Veiled Chamelion is spending almost all day in basking area

PamSarah

PamSarah

New Member
His basking area is 85-90 degrees. Is he too cold? Why is he spending so much time in such a hot area
 
Hey there!

So there are so many variables here... would you mind filling this out?

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.

Thanks!
 
My cham:
Veiled Chameleon, 3/4 months (just a guess), I got him around 2 weeks ago, male
handle him only when necessary, which is actually quite often because he gets stuck a lot in his cage (can't find branches to help him get up) which i am in the process of fixing
I raise my own crickets, feeding them calcium block, lettuce, and strawberries, I give my cham 7 of the crickets at 7:00 am
Repticalcium every day and reptivitamin twice a month
Richard has a dripper which I turn on about four times a day for around 10-15 minutes depending on how much he's drinking it. Also, have a mister that use to mist the plants whenever I see the leaves are dry.
Fecal matter is usually brown with white urates beside. He has never been tested as far as i know, but i just got his so its possible the pet store did
I have the zoo med reptibreeze cage, which is screened in and 16x16x30 inches
Richard has a zoo med combo light fixture with a heat bulb and a UVB bulb, stay on al day and off all night
I have two main temperature gauges, the top near basking area is 85-90 degrees in day, bottom is 60-67 degrees during day, temperature drops at night after turning all lights off, drops to maybe low 70s at top
I have a humidifier which keeps humidity levels around 50 degrees, I have two humidity gauges located where the temperature ones are
I have one real umbrella plant (which Richard loves to much on) and several fake ones
I have his cage on a nightstand in the corner of my room, no windows are around it, I never turn my fan or space heater on
I live in the mid-south of the USA

Ever since i got Richard, he's been lying down in front of his basking area all day. I tried to match the temperature of the pet store where I got him (80-90 for basking area). Is it ok for him to bein such a hot place for so long?
 
Can you please post pictures of him in his basking spot? It's normal for chameleons to sit under their light because that's how they get their energy. However, your use of the term "lying down" has me concerned, but I'm not sure how accurate that language is.

As for the dripper, you really ought to run it all day so he can drink whenever he feels the need. It's best for chameleons to have access to fresh, moving water whenever they want it. My final comment has to do with your feeding practices. First of all, 7 crickets is not enough for a chameleon as young as yours! He should be eating around 12 small crickets a day if he is the age you think he is. Also, the gutload for your crickets is not sufficient to give your chameleon the nutrition he needs. Here are some better options than lettuce and strawberry: sweet potato, collard greens, turnip greens, dandelion greens, escarole, mustard greens, papaya, carrots
 
Syreptyon said:
Can you please post pictures of him in his basking spot? It's normal for chameleons to sit under their light because that's how they get their energy. However, your use of the term "lying down" has me concerned, but I'm not sure how accurate that language is.

As for the dripper, you really ought to run it all day so he can drink whenever he feels the need. It's best for chameleons to have access to fresh, moving water whenever they want it. My final comment has to do with your feeding practices. First of all, 7 crickets is not enough for a chameleon as young as yours! He should be eating around 12 small crickets a day if he is the age you think he is. Also, the gutload for your crickets is not sufficient to give your chameleon the nutrition he needs. Here are some better options than lettuce and strawberry: sweet potato, collard greens, turnip greens, dandelion greens, escarole, mustard greens, papaya, carrots
Click to expand...
I was just feeding him the same feeding schedule the pet store did. They are large crickets. But he does seem hungry, would you recommend easing him into 12 or just doing 12 starting tmrw?
 
Might as well offer all 12 in my opinion. He won't eat more than he wants, so it shouldn't hurt either way. Just be sure to remove any uneaten bugs at the end of the day if they aren't contained in a cup -- don't want them biting your cham while he sleeps
 
PamSarah said:
His basking area is 85-90 degrees. Is he too cold? Why is he spending so much time in such a hot area
Click to expand...
I’m not a pro, but that’s kinda what they do
Also depends on the species but for the most part, in captivity it’s what they do, normally they'd be wondering the rainforest but their cage is their world and safe spot, once they make territory and know every corner they chill
 
Photos will help us determine if anything looks odd. The basking temps you listed are a bit hot for a cham that young. Should aim for around 82-85*F. Any hotter and you risk dehydrating the young cham or even thermal burns if the light is too close to the branch.
 
981D7593-960A-46E9-833E-719C2D034330.jpeg
Best pic
 
My cham:
Veiled Chameleon, 3/4 months (just a guess), I got him around 2 weeks ago, male looks healthy!
handle him only when necessary, which is actually quite often because he gets stuck a lot in his cage (can't find branches to help him get up) which i am in the process of fixing
I raise my own crickets, feeding them calcium block, lettuce, and strawberries, I give my cham 7 of the crickets at 7:00 am. I would be feeding him as much as he will eat in a couple of minutes and then leaving a couple more crickets or insects in his cage for a snack. I would use dandelion greens, kale, collards, endive, escarole, squash, zucchini, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, carrots, and just a bit if apple, pear, berries, melon to gutload the insects and you can also offer these things to the chameleon too.
Repticalcium every day and reptivitamin twice a month is the calcium powder phosphorus-free? Does the vitamin have D3 in it? What form of vitamin A?
Richard has a dripper which I turn on about four times a day for around 10-15 minutes depending on how much he's drinking it. Also, have a mister that use to mist the plants whenever I see the leaves are dry. I would run the dripper longer at each session.
Fecal matter is usually brown with white urates beside. He has never been tested as far as i know, but i just got his so its possible the pet store did
I have the zoo med reptibreeze cage, which is screened in and 16x16x30 inches
Richard has a zoo med combo light fixture with a heat bulb and a UVB bulb, stay on al day and off all night
I have two main temperature gauges, the top near basking area is 85-90 degrees in day, bottom is 60-67 degrees during day, temperature drops at night after turning all lights off, drops to maybe low 70s at top
I have a humidifier which keeps humidity levels around 50 degrees, I have two humidity gauges located where the temperature ones are
I have one real umbrella plant (which Richard loves to much on) and several fake ones I would try to eventually remove all the fake ones some doesn't accidentally eat a leaf.
I have his cage on a nightstand in the corner of my room, no windows are around it, I never turn my fan or space heater on
I live in the mid-south of the USA

Ever since i got Richard, he's been lying down in front of his basking area all day. I tried to match the temperature of the pet store where I got him (80-90 for basking area). Is it ok for him to bein such a hot place for so long? Can you post a photo of his cage please?
 
image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg
kinyonga said:
My cham:
Veiled Chameleon, 3/4 months (just a guess), I got him around 2 weeks ago, male looks healthy!
handle him only when necessary, which is actually quite often because he gets stuck a lot in his cage (can't find branches to help him get up) which i am in the process of fixing
I raise my own crickets, feeding them calcium block, lettuce, and strawberries, I give my cham 7 of the crickets at 7:00 am. I would be feeding him as much as he will eat in a couple of minutes and then leaving a couple more crickets or insects in his cage for a snack. I would use dandelion greens, kale, collards, endive, escarole, squash, zucchini, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, carrots, and just a bit if apple, pear, berries, melon to gutload the insects and you can also offer these things to the chameleon too.
Repticalcium every day and reptivitamin twice a month is the calcium powder phosphorus-free? Does the vitamin have D3 in it? What form of vitamin A?
Richard has a dripper which I turn on about four times a day for around 10-15 minutes depending on how much he's drinking it. Also, have a mister that use to mist the plants whenever I see the leaves are dry. I would run the dripper longer at each session.
Fecal matter is usually brown with white urates beside. He has never been tested as far as i know, but i just got his so its possible the pet store did
I have the zoo med reptibreeze cage, which is screened in and 16x16x30 inches
Richard has a zoo med combo light fixture with a heat bulb and a UVB bulb, stay on al day and off all night
I have two main temperature gauges, the top near basking area is 85-90 degrees in day, bottom is 60-67 degrees during day, temperature drops at night after turning all lights off, drops to maybe low 70s at top
I have a humidifier which keeps humidity levels around 50 degrees, I have two humidity gauges located where the temperature ones are
I have one real umbrella plant (which Richard loves to much on) and several fake ones I would try to eventually remove all the fake ones some doesn't accidentally eat a leaf.
I have his cage on a nightstand in the corner of my room, no windows are around it, I never turn my fan or space heater on
I live in the mid-south of the USA

Ever since i got Richard, he's been lying down in front of his basking area all day. I tried to match the temperature of the pet store where I got him (80-90 for basking area). Is it ok for him to bein such a hot place for so long? Can you post a photo of his cage please?
Click to expand...
 
Thanks!

Regarding the basking...I'm wondering if the rest of the cage is too cool for him to want to sit in for long...hard to digest his food if he's not warm enough.
 
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