Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hey everyone..this is my first post on here..this is my first reptile i've ever owned..i am taking care of him alot..was wondering how you all think he looks...also,i'm wondering if you think i shouldn;'t feed him fruit flies anymore(whenever i feed him small crickets he only eats 4)..he is 3-3.5 months old..he is a nosy be panther..i bought him from chameleonsonly.com...i hope the picture shows up..also,how can i tell if he is being active enough??cause i heard nosy be's are the most active chameleon..he likes to hide alot it seems,do you think he could still be getting used to his new cage??i got him a month ago..also,i feed him in a 10 gallon cage,outside of his normal cage(worried about stuff getting out)..if the pic. doesn't show up,i'd be willing to send pics out through e-mail..my addy is monoxidechild6@aol.com..thanks,hope ya guys can help me out..i've been soo nervous hes not doing as good as he should,but everyone tells me not to worry.also,whats everyones opinion on handling??i handle him everyday for about 10-15 minutes..he normally doesn't change his color to black when i do,he'll just look green in the face and be his normal color..but he does put up a struggle to come out of his cage,any suggestions on techniques to get him out with ease??thanks alot
jon

Hi Jon...maybe it's just my 'puter but your pic doesn't show up, so I can't critique your cham or setup.
However, at 3-3.5 months he should be eating lots of food every day. In my experience, my baby/juvie chams consumed anywhere from 10-15 1/4" to 1/2" crix every day with no problem. I personally have never fed fruit flies, so can't comment on that. Part of the problem with his lack of appetite may be that you're removing him from his cage every day to feed him. Just removing him every day may be stressing him to the point that he won't eat. If you're afraid of insects getting out of his cage, hang a deep cup inside his cage and let him stay in his usual enclosure to eat. Many times chams don't like to eat or drink when they are being watched (though it is not the case with any of my chams, thankfully!). They feel too vulnerable.
The same applies to his inactivity. He may not feel secure enough to explore his cage or expose himself since he is regularly removed and handled, so he hides to avoid being "captured".
One good way to remove a cham from a cage is to coax it onto a branch rather than your hand.

I have never handled my chams except when absolutely necessary, especially when they were young. It's only my opinion, but I think NOT handling them when babies helped them tolerate my hands in their cages better as they got older. Don't get me wrong, they still don't want to be handled, but they don't freak out when I adjust branches, do live plant maintenance, clean, hand-feed etc. They do readily eat and drink out in the open and don't hide if I'm working in their cages.

Try the pic one more time

heres a link to my pics..hope hes lookin good..thanks for the help so far...by the way,most of the pics of him are of him in the feeding cage...i'm gonna try not using it anymore..
Link

hey,also by the way,my chameleon likes being watched when he eats..he kinda tries to impress me when he ate in his feeding cage,but i took your advice and put a feeding cup in there..i'll put pic of it on the website that i gave the link out to..he hasn't gone near it yet..don't think hes even seen it..any other advice you can give is awesome..i open to almost any ideas..cause i think he'll come out in the open more once i figure some stuff out..i'll stop handling him as well until i think things are going good..by the way,i'm 22 just incase your wondering..hope to hear back from someone soon..
jon

OK...I checked out your PhotoBucket link and checked out your pics. That's one cute little cham you have, Jon!
I also took the liberty of uploading one of your cage pics to my own gallery here at Kingsnake so I could post it for you. Hope you don't mind.

Here's my own advice...feel free to get second, third, fourth opinions.
Since chams are arboreal, they need their "living quarters" at the top of their cages, rather than at the bottom. If a cham is healthy and happy, he really won't spend much time at the bottom. He'll be happier if you move the foliage, vines, etc now at the bottom toward the top of the cage, but make sure you measure the basking lamp temp and adjust either his basking branch/vine or the bulb wattage accordingly so as not to fry him! The vines you have at the top are fine, but very exposed..he'll definitely appreciate way more foliage up there around his feeding cup. You'll probably need even more foliage than you currently have to complete your setup.
I can't tell if you have substrate at the bottom, but the bottom of the cage should be free of substrate. Put a couple tallish, non-toxic potted plants at the bottom (cover the organic, pesticide-free, fertilizer-free soil with smooth river rocks) to help keep cage humidity up.
I also see the cage is in front of a bookcase. Again, he may be more comfortable if you could put the cage against a wall or window...somewhere where there is not "traffic" around all 4 sides of his cage.
I don't see a dripper, but I guess you already know chams like water, water and more water. Make sure he has access to drinking water (water dripping off leaves) at least 2-3 times a day and heavy misting. He really is a cool little guy...you're doing good asking for suggestions and I know he'll fare well with a few changes. All the best to you!

hey,i just changed his cage around alot yesterday..take another look at that link..there should be alot of new pics on there..i might the feeding cup lower to the ground..any suggestions on branches??i've had a problem finding good ones around my house..soo as you can see the whole setup is fake..i didn't want it to have to be like that,but i wasn't sure if i'd have to do more maintance to his cage if he had a live plant..its not that i wouldn't mind having more work to do for him..but i'm still tring to get a system down for watering,food,ect..you know the drill..also turning the lights on and off..i do have a timer,but need to get it set up..do you think it'd be bad if i kept changing his cage??i've changed it 2 times in the last week!!!i know it keeps getting better everytime,but i feel bad that he could be getting stressed cause i know they don't like change..also,there is basically no traffic in this room besides me..sometimes my mom will come in and go on the comp. but i know my cham. likes her..thanks alot for the reply..i've only had him for a month like i said,and i myself have gotten plenty stressed too..he hasn't eatten from the feeding cup yet..it also seems like he hasn't been drinking as much either..but i know he has been drinking though..well hopefully i'll hear back from ya soon..by the way,thanks for the compliments on him..he is a really cute guy!!also,i don't mind that you took my pics,go ahead..
thanks again
jon

Sounds like you have a lot of good advice coming through, but I couldn't help but wonder... why, for your first reptile ever, would you purchase one of the hardest reptiles to keep?

>>hey,i just changed his cage around alot yesterday..take another look at that link..there should be alot of new pics on there..i might the feeding cup lower to the ground..any suggestions on branches??i've had a problem finding good ones around my house..soo as you can see the whole setup is fake..i didn't want it to have to be like that,but i wasn't sure if i'd have to do more maintance to his cage if he had a live plant..its not that i wouldn't mind having more work to do for him..but i'm still tring to get a system down for watering,food,ect..you know the drill..also turning the lights on and off..i do have a timer,but need to get it set up..do you think it'd be bad if i kept changing his cage??i've changed it 2 times in the last week!!!i know it keeps getting better everytime,but i feel bad that he could be getting stressed cause i know they don't like change..also,there is basically no traffic in this room besides me..sometimes my mom will come in and go on the comp. but i know my cham. likes her..thanks alot for the reply..i've only had him for a month like i said,and i myself have gotten plenty stressed too..he hasn't eatten from the feeding cup yet..it also seems like he hasn't been drinking as much either..but i know he has been drinking though..well hopefully i'll hear back from ya soon..by the way,thanks for the compliments on him..he is a really cute guy!!also,i don't mind that you took my pics,go ahead..
>>thanks again
>>jon
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"Were the diver to think upon the jaws of the shark, he would never lay hands on the precious pearl."

i've wanted a chameleon my whole life basically..it may be hard work,but i willing to do it..i wouldn't want any other reptile as much as a chameleon..plus everyone living in my house prob. wouldn't want any other reptile that has to eat bugs..my chameleon is really special to me..and i'm willing to try anything to make sure hes 100% happy..i've spent ALOT of time and money on him and its all worth it..

It's not me you are asking but here is a thought to the answer of your question. When selling reptiles to someone you have to ask, is this the animal you really want? Or is this what you are getting because you can't get another one because you lack the experience. Depending their answer, the next thing to make them realize is that they have to be absolutely positive that they are going to put just as much effort into keeping this substitute pet as they would have the one they originally wanted.

If the buyer can't honestly say "yes, I will" then it would be wise of them to go for the reptile they have been told is not a starter reptile. They just have to commit their undivided attention and effort unto it.

**This explanation is voided concerning dangerous reptiles where experience is mandatory with similar but less dangerous species.
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CANADIAN SILKWORMS

hey,i just wanna say,i put alot of effort into my chameleon..ALOT..i'm not messin around handling him nonstop like some lil kid would do..i am starting to understand him more..but if someone i really think knows what they are doing tells me to do somethin to his cage or whatever,i'll do it cause i feel they know what they are talking about..i have gotten alot of info from chameleonsonly,and i've taken alot of their advice.i have kept in contact with them since i got him...the only other reptile i would want is a bearded dragon,but i wanted the chameleon 100 times more..i knew what i was getting into..and i am giving him the best home i possibly can..i don't know why anyone is asking why i got him as a first reptile,because i asked for help..to me,i don't think it matters,chameleons are wayy different then most reptiles and i know they need more care then just about all of them..if you could ask anyone in my family how much work i have put into him,they would tell you that besides when i am at school or working out or training to box i put almost all my free time into him..yesterday i came home from school at 2:15 and the rest of the day/night i was making his cage better and taking care of him..believe me,i put hours of time into him everyday since i got him..i am tring to get him settled in and tring to get a good system going..soo please don't tell me i made a mistake in getting him..he is here now..i REALLY do appreciate everyone whos helped me though..and hope to recieve some more advice..does anyone have any ideas on how to get him to notice or go over to the feeding cup??thanks for the help so far..
jon