Burns

oiler17 · 01-28-04, 12:36 PM

I read somewhere that sometimes a chameleon will climb upside down on the top of the enclosure and sit a few inches away from the heat lamp and get burned really bad.. What are the chances of this actually happening?

I'll post pics of my enclosure sometime today, but I was just wondering if this is a real risk or just someone being overly paranoid.

tHeGiNo · 01-28-04, 12:38 PM

It happens all the time! They do not feel the heat on their casque until it is too late, it is all too common.

meow_mix450 · 01-28-04, 01:03 PM

ya you just got to be careful, how many watts??? if its 150, i wouldnt know why it would get any closer, but if its like a 50 watt i c ould understand, and you should put a stick where it can climb under the lamp, from my expereice

Meow

oiler17 · 01-28-04, 01:34 PM

right now it's a 250W, but from other set ups I have been looking at I'm going to want to downsize before I put a chameleon in there. is 150W about the highest I'll want to go?

a picture of the enclosure (not the greatest angle, but you can kinda see the light set up)

also, is it possible to keep a ficus tree alive?
I don't know what I did wrong, but half of this one seems to be dead. is it possible to have too much light or water? I didn't think it should be a problem since so many people use them and spray the leaves every day..

meow_mix450 · 01-28-04, 01:41 PM

yes go to 150, 250 watt is very hot, but looking at your steup its very nice, fnd that chameleons love to wonder lol, so add a lot more branchs so he/she wouldnt clmb on the walls, but great cage, mmmmm pour a cup of water on the soil it self everyday, thats hw keep mine alive so far.......

Meow

huhet · 01-28-04, 01:43 PM

nice cage. where's the cham?

meow_mix450 · 01-28-04, 01:48 PM

forgot to mention, once the guy gets bigger you might want to upgrade the cage, they like tall cages i mean tall lol. hmm now ii got a question lol, where did you get the mesh and how muc does all that cost??? ive been trying to look for that, at a good priice, but wont criekts up jump

Meow

oiler17 · 01-28-04, 01:58 PM

I haven't gotten a cham yet

I'm still looking (they're tough to find at stores around here).

the wire mesh I believe I got at menards. It came in a big roll, they had them in 4' x 6' I think and then 4' x 25' so I ended up having to buy the 25 footer. I don't remember how much it was, I don't think it was much more than $10, if that, though. I think the entire thing, wood and all (not including soil/lights/plants) was around $50 or 60.

the whole thing is 4' tall, but I filled soil up in the bottom up about a foot and put some rocks on top of it.. is there going to a be a problem with the cham. eating the rocks on accident? some of them are a lot smaller than I thought they would be. and will there be any bacteria type of problems from letting the crickets roam free?

I just realized it'd be really easy to make the enclosure taller eventually too.. I just need to take the mesh off the top and build it up a couple more feet and put it back on.

dank7oo · 01-28-04, 02:14 PM

Oiler,

You should be fine. Just get a thermometer, and regulate the temperature according to the species you get. That's the best way to insure no burns.

Jason

Collide · 01-28-04, 02:30 PM

Yes as dank daid find out what those temps are and make sure thy are good b4 getting your cham, about that plant lol. Im assuming that u have it planted on the bottom. This is how my plants are too. so here is what i do. plant it and make sure some of the roots are not in a root ball i break it up a bit. The two most likly causes of you ficus dieing are lack of water (which i still have to water my plans alot even eith all the cham watering) make sure the soil right at the base of the plant is moist. I also notice u have a pothos they are a indicator for watering times, if they start to look a bit limp time to water. The second thing that will kill it is if the temp is too high, you will notice the top of the plant not doing soo well alll my ficus trees i have to keep on the oppisit side of the heat light.

One suggestion would be to move that light to the back corner that way it is a hot spot and the cham can do to the other side to cool down, just a thought hope that helps...

meow_mix450 · 01-28-04, 02:34 PM

hmmm the mesh just worries me cause the holes seem bg, and if you let crikets roam they mght get out....soil....hmmm sometimes soil is bad, it would be a good thing if you change the soil, every 5 months or something, or mix them around, watch for mold. Its possible that the chameleon will eat the tny rocks, ive heard storys they some how they ate an elastic.....lol oso you never know. Good luck, but if your willing to come down to mississauga to the show thats the best place to get a cham. but you lve n NB...far...

Meow

Collide · 01-28-04, 02:44 PM

I have some cages with large mesh as well it is great for climbimg but you will have to use some kind off container you could just use a bigcontainer at the bottom. not a big deal though you will find a way that works lol. And soil does not need to be changed every 5 months. If you have mold or fungas you are not doing something right most likly overwatering. But i do top up my soil every 6 months or soo just to give the plants some new food because i cant use firtalizers. I have seen some chams hit the soil. this is rare and im sure they do it for a reasion. Lots of human tribes still eat dirt to clear there systems. but try to stay away from the soil with the white styrofoam peices.

meow_mix450 · 01-28-04, 02:48 PM

lol o srry about the info, thats just what i do , with my plants in my cham cages, just want t be on the safe side. But ya i just change it every 5 months for the plants.IMO, thanks for correcting me

Meow

choriona · 01-29-04, 01:51 PM

Yes burns happen, and depending on the degree of the burn, it can become infected and the animal may lose its limb. Typically, you should be safe from burns if the heat bulb is outside the cage. Burns happen when the skin is in contact with the hot bulb. You know how hot a bulb is when you screw a new one in.....it hurts you instantly. Imagine a cham accidentily touching it - it dosen't have to be very long to get a burn! Most chams do fine with a lower watt bulb. I generally use a 60watt for bulbs inside the chams house and 100-150watt for ones outside the house, depending on distance from the heat source to the basking stick. A thermometer will tell you whats right.

Fiscus trees are picky in the beginning. They don't like change, and will drop their leaves when moved to a new location. Keep the soil moist. If you have had that heat bulb on, it may be too hot and dry in there for the plant. I find that pothos like to be watered less than all my other plants, so if you are watering both at the same time, do the fiscus more often.

As mentioned, stay clear of soil with the white fertilizer balls in it. Chams will mistake this for a dusted insect. The stones should be okay if they are also not white. If I had to choose some stones, I would use big 1-3 inch round river rocks. Just a personal preference.