Shedding - How Often is too Often?

[Mael]

Cage Type - 3'x3'x5' (i think... maybe larger. It's rather large)
Lighting - One heat bulb (120W I think?) and Two Flourecent Bulbs - one with full specrtum UV for the plants and one specific tropical reptile UV bulb.
Temperature - Honestly, I don't know.
Humidity - Spraying twice a day. Having two plants in the cage that are watered regularly also help keep the humidity high
Plants - One Benjamini Ficus that fills most of the cage and a newly added Pothos to give Theodore some room to hide if he needs to. The base of the cage is usually just covered in a few paper towels to clean up his messy poo.
Location - In the living room of the house. He's in a corner far away from most things so people usually keep a good distance from his cage at all times. It's part of the problem living in a smaller apartment - there really isn't anywhere else good to put him!

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Veiled Chameleon, Male, around 1 year old.
Feeding - Crickets with Silkworms bi-weekly. A half-dozen to a dozen a day. It really depends on how much he wants to eat honestly - every morning before work around 8am. Feeders are given various vegatables and fruits (Carrots, Pinapples) as well as fish food.
Supplements - Calcium once weekly
Watering - Misting. Usually Theodore will drink but I have to actually hit him with the water to do it. It's definitely not an ideal solution, but I can't seem to get him to drink otherwise.
History - At the pet store he was in an enclosure that was much, much to small for him to live in comfortably. I think this might have stunted his growth. I figured at first he was making up for it with rapid shedding cycles, but now I'm starting to get worried. I've had him for about 6 months. At one point I do believe he got a slight burn on his head but I've since moved the light where he can't get so close to it and it's seemed to heal alright.
Problem - He sheds far too much. Almost once a month if not more. As soon as he finishes one cycle he's onto the next one. Usually his skin looks like it's in a state of shedding and never clear. Help?

 

[Ryan Jarosek]

It is common for younger Chams to shed every 3-4 weeks. It should slow down as they get older. It will be interesting to hear what the other members have to say about this topic.

 

[Mael]

That makes less nervous. Thanks Ryan!

 

[Brad Ramsey]

http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/

Check out the supplement schedule here.
Are you sure he is a year old?
Monthly shedding within the first year doesn't seem too extraordinary to me, although after six to eight months of age it usually starts to happen less often.
A lot depends on his start in life though. I have seen 4 month old chameleons that look like they are 5 or 6 weeks old.
What is the brand and type of UVB light you are using?
Fish food is a poor choice for gut loading chameleon feeders, it has been known to cause gular edema and hypervitaminosis.
I would definitely remove fish food from the equation.
Can you post any pictures?

-Brad

 

[AndrewH]

get a thermometer and hygrometer. do you have a dripper?

My cham, when he was a juvenile would shed about 2-3 weeks, now its close to once a month at the age of 9 month.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

Just saw the pictures in your other thread.
He does not look a year old to me ... but as I stated above, you can never guess age with total confidence.
Again, please read up on supplementation

-Brad

 

[Mael]

What is the brand and type of UVB light you are using?

Exo Terra I believe. Is there a better brand I should be using?

I would definitely remove fish food from the equation?[/QUOTE]

Done. Fortunately, I use the fish food very infrequently so I don't think it's much of an issue. I use fresh fruits and vegatables 95% of the time. Thanks for the link to the Blog. I've been reading through it when I have time.

get a thermometer and hygrometer. do you have a dripper?

I don't use a dripper but instead spray twice daily. I used to have a Thermometer in the enclosure but my apartment seemed to always have an ambient temperature of around 70-75 in the mid cage area and higher near his basking spot.

Just saw the pictures in your other thread.
He does not look a year old to me ... but as I stated above, you can never guess age with total confidence.

The pictures are about 6 months old. How old does he look to you in them? He has actually grown quite a bit since then. Probably upto 30% extra size added.

 

[opihiman]

what also may help is to keep a weekly record of your Chams weight. if there is a corresponding change in wt with their shedding cycle it may still be OK for your cham to be shedding as often as it is happening.

OPI-

 

[Tygerr]

Shedding monthly in a sub-adult cham is not unusual, but what bothers me is when you say "As soon as he finishes one cycle he's onto the next one. Usually his skin looks like it's in a state of shedding and never clear."
A healthy young chameleon usually sheds completely in 1-2 days. Older chameleons may shed in patches over a slightly longer period, but they shouldn't be in a constant state of shedding.

Take Andrew's advice and get a thermometer and hygrometer. You should probably be monitoring the level of humidity in the cage. A lack of humidity may be causing the shedding difficulties. You may need to be misting even more than you are now.

But it could also be caused by something else - like a nutritional problem. Read through the articles on Brad's site about supplementation and gutloading. You need to adjust your supplementation schedule. You need to be dusting with a plain calcium powder (i.e. no Vit D3) most of the time, but also using a calcium powder that contains D3 less frequently, as well as occassional dustings with a multi-vitamin powder.

Exo Terra I believe. Is there a better brand I should be using?

Which ExoTerra bulb? It should be the ExoTerra ReptiGlo 5.0 or ExoTerra ReptiGlo 10.0.
Most keepers would recommend the ZooMed Reptisun 5.0 as a superior UV bulb.

 

[Mael]

Okay, I'll keep that in mind about the misting. I'll make sure to be keeping the humidity level up. How high should it be on average? I'll have to keep in mind what I'm feeding him and try to get him some suppliments. I think you're right about not misting enough and I'm going to add an extra mist to the daily cycle. His Urates seemed to be a good solid white colour so I figured I was misting enough to keep him hydrated.

I have two reptisun bulbs - one that has full spectrum UV and one that simulates tropical UV environments.

Let me just make a note that I really appreciate all the constructive critisism aimed at helping me keep Theodore healthy!

 

[Mael]

Alright. So i've increased the frequency of misting over the past few days and I noticed my Cham coughed last night.

Is this a sign of a respitory infection? I hear they are caused by having an enclosure that is too humid or cold. Now I'm reluctant to spray him as much as he needs.