Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all,

As you may know I have three little leaf chams and finally got them some pinhead crix. So, I figured a nice treat, dusted them, tossed them in and they immediatley went under the bark I have for the top layer. Now this makes sense b/c they tend to prefer dark places, but how will my chams get them. One was quick enough to locate and shoot, but the rest are now nowhere to be seen. Anyone with pygmy knowledge on this appreciated

lele
(still working on their names...I just can't quite go with Bart and Lisa even tho' they look like them! LOL)

you could remover the bark, and use a finer substance as a sub terrain

you could get a small cup, and put feed them

or you can maybe try and handfeed them

or you could just not do the crix thing ...
-----
Jason, Ichiro, Mika & Toki

razior_@hotmail.com

Hi Jason,

thanks for the thoughts these are tiny (1- 1/4" long) and I'd be concerned about anything finer, and this is what my breeder recommended. I am thinking of devising a way to cup feed. Unlike big chams the cup would have too small and accessible so I may put down a plate of crix food or a slice of apple and eventually they(crix) will (hopefully) choose to eat that rather than anything else they find in the cage and the cham's can have a feast!

I would love to hand feed, but again, their size would hinder. and as for not doing the crix - after seeing them move as fast as they did (well, for chams it was fast LOL!) I think they REALLY enjoyed them! I also have mini-mealies on order.....mmmmmm

lele

>>you could remover the bark, and use a finer substance as a sub terrain
>>
>>you could get a small cup, and put feed them
>>
>>or you can maybe try and handfeed them
>>
>>or you could just not do the crix thing ...
>>-----
>>Jason, Ichiro, Mika & Toki
>>
>>razior_@hotmail.com

Hi Lele,
I decided to come out of the leaf cham closet. I actually did have three leaf chams about two years ago but it's not a happy story so I try to push it out of my mind. I cant even talk about it now without getting upset.
I had these before I had ever heard about the cham forum so I was on my own with them. I don't want to go into what happened but I will give you some advice on how do's and don'ts.

Get a small see through glass bowl(sides about 2 inches high pyrex makes them for baking) and position a few twigs over it or small thin flexible vine and make a little vine bridge over the bowl. You can put little crickets in and the chams can crawl on the vine and shoot them right out of the bowl.
This way the crickets don't lose their dust by crawling through the tank. They also don't eat feces and then get eaten by your chams, and your chams can find them easier.

Get an air exchanger. It runs with an aquarium pump and it pumps moist clean air into your tank. It circulates the air and cuts down on URI. They are also pretty cheap.

These guys do not like it very warm and overheat easily

Be careful with vitamins and calcium. It is very easy to overdo it with these guys.

Only mist with warm water and it's better to not spray on the chams just around them on the leaves and tank sides.

I always wanted to replace these guys and get more but I want to see how you do with them first. I was probably just inexperienced with them and I got very bad advice from the place that sold them to me. Also finding info on them was very difficult. They were rampholeon brevicaudata and I think some day I may try again with them.

Hi Sonia,

I'm sorry to hear about your experience

On the upside - thank you very much for your help!! I love the idea of the little vine/glass bridge!! Their temp and humidity are in a good range. I rarely see them drink so I will have to assume that they do!

If you ever go for them again consider kammerflage kreations, that's where I got mine and Ed & Liddy are great! I think Reptayls sells them too. I have the R. brev and love them.

Thanks again and I will keep you posted

lele

>>Hi Lele,
>> I decided to come out of the leaf cham closet. I actually did have three leaf chams about two years ago but it's not a happy story so I try to push it out of my mind. I cant even talk about it now without getting upset.
>> I had these before I had ever heard about the cham forum so I was on my own with them. I don't want to go into what happened but I will give you some advice on how do's and don'ts.
>>
>>Get a small see through glass bowl(sides about 2 inches high pyrex makes them for baking) and position a few twigs over it or small thin flexible vine and make a little vine bridge over the bowl. You can put little crickets in and the chams can crawl on the vine and shoot them right out of the bowl.
>>This way the crickets don't lose their dust by crawling through the tank. They also don't eat feces and then get eaten by your chams, and your chams can find them easier.
>>
>>Get an air exchanger. It runs with an aquarium pump and it pumps moist clean air into your tank. It circulates the air and cuts down on URI. They are also pretty cheap.
>>
>>These guys do not like it very warm and overheat easily
>>
>>Be careful with vitamins and calcium. It is very easy to overdo it with these guys.
>>
>>Only mist with warm water and it's better to not spray on the chams just around them on the leaves and tank sides.
>>
>>I always wanted to replace these guys and get more but I want to see how you do with them first. I was probably just inexperienced with them and I got very bad advice from the place that sold them to me. Also finding info on them was very difficult. They were rampholeon brevicaudata and I think some day I may try again with them.

Hi Lele,

The suggestion of Anson's - the glass bowl is a good one. I sink the bowl down into the bark a bit.

Another thought.. a slab of cork bark. I sometimes use this as a "dinner plate". Lure the crickets to the bark by sprinkling some grated carrot - or a dab of baby food fruit. The crickets congregate around that area (especially if you have a 40watt basking light there. You can turn off the light when you need to.

If the leaf chams are very small, I use the coconut fiber (you see it in a compressed block) for the substrate - instead of the orchid bark. Be sure to mist just before "lights out" - important for leaf chams.

Hope this helps,
Morgana - Reptayls, Ltd.

You've helped quite a bit!! I ordered pinhead crix, but got 1/8-1/4" so I just called GrubCo and they will send the PH out next week and apologized. My guys are eating them and I am trying to pick out the tiniest, so far no problem - but I don't want to take any chances! I have a T that eats crix but she eats the pre-wing and mature. The crix will grow faster than the chams so once I get the new batch I'll probably just donate them to my local feed store - or the compost pile
Thanks again!

lele

>>Hi Lele,
>>
>>The suggestion of Anson's - the glass bowl is a good one. I sink the bowl down into the bark a bit.
>>
>>Another thought.. a slab of cork bark. I sometimes use this as a "dinner plate". Lure the crickets to the bark by sprinkling some grated carrot - or a dab of baby food fruit. The crickets congregate around that area (especially if you have a 40watt basking light there. You can turn off the light when you need to.
>>
>>If the leaf chams are very small, I use the coconut fiber (you see it in a compressed block) for the substrate - instead of the orchid bark. Be sure to mist just before "lights out" - important for leaf chams.
>>
>>Hope this helps,
>>Morgana - Reptayls, Ltd.