Yellow in Urates

[Totaylor]

My 9 month old veiled chameleon occasionally has yellow/orange in his white urates. Is this a concern? His dropping is also in this pic. This is his food dish where I place his collard greens, crickets and few super worms. Amazing that most crickets stay put. He was underweight when I got him 3 months ago.

 

[Brodybreaux25]

What do you call “occasionally?” Once a month, once every 3 months...?

 

[Brodybreaux25]

And please fill out the “how to ask for help” form and post your answers back here. Quality pictures will help us help you. The link to the form is in my signature.

 

[Totaylor]

What do you call “occasionally?” Once a month, once every 3 months...?

Has been about once or twice a week.

 

[Totaylor]

My 9 month old veiled chameleon occasionally has yellow/orange in his white urates. Is this a concern? His dropping is also in this pic. This is his food dish where I place his collard greens, crickets and few super worms. Amazing that most crickets stay put. He was underweight when I got him 3 months ago.

Chameleon Info:

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

Veiled Chameleon, male, 9 months. Owned 3 months.

• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?

Rarely. Not even once a week.

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

Feeding around 10 medium crickets daily. 2 super worms. Mornings. Gut loading with flukers gut load, collard greens and strawberries.

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

Dust crickets with:

Zoo Med with Reptivite with D once a week,

Zoo Med Repti calcium twice a week

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

Drip bottled a few hours a day - mornings
Mist system hourly 6 am - 6 Pm, runs a minute each time.

Don’t see him eating or drinking - he’s well hidden

• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?

Dark black, 1” length sized. Tested Poz for whip worms after purchase. treated once a week for 3 weeks.

• 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?

Screen - 3’ x 3’ x 18”

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

Zoo Med repti sun 10 uvb

Exo Tera day light basking lamp 75 watt

Above 6 am - 6 pm daily

Outside morning sun 3-4 hours a day

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

Basking 95

Upper 70s / low 80s night
80s and 90s day

Fort Lauderdale outdoor temps and humidity

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

60 - 80 Fort Lauderdale outside

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

Hibiscus and Dracina vine. Appears to be eating the hibiscus leaves as v shaped pieces are missing.

• 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?

Outside in screened lanai - north east side of house - under over hang

• Location - Where are you geographically located?

Fort Lauderdale, FL

Current Problem - See top of posting.

 

[Tucklander]

Yellow urates usually are a sign of dehydration...you could do some extra misting for a few days...long mistings, 3-4 minutes, and hopefully he’ll drink to rehydrate, more urate pics would help

Good luck,

Bobby

 

[Brodybreaux25]

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

Dust crickets with:

Zoo Med with Reptivite with D once a week,

Zoo Med Repti calcium twice a week

Vitamins should be given twice a month, not once a week.

Feeders should be dusted with calcium that does not contain D3 at every feeding. Calcium with D3 twice a month

 

[Brodybreaux25]

Yellow urates usually are a sign of dehydration...you could do some extra misting for a few days...long mistings, 3-4 minutes, and hopefully he’ll drink to rehydrate, more urate pics would help

Good luck,

Bobby

Agree with Tuck, it is also a sign of over supplementation.

 

[Brodybreaux25]

I’d cut back on the total number of daily misting sessions to 3-4, each should last 5 min, preferably more...

 

[Brodybreaux25]

Has been about once or twice a week.

How many times a week does he poop?

 

[Tucklander]

Vitamins should be given twice a month, not once a week.

Feeders should be dusted with calcium that does not contain D3 at every feeding. Calcium with D3 twice a month

Wrong quote inserted: why would you cut back on mistings during this time? I’m just trying to learn something. Thanks man?

 

[Brodybreaux25]

Wrong quote inserted: why would you cut back on mistings during this time? I’m just trying to learn something. Thanks man?

We are not cutting back on his total daily misting time.

He said he has a dripper running a few hours a day and 12 misting sessions lasting 1 minuet each. That is a total of 12 minutes of misting a day. I’m recommending he change his schedule so that there are a total of 3-4 daily sessions, each session lasting a minimum of 5 minuets. So on the low side, that is a total of 15 minuets a day.

I’m recommending this for two reasons:
1- chams are instinctively driven to drink during a rain storm but this takes a min or two to kick in. To put it simply, a one minute session isn’t long enough to really trigger their drinking response.

2- when your misting 12 times a day you really aren’t giving your viv enough time to completely dry out between sessions. This will cause humidity levels to stay above the acceptable range for veilds and therefore is elevating the risk of a respiratory infection.

 

[Tucklander]

We are not cutting back on his total daily misting time.

He said he has a dripper running a few hours a day and 12 misting sessions lasting 1 minuet each. That is a total of 12 minutes of misting a day. I’m recommending he change his schedule so that there are a total of 3-4 daily sessions, each session lasting a minimum of 5 minuets. So on the low side, that is a total of 15 minuets a day.

I’m recommending this for two reasons:
1- chams are instinctively driven to drink during a rain storm but this takes a min or two to kick in. To put it simply, a one minute session isn’t long enough to really trigger their drinking response.

2- when your misting 12 times a day you really aren’t giving your viv enough time to completely dry out between sessions. This will cause humidity levels to stay above the acceptable range for veilds and therefore is elevating the risk of a respiratory infection.

Thanks for that clarification, I appreciate it....also thanks for piping in when I get things wrong...I really appreciate it (honestly)...I never want to give the wrong advice and am always open to learning new ways to keep MY Cham healthy as he can be...but yes that response about misting confused me, again thanks for clarifying. I’m doing alright there then . Enjoy your day.

Bobby

 

[Brodybreaux25]

Thanks for that clarification, I appreciate it....also thanks for piping in when I get things wrong...I really appreciate it (honestly)...I never want to give the wrong advice and am always open to learning new ways to keep MY Cham healthy as he can be...but yes that response about misting confused me, again thanks for clarifying. I’m doing alright there then . Enjoy your day.

Bobby

Your welcome, it’s what we’re here for!

 

[andrearamirezo91]

Question, for my own knowledge lol. Doesn't his poop look a little too soft? My cham's poop looks more solid than this.

 

[Brodybreaux25]

Question, for my own knowledge lol. Doesn't his poop look a little too soft? My cham's poop looks more solid than this.

A bit yes but I see nothing that causes any alarms to go off in my head. Poops vary, yours vary in firmness don’t they?(lol you don’t have to answer that!)

 

[andrearamirezo91]

A bit yes but I see nothing that causes any alarms to go off in my head. Poops vary, yours vary in firmness don’t they?(lol you don’t have to answer that!)

Thanks for the clarification!

 

[Tucklander]