MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
Your chameleon and I thank you for filling this out. I’ll be putting my feedback in red. Please keep in mind that I truly want to help you and any criticism is meant to be constructive.
Chameleon Info:
Cage Info:
Current Problem - All of a sudden got dehydrated. From your husbandry and initial post, I strongly believe there is more going on than just dehydration. The dehydration is just an effect of the main problem. If she is 2 years old and hasn’t yet laid any eggs, based on your husbandry I find that a bit concerning. @kinyonga most certainly knows more than I do about this. I would think that she hasn’t had enough calcium and other nutrients to form eggs properly or at all. While it is desired to limit egg laying, it needs to be done under proper husbandry practices. Regardless of egg laying, either you’ve been giving calcium without D3 which combined with improper uvb can/will cause metabolic bone disease (mbd)...or you’ve been giving calcium with D3 and as it builds up, she could be overdosed which is not good. Then perhaps you aren’t giving any calcium, which is just as bad as the other 2 scenarios. Either way, I would urge a vet visit with a good reptile vet with experience/knowledge of chameleons. Having eyes closed during the day, lethargy, poor appetite, dehydration are all serious signs that something is very wrong. Chams don’t show any signs of illness until very late in their disease process. If you need help finding a good vet, another member may be able to help.
Good resources for learning all about chameleons and their care: https://chameleonacademy.com/veiled-chameleon-care/. From the home page you can find access to podcasts as well. If you prefer videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3n4S2GRkOGfk2U8-xhaw6Q
Chameleon Info:
- Your chameleon - Veiled Chameleon, Female, and apparently 2 but looks like 1. I have gotten this chameleon a year ago at PetSmart.
- Handling - Try letting them out about 2 times a month.
- Feeding - Eats a lot of crickets dusted in Calcium and loves mealworms, eats waxworms, and calciworms. Eats about 6 crickets and 2 of the rest. Everyday, rest are more like snacks here and there. Attaching feeder and gutload graphics for you. Adult females really need to have their food limited to avoid laying frequent and large clutches of eggs. This will explain. http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/2007/12/keeping-female-veiled.html
- Supplements - I am using a brand called ZooMed for most of my things. You need to be dusting every feeding with a phosphorus free calcium without D3 except for one feeding weekly. That one weekly feeding you want to alternate using calcium with D3 and a multivitamin.
- Watering - Misting has dripper but chameleon does not seem to drink from it. I miss about a 1 min every hour. Have seen chameleon drink but not usually. Not sure what you’re misting as I don’t see even any fake plants in the enclosure. Chams drink by lapping water off of leaves. You need plants, preferably live ones. Get a pothos...super easy to grow, big leaves to drink from and hide behind and as veileds nibble their plants, a quick snack.
- Fecal Description - Droppings have not really changed but a little more white that looks kinda yellowish. I was told that they were but don’t really trust the place I got them from anymore. It is always a good idea to get a fecal test for parasites. You want the urate to be white or cream color. Sometimes there may be a bit of yellow or even orange at one end and that is ok.
- History - I know he was from PetSmart looked like a little baby they did not mention where he came from though. Chain pet stores mostly get their animals from reptile mills. Same as puppy mills, but with reptiles.
Cage Info:
- Cage Type - Use screen, chameleon is getting a brand new big cage with things suggested by y’all to make sure he is happy. W 2x2x4’ or equivalent is the recommended size.
- Lighting - Again using a ZooMed, Using heat lamp and a bluish lamp I forgot what it was will check. On all day but when the Cham is asleep I turn it off. You need a linear T5HO fixture with a 5.0 (or Arcadia 6%) uvb bulb. The screw in uvb does not provide adequate uvb levels unless your cham is only 2-3 inches away from it. Colored lights are not good for sensitive cham eyes. Most use an old fashioned incandescent or a halogen light bulb for basking. LED doesn’t put out enough heat.
- Temperature - Temp is about a little hotter then room temp. Room temp is about the lowest it gets. Bought a monitor that is broken getting fixed currently. It is very important to know your temps. Basking temp should be kept around 80-82*. Digital thermometers with a probe are said to be most accurate.
- Humidity - Same as above. Would measure with a monitor but currently having to use hand. Zoo Med heat monitor. This too is very important. Humidity needs to be between 30-50% during the day. High humidity + daytime heat = respiratory infections.
- Plants - Employee said we didn’t need plants which was questioning but getting whole new setup tomorrow if you can help with that also. Most pet store employees of chain pet stores have very little to no knowledge of the husbandry of the animals in their care. You need live plants. Pothos as I said above is great!
- Placement - We decided to put it a little near a window if that’s ok. Cage is on a table so pretty high off the floor. Just don’t put directly in front of window as heat will be too much for your cham. Yes, the higher the better. Chams like to be able to look down upon their world...makes them feel safe.
- Location - Located on more of a city/country side so not very loud. Chams have poor hearing and only hear in the lower frequencies. Are you in the mountains, desert, swamp, etc? Most geographic areas present some husbandry challenges.
Current Problem - All of a sudden got dehydrated. From your husbandry and initial post, I strongly believe there is more going on than just dehydration. The dehydration is just an effect of the main problem. If she is 2 years old and hasn’t yet laid any eggs, based on your husbandry I find that a bit concerning. @kinyonga most certainly knows more than I do about this. I would think that she hasn’t had enough calcium and other nutrients to form eggs properly or at all. While it is desired to limit egg laying, it needs to be done under proper husbandry practices. Regardless of egg laying, either you’ve been giving calcium without D3 which combined with improper uvb can/will cause metabolic bone disease (mbd)...or you’ve been giving calcium with D3 and as it builds up, she could be overdosed which is not good. Then perhaps you aren’t giving any calcium, which is just as bad as the other 2 scenarios. Either way, I would urge a vet visit with a good reptile vet with experience/knowledge of chameleons. Having eyes closed during the day, lethargy, poor appetite, dehydration are all serious signs that something is very wrong. Chams don’t show any signs of illness until very late in their disease process. If you need help finding a good vet, another member may be able to help.
Good resources for learning all about chameleons and their care: https://chameleonacademy.com/veiled-chameleon-care/. From the home page you can find access to podcasts as well. If you prefer videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3n4S2GRkOGfk2U8-xhaw6Q
