Yet Another Newbie

[TheUnseenHand]

Usually every 6month(after u light them up) you will need to replace them,if u want the accuracy please use a uv tester to get the accurate reading

I don't believe this was ever used. I think it was my backup when I had a bearded dragon.

On a side note, is there a particular UV meter you might recommend? I may have a PAR meter lying around somewhere, but I don't believe I have a UV meter.

 

[alphakenc]

I don't believe this was ever used. I think it was my backup when I had a bearded dragon.

On a side note, is there a particular UV meter you might recommend? I may have a PAR meter lying around somewhere, but I don't believe I have a UV meter.

There is a thing called "zoo med ultraviolet radiometer" in the market right now.it will allow u to track the decrease in output of ur uvb lambs over time.

 

[alphakenc]

Sorry i dont mean to write lamb like a goat,i meant to write lamps

 

[TheUnseenHand]

I'm curious to get some opinions here. I work for a company called FreshPet. We make very high quality pet foods, and I get to take some home on ocassion. I was thinking of using the dry food to feed the dubias. I know this food is top notch for dogs; no preservatives, fresh carrots and berries, produced in an SQF level 3 certified facility, etc. However, could there be anything in it that might be harmful to a cham?

 

[alphakenc]

I'm curious to get some opinions here. I work for a company called FreshPet. We make very high quality pet foods, and I get to take some home on ocassion. I was thinking of using the dry food to feed the dubias. I know this food is top notch for dogs; no preservatives, fresh carrots and berries, produced in an SQF level 3 certified facility, etc. However, could there be anything in it that might be harmful to a cham?

If you dont mind to share with us with those ingredients of ur pet foods,together in this forum people can give u their opinions of good or not for the feeder gutloads.
Not because I want to open a pet food store as ur competition with those secret ingredients of ur company,just giving u a heads up thats all

 

[TheUnseenHand]

If you dont mind to share with us with those ingredients of ur pet foods,together in this forum people can give u their opinions of good or not for the feeder gutloads.
Not because I want to open a pet food store as ur competition with those secret ingredients of ur company,just giving u a heads up thats all

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/freshpet-fresh-baked-recipes/

 

[alphakenc]

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/freshpet-fresh-baked-recipes/

That is an awesome recipes If I was a Saint Bernard, I will follow u home and let u feed me,as far as the cham go,Turkey chicken fat,is not really their favorite since they are the fancy reptile.I probably will buy that for my dogs.You can try some collard green,carrots,dandelion for the wet gutloaded on ur dubia,and I use those myself too,as far as the dry gutloaded.i will find a blog post for you to take a look,be right back....

 

[alphakenc]

Ok internet travel aint that bad now....here is the dry gutload,see if u find something useful,bye now
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/entry/dry-gutload-mix-august-2012.697/

 

[TheUnseenHand]

Much appreciated! Looks like I have a lot of ingredients to round up.

 

[MoyaChan]

I put this together over the weekend. My idea is to try to get the setup ready, get a feeder colony of insects going, and read up for a few months. If everything looks good then I will acquire a Cham. This is my very first attempt at an enclosure like this, so go easy

View attachment 148614 View attachment 148615

Wow this looks great! Did you buy that or make that? If you made it yourself, could you please tell me what materials you used?

 

[jajeanpierre]

If you dont mind to share with us with those ingredients of ur pet foods,together in this forum people can give u their opinions of good or not for the feeder gutloads.
Not because I want to open a pet food store as ur competition with those secret ingredients of ur company,just giving u a heads up thats all

I have just placed an order for Dubias from a friend who raises them--really big fat ones. We were talking about what he fed them, and he explicitly stated that they are not to be fed dog food because it is too high protein and they can't cope with it. Take it for what it's worth.

What kind of a chameleon are you planning on getting. The montane species are much more sensitive to supplements, and that goes right back to what you feed the feeder insects. Even when I feed out my crickets for two weeks on only whole, natural fruits and vegetables before I feed them to the quads, I can still get edemas on some of my wild caughts on certain shipments of crickets.

 

[TheUnseenHand]

Wow this looks great! Did you buy that or make that? If you made it yourself, could you please tell me what materials you used?

Yeah I made it myself. It's actually pretty easy. Most of my tools are in a storage unit right now as I just moved back here, so all I had was a miter box on hand. If I had my miter saw it would have come together better. But I think it came together alright for something that only took a weekend to make.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/New-York...100397094?keyword=brown+aluminum+screen+frame

http://www.homedepot.com/p/New-York...-Corners-4-Pack-FSP8571-U-FSP8571-U/100397097

http://www.homedepot.com/p/New-York...m-Insect-Screen-FCS9366-M-FCS9366-M/202091892

http://www.lowes.com/pd_81380-15369-71447_0__?productId=3108813

http://www.homedepot.com/p/New-York-Wire-0-125-in-x-25-ft-Black-Spline-FSP8540-U-FSP8540-U/100397141

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt...d-Sheet-Metal-Screw-25-Piece-802602/204275075

 

[TheUnseenHand]

I have just placed an order for Dubias from a friend who raises them--really big fat ones. We were talking about what he fed them, and he explicitly stated that they are not to be fed dog food because it is too high protein and they can't cope with it. Take it for what it's worth.

What kind of a chameleon are you planning on getting. The montane species are much more sensitive to supplements, and that goes right back to what you feed the feeder insects. Even when I feed out my crickets for two weeks on only whole, natural fruits and vegetables before I feed them to the quads, I can still get edemas on some of my wild caughts on certain shipments of crickets.

I'm thinking of a Panther. Sounds like dog food is a poor choice, so I think I'll stay away from it for feeder insects. FWIW, though, I had a massive colony of dubias a few years ago whose main diet was dry cat food. Not saying it was the best option, but they seemed to cope with it just fine. I found the roaches to be exceptionally hearty. However, I want to make sure they are as nutritious as can be for the cham.

 

[MoyaChan]

Yeah I made it myself. It's actually pretty easy. Most of my tools are in a storage unit right now as I just moved back here, so all I had was a miter box on hand. If I had my miter saw it would have come together better. But I think it came together alright for something that only took a weekend to make.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/New-York...100397094?keyword=brown+aluminum+screen+frame

http://www.homedepot.com/p/New-York...-Corners-4-Pack-FSP8571-U-FSP8571-U/100397097

http://www.homedepot.com/p/New-York...m-Insect-Screen-FCS9366-M-FCS9366-M/202091892

http://www.lowes.com/pd_81380-15369-71447_0__?productId=3108813

http://www.homedepot.com/p/New-York-Wire-0-125-in-x-25-ft-Black-Spline-FSP8540-U-FSP8540-U/100397141

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt...d-Sheet-Metal-Screw-25-Piece-802602/204275075

Thanks so much for your help, I might as well try to make one myself!
And it came out really good believe me, or so it seems, I would've believed if you'd said you'd bought it

 

[TheUnseenHand]

Thanks so much for your help, I might as well try to make one myself!
And it came out really good believe me, or so it seems, I would've believed if you'd said you'd bought it

Thanks! I hate the color of the screws. I might try to paint them to hide them a bit. I should have painted the hinges too. And one hinge isn't straight. I guess several things annoy me about it, though I'm picky about things too lol (like the God awful quality of the picture). If nothing else it's functional. I ALWAYS prefer to build things if possible as opposed to buying them. You get transferable experience (you now know how to make and repair a screen for a screen door or window) and you have an in depth understanding of the object you wouldn't otherwise have had you bought it pre-made. This means when something goes wrong, you know exactly how to fix it and what it's going to cost. You can be back up and running without any stress or panic about what to do next. You can also customize it to suit your specific needs, instead of buying a cookie cutter piece. And there is always the satisfaction you get knowing you made it with your own two hands This enclosure was a first attempt. I learned some things I'll use going forward. The next one will be better.

 

[KLowery88]

Someone on this forum linked a great article about high protein diets for roaches possibly causing gout in reptiles, especially those more sensitive like chameleons. I'll have to try and find it, it definitely convinced me to stop feeding dog food to my colony. The roaches seem a lot happier with more veggies and especially the turnip and mustard greens I started feeding them. I put a handful in the bin and every time they all come running.