sleeping

[GoggletheVeiled]

My cham, is sleeping during the day... I'm very concerned because I heard that might mean health problems. She seems fine otherwise, she comes out of the cage to greet me. She is eating out of my hand. I'm not quite sure what's wrong.

 

[MissSkittles]

Sleeping during the day is a very bad sign indeed. The best way to try and figure out what may be going on is a full husbandry review. Copy and paste the following with your answers and do include pics of your cham and entire enclosure, including lights. Do you have a lay bin for her? Has she laid eggs before?
Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
• 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?
• Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

--------------

Please Note:

1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
2. Photos can be very helpful.

 

[GoggletheVeiled]

• Your Chameleon - I have a veiled chameleon, female. I'm not quite sure but I would say 4 months. I have had her for about 3 weeks.
• Handling - 2 times a week
• Feeding - I feed her mealworms. I know that might be bad but I have had experienced people tell me that it shouldn't hurt her. Every day when she wants to eat.
• Supplements - I use repti calcium and I dust her food once a week.
• Watering - I mist her 4-5 times a day. I do see her drinking.
• Fecal Description - I believe that she has been tested for parasites. Her poops are perfect.
• History - I bought her from Petco. This is a very nice Petco, they are very gentle and observant.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - The top is screen. The rest is glass. I leave her door open 2 a day for 10 minutes.
• Lighting - It is flukers. There are no signs of burns and the lights are turned on around 7 and go off at 6:30.
• Temperature - During the day it is 75 Fahrenheit and at night it is 67-70
• Humidity - During the day it's around 50% at night it's 75 to 80 at night.
• Plants - I do not use live plants because I often don't have time. But I use safe fake plants.
• Placement - Close ish to my door. No, it's not near any fans or vents. She is at my eye level the top of the cage is at my nose.
• Location - Not really allowed to tell my location. Sorry.

Current Problem - Sleeping during the day.

 

[GoggletheVeiled]

She has not showed any signs of eggs. I do not have a lay bin for her. Her cage is 12x12x18

 

[MissSkittles]

I’ll start working on your review. Do you have any current pics?

 

[GoggletheVeiled]

I’ll start working on your review. Do you have any current pics?

 

[MissSkittles]

I’ll be putting my feedback in bold. I do talk a lot so will break this down into at least 2 parts.

• Your Chameleon - I have a veiled chameleon, female. I'm not quite sure but I would say 4 months. I have had her for about 3 weeks. I’d really like to see some current pics of her. They help so very much.
• Handling - 2 times a week Right now she’s obviously not feeling very well, so I’m going to advise no handling. It causes them stress, which can interfere with health.
• Feeding - I feed her mealworms. I know that might be bad but I have had experienced people tell me that it shouldn't hurt her. Every day when she wants to eat. Mealworms are controversial feeders and I’m not getting into that. However, offering a variety of different feeders is very needed. Crickets, bsfl, roaches etc are all good staples. How many feeders are you giving daily? Just as important is the health of the feeder insects. Healthy bugs offer more nutrition, so you need to feed and care for them well. Graphics below to help guide you. I keep my bugs well fed with a variety of fresh greens (mustard, collard, dandelion, turnip), different squashes, sweet potato, bell pepper, and a little fruit (usually berries but my roaches love banana).
• Supplements - I use repti calcium and I dust her food once a week. Very important! Does it contain D3? If so, she is getting overdosed with D3. If it has none, she is deficient and on her way to mbd and great pain and sadness. Here is a very easy supplement regimen to use and which will provide her with what she needs. Phosphorus free calcium without D3 lightly dusted for every feeding. One feeding every other week use Repashy calcium plus LoD OR Reptivite with D3. If the current calcium has D3, you need to not give her any more for at least 2-4 weeks. Vitamin D is needed in order for the body to use calcium. It is a fat soluble vitamin and it takes time for the body to eliminate it, so it can easily build up to dangerous and toxic levels. Bodies also produce vitamin D3 from unfiltered sunlight and uvb, but it is different and the body produces only what it needs.
• Watering - I mist her 4-5 times a day. I do see her drinking. This is a bit too often. Ideally you should be misting for at least 2 minutes right before lights go on and off and for at least 1 minute mid day (or run a dripper for about 15-20 minutes). Many chams are secretive about drinking.
• Fecal Description - I believe that she has been tested for parasites. Pet stores, especially chain stores do not test for parasites or provide any other health care unless the animal is sick. The conditions that she was bred and kept are not good and it is a good idea to have a parasite check. It doesn’t always show in abnormal poos. Her poops are perfect.
• History - I bought her from Petco. This is a very nice Petco, they are very gentle and observant.

 

[kinyonga]

What’s on the floor of the cage?
Has she been pooping? Do the mealworms get loose in the cage?

 

[GoggletheVeiled]

What’s on the floor of the cage?

Coconut substrate. I was told by others that this would not harm the cham.

 

[GoggletheVeiled]

Miss Skittles, yes the calcium contains D3. I have made sure with websites and people that I'm not overdosing. I'm not sure.

 

[kinyonga]

Coconut substrate. I was told by others that this would not harm the cham.

I hope your chameleon isn’t impacted….either from the substrate or the plastic plants.

You need to a phos free calcium (no D3) powder dusted on the insects at every feeding but twice a month. On those two feedings you need to use reptivite with D3 or another vitamin powder with a source of D3 and a prEformed source of vitamin A in it. All powders should be dusted on lightly when used…you don’t want ghost or powdered donut looking insects.

It’s important that the D3, calcium, phos, and vitamin A be I n a balance to keep your chameleon healthy.
Vitamin A comes in two forms…prEformed and prOformed. PrOformed is Usually beta carotene and can’t build up in the system…but may not be very useful to chameleons. PrEformed can build up in the system and lead to health problems. Look for words like retinol, retinyl, etc for it.

UVB lights recommended are the long linear Arcadia 6%or the Reptisun 5.0 long linear tube light.
Your chameleon should not get an overdose of vitamin D3 from exposure to the proper UVB lights…but too much D3 from supplements can lead to an overdose.

Recommended insects include crickets,locusts, roaches, silkworms…and once in a while waxworms, super worms, hornworms.

 

[MissSkittles]

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - The top is screen. The rest is glass. I leave her door open 2 a day for 10 minutes. This is way too small for her. As she grows it’ll only get worse for her. Most chams are not very friendly and sad to say, she is not coming out to greet you because she wants human interaction. She wants out for more space. The minimum size she’ll need is 2x2x4’ or equivalent. While glass is great for many, I prefer screen. You can always cover up the sides if needed, but with glass there’s little to be done for better air flow.
• Lighting - It is flukers. There are no signs of burns and the lights are turned on around 7 and go off at 6:30. This is as important as getting the supplements correct. Either you only have a basking bulb and she has no source of uvb/sunshine or you have only a screw in uvb bulb which is useless past 2-3” away. If you have a mercury vapor bulb, those shouldn’t be used unless you have a solarmeter to check uv output and adjust the light as needed. You need a linear T5HO fixture with either ReptiSun 5.0 or Arcadia 6%. Then your basking light which can be an incandescent or halogen…just not LED. The distance between lights and basking area should be 8-9” for ideal uvb level. Arcadia makes a nice ProT5 light, but they have been hard to find in stock lately. Here’s the ReptiSun. https://www.amazon.com/DBDPet-Repti...mzn1.fos.006c50ae-5d4c-4777-9bc0-4513d670b6bc Btw, it does come with the bulb, but make sure to get the correct strength.
• Temperature - During the day it is 75 Fahrenheit and at night it is 67-70 This is a bit too cool. You want to increase temp just a little to around 78-80. It’s perfect to have a good temp drop at night.
• Humidity - During the day it's around 50% at night it's 75 to 80 at night. 50% is at the high end for daytime. It’s essential to have excellent air flow.
• Plants - I do not use live plants because I often don't have time. But I use safe fake plants. With veileds, there is no such thing as a safe fake plant. They like to nibble their plants and can/will nibble fake ones. It only takes one bite to cause a bowel obstruction. Live plants are best. Pothos is your new best friend. She needs more branches and vines to travel on. For chams, empty space is wasted. Also, that black Exo Terra vine that you have is known for shedding tiny particles which can get into chams eyes. You can use natural branches from outside. Just give them a little scrub and a thorough rinse. Avoid pine and other sappy or smelly trees.
• Placement - Close ish to my door. No, it's not near any fans or vents. She is at my eye level the top of the cage is at my nose. Chams like to be as high as possible. Height means safety for them.
• Location - Not really allowed to tell my location. Sorry. That’s fine.

Current Problem - Sleeping during the day. Any time a cham has its eyes closed during the day, it’s a very bad sign. Young chameleons need everything to be as perfect for them as possible as they have no resources to fall back on. They can be fragile. The most important thing is to get the supplements correct and get uvb lighting asap. There’s no way to ‘push’ the excess vitamin D3 out of her body - it’s just going to take time.
I do have to ask - are you aware that she will lay eggs regardless of even seeing a boy? I’ve overwhelmed you enough for now with info, but it is important to know how to manage a girl and her care. When you are ready, we can go over that. As young as 5-6 months, she can start producing eggs. You’ll know she’s old enough when she starts showing color and patterns.

 

[Bazelthechameleon]

Miss Skittles, yes the calcium contains D3. I have made sure with websites and people that I'm not overdosing. I'm not sure.

Don’t feed her with the D3 supplement for at least another 2 weeks. Look into getting the Repashy calcium supplement with NO D3. The sleeping during the day may be a result of a D3 overdose. Keep a close eye on her. Also please get a lay bin while you’re at it!! They are so very important for female chams so they don’t become egg bound. I can assure you Miss Skittles is incredible and very knowledgeable in female chameleons. Her advice is sound and will help your chameleon thrive. Good luck and keep us updated!

 

[GoggletheVeiled]

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - The top is screen. The rest is glass. I leave her door open 2 a day for 10 minutes. This is way too small for her. As she grows it’ll only get worse for her. Most chams are not very friendly and sad to say, she is not coming out to greet you because she wants human interaction. She wants out for more space. The minimum size she’ll need is 2x2x4’ or equivalent. While glass is great for many, I prefer screen. You can always cover up the sides if needed, but with glass there’s little to be done for better air flow.
• Lighting - It is flukers. There are no signs of burns and the lights are turned on around 7 and go off at 6:30. This is as important as getting the supplements correct. Either you only have a basking bulb and she has no source of uvb/sunshine or you have only a screw in uvb bulb which is useless past 2-3” away. If you have a mercury vapor bulb, those shouldn’t be used unless you have a solarmeter to check uv output and adjust the light as needed. You need a linear T5HO fixture with either ReptiSun 5.0 or Arcadia 6%. Then your basking light which can be an incandescent or halogen…just not LED. The distance between lights and basking area should be 8-9” for ideal uvb level. Arcadia makes a nice ProT5 light, but they have been hard to find in stock lately. Here’s the ReptiSun. https://www.amazon.com/DBDPet-Reptisun-Hood-UV-B-Bulb/dp/B08NMV6MPC/ref=sr_1_28?crid=2T6ATWYSFYEB2&keywords=reptisun+5.0+uvb&qid=1674955797&s=pet-supplies&sprefix=ReptiSun,pets,114&sr=1-28&ufe=app_do:amzn1.fos.006c50ae-5d4c-4777-9bc0-4513d670b6bc Btw, it does come with the bulb, but make sure to get the correct strength.
• Temperature - During the day it is 75 Fahrenheit and at night it is 67-70 This is a bit too cool. You want to increase temp just a little to around 78-80. It’s perfect to have a good temp drop at night.
• Humidity - During the day it's around 50% at night it's 75 to 80 at night. 50% is at the high end for daytime. It’s essential to have excellent air flow.
• Plants - I do not use live plants because I often don't have time. But I use safe fake plants. With veileds, there is no such thing as a safe fake plant. They like to nibble their plants and can/will nibble fake ones. It only takes one bite to cause a bowel obstruction. Live plants are best. Pothos is your new best friend. She needs more branches and vines to travel on. For chams, empty space is wasted. Also, that black Exo Terra vine that you have is known for shedding tiny particles which can get into chams eyes. You can use natural branches from outside. Just give them a little scrub and a thorough rinse. Avoid pine and other sappy or smelly trees.
• Placement - Close ish to my door. No, it's not near any fans or vents. She is at my eye level the top of the cage is at my nose. Chams like to be as high as possible. Height means safety for them.
• Location - Not really allowed to tell my location. Sorry. That’s fine.

Current Problem - Sleeping during the day. Any time a cham has its eyes closed during the day, it’s a very bad sign. Young chameleons need everything to be as perfect for them as possible as they have no resources to fall back on. They can be fragile. The most important thing is to get the supplements correct and get uvb lighting asap. There’s no way to ‘push’ the excess vitamin D3 out of her body - it’s just going to take time.
I do have to ask - are you aware that she will lay eggs regardless of even seeing a boy? I’ve overwhelmed you enough for now with info, but it is important to know how to manage a girl and her care. When you are ready, we can go over that. As young as 5-6 months, she can start producing eggs. You’ll know she’s old enough when she starts showing color and patterns.

Thanks. I feel so bad for her now. I'll be sure to do all those things. What are some good cages, and plants though?

 

[Bazelthechameleon]

Thanks. I feel so bad for her now. I'll be sure to do all those things. What are some good cages, and plants though?

Pothos and schefflera are great options. Chameleon academy should have an article with great plant recommendations. Home depot should have all the plants you need, just make sure you wash them thoroughly before putting them in the cage to get rid of any bugs or bacteria.

The zoomed 2x2x4 screen cage is a great cage and fits the minimum size requirements. That’s what I use for my cham.

 

[Beman]

The sleeping during the day is due to no uvb bulb more than likely. She is going into failure to thrive because she does not have the lighting she needs to live.
Follow all the guidance @MissSkittles is giving you. Make corrections to UVB, cage size, supplements, substrait asap. These are the top ones that can cause health issues very quickly. Then start correcting everything else.
Depending on your Petco they may let you return the cage you have to get your money back.

Start reading everything in this husbandry program. This has all accurate info. It will walk you through how to set up an enclosure correctly and everything that goes along with it. Ask your questions here when you have them. https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/

 

[GoggletheVeiled]

Pothos and schefflera are great options. Chameleon academy should have an article with great plant recommendations. Home depot should have all the plants you need, just make sure you wash them thoroughly before putting them in the cage to get rid of any bugs or bacteria.

The zoomed 2x2x4 screen cage is a great cage and fits the minimum size requirements. That’s what I use for my cham.

Ok, thanks. Would the zoo med repti breeze 2x2x4 cage work? I'd have to work for some of the money, but she could last a little bit in her cage, right? Until I get her one more adequate?

 

[MissSkittles]

Ok, thanks. Would the zoo med repti breeze 2x2x4 cage work? I'd have to work for some of the money, but she could last a little bit in her cage, right? Until I get her one more adequate?

Yes, the XL ReptiBreeze is big enough. Avoid the ‘chameleon kits’ - most of the stuff in them is useless and the enclosure is too small. Also avoid the version that has led lights, which serve no purpose. A very similar enclosure is this one https://www.diycages.com/collection...ducts/sc4-48x24x24-jumbo-vertical-screen-cage and depending on sales and stuff, may be less expensive. I use both ReptiBreeze and that one for my chams.
For plants, keep it simple for now and get some pothos or heart leaf philodendron. Schefflera is a great center/tall plant to have, but it would need a special plant light. https://chameleonacademy.com/plants/
Keep asking questions. Keep learning and keep improving. We love helping others to have many years of joy with their happy and healthy chameleons.