peeling

[MadHatter]

I am new to the Chameleon world. I just got mine (MadHatter) (he is a Veiled.) this past weekend at the Reptile expo in Arlington Tx. He is still a baby but a good size. I have him in a terrarium with a screen top and vents on two of the walls. i have branches and fake vines in with him. When I brought him home he was Green as all get out (now I know they change) but i am now on day 5 and i have not seen him eat and I came home tonight and looked and he was spotted and what looked like some shedding on his eye, head, and back. but he is bright green on one side and then brown on the other with white splotches all over. I mist him 2 times a day and when i dont have time to mist i place ice cubes on top and let them melt through the day. i put crickets in his cage but like i said i have not seen him eat at all not even drink water off the leaf or screen. If anyone knows what might be going on i would really love some info. Thanks Joy

 

[Elizadolots]

I think it sometimes takes them as much as a week to get over the trauma of "the reptile show"...

There is a "how to ask for help" thread at the top of this forum. You might want to copy that questionnaire and post it with your responses here. People will feel freer to post suggestions when they have that information.

It's not unusual for them to "sneak eat" and "sneak drink"...pretty much all chameleon owners become "poop detectives" in an effort to find out if the chameleon is doing well.

Good poop should be a brown/grey eggish shape with a whitish bit attached (I think it looks a lot like bird poop). If that's what you find in your cage, then your animal is eating and drinking well. If not, then there's a problem. In particular, look at the "whitish" part...it should be white not orange. It's okay if it's white or cream and a bit of yellow at the end is okay, but all yellow is bad. Yellow or orange means he needs more water.

Shedding shortly after a show adventure strikes me as reasonable...but maybe I'm wrong on that.

 

[summoner12]

He is in a new home and shedding... this sometimes causes chams not to eat. Can you provide some photos of your setup? Also filling out the 'how to ask for help' form in the stickied thread helps... although you did a fairly good job of hitting a lot of the questions. But still, take some photos fill out the 'form' with as much detail so we can get a better idea of what your setup is like.

 

[MadHatter]

More info on veiled

ABOUT:
I bought a veiled this past weekend at the Arlington tx reptile show. MadHatter is a male prob about a month old. I have now had him 6 days and i never handle him.
FEEDING:
I feed him crickets, I put about 10 in his cage a day. I feed my crickets apple and I dust them with Miner-All. When it comes to water I mist him twice a day and sometimes instead of misting I will put a few ice cubes on the top and just let them melt. I have not seen him drink once since I have had him.
CAGE:
His cage is a glass 15 gallon tall with a screen top and vented sides. The breeder I bought him from told me to just use a reg. house bulb 34w well walmart didnt have the 34w so i got a 25w. His light schedule comes on at 10am and goes off at 12 am so a 14 hr lighting period. I have not measured the temp or humidity yet but im going to do that tomorrow. I did just have live tree branches and fake vines in his cage at first but now i have a real plant in there as well. it is a Dracaena "Warneckii" it was one that was on the list of plants for chameleons and the substrate is cyprise mulch. His cage is not around any fans or windows. he was in my room floor, but now he is up off the floor a few feet and is by my closet.
I live in Tyler Tx (East Texas).

MY CONCERN:
I have not seen him eat or drink in the 6 days that I have had him. He is almost at the end of his shedding cycle, which makes me feel better. but he never moves he stays right under the light and hangs upside down on the screen top all the time. his poop is solid white?(Good or Bad?) and every morning i look at him and he is a dark brown. and looks like he shrunk up. I just need to know if i am doing things right and if not what do I need to do? please help me and MadHatter! Thanks Joy.

I attached a few pics.

 

[bridgofaith]

Ok, first of all, I don't see a UVB light. You must have a UVB light. The best one you can buy is the Repti Sun 5.0 linear tube. Our forum sponsor, ReptMart, has them for $13.99. Lose the cypress mulch. That is not needed and can cause impaction. The heat bulb looks very close to the chameleon. Do you measure the temps? You should have a digital thermometer to test the temperatures in the basking spot.

It is recommended to use a screen enclosure. You have to be very careful using a glass tank, the temps can get very high in there and you can end up cooking your chameleon. If you are going to use the tank (for now) get rid of the substrate, add more plants and test temps.

What is your supplement schedule?

White urate is good. That means he is drinking. You want it to be white. If it starts turning yellow or orange, he is getting dehydrated and needs more water.

Instead of using ice cubes, try a plastic cup with a very tiny hole in the bottom. The ice melts and is cold and cools them down.

 

[Elizadolots]

Expanding on Brideofaith's advise on making a drip system, just buy a big pack of 12 or 16 ounce plastic cups. Get a needle and start experimenting...it might take you a bunch of "needle punches" to get the hole that drips right for your cage...

 

[pssh]

Hello, welcome to the forums. Below is the how to ask for help form that I filled out with my recommendations. It gives you the basics and will eventually need to be changed slightly to fit your situation, but it will help you get the essentials down so your Cham has a good start.


Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care? *Veiled chameleon, baby
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? *I recommend only once a week unless it voluntarily climbs onto you or you have to move it outside/to the shower/etc,
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? The equivalent to 8-12 crickets a day. *Gutload with greens like kale, collards, mustard greens, endive, escarole, and dandelion greens. *Use other veggies and fruits like carrots, oranges, papayas, squash, sweet peppers, and celery leaves. *Stay away from tomato, broccoli, and spinach.
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? *calcium without D3 almost every feeding, calcium with D3 twice a month, and a multivitamin once a month
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? *You should be misting the cage 2-5 times a day for at least a 1-3 minutes. *I also recommend the use of a dripper which can be as simple as a cup with a hole poked in the bottom.
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? The white part is called a urate which should be almost completely white. *A tiny hit if yellow/orange at the tip is normal but it should not be yellow or orange as it means the Chameleon is dehydrated. *The actual poop should not be runny.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? *Screen is recommended in most parts of the US and well ventilated cages are okay as well as long as it is well thought out and built properly. *An aquarium is not acceptable.*
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? Reptisun 5.0 linear UVB tubes are recommended for chameleons. *There should also be a basking lamp *with the UVB very close to it so the chameleon can bask in both. *I try to keep the lights on only during the real sun's time. *It's a little more natural, but a 12/12 schedule will do fine.
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? *Basking temp: 80-83 * * Ambient temp: 70-75 ish * Night temp: no lower than 60 as a baby * * A digital thermometer should *always be used. *The analog ones tend to *be way off.
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? *40-50% when dry, 70-90+% when wet/just misted, and it should hang around 60-70% for an hour or two after you've misted. *A digital hygrometer is needed to measure. *
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? *I recommend ficus, pothos, hibiscus, and dwarf umbrella plants. *They should all be washed with soapy water and repotted in organic soil. *I use large river rocks to cover up the soil as some species (particularly veileds and panthers) tend to like to eat dirt.
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? *The basking spot should be above your eye level and there should not be any drafts near the cage. *It should be in a low traffic area.