Why Gutload when there's a Shortcut?

[KoRnichameleon]

I never thought of joining a forum before, so whether you welcome me or not, I'm probably going to be annoying the hell out of you guys in here because of how much I love my little Pennie, and I'm really gonna need your help as it's my first time ever to own a chameleon.

​

So first, I'm gonna tell you about my little Pennie whom you'll soon be seeing lotsa picture of. At first, I named him/her Spikes, and now that I'm not sure of what sex he/she is, I named it Pennie, Pennie Spikes. Pennie is a Veiled from Yemen. And I'm gonna need your help determining his/her sex.

My name is Domminic, and I blew my fifteenth birthday candles with a wish of owning a chameleon. I'm twenty-two, and I've had my Pennie for sixteen days now. We get along very well, but of course after I've experienced very weird things from him/her. Like for one, sometimes when I try to pick it out of the terrarium it hisses, other times it just opens its mouth, and the weirdest thing I've ever experienced in my life: is when it goes into vibration mode! I'm not even kidding, it vibrates I guess when it's afraid? *Shrugs*

Anyways, with all that being said, we can finally connect this message to the title. I'm temporarily living in Saudi Arabia (and don't get me started about how this place is), but as long as one of my wishes came true, I'm really happy. I read about gutloading your feeders, but since my uncle is visiting us, he came up with a suggestion of feeding little Pennie chicken pieces. I got so angry when I found him gripping a tiny slice of chicken in the tweezers and feeding it to Pennie, it worked... and now I'm really worried, but I also feel relieved now that it has been two days and he/she looks pretty fine to me. So I'm guessing we could feed the chameleon chicken instead of feeding it to the roaches? I'm just waiting for your reply to tell me if it's okay giving it tiny chicken slices or even tiny slices of fruits?

Thanks in advance, and sorry for having you read the story of my life lol.
—Domminic

 

[ChameleonsTree]

Well first of all lets keep in mind many minors read this forum so lets not use profanity. It's not necessary. Secondly i would stick to live feeders. Not all protein is the same.

 

[KoRnichameleon]

I am feeding it crickets and roaches, and I am gutloading them. My question here is what happens if we feed them cooked/raw chicken slices?

—D.

 

[jejton]

Welcome to the forum - you'll find yourself spending a lot of time here. Do your research and you'll enjoy Penny for many years.

She acts that way when you try to pick her up because she doesnt want to be picked up. Its her way of letting you know. Chameleons are mostly hands off pets.

As for the chicken, I dont know if its good or bad ( even if chicken is good, it might not be depending on what its cooked with ) but either way you want to give it a varied diet - roaches, crickets, worms, mealworms, and fruits and veggies as well. Did you buy her there or find her?

 

[KoRnichameleon]

Thanks Jejton, I got her for my 22nd birthday lol from my crazy uncle. I demanded him to tell me its price, and omg you won't believe how cheap these things are here. I'm surprised there aren't many lizard people in the city . But yeah, they sell them for less than $40 , I paid so much more on the branches and the terrarium.

P.S. FYI, Yemen is just Southern of Saudi Arabia. I don't think chameleons could live in a weather condition this hot, it's so dry too.

—D.

 

[Justin Carl]

Without sounding like a complete jerk, your chameleon husbandry is very short of acceptable.

I'll start with the sex of your animal- It's an adult male.

Please read over this website:
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/
It has up to date information on Veiled Chameleon care.
This is about all the information you should need.

Can we hear about you husbandry?
Please fill this out.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage construction (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
Lighting - What brand, model, and type 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?
Location - 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?

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.
Current Problem - The current problem that you are concerned about.

 

[kinyonga]

Welcome to the forum, Domminic!

The vibrating accompanies "hooting"
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Vines/5014/hoot.html

As for the chicken...it contains preformed vitamin A. I would also worry about the calcium/phosphorous ratio.

Here's links to some information you might like to read...
http://www.chameleonnews.com/
http://www.adcham.com/
http://web.archive.org/web/20060502...rnals.com/vet/index.php?show=5.Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/20060421.../index.php?show=6.Vitamin.D3.and.Calcium.html

 

[mika]

Can u take another pic of that chameleon awake?

I'm not sure but his casque looks deflated and his eyes kinda sunken. It's hard to tell from that picture though

 

[bucky]

Can u take another pic of that chameleon awake?

I'm not sure but his casque looks deflated and his eyes kinda sunken. It's hard to tell from that picture though

That mightve been awake...its eyes shouldnt be closed during the day dominic. Fill out the how to look for help thing justin suggested.

 

[KoRnichameleon]

Justin, Kinyonga, Mika, and Bucky: thank you all for being extremely wonderful and welcoming. I really didn't think I'd get this many replies back in this forum. You guys proved me wrong, and you also proved to me how nice and supportive you all are in here.

Kinyonga, what will the "preformed vitamin A," and the "calcium/phosphorous ratio" do to my Spikes?


As for you, Justin, here are your answers:

Cage Info:

Cage Type - Describe your cage construction (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?

- Screen vents on the sides and top, glass on the front, back, and bottom. I don't know what the dimensions are, but I'm getting him a new natural plant and a custom made cage.

Lighting - What brand, model, and type of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?

-Direct sunlight, along with trying my best to keep a damn humid weather in the terrarium.

Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?

- Terrarium temperature with room AC is always either 72 or 80 degrees Fahrenheit, is that bad? Do I need to get it colder or hotter?

And please don't hate me for my ridiculous answer, but could you please explain what cage floor / and basking spot are?

Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?

I just mist the terrarium with boiled water. I don't spray him until the water gets just a tad cooler.

Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?

- I'm thinking of getting an easy to maintain indoor large tree, any suggestions?

Location - 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?

- He's near the window where in the morning he gets direct sunlight.

Chameleon Info:

Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?

- Veiled Yemen, adult male (unknown age). Owned for nearly a month now.

Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?

- I carry him to closely inspect him and his health. He doesn't mind me carrying him out of his terrarium now.

Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?

- Problem one, I'm out of crickets, and the petshop doesn't sell crickets/roaches anymore. I used to feed him three-four crickets daily from 8:00-11:00 AM daily.

I had to let the window open to let in some flies, he's been eating flies for the past three days now.

Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?


- lol? Yeah, I checked out these big vitamin/calcium products, haven't seen them anywhere in the city, only online.

Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?

- Hole in a cup works fine, and little Spikes loves it . I'm filling the cup with filtered water, and everytime I fill the cup he has to drink from it.

Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings.

- Problem two, I swear I am not lying, Spikes drinks water, but his droppings are very dark .

Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?

- No clue?

History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

- One time I carried him and he vibrated, I thought it was a bad sign, I thought he was angry. When I carry him now he doesn't vibrate or hiss anymore.

Current Problem - The current problem that you are concerned about.

- Problem three - I was in a very humid city, and now I moved to a REALLY dry city, Like Mika said-and as of today, I noticed that his eyes NOW are sunken and the sockets are brownish colored and they look very dry. In the picture they were fine and yeah, he was asleep.

Thank you all once again <3.

Take care,
—D.

 

[spatulars]

Justin, Kinyonga, Mika, and Bucky: thank you all for being extremely wonderful and welcoming. I really didn't think I'd get this many replies back in this forum. You guys proved me wrong, and you also proved to me how nice and supportive you all are in here.

Kinyonga, what will the "preformed vitamin A," and the "calcium/phosphorous ratio" do to my Spikes?

Sorry I'm not Kinyonga, but preformed Vitamin A is a form of Vitamin A that, when eaten and not used by the body, is stored permanently in organs and can cause organ damage. Calcium/phosphorous ratio is just that; Chameleons need more calcium than phosphorous to prevent bone breakage and deformation.

As for you, Justin, here are your answers:

Cage Info:

Cage Type - Describe your cage construction (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?

- Screen vents on the sides and top, glass on the front, back, and bottom. I don't know what the dimensions are, but I'm getting him a new natural plant and a custom made cage.

Sounds good considering your troubles with humidity, but ideally it would either have equal screen and glass or slightly more screen than glass.


Lighting - What brand, model, and type of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?

-Direct sunlight, along with trying my best to keep a damn humid weather in the terrarium.

Natural sunlight is great, but UVB doesn't travel through glass, and he needs a good length of sun each day to stay healthy. A natural plant(s) will really and truly help you sustain humidity. Best to pack the cage full (well, not TOO full, but dense is good) of non toxic foliage. Umbrella trees are what we use commonly in the states, among others. Hibiscus is good for them to munch on but could be hard to keep in dry weather.

Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?

- Terrarium temperature with room AC is always either 72 or 80 degrees Fahrenheit, is that bad? Do I need to get it colder or hotter?

And please don't hate me for my ridiculous answer, but could you please explain what cage floor / and basking spot are?

The cage floor is just the bottom of the cage, it should be free from water and substrate. The basking spot is an area at the top of the cage that you should provide for your chameleon that is a higher temperature than the ambient temp. 95 or higher for veileds, I believe. Basking lights can be purchased from reptile supplies online, some people use incandescent bulbs. I would say around 78 is probably a good ambient temperature, the idea is just that there is a gradient in the cage: lower temps on bottom, higher temps up higher.

Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?

I just mist the terrarium with boiled water. I don't spray him until the water gets just a tad cooler.

Hot water is good, boiled water is probably not necessary unless you have some sort of local bacteria or parasites in your water.

Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?

- I'm thinking of getting an easy to maintain indoor large tree, any suggestions?

Umbrella tree, hibiscus.

Location - 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?

- He's near the window where in the morning he gets direct sunlight.

Glass blocks UV light unless you have the window open.

Chameleon Info:

Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?

- Veiled Yemen, adult male (unknown age). Owned for nearly a month now.

Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?

- I carry him to closely inspect him and his health. He doesn't mind me carrying him out of his terrarium now.

Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?

- Problem one, I'm out of crickets, and the petshop doesn't sell crickets/roaches anymore. I used to feed him three-four crickets daily from 8:00-11:00 AM daily.

I had to let the window open to let in some flies, he's been eating flies for the past three days now.

Flies are fine, but you need to get a hold of some crickets or roaches or locusts or silkworms. Where did the pet store get their crickets from? Try online. I'm not familiar with your area of the world.

Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?


- lol? Yeah, I checked out these big vitamin/calcium products, haven't seen them anywhere in the city, only online.

Online is the best place to purchase them.

Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?

- Hole in a cup works fine, and little Spikes loves it . I'm filling the cup with filtered water, and everytime I fill the cup he has to drink from it.

Mist 3 times daily for at least 5 minutes will help with humidity.

Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings.

- Problem two, I swear I am not lying, Spikes drinks water, but his droppings are very dark .

You're probably seeing the poop part of his droppings, look for little white ball/tubes.

Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?

- No clue?

I'm guessing this means no, but I'm also guessing you have no chameleon vets nearby. So... maybe someone in the city knows how to do fecal exams lol?

History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

- One time I carried him and he vibrated, I thought it was a bad sign, I thought he was angry. When I carry him now he doesn't vibrate or hiss anymore.

Natural behavior.

Current Problem - The current problem that you are concerned about.

- Problem three - I was in a very humid city, and now I moved to a REALLY dry city, Like Mika said-and as of today, I noticed that his eyes NOW are sunken and the sockets are brownish colored and they look very dry. In the picture they were fine and yeah, he was asleep.

Thank you all once again <3.

If his eyes are sunken, try misting more frequently, and try to get him live plants asap to help the humidity. It's really essential.

Take care,
—D.

*Edit:

I forgot a great site for veiled chameleons that can give you more information:

http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/

 

[KoRnichameleon]

Thank you, but Justin already linked me to that website...

—D.

 

[spatulars]

lol so he did, sorry about that

 

[hawaiianice99]

i am curious as to what your cage look like, exoterra?

do you have any foilage, fake leaves in the cage?