Senegal Chameleon

[rabbitsongs]

Hello All,

I am a middle school teacher. One of my students has given my classroom a Senegal chameleon. I spent time at a local pet store discussing care for the chameleon. However I was left with several questions, and have not been able to find the answers on the internet.

Might anyone know:
-how often the terrarium needs to be changed? The base has hydroballs covered with a layer soft earth and moss (purchased from the pet store). When changing, do I need to replace the "earth" and hydroballs?

-Should I keep the UV light on from sun up to sun down, and off at night?

I think those are the two big questions I have.

O! I'm pretty sure that I the chameleon is a young adult female. If I were to e-mail a picture, would someone be able to verify if this is correct?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Bill S.

 

[Simon]

If you click gallery at the top and then find teh uplaod button you can get a photo on here

 

[Sepioteuthis]

First off; here is a great article about Senegal Chameleons:
http://www.chameleonnews.com/?page=article&id=164

 

[rabbitsongs]

Thank you!

Thank You Soooo Much!

 

[rabbitsongs]

Temperature/UV

Hi Again,

Is anyone able to tell me when (and if) the UV light needs to be turned off?

Thanks,

Bill

 

[dodolah]

follow the sun cycle.
all lights should be turned off when the sun is set. and all lights should be on when the sun rises.
i do not have a senegal, but as far as UVB, following the sun cycle is always safe.
I put mine on automatic timer.
the lights are on during 6 am to 6 pm daily.

as far as picture, you can upload them in this thread.

 

[Cainschams]

12 hours on 12 hours off. Some people actually go with the time the sun comes up and goes down. This is up to you but rule of thumb is 12 12

 

[Justin Carl]

All lights stay on from sun up to sun down.
10-12 hours a day.
No night light is need unless temps get down to 60 degrees.

 

[kinyonga]

I have kept Senegal chameleons a few times...its important to make sure they drink. They are sometimes "reluctant" to start drinking, but I have always kept trying until they do each day.

Re: substrate...with all arboreal chameleons I do NOT recommend using a substrate. Its too easy to end up with an impacted chameleon.

With all egglaying female chameleons its a good idea to have a place in the cage to dig to show you that they need to lay eggs. With Senegals, I don't think that she will lay eggs without having been mated...but its better IMHO to be safe than sorry. Washed playsand in an opaque container about 10"L X
8"H X6"W is the minimun size I would use.

Chameleons 101....
Exposure to UVB allows them to produce vitamin D3 which allows them to use the calcium in their systems. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic. The best source of UVB is sunlight but the Repti-sun 5.0 tube/linear bulb comes highly recommended for indoors.

Most of the insects used as feeders have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorous so dusting the insects with a phosphorous-free calcium powder before feeding them to the chameleon helps to make up for this.

I dust the insects with a vitamin powder that has a beta carotene source of vitamin A twice a month to ensure that they get what they need. Beta carotene sources of vitamin A won't build up in the chameleon's system. There is controversy as to whether all species of chameleon can convert beta carotene or not though so some people also give them a preformed source of vitamin A once in a while. Preformed vitamin A can build up in the system and excess preformed vitamin A can prevent the D3 from doing its job and lead to MBD.

If the chameleon gets no/little exposure to sunlight, then you may want to dust with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder a couple of times a month. D3 from supplements can build up in the system too...so don't overdo it.

Appropriate basking temperature aids in proper digestion...thus plays a part in nutrient absorption.

Gutloading the insects and feeding them a nutritious diet is important too. You can gutload the crickets with an assortment of greens (dandelion, collards, kale, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrot, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, squash, zucchini, etc.) (Don't use spinach or cabbage, broccoli.)

Calcium, D3, vitamin A, and phosphorous all play major roles in bone health and need to be in balance...so look at your supplements, what you feed to the insects and what you feed the chameleon when trying to attain a balance.

Watering...misting and dripping are both recommended.

Here are some sites with good information that you might like to read...
http://www.adcham.com/
http://www.chameleonnews.com/
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/uvinviv.htm
http://web.archive.org/web/20060502...als.com/vet/index.php?show=8.Gout.Basics.html

Good luck with the chameleon!

 

[bucky]

Wow...a student gave you a chameleon?! Lucky lol, but ya i agree with everyone else. I hope your not going to keep it in the classroom or something. Cause all the kids goin to see it could be too stressful. And one NEVER listen to a petstore person about chameleons.

 

[rabbitsongs]

Thank You All!!!

Thank you all so much!

Bill