’d see it pool up and would drink it. My boyfriend bought this waterfall contraption... As a surgical assistant, I was thoroughly trained on infection control and how bacteria spreads/thrives/is controlled. This waterfall seems like a cesspool and seriously grosses me out. I addressed this, after Pascals poop was clogging the water flow, causing the stupid thing to make this loud noise... and he built a screen to catch the poop. Can poop travel through a screen? YES. Anyway, I noticed Pascal is more tired than normal, sleeping more than before. This worries me :/ I took him from his cage today, offered him some filtered water and as he immediately drank it, his pattern disappeared and he turned his happy lime green. Am I 100% positive it’s the stupid waterfall? No, but I’m 100% positive that the waterfall is going to disappear and no one will know where it went. Anyway, I’d rather just drip water down the leaves, he likes it that way, it’s so cute when he finds a huge drop to gulp up. I just want some feedback on these waterfalls. Am I wrong to feel this way? Why didn’t it come with a filter?! Aside from the seemingly heightened levels of fatigue, I noticed a tiny bit of crust around his nostrils- which at first glance looked like dry skin and I thought “surely it’s not time to shed all of your skin again!” But, i think it was more like a crusted drainage from them? It wiped off when he let me rub him. (Proud to say he always lets me handle him- we oddly connected that day I first saw him- don’t call me crazy!) I am totally aware that I may be acting like an overbearing mom right now analyzing the crap out of every detail of this dudes behavior, and I’m proud to say that his poop has revealed to be within normal limits (thanks for that juicy poo thread by the way ). Anyway, crickets are gutloaded, he gets vitamins and temps/humidity is normal. Why the fatigue and mild nostril crust?

Sorry for the novel- I like to talk, and love my baby chameleon.

 

[kinyonga]

My opinion.....Ditch the waterfall!!! They are hard to keep clean no matter what you do..just not worth the effort at all.

You said..."Aside from the seemingly heightened levels of fatigue, I noticed a tiny bit of crust around his nostrils"...I'm worried about his fatigue. Do you have a light on the cage at night? The crust on the nostrils is normal..its salts that the chameleon snorts out.
Are you sure it's a male?

You said..."crickets are gutloaded, he gets vitamins and temps/humidity is normal"...what specifically do you feed/gutload the insects with? What specific supplements do you use and how often for each? What's the basking temperature? I notice in the photo your cage looks quite dark...more light might help. What lights specifically do you have on the cage now?

 

[Linds0806]

My opinion.....Ditch the waterfall!!! They are hard to keep clean no matter what you do..just not worth the effort at all.

You said..."Aside from the seemingly heightened levels of fatigue, I noticed a tiny bit of crust around his nostrils"...I'm worried about his fatigue. Do you have a light on the cage at night? The crust on the nostrils is normal..its salts that the chameleon snorts out.
Are you sure it's a male?

You said..."crickets are gutloaded, he gets vitamins and temps/humidity is normal"...what specifically do you feed/gutload the insects with? What specific supplements do you use and how often for each? What's the basking temperature? I notice in the photo your cage looks quite dark...more light might help. What lights specifically do you have on the cage now?

Thank you for responding! There’s a chance he is a she... would have helped if petsmart was able to tell us... no spurs yet... but there’s tiny little creases on the hind feet... I don’t know, my concern is the fatigue.

temp is 75 degrees ; basking temp at 88. Should we cut heat lamp off at night? We’re in South Georgia, so humidity is above average and suffocating to us humans.

 

[Linds0806]

Oh yeah! We bought another light source AND placed him/her at a window.

 

[Linds0806]

Gutloaded crickets- they are powdered with vitamins before feeding and in THEIR habitat they feast on carrots, kale and potatoes. Spoiled little buggers. I just wish they’d stop beating each other up at night. We added some sticks from outside and extra egg cartons, but really, they’re vicious to each other. Cannibals!

 

[kinyonga]

If the temperature goes down to the mid 50's F at night then use a heat emitting ceramic "bulb"... Light keeps them awake at night....so no lights.
I wouldn't place the cage in front of the window if it gets cold at night because of drafts.

I need specifics...but let's do it this way instead...
It's important to feed/gutload the crickets, superworms, roaches, locusts with greens such as dandelion greens, kale, escarole, endive, collards, etc and veggies such as carrots, zucchini, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, etc and a bit of fruit such as berries, melon, apples, pears, etc.

It's important to dust the insects with a phosphorous-free calcium powder at almost every feeding to make up for the poor ratio of calcium to phosphorous found in most feeder insects. It's important to dust with a phosphorous-free calcium/D3 powder twice a month to ensure that the chameleon has some D3 without overdosing it and leaving it to produce the rest from its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system and lead to health issues but UVB from exposure to the UVB light shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it at will.
It's important to dust the insects twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene prOformed source of vitamin A. PrOformed sources will not build up in the system like prEformed sources can. This leaves it up to you to decide if or when the chameleon needs prEformed.

The fatigue could be from a number of things....sickness, leaving lights on at night, improper temperatures, etc. We just have to try to eliminate them and deal with whatever it is. However they can crash quickly.

 

[Longhorn1234]

Edit: What kynionga said haha

 

[Katacara]

You have already provided a lot of the information but if you could still fill out the "how to ask for help" form. People here can take a look and see if there are things that need improvement or tweaking. Please use as much detail as you can! The more information we have the better we can help you and your cham! Pictures are always helpful also.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/

 

[Melodie21]

View attachment 192707 Hello New here.

My name is Lindsay, I live in Georgia. My boyfriend and I got our first chameleon about a month ago. We’re not sure of the age, but his name is Pascal. My best guess (after trolling pictures/threads on this forum) is that he is about 5 or 6 months old. The first image is from September 15, the day we got him.

My boyfriend and I kind of purchased him on a whim. The story is kind of funny. Hurricane Irma was kind enough to leave my house unscathed by fallen trees, but the tree that fell on my neighbors house also took out a powerline— so we were without power for a week. My girls [yes- I have two; Mary Caroline (3 y/o) and Scarlett (8 y/o)] stayed with my mom who still had power, and my boyfriend and I struggled through the week of cold showers and a hot bed. After work one day, we went to petsmart ( I know) to enjoy their air conditioning and animals- and this is where I fell in love with Pascal, who was discounted because a younger chameleon was for sale right next to him . I didn’t buy him that day, I thought about him for two days, and went back for him after my power was restored. We got the repti-breeze habitat, which actually seems to accommodate him perfectly. He likes eating crickets. My boyfriend has sort of been in charge of the cricket keeping and habitat maintaining. Crickets are harder than the chameleon thus far- why do so many die?!

Maybe I’ve worried some of the reptile gurus on here with my lack of experience with Chameleons... However, please rest assured that I’m caring and intelligent, and I’ve somehow managed to care for and keep 2 children alive for several years.

That being said, everything has gone super smooth with Pascal since we got him. He shed ALL OF HIS SKIN 2 weeks ago, which I feel like was traumatizing for all of us... he was rubbing his entire body on everything he could find, and when my boyfriend tried to handle him afterwards- he bit him. Since then his mood totally improved and he went back to his normal sweet/timid personality.

Well, up until a week or so ago, I’d been spraying/misting filtered water onto the leaves/vines in his habitat, he’d see it pool up and would drink it. My boyfriend bought this waterfall contraption... As a surgical assistant, I was thoroughly trained on infection control and how bacteria spreads/thrives/is controlled. This waterfall seems like a cesspool and seriously grosses me out. I addressed this, after Pascals poop was clogging the water flow, causing the stupid thing to make this loud noise... and he built a screen to catch the poop. Can poop travel through a screen? YES. Anyway, I noticed Pascal is more tired than normal, sleeping more than before. This worries me :/ I took him from his cage today, offered him some filtered water and as he immediately drank it, his pattern disappeared and he turned his happy lime green. Am I 100% positive it’s the stupid waterfall? No, but I’m 100% positive that the waterfall is going to disappear and no one will know where it went. Anyway, I’d rather just drip water down the leaves, he likes it that way, it’s so cute when he finds a huge drop to gulp up. I just want some feedback on these waterfalls. Am I wrong to feel this way? Why didn’t it come with a filter?! Aside from the seemingly heightened levels of fatigue, I noticed a tiny bit of crust around his nostrils- which at first glance looked like dry skin and I thought “surely it’s not time to shed all of your skin again!” But, i think it was more like a crusted drainage from them? It wiped off when he let me rub him. (Proud to say he always lets me handle him- we oddly connected that day I first saw him- don’t call me crazy!) I am totally aware that I may be acting like an overbearing mom right now analyzing the crap out of every detail of this dudes behavior, and I’m proud to say that his poop has revealed to be within normal limits (thanks for that juicy poo thread by the way ). Anyway, crickets are gutloaded, he gets vitamins and temps/humidity is normal. Why the fatigue and mild nostril crust?

Sorry for the novel- I like to talk, and love my baby chameleon.

Awe hes so tiny and adorable such a mommas boy like mine lol the nostril crust is normal most get that fatigue comes with season changes he seems like a happy healthy chameleon to me

 

[Katacara]

@Melodie21 How long have you been keeping chams? How much research have you done?

@Linds0806 It is not normal for a cham to sleep during the day! Even when the seasons change they should not sleep during the day! Please listen and take the advice of experienced keepers!

 

[Melodie21]

@Melodie21 How long have you been keeping chams? How much research have you done? I only have one and i have had him for 8 months Clyde my veiled i have read up alot about chameleons in these forums where people tell about their chameleons i am by no means an expert though you may be or any other more experienced chameleon keepers on here are i just learn something new and diffrent everyday

@Linds0806 It is not normal for a cham to sleep during the day! Even when the seasons change they should not sleep during the day! Please listen and take the advice of experienced keepers!

 

[Katacara]

@Melodie21 While I appreciate you trying to help a new keeper in our community please be very careful in any advice you give. I am no expert either, however I spend hours a day here learning and talking with people. Personally I go by the rule that if I am not 100% positive the advice I give is accurate, than I ask someone with more experience to step in, or I make it clear that I am giving my own opinion and could very well be wrong.

Keep coming back and learning! We love to have you here, and love hearing from you! Just please be careful giving advice as a statement of fact. It could be very harmful if you are wrong such as ignoring a cham sleeping in the day because the seasons are changing.

 

[Melodie21]

@Melodie21 While I appreciate you trying to help a new keeper in our community please be very careful in any advice you give. I am no expert either, however I spend hours a day here learning and talking with people. Personally I go by the rule that if I am not 100% positive the advice I give is accurate, than I ask someone with more experience to step in, or I make it clear that I am giving my own opinion and could very well be wrong.
Ok i will do that and thanks i will keep that in mind
Keep coming back and learning! We love to have you here, and love hearing from you! Just please be careful giving advice as a statement of fact. It could be very harmful if you are wrong such as ignoring a cham sleeping in the day because the seasons are changing.

I will be careful and glad to know the important things like that are wrong Thanks for not being mean about it and explaining how i should be instead

 

[Katacara]

@Melodie21 No problem! Being mean helps no one IMO.

@Linds0806 How's your little one doing?

 

[Melodie21]

@Melodie21 No problem! Being mean helps no one IMO. thats so true i agree

@Linds0806 How's your little one doing?

 

[Linds0806]

@Melodie21 No problem! Being mean helps no one IMO.

@Linds0806 How's your little one doing?

He’s still sleeping a lot, maybe a little better... Waterfall is gone. He’s still eating/pooping like normal.

I tried real hard to fill out that help questionnaire between surgeries yesterday and it was just way too time consuming! Crickets are fed calcium dry food, and the quencher, both by flukers. Repticalcium w/o d3, we were told to use it with d3 a few times per month. We only sprinkle the dust on the morning crickets (about 7) and the afternoon crickets range between 5-7 depending on if the morning crickets are gone.

 

[Linds0806]

Him right now

 

[Linds0806]

Habitat is 30x16x16
UVB is reptisun 5.0 - left on all day
We also have a heater bulb/ceramic heat emitter, left on all day/night 100w

 

[hopps31]

I can't 100% tell in the pictures provided but I see no spurs which means it is a girl, and she is going to need a lay box. They will lay eggs without a male present and if they have no place to lay it turns into egg bounding which is very serious. Here is a link @jannb wrote, she is amazing- https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/jannb/345-egg-laying-laying-bin.html

Also unless it is getting below 50 degrees at night I would turn off all lights and heat sources, I feel they do better with a night time temp drop.

 

[jannb]

Here’s a good video by one of our senior members on making a laying bin. https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/laying-bin-set-up-educational-video.77225/