absolutbill
Chameleon Enthusiast
Cage Info:
* Cage Type - Screen sitting on a plastic wash tub. Cage is standard 48"x24"x24", but with the extra area of the tub it's nearly 6' tall.
* Lighting - For my UVB I use the Repti-Sun 5.0, 24". This does not have a shade and sits above his cage - this has remained standard the entire time I've had him, so I don't think it's the lights making him sleep. For basking I have a 75 Watt flood light (incandescent, not compact flourescent). He had a regular 75 watt incandescent bulb, but basking was only at 86, so I thought he might not be warm enough to digest his dinner, and bought the flood, increasing the temp to 90. Lights turn on at 7:30AM-7:15 PM
* Temperature - Basking Area is 90 degrees, bottom of cage is 79 degrees. The house is kept at 80, so he might get down to about 78 at night. I have a digital thermometer up by the basking area, and a combo digital thermometer/hydrogemeter at the bottom on the opposite side. I also have a temp gun.
* Humidity - Humidity is currently 55%, nearly 3 hours after the last mist of the day. Here in Florida, humidity isn't exactly a problem
* Plants - I've got only live plants in there, re-potted in organic soil, and some river stones on the top of them to prevent impaction. There's a planter of schefflera, and I believe an umbrella tree.
* Placement - His cage is in the den, minimal traffic, and we build a room divider so that the opposite bedroom's light doesn't shine in at him after lights out. The a/c vent for the room is directly across from his wall, and doesn't blow on him. The top of the cage is approximately 7' high, and the bottom is about 3' off the ground.
* Location - Naples, Florida
Chameleon Info:
* Your Chameleon - Kibi is an ambanja, nearly 16 months old. I bought him from a site sponser here, at 4 months old.
* Handling - I do not - he's first generation captive bred, and I was nervous about stressing him out when I got him, so didn't handle him. Now I see that may have been a mistake, because he's fine in the cage, but a devil to get out for cleaning.
* Feeding - He gets crickets - we have recently started raising superworms, and will start phoenix worms in a week or so. The crickets are gut-loaded with carrots, and potatoes. I feed him about 8 crickets per day. We get them small (1/4"), so when they first come in I give him up to 12, to make up for the size, and as the crickets grow, his quantity decreases. He gets these about 3:30PM, when I get home from work.
* Supplements - I use Minerall O, 3 times a week. I use calcium with D3 (Rep-Cal) 2 times a month. I use Herptivite 2 times a month.
* Watering - I have an automatic mister, and mist 3 times a day for 10 minutes each time. I do not see him drink, but I do see him get some of the mist on him.
* Fecal Description - Fecals are normally shaped with a tinge of orange at the end. I know that's a sign of dehydration, which is why I mist for a total of 30 minutes a day, and his eyes are not shrunken. I tested a fecal this past week looking for answers to him sleeping during the day, and they came out completely clean.
* History - I can't think of anything that has changed recently. His UVB bulb was replaced in February, so he's nearly due to have that changed. I just noticed his calcium expired in April, and a new container is being shipped from LLL. The major change would have been my new job, and different hours - he used to get fed at 6:45AM 1/2 hour after lights on, now he has to wait until I get home, because it's way too early when I leave in the mornings.
*For the past week or so he's been sleeping during the day. He'll sleep in his basking area, and then move off elsewhere to nap. Also I noticed today that with his eyes shut it looked like he was moving his eyes to the back to see me, and they looked dented for a moment. Is this what happens when their eyes are closed but they move them (like REM in humans)? I've never seen this before, but it seems like that's what it may be. He then opened his eyes looking at me, and they look clear, without anything stuck in them.
I haven't heard any clicking or wheezing to indicate a URI, nor have I seen any mucus discharge. His colors are still bright as always (including changing into his sleeping colors), and he's still eating and defecating. I noticed something that looked like a string coming from his vent, so I took a fecal to get tested, thinking it was worms making him sleepy, but he's clean, so now I'm back to square one.
Trust me, I don't mind paying to take him to a vet, but he's pretty mean, and I don't want to lose a finger, or stress him out too much. If someone can steer me in the right direction I'd be grateful. I've followed this forum for quite some time and I appreciate all the second-hand knowledge I've gained. Thank you very much in advance.
* Cage Type - Screen sitting on a plastic wash tub. Cage is standard 48"x24"x24", but with the extra area of the tub it's nearly 6' tall.
* Lighting - For my UVB I use the Repti-Sun 5.0, 24". This does not have a shade and sits above his cage - this has remained standard the entire time I've had him, so I don't think it's the lights making him sleep. For basking I have a 75 Watt flood light (incandescent, not compact flourescent). He had a regular 75 watt incandescent bulb, but basking was only at 86, so I thought he might not be warm enough to digest his dinner, and bought the flood, increasing the temp to 90. Lights turn on at 7:30AM-7:15 PM
* Temperature - Basking Area is 90 degrees, bottom of cage is 79 degrees. The house is kept at 80, so he might get down to about 78 at night. I have a digital thermometer up by the basking area, and a combo digital thermometer/hydrogemeter at the bottom on the opposite side. I also have a temp gun.
* Humidity - Humidity is currently 55%, nearly 3 hours after the last mist of the day. Here in Florida, humidity isn't exactly a problem
* Plants - I've got only live plants in there, re-potted in organic soil, and some river stones on the top of them to prevent impaction. There's a planter of schefflera, and I believe an umbrella tree.
* Placement - His cage is in the den, minimal traffic, and we build a room divider so that the opposite bedroom's light doesn't shine in at him after lights out. The a/c vent for the room is directly across from his wall, and doesn't blow on him. The top of the cage is approximately 7' high, and the bottom is about 3' off the ground.
* Location - Naples, Florida
Chameleon Info:
* Your Chameleon - Kibi is an ambanja, nearly 16 months old. I bought him from a site sponser here, at 4 months old.
* Handling - I do not - he's first generation captive bred, and I was nervous about stressing him out when I got him, so didn't handle him. Now I see that may have been a mistake, because he's fine in the cage, but a devil to get out for cleaning.
* Feeding - He gets crickets - we have recently started raising superworms, and will start phoenix worms in a week or so. The crickets are gut-loaded with carrots, and potatoes. I feed him about 8 crickets per day. We get them small (1/4"), so when they first come in I give him up to 12, to make up for the size, and as the crickets grow, his quantity decreases. He gets these about 3:30PM, when I get home from work.
* Supplements - I use Minerall O, 3 times a week. I use calcium with D3 (Rep-Cal) 2 times a month. I use Herptivite 2 times a month.
* Watering - I have an automatic mister, and mist 3 times a day for 10 minutes each time. I do not see him drink, but I do see him get some of the mist on him.
* Fecal Description - Fecals are normally shaped with a tinge of orange at the end. I know that's a sign of dehydration, which is why I mist for a total of 30 minutes a day, and his eyes are not shrunken. I tested a fecal this past week looking for answers to him sleeping during the day, and they came out completely clean.
* History - I can't think of anything that has changed recently. His UVB bulb was replaced in February, so he's nearly due to have that changed. I just noticed his calcium expired in April, and a new container is being shipped from LLL. The major change would have been my new job, and different hours - he used to get fed at 6:45AM 1/2 hour after lights on, now he has to wait until I get home, because it's way too early when I leave in the mornings.
*For the past week or so he's been sleeping during the day. He'll sleep in his basking area, and then move off elsewhere to nap. Also I noticed today that with his eyes shut it looked like he was moving his eyes to the back to see me, and they looked dented for a moment. Is this what happens when their eyes are closed but they move them (like REM in humans)? I've never seen this before, but it seems like that's what it may be. He then opened his eyes looking at me, and they look clear, without anything stuck in them.
I haven't heard any clicking or wheezing to indicate a URI, nor have I seen any mucus discharge. His colors are still bright as always (including changing into his sleeping colors), and he's still eating and defecating. I noticed something that looked like a string coming from his vent, so I took a fecal to get tested, thinking it was worms making him sleepy, but he's clean, so now I'm back to square one.
Trust me, I don't mind paying to take him to a vet, but he's pretty mean, and I don't want to lose a finger, or stress him out too much. If someone can steer me in the right direction I'd be grateful. I've followed this forum for quite some time and I appreciate all the second-hand knowledge I've gained. Thank you very much in advance.
