Randall Scoggs
New Member
CHAMELEON:
Mr. Scoggs is 10 mos old according to previous owner. He is a male Veiled. (After some reading here I am thinking he is of this "translucent" type. He has been in my care for almost 2 weeks.
HANDLING:
I have never taken him out without the intention to let him bask in the sun on a hibiscus. Never more then 20 min. I last took him out 4 days ago when I re did his viv and added drainage. He was handled "daily" according to previous owner.
FEEDING:
Randall Scoggs refuses to eat anything but crickets. At least for the time being. I tried superworms and Roaches but they just walked around the cage/on Mr. Scoggs. I gut load his crickets with the "ice tray method" notorious on this forum. (You Tube Ice Cube Gut Load..i like the idea..im only on day 3ish). I use red leaf lettuce, apple, orange, carrots. I do not use the bran(s). He did not eat the first few days I had him. He eats roughly 6 dusted gut loaded crickets daily. I am experimenting with the misting vs AM feeding ordeal. I typically feed, then mist, and after a brief mist, he either shoots for 1 more cricket, or drinks from a leaf/ is prompted to drink from his Lil Drip. Lights on 930am. Feed at 1030am...Mist 1045am...Hop in car for work as I am already 5 min late.
SUPPLEMENTS:
I dust daily with Calcium w/o d3. I have dusted 2x in last 2 weeks with ReptiCal Vit and Calcium w/d3 as recommended by nice reptile dude at local Reptarium. He suggested once a week for Vit and d3 for the first month as he seems very skinny and signs of MBD. I will change schedule after seeing your responses and talking to a family friend who is familiar with Chams.
Ye Old H2O:
I use a Lil Dripper all day while away at work. (8-10 hrs tops) Slow drip, once every second. I see him drink from the dripper as well as licking his lips after mist sessions. I use a LizardMistr pressure hand mister 2-4 times a day with sufficient ammount of time for drying. I never mist more then 60 seconds as he is usually already making a move for water or a cricket.
POO-POO:
He is pooping! Yay! ...that makes one of us.. The night I brought him home he pooped on me and it was very runny with no solid. It was yellowish but clearish...Now his poop is white urinate and black/brwn? stool. He is pooping for sure though. Mr. Scoggs has not has his droppings tested for parasites but I am convinced to go do it early next week.
HISTORY:
I am Randall Scoggs 3rd owner. Breeder, Random Craigslist Dude (yes, bad choice, but Scoggs is in WAY better hands), and ME. Previous owner was a very nice middle 20s male. We related, and honestly I was relieved to learn that he was caring, a lover for his cham, and very concerned for the Chams well being. According to previous owner he ate Dubia roaches and un dusted crcikets. He never had a dose of calcium on any feeding as far as I know. I was told Scoggs could eat upwards of 12 crickets and a few roaches a day. I do not think I have seen Mr. Scoggs eat any more then 5 or 6 crickets a day. I have a picture of previous owner holding Scoggs and he looks very healthy in my un professional opinion. Thick, bright, solid jaw line and poofy under jaw. I will attemt to post. I spent 3 hours on a very detailed story last night only to have it deleted when I tried to upload his pics!! I have not seen Scoggs look like that since I had him but it is definitely him and his owner.
CAGE TYPE:
18x18x36" Repti Breeze. I recently took out the PVC bottom and replaced it with mesh to create a better drainage system. The breeze is mounted on a TV stand and the top of the cage is 6ft4in off the ground. I have a temporary drainage system for now, as I know he will need a bigger VIV very soon, if not like last week..(Basically the whole viv is suspended above a bussers tub and the contents are drained nightly before lights off at 930pm) The contents never exceed more then the ammount of water held in a Lil Dripper and 3-4 60 sec mist sessions.
LIGHTING:
He is now on 12/12 cycle. Days consist of a 18" 10.0 UVB from ReptiGlow and a 75 watt ZooMed basking bulb. 12 hours of darkness. Previous owner was giving him 24 hr lights :/....12 hrs of a 5.0 coiled UVB (that looked so old my grandma may have once used it...ok maybe I am exaggerating but it looked burnt out...brown around the curves and what not)..and 12 hrs at night using a red basking bulb..it must have been AT LEAST 50 watts as it was QUITE hot and even burnt my first analog temp gauge when I was testing it on day 2. (I put the analog temp pretty much directly under the light as previous owner had it directly on screen. I know the mesh blocks ALOT but it was still very warm)
TEMPERATURE(s):
His VIV varies from 92 degrees at the VERRRY top of his basking spot during day, down to 75 at the bottom during the day. He has a great range of temps during the day. I use a cheap analog temp/hydro combo, as well as a INFARED LASER GUN and one of those cheap "strips" they sell for like a dollar at PetCo..ya know, the ones they put on the outside of a UA cup. They are all actually fairly accurate (within 4 degrees of eachother) however I trust the INFARED GUN over anything.
HUMIDITY:
I use the cheap analog side of my dual purpose cheap analog thang. I mist him daily up to 4 times depending on my schedule. He has a Golden Pothos in there and I will add a Asparagus Fern and/or FICUS later on. I guess I should invest in a Hygrometer but the nice reptile dude made a decent point: trying to control the humidity in a screen cage is like spraying a mist bottle in a room and saying you are substantially changing the humidity in the room...it consistently reads between 40-70% depending on last time I missed. I am not truly concerned of the humidity. I live in Dallas and its hot and humid as hell all the time... i swear..
PLANTS:
Just the Golden Pothos at the moment but I will for sure add more after this guy bounces back to my satisfaction.
PLACEMENT:
His set up is in my room. I do have a fan, and there is a air vent but it is not directly pointed at him or near him. I have been obsessively changing the polarity of the fan trying to "freshen" up my room. My room does tend to stay a big muggy. Its not ridiculously hot or dank, but it is the "heaviest" room in the house. I usually keep my door open during the day which helps substantially. If I am in the room with door closed and large plasma TV on, I do form a small bit of sweat on my brow, if you know what I mean. Nothing abnormal from the cheapskates that are trying to keep AC bill at its minimum during hot TX summers.
LOCATION:
Dallas
CURRENT PROBLEM:
I think I may be a hypochondriac however it is NOT paranoia if it has happened before. I had a small slider turtle years ago that suffered from MBD (or some other disease) despite the correct lighting and husbandry. Poor expensive lil' guy. Mom wasn't too thrilled about him...
Randall Scoggs looked like death the first few days I had him at home. I assumed it was due to shock, however after frequenting this site and spending almost every night awake surfing the internet for more info, I am assuming he has "minor" MBD, if there is such a thing. If he is showing ANY signs, it is already too advanced....he has a hard time finding his branch sometimes. Sometimes I wonder if he is blind due to the coiled UVB he had, and the night heat his previous owner was using. I have seen him grab his own leg too, which evidently is not a good sign. He sometimes perches on only 3 legs.. or perches with one back leg grasping a front leg. He is lethargic IMHO..yes, I know they do not run around in circles, but after watching hours of videos, reading, and visiting healthy chams, there is something NOT right with my lil fella. I have to go with my gut on this one. I can see his ribs. His arms and legs are not bowed, but they are very skinny. Sometimes I doubt his age because of his size, but I know only a professional can tell me accurately. His previous owner didnt have any reason to lie to me about Scoggs health or well being. We still stay in contact and he insists on knowing the state of his old lil dood. I do not think he was abusing this guy, but I do believe he was misinformed..like a lot of people are. It is a sad cycle and it IS due to people like me, who impulsively want to own one of every species of animal on the planet. Luckily, I am the one willing to drop hundreds of dollars into this little guys happiness and well being. Previous owner said he needed to get rid of him as he couldnt take care of him anymore. He mentioned more then once that crickets were "expensive". Maybe our ideas of expensive are polar opposites? He said he ate upwards of 10 crickets a day but he wont eat more then 6 or 7 for me....ok this is a wall of text, but I hope you have made it through and I look forward to getting your input. I am scheduling an appointment for him early next week and will bring a stool sample.....his stool, not mine... He is never not on a limb, never sitting at bottom of cage...so I know from viewing some testimonies on this site that he can and WILL get better....ill stop typing now as I am sure I have drifted....MORE IS MORE.
To those thinking of getting a cham:
From my recent experience, there is an influx of younger generations interested in the Chameleon breed. I think this is phenomenal! However, with the rapid growth of interest comes mis interpretation by certain owners. I HIGHLY recommend doing PLENTY of research before purchasing a Veiled/Panther/Jackson/any others....what you are investing in is a glimpse of time from millions of years ago. These little monsters are quite resilient, to the point where they can have rubber legs and no tongue movement and still survive! It is heart breaking. Know what you are getting into. This is not a subject to take lightly. I AM however so happy that I have Mr. Randall Scoggs in my life. I already see an improvement in his mood and behavior, and I hope to spoil this rascall for the rest of his life. (Hell, Im buying a 12 pack of beer for dinner and his CRICKETS are getting veggies I havent had in ages :/)... I suck at technology and technology hates me so I will do my best to post these pics and respond appropriately. Please feel free to e mail me with any input..... over and out.
Regards,
Matthew on behalf of Mr. Randall Scoggs
Mr. Scoggs is 10 mos old according to previous owner. He is a male Veiled. (After some reading here I am thinking he is of this "translucent" type. He has been in my care for almost 2 weeks.
HANDLING:
I have never taken him out without the intention to let him bask in the sun on a hibiscus. Never more then 20 min. I last took him out 4 days ago when I re did his viv and added drainage. He was handled "daily" according to previous owner.
FEEDING:
Randall Scoggs refuses to eat anything but crickets. At least for the time being. I tried superworms and Roaches but they just walked around the cage/on Mr. Scoggs. I gut load his crickets with the "ice tray method" notorious on this forum. (You Tube Ice Cube Gut Load..i like the idea..im only on day 3ish). I use red leaf lettuce, apple, orange, carrots. I do not use the bran(s). He did not eat the first few days I had him. He eats roughly 6 dusted gut loaded crickets daily. I am experimenting with the misting vs AM feeding ordeal. I typically feed, then mist, and after a brief mist, he either shoots for 1 more cricket, or drinks from a leaf/ is prompted to drink from his Lil Drip. Lights on 930am. Feed at 1030am...Mist 1045am...Hop in car for work as I am already 5 min late.
SUPPLEMENTS:
I dust daily with Calcium w/o d3. I have dusted 2x in last 2 weeks with ReptiCal Vit and Calcium w/d3 as recommended by nice reptile dude at local Reptarium. He suggested once a week for Vit and d3 for the first month as he seems very skinny and signs of MBD. I will change schedule after seeing your responses and talking to a family friend who is familiar with Chams.
Ye Old H2O:
I use a Lil Dripper all day while away at work. (8-10 hrs tops) Slow drip, once every second. I see him drink from the dripper as well as licking his lips after mist sessions. I use a LizardMistr pressure hand mister 2-4 times a day with sufficient ammount of time for drying. I never mist more then 60 seconds as he is usually already making a move for water or a cricket.
POO-POO:
He is pooping! Yay! ...that makes one of us.. The night I brought him home he pooped on me and it was very runny with no solid. It was yellowish but clearish...Now his poop is white urinate and black/brwn? stool. He is pooping for sure though. Mr. Scoggs has not has his droppings tested for parasites but I am convinced to go do it early next week.
HISTORY:
I am Randall Scoggs 3rd owner. Breeder, Random Craigslist Dude (yes, bad choice, but Scoggs is in WAY better hands), and ME. Previous owner was a very nice middle 20s male. We related, and honestly I was relieved to learn that he was caring, a lover for his cham, and very concerned for the Chams well being. According to previous owner he ate Dubia roaches and un dusted crcikets. He never had a dose of calcium on any feeding as far as I know. I was told Scoggs could eat upwards of 12 crickets and a few roaches a day. I do not think I have seen Mr. Scoggs eat any more then 5 or 6 crickets a day. I have a picture of previous owner holding Scoggs and he looks very healthy in my un professional opinion. Thick, bright, solid jaw line and poofy under jaw. I will attemt to post. I spent 3 hours on a very detailed story last night only to have it deleted when I tried to upload his pics!! I have not seen Scoggs look like that since I had him but it is definitely him and his owner.
CAGE TYPE:
18x18x36" Repti Breeze. I recently took out the PVC bottom and replaced it with mesh to create a better drainage system. The breeze is mounted on a TV stand and the top of the cage is 6ft4in off the ground. I have a temporary drainage system for now, as I know he will need a bigger VIV very soon, if not like last week..(Basically the whole viv is suspended above a bussers tub and the contents are drained nightly before lights off at 930pm) The contents never exceed more then the ammount of water held in a Lil Dripper and 3-4 60 sec mist sessions.
LIGHTING:
He is now on 12/12 cycle. Days consist of a 18" 10.0 UVB from ReptiGlow and a 75 watt ZooMed basking bulb. 12 hours of darkness. Previous owner was giving him 24 hr lights :/....12 hrs of a 5.0 coiled UVB (that looked so old my grandma may have once used it...ok maybe I am exaggerating but it looked burnt out...brown around the curves and what not)..and 12 hrs at night using a red basking bulb..it must have been AT LEAST 50 watts as it was QUITE hot and even burnt my first analog temp gauge when I was testing it on day 2. (I put the analog temp pretty much directly under the light as previous owner had it directly on screen. I know the mesh blocks ALOT but it was still very warm)
TEMPERATURE(s):
His VIV varies from 92 degrees at the VERRRY top of his basking spot during day, down to 75 at the bottom during the day. He has a great range of temps during the day. I use a cheap analog temp/hydro combo, as well as a INFARED LASER GUN and one of those cheap "strips" they sell for like a dollar at PetCo..ya know, the ones they put on the outside of a UA cup. They are all actually fairly accurate (within 4 degrees of eachother) however I trust the INFARED GUN over anything.
HUMIDITY:
I use the cheap analog side of my dual purpose cheap analog thang. I mist him daily up to 4 times depending on my schedule. He has a Golden Pothos in there and I will add a Asparagus Fern and/or FICUS later on. I guess I should invest in a Hygrometer but the nice reptile dude made a decent point: trying to control the humidity in a screen cage is like spraying a mist bottle in a room and saying you are substantially changing the humidity in the room...it consistently reads between 40-70% depending on last time I missed. I am not truly concerned of the humidity. I live in Dallas and its hot and humid as hell all the time... i swear..
PLANTS:
Just the Golden Pothos at the moment but I will for sure add more after this guy bounces back to my satisfaction.
PLACEMENT:
His set up is in my room. I do have a fan, and there is a air vent but it is not directly pointed at him or near him. I have been obsessively changing the polarity of the fan trying to "freshen" up my room. My room does tend to stay a big muggy. Its not ridiculously hot or dank, but it is the "heaviest" room in the house. I usually keep my door open during the day which helps substantially. If I am in the room with door closed and large plasma TV on, I do form a small bit of sweat on my brow, if you know what I mean. Nothing abnormal from the cheapskates that are trying to keep AC bill at its minimum during hot TX summers.
LOCATION:
Dallas
CURRENT PROBLEM:
I think I may be a hypochondriac however it is NOT paranoia if it has happened before. I had a small slider turtle years ago that suffered from MBD (or some other disease) despite the correct lighting and husbandry. Poor expensive lil' guy. Mom wasn't too thrilled about him...
Randall Scoggs looked like death the first few days I had him at home. I assumed it was due to shock, however after frequenting this site and spending almost every night awake surfing the internet for more info, I am assuming he has "minor" MBD, if there is such a thing. If he is showing ANY signs, it is already too advanced....he has a hard time finding his branch sometimes. Sometimes I wonder if he is blind due to the coiled UVB he had, and the night heat his previous owner was using. I have seen him grab his own leg too, which evidently is not a good sign. He sometimes perches on only 3 legs.. or perches with one back leg grasping a front leg. He is lethargic IMHO..yes, I know they do not run around in circles, but after watching hours of videos, reading, and visiting healthy chams, there is something NOT right with my lil fella. I have to go with my gut on this one. I can see his ribs. His arms and legs are not bowed, but they are very skinny. Sometimes I doubt his age because of his size, but I know only a professional can tell me accurately. His previous owner didnt have any reason to lie to me about Scoggs health or well being. We still stay in contact and he insists on knowing the state of his old lil dood. I do not think he was abusing this guy, but I do believe he was misinformed..like a lot of people are. It is a sad cycle and it IS due to people like me, who impulsively want to own one of every species of animal on the planet. Luckily, I am the one willing to drop hundreds of dollars into this little guys happiness and well being. Previous owner said he needed to get rid of him as he couldnt take care of him anymore. He mentioned more then once that crickets were "expensive". Maybe our ideas of expensive are polar opposites? He said he ate upwards of 10 crickets a day but he wont eat more then 6 or 7 for me....ok this is a wall of text, but I hope you have made it through and I look forward to getting your input. I am scheduling an appointment for him early next week and will bring a stool sample.....his stool, not mine... He is never not on a limb, never sitting at bottom of cage...so I know from viewing some testimonies on this site that he can and WILL get better....ill stop typing now as I am sure I have drifted....MORE IS MORE.
To those thinking of getting a cham:
From my recent experience, there is an influx of younger generations interested in the Chameleon breed. I think this is phenomenal! However, with the rapid growth of interest comes mis interpretation by certain owners. I HIGHLY recommend doing PLENTY of research before purchasing a Veiled/Panther/Jackson/any others....what you are investing in is a glimpse of time from millions of years ago. These little monsters are quite resilient, to the point where they can have rubber legs and no tongue movement and still survive! It is heart breaking. Know what you are getting into. This is not a subject to take lightly. I AM however so happy that I have Mr. Randall Scoggs in my life. I already see an improvement in his mood and behavior, and I hope to spoil this rascall for the rest of his life. (Hell, Im buying a 12 pack of beer for dinner and his CRICKETS are getting veggies I havent had in ages :/)... I suck at technology and technology hates me so I will do my best to post these pics and respond appropriately. Please feel free to e mail me with any input..... over and out.
Regards,
Matthew on behalf of Mr. Randall Scoggs
