Ok so first off, if there's any typos in this, sorry I'm using cell phone to post... Anyways, me anf my girlfriend are relatively new to chams and recently got a female veiled, well we originally got her an exoterra glass medium sized terrarium because she was only 3 inches big, with the immense rate that she's been growing we just recently built her a 30 inch by 30inch by 48inch in height, screen enclosure, we do gut load and dust the cricks with calcium with and without d3 probably around 2 times without d3 a month and once with d3 a month, we have repti sun 5.0 bulb as well as uva light and heating light and just recently upgraded to a strip uvb light to avoid eye damage, we invested in a repti fogger which works amazing might I add. And we do hand mist daily, as well as have a drip going 2 to 3 times a day to allow for drinking, her name is moose. She eats 5-6 crickets a day, is very active and is great to watch, needless to say I'm over $500 invested this pet. Now on to the controversial parts, we hand feed her everyday. I mean every day, she never hissed, turns dark or buldges up at us. She's a very friendly cham, we never actually pick her up we let her willingly walk on to us, feed her, and then put her back. So now that you guys know a little bit behind my cham I have a few questions, 1. Does anyone have any definitive proof that handling my cham daily puts her health at risk if shes showing no signs of stress? 2. Occasionally I see white....crust in her nasal cavities... And its not her shedding, any ideas on how to fix that? 3. Are there Any good hardy plants besides hibuscus that I can get her, that are tall? she ate the majority of the hibuscus and zebra plants I gave her, and now their out of season and hard to come by. 4. I've noticed my 10inchs deep of organic soil has attracted gnats, are there any safe pesticides that I can use? And please don't tell me soap in the ground, cause it doesn't kill them. 5. Are there any heating strip lights i can find? 6. Am I dusting the food too often? 7. If I posted a pic of her could you guys make an educated guess on age? 8. How often do chams shed? I've seen moose shed about 4 or 5 times so far in less than 6 months, is that normal? 9. Do chams yawn? sometimes i see moose open her mouth and close for seemingly no reason. 10. How many of you guys built an enclosure or invested about as much $ as me or more? Or do I have a problem? Lol. Sorry for the wall of text guys, been meaning to ask all these questions but just today signed up on forums!
newish to chams, any newcommers tips?
- Thread starter Gryx
- Start date
jannb
Chameleon Enthusiast
Welcome to the forums. This is a great place to learn about chameleons. I have a couple of blogs to help you out. The first is for general care with a section and a link just for females and the second is for egg laying and the laying bin. Female can and often do lay eggs without a male even being around.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/jannb/345-egg-laying-laying-bin.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/jannb/345-egg-laying-laying-bin.html
carol5208
Chameleon Enthusiast
lots of questions, but all valid! I always say no question is ever dumb if you find the answer! No, I have not seen any proof that handling your cham shortens its lifespan. The white crust is nothing to worry about. It is just excess salt coming out. Another good plant that grows tall is a Shefflera or also called an Arboricola. Dont know anything about the gnat problem. As far as heating, it is only needed if your temps are going to be really cold, like below 60 or so. If not, don't worry about the heat. Chams shed as they grow so there is no set pattern. You will see her shed less and less as she gets older and then they shed in pretty much parts, like their tail or feet instead of full body sheds. As far as the yawning, yes they will do that. As long as she is closing and not keeping her mouth open all the time. If it were to stay open, it could be your temps are too hot and she is trying to thermoregulate or there could be a possibility of a respiratory infection and she is having trouble breathing. You have no problem, we have all that invested and then some trust me! My daughter and boyfriend built me an awesome outdoor cage. If you check my page and my photo album you will see a pic of it. It cost about $150 to build which was not that bad. Lastly because you have a female you will have to worry about the possibility of egg laying from about 5 or 6 months on. Go on JannB's page and look up her blog on egg laying. It will guide you on what to do but you will need a bin. So I guess that covers it! Welcome to the world of chameleons!!!
Yea I found out about egg laying after purchasing the female, because of uneducated pet stores (of course). I'm real nervous about her and eggs, I have the bottom 12 inches of the terrarium filled with organic soil, incase she needed to dig, under the assumption that's enough prep work, should i invest in an actual laying bin?
carol5208
Chameleon Enthusiast
you really don't want to do that. If you are going to have a screen enclosure it is best to leave the cage floor bare. They can eat the dirt and get sick, the dirt will become a real mess getting wet with misting and drippings, it will be a place for feeders to hide...overall the best way is to get potted plants and put a laying bin in the cage.
I monitor every feeding session. And I feed with tongs, unless you mean cham will randomly decide to eat the dirt that's not my concern. I was just attempting to replicate I guess the normal enviornment she would experience in the wild, I mean don't get me wrong I'm looking for advice on areas to improve on, but if I'm hand feeding her 100% of time and have the bottom lined with pond plastic, not worried about leaks and she will need to lay eggs eventually either way, Arnt I killing two birds with one stone? Edit - give me a few moments ill upload a pic or two to better explain.
Yeah, the chameleon may just decide to eat some dirt, they're known to do that.
However, your handfeeding them 100% of the time would drastically reduce the chance of accidental ingestion. With that said though, its still better safe than sorry when it comes to your 600$ investment, if they eat some dirt, they could get sick, possibly even die from blockage in their bowels.
In addition to that, as people are trying to say, its not your floor they're concerned about leaking and water getting into, the water from your mister and etc will sit and stagnate in your soil in the cage, which is a breeding ground for bacteria, which obviously is a threat to Moose even if it doesn't eat the soil.
Cute name, off topic, nice to see some original names for chameleons.
As stated, pictures of your enclosure would certainly help. I think everyone else has pretty much covered your other questions pretty accurately.
Good luck with Moose.
However, your handfeeding them 100% of the time would drastically reduce the chance of accidental ingestion. With that said though, its still better safe than sorry when it comes to your 600$ investment, if they eat some dirt, they could get sick, possibly even die from blockage in their bowels.
In addition to that, as people are trying to say, its not your floor they're concerned about leaking and water getting into, the water from your mister and etc will sit and stagnate in your soil in the cage, which is a breeding ground for bacteria, which obviously is a threat to Moose even if it doesn't eat the soil.
Cute name, off topic, nice to see some original names for chameleons.
As stated, pictures of your enclosure would certainly help. I think everyone else has pretty much covered your other questions pretty accurately.
Good luck with Moose.
carol5208
Chameleon Enthusiast
I know what you are saying that you are trying to replicate their environment but we are putting them in a very small area to live as compared to the wild. Yes, of course there are plants and trees and they grow in the dirt. But they are arboreal(tree dwellers) for the most part. There is alot of fresh air to breathe in the wild as opposed to the cages we keep them in. Even though they are screened, they still harbor things in the air. I just think that having a foot of dirt is going to turn into a soupy mess with all the watering that chameleons require. In the wild they are not living 3 or 4 foot off the ground as they are in most of the cages
