Kaizen
Chameleon Enthusiast
- Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
- Female veiled, approx 1.5 years; been in my care for a year
- Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
- This one bites, always. Handled her once, and had to have antibiotics
- Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
- Feeding dubias, surinams, runners and Crix as staples (ish); she gets silkies twice a week, and gets a limited amount of butters, waxies, supers, hornies and darkling beetles. She gets fed three times/week now (summer’s a bit of a sh$t show because she’s outside in a huge enclosure screened in 1/2” hardware cloth, so it’s a feeding frenzy). We gutload with collards, dandelion, beet greens, mustard greens, rosemary, basil, butternut squash, sweet potato, carrots, washed pitted olives, apples, oranges, bananas, prickly pear, grapefruit, papaya, repashy superload and repashy bug burger—all blended into a goo, frozen in ice cube trays, and fed daily.
- Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
- Earthpro a mixed with earthpro calmag at a 4:1 ratio every feeding
- Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
- Mistking. Two 15 minute mistings: one just before lights on, one just after lights out. Dripper during the day. Occasionally see her drink.
- Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
- Poop looks good: firm, not greasy, urates 75% bone white, 25% orangish. Tested positive for pinworms, treated with the panacur fender bender. Will test again next week
- 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?
- Custom screened enclosure; 3x4x5 (ish)
- Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
- Two 4’ Arcadia uvbs. First is a 6%, is located on the east side of the enclosure (4” from basking) comes on at 730 am and off at 5 pm. The second is an Arcadia 12%, is located on the west side of the enclosure (6” from basking) comes on at noon, and off at 730 pm. My uvi’s range from 2.5-3 in the am, and up to 6 during the afternoon hours.
- Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
- The way these cages are set up, they do not require basking bulbs. Basking temps at basking areas vary between 79 and 85 during the day. Mid cage a steady 72 day-time, bottom cage, 68 day time. This is achieved by programming the greenhouse thermostat to heat up to 75 at 7 am, 80 at 9 am, and 85 at noon - 4 pm, at which point it ramps down slowly until 10pm, at which point it is 65. Night time temps drop by 10 degrees respectively. Her usual sleeping area stands around 65 at night. Heat is constantly monitored by probes strategically placed, and confirmed by double dot heat gun.
- Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
- Daytime humidity is at 99% at 7 am, and slowly drops to 50% by around 1pm. It stays there until about 4 pm, at which point it slowly increases with the gradual temp drop, until it hits about 85% by 10pm and 98% by 7 am. Oh yeah, this is all achieved as a result of keeping our chams in a heated greenhouse.
- Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
- We use all live plants. Croton, hibiscus, ficus, bromeliads, pothos, and creeping ficus. Plants are arranged to create a dense foliage area mid cage; foliage thins a bit near top of cage, and ground level is sparse
- 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?
- Cages sit approx 6” above the ground, but top out at 6’ (they’re irregularly shaped to conform to the walls of the greenhouse) We use a duct fan that draws air down through the bottom of the cage (gently) to circulate air.
- Location - Where are you geographically located?
- Located in London, Ontario, Canada. Usda
Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
Our girl, Rose, is still having targeting problems. 100% of the time she hits too high, merely brushing the head of the bug, and hitting solidly just above.
. I think they are surprisingly adaptive with a little help.
