a few questions???

drewlowe · 10-31-03, 02:58 PM

I have a few questions about veiled chams again. LOL

i'll try to give a little background info on neo for those that don't remember my previous post on him. He came to me from a friend that got him from a guy he worked with. He was kept in a 260 gallon reptrium with only a small ficus tree with perelite and miricle gro in it. That's all that was in the cage and he was feed only crix. his whole life ( i think he's a little over a year old.) He didn't have a uvb bulb either.

All of those mistakes have been corrected though. I spent close to 100 dollars to get his cage up to where it should be. I repoted the plant in top soil with no additives. added a bunch of bendable branches a few bird perch branches some fake plants and 3 small plants and i'm waiting for a wandering jew (hanging plant) from my mom. I've also got him his uv bulb. Oh and he's getting a better variety of food now. Neo has also been to the vet for a check up and a nasty sperm plug that looked like it had been in there for months, And a fecal which came back negative.

I've had neo for a little over a month now. He came to me pretty shabby. But in the time i've had him he's getting bigger and nastier as time goes on. Could this be because he's actully getting the proper nutriention and proper housing he should have had.

It also seems like every 2 weeks he's getting sperm plugs. I try to leave him alone for a few days after i notice it but he can never get them out and i have to remove them for him. Which after i tackle the task of getting him out of his cage he doesn't seem to mind me trying to remove it. I'm very gentle when doing this. The vet showed me how to remove them. Is there a reason he keeps getting them or is it just normal and i'm worring for nothing.

When he first came to me his urates where mostly yellow. I figured that came from not enough water so i've been making sure he's been drinking and now the urates are mostly white with just a little bit of yellow in there. Was i correct in that or could their be another reason for this.

Last question for now lol. How long should it take them to shed. Neo has been sheding for almost 2 weeks now(2 more days and it will be 2 weeks). This is his first time shedding with me. He seemed to be sheding in patches. One day it was his legs then the next his back then his head and so on. Is that the way they shed or are they supposed to shed whole. He currently has a few small spots stuck but i'm going to try to wrap him in a warm towel to remove them.

Thanks everyone!!!

Collide · 10-31-03, 03:29 PM

Humm I dont think that the plugs are normal by anymeans, its probably from his prevoius care. the shedding is prob bad because of humidity or previous lack of it, when i notice my veilds are about to shed i up the misting just to make it easier it really helps there sheds. hope that helps some of your q's

meow_mix450 · 10-31-03, 04:01 PM

Hmmmm you said its a veiled Chameleon so im guessing its normal that he is a litte agressive, It seems like he liking the enivroment he in. So that might be the reason why hes getting aggersive(nastier). So its a good thing. Keep up the good work!
srry i couldnt answer the other questions
Meow

J-Man · 10-31-03, 05:37 PM

I don't know about the sperm plugs. my guess is that it's not normal.

Temperment is normal, male veileds are known for it. Maybe he was too weak and stressed before to actually "defend his territory"

Shedding - I've had shedding be anywhere from an hour to a week. I wouldn't worry. But also, up the humidity and I've also heard baby oil is good for really stubborn spots. I'm not sure about that though.

drewlowe · 11-01-03, 12:53 PM

Thanks everyone for your replies. He's my first cham and i just want to make sure everything is ok with him.

I figured him getting more aggressive was a good thing cause the first few days he was with me he had hardly any energy. The first few days he was a sweetheart. He would let me hand feed him and he would open his mouth wide to drink water from the squirt bottle. I guess that was just because he was weak. Cause now i can't really get anywhere near him without him lunging and hissing at me. I'm going to give my vet a call about the sperm plugs to see if it's ok or if it's cause of lack from previous care or if it's from something else.

While he was shedding i would mist his cage 3-4 times a day. I'm going to look into a fogger to up the humidity durning his shedding time. Maybe his cage isn't holding enough humidity.

Thanks again everyone!!!

meow_mix450 · 11-01-03, 02:40 PM

No problem always love to help, hmm about the fogger go check it out at lee valleys, trace told me that its cheaper there to get it. Its like the same thing but cheaper. Go to products in the chameleon fourms, i last page, trace gave a site on it

Meow

choriona · 11-02-03, 01:33 PM

drewlowe, that is an interesting postulate about the urates. My chams usually have a bright yellow tip to the urate and the rest of the squiggly thing is white. Except my female veiled, she is pure yellow urate. She is also very fat / gravid though.
I think you are looking at a hydration issue. Perhaps not from your care, but from past issues in care. Lack of proper hydration can lead to kidney problems, sticky fecals, constipation, incomplete sheds....and maybe this sperm plug problem.
I would increase the hydration in his cage. In the winter I usually take my chameleons into the bathroom with me for the morning showers. Its great if you live with other people, if there are 2 or 3 showers in a row. Tonnes of humidity. Its like a steam room.

drewlowe · 11-02-03, 02:01 PM

choriona- it was my understanding that if the urates were mostly yellow contributes to either lack of hydration or a kidney problem. And i was just wondering if there was any other cause for that. He's pooping like a champ LOL. Haven't had a problem at all with the fecal part of it.

When you say shower do you actually put him in the shower or just in the room to obtain some of that humidity put off by the shower. Silly question i know but i wanna make sure i understand it right.

Thanks again and i'm sure neo thanks everyone too.

meow_mix450 · 11-02-03, 06:59 PM

Hmm correct me if im wrong, but a shower is like a shower lol, i dont kno how to put this in words but hey. Ummmm what you do is a get tree, or a branch, and you place him/her on the stick, and turn on the shower. I dont know if im telling this right, so correct me, cause i learn from other posters

But i only do that when i think my cham is not drinking, and looks like he has sunken eye

Meow

Collide · 11-02-03, 07:25 PM

I think that having them in the bathroom to get lots of moisture is a great idea. its great for plants they grow loke weeds and from my experience enviroments good for plants are good for chams, lol too many mirrors hummm if i start with that ill have to steam the place up first lol....and ill have to rotate chameleons by day lol,

Humm mabey showering with chams in the room is hitting a new level of obsession...

Trace · 11-02-03, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Humm mabey showering with chams in the room is hitting a new level of obsession...

LMAO!!!!! One obsession I have not stooped to... yet.

Cheers!

Trace

choriona · 11-03-03, 01:41 PM

Okay, here is how I do it. Place the first chameleon on a hanging plant or something that can hang and hang this thing from the curtain rod, on the side that the shower is. Then there is no exposure to mirrors. Have your shower and try not to spray shampoo-laced water in the chameleon's direction. Also, pretend you do not see them. The more shy ones climb up onto the top of the curtain rod to hide from me, but they really have nowhere else to go. If they are really enjoying it, they will arch their bodies so their head is facing upwards like they are opening their airways up fully. They may even do a few swallowing reflexes.
Once you are done the shower, leave the curtain closed and keep the bathroom door closed. This way they are in the most humid part of the most humid room.

If you have more chameleons, you could leave one on the towel rack, hopefully not opposing the mirror. When the next person has a shower, take the first cham out and put the next one in. The key is - keep them higher than the ground because cold air will be rushing in there. All the humidity goes to the ceiling.

And from my experience, seeing their reflection in the mirror is okay from a few seconds / minutes before it fogs up. Also, this is a great way for you cham to get more comfortable with your presence around. Once they realize how nice sharing the shower is with you, and that you aren't trying to eat them, they become quite relaxed. This may take months though.

As for the tree in the shower - yes that is for drinking. In this case, they should be in the spash zone where droplets will collect on their bodies. And the water is much colder. Luke-warm. But this other method is for humidity. Just think how much clearer you can breathe when you are all stuffed up and sick, and then you have a warm shower. It's not the same as drinking a glass of water - right?

drewlowe · 11-03-03, 04:44 PM

Thanks alot!!!!

I just wasn't sure on how you do it, but you cleared that all up for me. Next time there are going to be several showers in a row mine will be last and neo will be at least in the room with me. Don't know if i'm ready to share my shower time with him yet. LOL