Not using tongue to eat/poor aim

[Randallsparents]

Hey guys this is my first post on here, I made this account today because of how long it took me to feed my veiled one Dubia roach...let me know if you have any idea what could be going on with Randall. I appreciate any help.

Your Chameleon - I have a male veiled chameleon, he's about 1 year old. I adopted him from a reptile rescue two weeks ago. He's been adjusting really well and he ate on the second day.
Handling - I only handled him to get him out of the traveling box and into his enclosure.
Feeding - We've been feeding Randall a good variety of feeders. We have Dubia roaches, Superworms, Crickets (just ran out), and hornworms (also just ran out). He eats every other day except for one day when he had eaten a big hornworm + two dubias the day before so I gathered he was probably just still full. We feed him 2-3 Dubias depending on the size and a superworm/hornworm if it's a treat day. We get our feeders from the same place we adopted him and I have them all in separate critter keepers that we keep clean and feed shredded apple and carrot.
Supplements - We use Reptivite every 2 weeks (so far just once) and the Flukers calcium without D3 every feeding. Although I've been reading that a lot of people supplement extra vitamin A without d3 more often? Earth Pro A? Do you guys recommend it? We think poor aim could possibly have something to do with vitamin a deficiency but honestly idk
Watering - We use a little dripper with the tube and it drips right onto a live pothos plant in the top right corner of his enclosure. We live in San Francisco so it's actually been super humid out, we have a hygrometer that we keep in our bedroom (where we keep him) so that we can always look over and see the ambient temp/humidity. It's always between 40-60%. I've even purchased a dehumidifier because there was one day I couldn't keep the humidity below 60% during the day. I also use a hygrometer to check the humidity inside his enclosure. Randall will get a nice misting at night (30 mins after lights n heater are off) if the humidity is low for about 1-2 mins. I have seen Randall drink from the dripper, but I like to give him his privacy after I refill it every morning.
Fecal Description - He just pooped today, and it looked pretty normal to me. It was a solid/but a little soft or wet brown part and a white urate with a yellow tinge at the end. I don't think he's ever been to the vet before but we will be making his appointment as soon as we find the best reptile/exotic vet to take him to. (asap) Here's pic from today

History - He was surrendered to an animal rescue and had been living in a pretty small cage all his life. He was brought in with a female veiled who was gravid after being kept together in that same tiny cage. (my guess would be that the guy who surrendered them got them at the same time?) They both look healthy but they were under a compact UVB bulb situation. (that terrible double bulb thing) This is a picture from when I first saw him at the rescue on valentines day and fell in love, he seemed like he wanted out. Can't blame the lil guy. It also seems that he was being overfed before we got him so he is a bit chubby for a cham. His cask is super puffy and face too, we have him eating much healthier now.

Cage Type - Randall has a screen enclosure, 2-2-4 feet Reptibreeze
Lighting -He uses a T8 24inch terrarium hood with a 10.0 bulb that sits on top of the screen. I was worried that this might be a bit strong for him so I got a Tenmars solar meter, it reads 1-2 at his basking spot and 3 at the very top of his enclosure. We have him on 12 hour light schedule so from 8AM-8PM. Neptune The Chameleon recommended getting a solar meter and I agree, it's the best investment you can make for your cham if you can afford to. The one I got was around $80 and all the reviews were great!
Temperature- His basking temp or temp at the top of his cage is about 80-85 degrees and floor/ambient temp is usually around 72-75. During the night we turn his lights and 100-watt ceramic heat emitter off and will sometimes open the window on the other side of the room to let in some fresh air and allow the room to cool a bit before we mist. The night time temps are about 65-70
Humidity -Daytime humidity is 50 or less and we mist him at night once the lights have been off for a bit. We have a handheld mister and a hygrometer in the room to always be able to check when we pass by, and another one to check the humidity inside. We also have a dehumidifier, we live in a very humid area the average humidity in our city is about 60%. During the day if it's too humid we turn it on.
Plants -We are using live plants, we have a monstera as the center but will be getting something sturdier sometime soon, pothos, spider plant, a small swiss cheese plant, and a small dracaena. We will be getting a lot more bushy and tree-like plants as well as more branches and vines to fill in. We just want him to settle in for a bit longer before we mess with his home again. Fake silk ivy vines on the outside so he feels like he's in a tree.
Placement -His enclosure is 3-4 feet off the ground and in the right corner of the bedroom away from windows and doors. My partner and I have work/college so he gets the apartment to himself for at least 6 hours on most days! There are no vents or fans but I sometimes run the dehumidifier or the air purifier 6ft from his cage for a little bit. (only on extra humid days)
Location -San Francisco, Ca.

This is a selfie of Randall, they nicknamed him grumpy boi at the rescue but he's an absolute angel even as he's starting to shed.

 

[Randallsparents]

Current Problem -(1.) So the main thing I'm concerned about is his poor aim and lack of tongue use. I've definitely seen him extend his tongue-- 2nd day with us he tried to catch a cricket in the far top right of his enclosure but unfortunately missed. He's been drinking water with it, and (2.) today I even saw him licking up dirt for the first time!!! I put paper towels on top of the soil and some rocks to hold it down until I can buy some river stones tomorrow. So that's another indicator that he could be missing some vitamins in his diet (suspecting maybe vit A??) So I know he can use it, but when Its feeding time it always takes him a few tries to get the bug and he doesn't extend his tongue from far away. He sticks his whole head in the cup to get as close as possible. He does use the tongue to grab the bugs so could it be that it's not sticky enough? Today we tried for about 45+mins and he seemed to keep missing?

I suspect it could be not enough vitamin A? Really hoping its not MBD but if it is could proper husbandry stop further advancement of issues? He has a great grip on his branches and vines, and he looks good but Im not sure. He's our first cham and first lizard.

(3.) One more thing I've been wondering about is how long it typically takes veilds to shed? He had already started when we got him (two weeks ago) and he's still shedding, top spikes are still white/ shedding? and he's just started to shed on his face a little, some of that white on his face on the pic below is just calcium tho.

You might be able to tell he's a lil chubby by his puffy cask but we've been feeding him a good amount of feeders and less than he was getting before. Here are also some pics of the enclosure, I can always add more. Thank you for your time and any help. I know this is long but I want y'all to have enough info. Please tag anyone you think could know what's going on. We will be scheduling a vet appointment this week anyways for an initial checkup/fecal exam.

 

[Randallsparents]

Also-- The wildest thing happened today, I was trying to make it easier for him to catch a dubia roach while feeding so I flipped it on its back...(I've heard chams love it) and when he dipped his face into the cup he came out with it on his cheek!!!!! 👁👁 I was absolutely shook. I was trying to get it off but then it started to crawl down his body!!! At this point we were both flipping out, he started to back into his enclosure with bright yellow and dark colors and I was still trying to get it off. Which must scared the hell out of the poor guy. Finally, I got it back in the cup and after we both calmed down I offered it to him again. He stuck his face in and when he came out he had the dubia that terrorized us in his mouth! That roach looked extra yummy lol. I'm obviously never doing that again.

The situation I can laugh at but I want to know what causes the poor aim or lack or tongue use. Thanks again!

 

[Chameleoking]

Daytime humidity should be 30- 50% tops no higher. At night should be 70-100%. The red light that was used before is bad for the eyes and other health issues.

 

[Chameleoking]

@Beman

 

[Randallsparents]

Daytime humidity should be 30- 50% tops no higher. At night should be 70-100%. The red light that was used before is bad for the eyes and other health issues.

Thanks so much for replying, we just got our dehumidifier this week so we will be able to keep it down under 50%. And yeah I’ve heard the red light can be bad for them, he was most likely under those lights since he was a baby until two weeks ago I’m gonna do some more research.

 

[Chameleoking]

It would be good to have him checked by a good reptile vet. Just in case he needs to be treated for something. Better safe than sorry right.

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi and welcome! Your husbandry looks pretty good, but I do see a few things to improve on.
You want to feed your feeders a variety of healthier things, so that they’ll be more nutritious. Attaching graphic.
I’m assuming your Reptivite has D3 in it. Reptivite has preformed vitamin A, so no need to give any additional A. If Randall has a deficiency, it will take time but it will resolve. While I did see improvements within a few weeks, it took a few months for my male panther’s vitamin A (and other) deficiency to fully be corrected. Giving too much of fat soluble vitamins can be just as bad as not enough.
It is awesome that you got a solarmeter! However, the ideal UV index at basking area should be around 3. The standard T5 with either ReptiSun 5.0 or Arcadia 6% pretty reliably provides this UVI at approx 8-9” below the light. Having a T8 with a 10.0 you’ll need to either adjust the placement of your basking branch so that Randall’s casque/back will be at around 3.0 or get a T5 uvb. I am curious though where you found a solarmeter for only $80. Usually they are $200+.
Veileds are tough and can handle night time temp drops down to the 50’s. While we don’t want to intentionally chill them that much, a drop down in the 60’s is great. With the nice cool night temps, you can boost humidity all the way to 100% to simulate the natural hydration they get in the wild thru fog.
The tongue issue is most likely related to lack of proper supplements and lighting and hopefully will resolve in time with your great care. If he wasn’t getting correct supplements and lighting, he may very well have some degree of mbd. While any damage it may have caused can’t be undone, he can very well recover from it and go on to have a healthy life.
From his casque, he is grossly obese though, and this will adversely effect his health and life span. Currently it’s a fine line as you want to give him good nutrition to recover, but you also want to get him to lose weight. If you don’t already have a kitchen type gram scale, I suggest getting one and weighing him at least once every other week. Monitoring his weight will help guide you in adjusting his feeding amounts. For treats, avoid superworms and wax worms. I love letting bsfl pupate into flies and then release into my enclosures for my chams to hunt down. They seem to enjoy it too.
Unlike babies, adult chams shed part by part. He may be having some poor shedding from his poor history. Usually we don’t interfere in their shedding unless shed is constricting the tail or a foot, cutting off blood supply. Chams are dry shedders, so shed aids and such can make it harder for them to shed.
That is hilarious about the dubia. I don’t know if it would help Randall to eat better, but I love the shooting gallery feeders. https://tkchameleons.com/products/shooting-gallery?variant=30018608595032 My male veiled loved his so much he used to sleep inside of it!
A vet visit and a fecal check for parasites is definitely a good idea.
You’re doing great and well on the way to getting this big sweet guy healthy. I do hope you’ll keep asking questions and sharing Randall’s progress.

 

[Beman]

Adding to @MissSkittles feedback. See my feedback in red.


Your Chameleon - I have a male veiled chameleon, he's about 1 year old. I adopted him from a reptile rescue two weeks ago. He's been adjusting really well and he ate on the second day.
Handling - I only handled him to get him out of the traveling box and into his enclosure.
Feeding - We've been feeding Randall a good variety of feeders. We have Dubia roaches, Superworms, Crickets (just ran out), and hornworms (also just ran out). He eats every other day except for one day when he had eaten a big hornworm + two dubias the day before so I gathered he was probably just still full. We feed him 2-3 Dubias depending on the size and a superworm/hornworm if it's a treat day. We get our feeders from the same place we adopted him and I have them all in separate critter keepers that we keep clean and feed shredded apple and carrot. How often are you feeding him. He is very overweight. Should only be eating 3 days a week 2-3 medium feeders each feeding. If he does not start dropping weight slowly then you need to drop back to feeding 2 days a week. Gutload needs improvement. More leafy greens. See image above.
Supplements - We use Reptivite every 2 weeks (so far just once) and the Flukers calcium without D3 every feeding. Although I've been reading that a lot of people supplement extra vitamin A without d3 more often? Earth Pro A? Do you guys recommend it? We think poor aim could possibly have something to do with vitamin a deficiency but honestly idk Not a vitamin A deficiency. He is getting A in the Reptivite. You do not want to give more because this is a fat soluble vitamin and it should only be used 2 times a month say the 1st and the 15th. Earth Pro A is not vitamin A. It is a plain calcium with water soluble vitamins and Bee pollen. Fine to use instead of your regular calcium without D3 But I would not add any additional Bee pollen to the diet using this product. Poor aim could be related to a past injury and even over supplementation of D3 or vitamin A or both.
Watering - We use a little dripper with the tube and it drips right onto a live pothos plant in the top right corner of his enclosure. We live in San Francisco so it's actually been super humid out, we have a hygrometer that we keep in our bedroom (where we keep him) so that we can always look over and see the ambient temp/humidity. It's always between 40-60%. I've even purchased a dehumidifier because there was one day I couldn't keep the humidity below 60% during the day. I also use a hygrometer to check the humidity inside his enclosure. Randall will get a nice misting at night (30 mins after lights n heater are off) if the humidity is low for about 1-2 mins. I have seen Randall drink from the dripper, but I like to give him his privacy after I refill it every morning. 40-60% is good. I would not want to see it over 60% though during the day. Make sure your using a digital hygrometer these are the most accurate. Govee makes a good one just keep it out of the path of water.
Fecal Description - He just pooped today, and it looked pretty normal to me. It was a solid/but a little soft or wet brown part and a white urate with a yellow tinge at the end. I don't think he's ever been to the vet before but we will be making his appointment as soon as we find the best reptile/exotic vet to take him to. (asap) Here's pic from today Take in a fresh fecal sample when you go to the vet. Should be tested for parasites just in case.






History - He was surrendered to an animal rescue and had been living in a pretty small cage all his life. He was brought in with a female veiled who was gravid after being kept together in that same tiny cage. (my guess would be that the guy who surrendered them got them at the same time?) They both look healthy but they were under a compact UVB bulb situation. (that terrible double bulb thing) This is a picture from when I first saw him at the rescue on valentines day and fell in love, he seemed like he wanted out. Can't blame the lil guy. It also seems that he was being overfed before we got him so he is a bit chubby for a cham. His cask is super puffy and face too, we have him eating much healthier now.



Cage Type - Randall has a screen enclosure, 2-2-4 feet Reptibreeze
Lighting -He uses a T8 24inch terrarium hood with a 10.0 bulb that sits on top of the screen. I was worried that this might be a bit strong for him so I got a Tenmars solar meter, it reads 1-2 at his basking spot and 3 at the very top of his enclosure. We have him on 12 hour light schedule so from 8AM-8PM. Neptune The Chameleon recommended getting a solar meter and I agree, it's the best investment you can make for your cham if you can afford to. The one I got was around $80 and all the reviews were great! I hope your solarmeter is accurate it is not the one we use in the hobby. With the T8 and a 10.0 bulb in it you want his back to hit roughly 5 inches below the light to be in an approximate 3 uvi level. This is important. He needs to be in a 3 UVI level.
Temperature- His basking temp or temp at the top of his cage is about 80-85 degrees and floor/ambient temp is usually around 72-75. During the night we turn his lights and 100-watt ceramic heat emitter off and will sometimes open the window on the other side of the room to let in some fresh air and allow the room to cool a bit before we mist. The night time temps are about 65-70... Really watch temps with that heat emitter they can put out more heat then recommended. Make sure he can not get too close to it. Thermal burn risk with these. Temps day and night are good. I would not let temps go over 85. Most of us keep our males 80-82 at basking.
Humidity -Daytime humidity is 50 or less and we mist him at night once the lights have been off for a bit. We have a handheld mister and a hygrometer in the room to always be able to check when we pass by, and another one to check the humidity inside. We also have a dehumidifier, we live in a very humid area the average humidity in our city is about 60%. During the day if it's too humid we turn it on. 40-50% is the recommend daytime range for this species. Spike in level is normal after misting. I would make sure you are providing a misting in the morning before the cage heats up as well. Using room temp water. He needs to have the opportunity to clean his eyes when he needs to.
Plants -We are using live plants, we have a monstera as the center but will be getting something sturdier sometime soon, pothos, spider plant, a small swiss cheese plant, and a small dracaena. We will be getting a lot more bushy and tree-like plants as well as more branches and vines to fill in. We just want him to settle in for a bit longer before we mess with his home again. Fake silk ivy vines on the outside so he feels like he's in a tree.
Placement -His enclosure is 3-4 feet off the ground and in the right corner of the bedroom away from windows and doors. My partner and I have work/college so he gets the apartment to himself for at least 6 hours on most days! There are no vents or fans but I sometimes run the dehumidifier or the air purifier 6ft from his cage for a little bit. (only on extra humid days)
Location -San Francisco, Ca.

This is a selfie of Randall, they nicknamed him grumpy boi at the rescue but he's an absolute angel even as he's starting to shed.

 

[Randallsparents]

It would be good to have him checked by a good reptile vet. Just in case he needs to be treated for something. Better safe than sorry right.

Yes, of course. We agree we will be making that appointment by this weekend, definitely better to be safe than sorry.

 

[Randallsparents]

Hi and welcome! Your husbandry looks pretty good, but I do see a few things to improve on.
You want to feed your feeders a variety of healthier things, so that they’ll be more nutritious. Attaching graphic.
I’m assuming your Reptivite has D3 in it. Reptivite has preformed vitamin A, so no need to give any additional A. If Randall has a deficiency, it will take time but it will resolve. While I did see improvements within a few weeks, it took a few months for my male panther’s vitamin A (and other) deficiency to fully be corrected. Giving too much of fat soluble vitamins can be just as bad as not enough.
It is awesome that you got a solarmeter! However, the ideal UV index at basking area should be around 3. The standard T5 with either ReptiSun 5.0 or Arcadia 6% pretty reliably provides this UVI at approx 8-9” below the light. Having a T8 with a 10.0 you’ll need to either adjust the placement of your basking branch so that Randall’s casque/back will be at around 3.0 or get a T5 uvb. I am curious though where you found a solarmeter for only $80. Usually they are $200+.
Veileds are tough and can handle night time temp drops down to the 50’s. While we don’t want to intentionally chill them that much, a drop down in the 60’s is great. With the nice cool night temps, you can boost humidity all the way to 100% to simulate the natural hydration they get in the wild thru fog.
The tongue issue is most likely related to lack of proper supplements and lighting and hopefully will resolve in time with your great care. If he wasn’t getting correct supplements and lighting, he may very well have some degree of mbd. While any damage it may have caused can’t be undone, he can very well recover from it and go on to have a healthy life.
From his casque, he is grossly obese though, and this will adversely effect his health and life span. Currently it’s a fine line as you want to give him good nutrition to recover, but you also want to get him to lose weight. If you don’t already have a kitchen type gram scale, I suggest getting one and weighing him at least once every other week. Monitoring his weight will help guide you in adjusting his feeding amounts. For treats, avoid superworms and wax worms. I love letting bsfl pupate into flies and then release into my enclosures for my chams to hunt down. They seem to enjoy it too.
Unlike babies, adult chams shed part by part. He may be having some poor shedding from his poor history. Usually we don’t interfere in their shedding unless shed is constricting the tail or a foot, cutting off blood supply. Chams are dry shedders, so shed aids and such can make it harder for them to shed.
That is hilarious about the dubia. I don’t know if it would help Randall to eat better, but I love the shooting gallery feeders. https://tkchameleons.com/products/shooting-gallery?variant=30018608595032 My male veiled loved his so much he used to sleep inside of it!
A vet visit and a fecal check for parasites is definitely a good idea.
You’re doing great and well on the way to getting this big sweet guy healthy. I do hope you’ll keep asking questions and sharing Randall’s progress.
View attachment 321126

Oh my goodness thank you so much for all this amazing feedback! It’s good to know he doesn’t need any additional vitamin A, I didn’t wanna go overboard with the supplements.

I got the solar meter off Amazon and I got the recommendation from a top 10 solar meters of the year type thing! I will be double checking his lighting situation later today and see if I can add some more branches. I suspect he might have some early MBD so that’s another reason we will be making that vet appointment asap, it’s amazing to know that we could probably stop it from progressing!!

Thank you also for confirming that he’s very obese, I knew that he was chubby but I needed a second opinion! Never seen a chams cask look like that. I’ll order a scale today so we can start keeping track of his weight that’s a great idea. Im gonna also go out and get some mustard greens and collard greens for his feeders, they’re definitely not as nutritious as they could be. I appreciate the resource!! N Yeah I’m gonna stay away from super worms (and wax worms) I’ve heard they can be hard to digest. Should I feed the rest or flush them? We have under 5 left but I’m fine with flushing them he likes the hornworms the best anyways.

And the dubia story is honestly the craziest thing that’s happened to me regarding the Cham, I had to share!

The shooting gallery feeders look amazing! Do they keep dubias in or can they crawl out?

 

[MissSkittles]

Should I feed the rest or flush them? We have under 5 left but I’m fine with flushing them he likes the hornworms the best anyways.

If there’s only a few, may as well feed them off as treats.

The shooting gallery feeders look amazing! Do they keep dubias in or can they crawl out?

If attached correctly, roaches shouldn’t be able to escape (unless they are super tiny nymphs). The only feeders that do squirm their way out are bsfl.

 

[Randallsparents]

Adding to @MissSkittles feedback. See my feedback in red.


Your Chameleon - I have a male veiled chameleon, he's about 1 year old. I adopted him from a reptile rescue two weeks ago. He's been adjusting really well and he ate on the second day.
Handling - I only handled him to get him out of the traveling box and into his enclosure.
Feeding - We've been feeding Randall a good variety of feeders. We have Dubia roaches, Superworms, Crickets (just ran out), and hornworms (also just ran out). He eats every other day except for one day when he had eaten a big hornworm + two dubias the day before so I gathered he was probably just still full. We feed him 2-3 Dubias depending on the size and a superworm/hornworm if it's a treat day. We get our feeders from the same place we adopted him and I have them all in separate critter keepers that we keep clean and feed shredded apple and carrot. How often are you feeding him. He is very overweight. Should only be eating 3 days a week 2-3 medium feeders each feeding. If he does not start dropping weight slowly then you need to drop back to feeding 2 days a week. Gutload needs improvement. More leafy greens. See image above.
Supplements - We use Reptivite every 2 weeks (so far just once) and the Flukers calcium without D3 every feeding. Although I've been reading that a lot of people supplement extra vitamin A without d3 more often? Earth Pro A? Do you guys recommend it? We think poor aim could possibly have something to do with vitamin a deficiency but honestly idk Not a vitamin A deficiency. He is getting A in the Reptivite. You do not want to give more because this is a fat soluble vitamin and it should only be used 2 times a month say the 1st and the 15th. Earth Pro A is not vitamin A. It is a plain calcium with water soluble vitamins and Bee pollen. Fine to use instead of your regular calcium without D3 But I would not add any additional Bee pollen to the diet using this product. Poor aim could be related to a past injury and even over supplementation of D3 or vitamin A or both.
Watering - We use a little dripper with the tube and it drips right onto a live pothos plant in the top right corner of his enclosure. We live in San Francisco so it's actually been super humid out, we have a hygrometer that we keep in our bedroom (where we keep him) so that we can always look over and see the ambient temp/humidity. It's always between 40-60%. I've even purchased a dehumidifier because there was one day I couldn't keep the humidity below 60% during the day. I also use a hygrometer to check the humidity inside his enclosure. Randall will get a nice misting at night (30 mins after lights n heater are off) if the humidity is low for about 1-2 mins. I have seen Randall drink from the dripper, but I like to give him his privacy after I refill it every morning. 40-60% is good. I would not want to see it over 60% though during the day. Make sure your using a digital hygrometer these are the most accurate. Govee makes a good one just keep it out of the path of water.
Fecal Description - He just pooped today, and it looked pretty normal to me. It was a solid/but a little soft or wet brown part and a white urate with a yellow tinge at the end. I don't think he's ever been to the vet before but we will be making his appointment as soon as we find the best reptile/exotic vet to take him to. (asap) Here's pic from today Take in a fresh fecal sample when you go to the vet. Should be tested for parasites just in case.






History - He was surrendered to an animal rescue and had been living in a pretty small cage all his life. He was brought in with a female veiled who was gravid after being kept together in that same tiny cage. (my guess would be that the guy who surrendered them got them at the same time?) They both look healthy but they were under a compact UVB bulb situation. (that terrible double bulb thing) This is a picture from when I first saw him at the rescue on valentines day and fell in love, he seemed like he wanted out. Can't blame the lil guy. It also seems that he was being overfed before we got him so he is a bit chubby for a cham. His cask is super puffy and face too, we have him eating much healthier now.



Cage Type - Randall has a screen enclosure, 2-2-4 feet Reptibreeze
Lighting -He uses a T8 24inch terrarium hood with a 10.0 bulb that sits on top of the screen. I was worried that this might be a bit strong for him so I got a Tenmars solar meter, it reads 1-2 at his basking spot and 3 at the very top of his enclosure. We have him on 12 hour light schedule so from 8AM-8PM. Neptune The Chameleon recommended getting a solar meter and I agree, it's the best investment you can make for your cham if you can afford to. The one I got was around $80 and all the reviews were great! I hope your solarmeter is accurate it is not the one we use in the hobby. With the T8 and a 10.0 bulb in it you want his back to hit roughly 5 inches below the light to be in an approximate 3 uvi level. This is important. He needs to be in a 3 UVI level.
Temperature- His basking temp or temp at the top of his cage is about 80-85 degrees and floor/ambient temp is usually around 72-75. During the night we turn his lights and 100-watt ceramic heat emitter off and will sometimes open the window on the other side of the room to let in some fresh air and allow the room to cool a bit before we mist. The night time temps are about 65-70... Really watch temps with that heat emitter they can put out more heat then recommended. Make sure he can not get too close to it. Thermal burn risk with these. Temps day and night are good. I would not let temps go over 85. Most of us keep our males 80-82 at basking.
Humidity -Daytime humidity is 50 or less and we mist him at night once the lights have been off for a bit. We have a handheld mister and a hygrometer in the room to always be able to check when we pass by, and another one to check the humidity inside. We also have a dehumidifier, we live in a very humid area the average humidity in our city is about 60%. During the day if it's too humid we turn it on. 40-50% is the recommend daytime range for this species. Spike in level is normal after misting. I would make sure you are providing a misting in the morning before the cage heats up as well. Using room temp water. He needs to have the opportunity to clean his eyes when he needs to.
Plants -We are using live plants, we have a monstera as the center but will be getting something sturdier sometime soon, pothos, spider plant, a small swiss cheese plant, and a small dracaena. We will be getting a lot more bushy and tree-like plants as well as more branches and vines to fill in. We just want him to settle in for a bit longer before we mess with his home again. Fake silk ivy vines on the outside so he feels like he's in a tree.
Placement -His enclosure is 3-4 feet off the ground and in the right corner of the bedroom away from windows and doors. My partner and I have work/college so he gets the apartment to himself for at least 6 hours on most days! There are no vents or fans but I sometimes run the dehumidifier or the air purifier 6ft from his cage for a little bit. (only on extra humid days)
Location -San Francisco, Ca.

This is a selfie of Randall, they nicknamed him grumpy boi at the rescue but he's an absolute angel even as he's starting to shed.

We are feeding him every other day (2-3 feeders) but thank you so much for your feedback— we will be cutting down to only 3 days a week!! We will be gut loading with more leafy greens too we’ve definitely been lacking.

Yeah, I’m thinking I could possibly return it and grab another solar meter soon, can someone reply with a link to one that has worked for them? That way I’ll get two readings and the new one might be more expensive but I think it’s worth it. All the reviews say it’s accurate but there’s no way to really know unless I test it with another.

It’s great to know 80-82 is the best basking temp, I use a jumpstart thermostat with the heat emitter so I can set that to 80 or 78 since the areas above the probe get a few degrees hotter. I’m also going to make sure to mist in the morning before I turn in the heat! Thank you so much for your reply, I’m so happy I decided to post and ask for help. I’d like to catch any mistakes now in our first month with him.

 

[Randallsparents]

If there’s only a few, may as well feed them off as treats.

If attached correctly, roaches shouldn’t be able to escape (unless they are super tiny nymphs). The only feeders that do squirm their way out are bsfl.

Awesome thank you! We feed the medium sized Dubias mostly so that’s perfect.

 

[Beman]

We are feeding him every other day (2-3 feeders) but thank you so much for your feedback— we will be cutting down to only 3 days a week!! We will be gut loading with more leafy greens too we’ve definitely been lacking.

Yeah, I’m thinking I could possibly return it and grab another solar meter soon, can someone reply with a link to one that has worked for them? That way I’ll get two readings and the new one might be more expensive but I think it’s worth it. All the reviews say it’s accurate but there’s no way to really know unless I test it with another.

It’s great to know 80-82 is the best basking temp, I use a jumpstart thermostat with the heat emitter so I can set that to 80 or 78 since the areas above the probe get a few degrees hotter. I’m also going to make sure to mist in the morning before I turn in the heat! Thank you so much for your reply, I’m so happy I decided to post and ask for help. I’d like to catch any mistakes now in our first month with him.

I have the solarmeter 6.5 R version. The solarmeter 6.5 is the same it just does not have a reptile on the front of it.

Do a morning misting really well. Then have heat kick on an hour later. This will give it time to reduce in humidity before the heat is on.

If he lets you hold him.... Get a kitchen gram scale. Start weighing him each week. Your looking for a gradual weight loss of a few grams a week. Depending on his total length say 15 inches they should sit around 120-140. Looking at the casque and cheeks will tell you quite a bit for size to length. Just keep in mind when you do this you want a slow weight loss not fast. He should balance out in weight and stabilize. At that point you can decide what is best. For example my male only gets fed 2 days a week 3-4 medium feeders. His weight has stablized and is no lower gaining grams.

 

[Randallsparents]

I have the solarmeter 6.5 R version. The solarmeter 6.5 is the same it just does not have a reptile on the front of it.

Do a morning misting really well. Then have heat kick on an hour later. This will give it time to reduce in humidity before the heat is on.

If he lets you hold him.... Get a kitchen gram scale. Start weighing him each week. Your looking for a gradual weight loss of a few grams a week. Depending on his total length say 15 inches they should sit around 120-140. Looking at the casque and cheeks will tell you quite a bit for size to length. Just keep in mind when you do this you want a slow weight loss not fast. He should balance out in weight and stabilize. At that point you can decide what is best. For example my male only gets fed 2 days a week 3-4 medium feeders. His weight has stablized and is no lower gaining grams.

Wow this is really helpful thank you!! I’ll make sure he gets a good misting before the heat turns on, and I appreciate the solar meter recommendation. Will get one of those asap just to be safe. He doesn’t really let us hold him but we can also haven’t tried. So far he lets us get close to feed and to clean. Next time we feed we can maybe do a hand feeding or put the cup closer to our arm? I don’t wanna rush him so we’ll be taking it slow. Thank you for sharing your feeding schedule, there’s so much conflicting info. The place I got him from said they fed him 6-10 med/large crickets or 6 super worms every other day!! 4 times a week!! I thought that was a lot so I cut it down to 3 feeders and mostly dubias.

 

[Beman]

Wow this is really helpful thank you!! I’ll make sure he gets a good misting before the heat turns on, and I appreciate the solar meter recommendation. Will get one of those asap just to be safe. He doesn’t really let us hold him but we can also haven’t tried. So far he lets us get close to feed and to clean. Next time we feed we can maybe do a hand feeding or put the cup closer to our arm? I don’t wanna rush him so we’ll be taking it slow. Thank you for sharing your feeding schedule, there’s so much conflicting info. The place I got him from said they fed him 6-10 med/large crickets or 6 super worms every other day!! 4 times a week!! I thought that was a lot so I cut it down to 3 feeders and mostly dubias.

What works for one to lose weight may need adjustments for another. I always recommend the less extreme then what I have my male on. You can always adjust down further. But it has taken me a good year with my male to really dial in his weight and eating amounts. I went with the recommended and he gained so I had to play with it and track weight. It is harder when they are hefty.

Take a look at my blog. I would work on hand feeding him his meals to build trust. https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/building-trust-with-your-chameleon.2396/

 

[Randallsparents]

What works for one to lose weight may need adjustments for another. I always recommend the less extreme then what I have my male on. You can always adjust down further. But it has taken me a good year with my male to really dial in his weight and eating amounts. I went with the recommended and he gained so I had to play with it and track weight. It is harder when they are hefty.

Take a look at my blog. I would work on hand feeding him his meals to build trust. https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/building-trust-with-your-chameleon.2396/

Thank you, I’ll definitely take a look at your blog! We will be taking him to the vet soon so it would be ideal to get him ok with us holding him for that trip. I appreciate all the feedback and resources! I’ll keep everyone updated on his weight loss journey and health.

 

[Randallsparents]

Update on Randall: https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/randalls-vet-visit.189378/