Post by animal on Apr 3, 2007 2:16:25 GMT 1
Ok i decided to try and put together a very simple guideline to keeping yemen chameleons, paul is right in his mentioning of spraying the cage with water daily in an earlier post, this is so they can drink from the leaves as chameleons cannot see water in bowls and holders they catch sight of the water droplets on the leaves dropping down, and the other reason they need spraying is to keep there housing humid, chameleons need humidty, i have real plants in with my chameleon as they keep the humidty up better than fake plants ever can and i spray the plants twice daily but you can get away with giving the plants a good soaking once a day and plus if you get the right plants (non toxic to chameleons of course) they may sometimes feed on the leaves, my chameleon has eaten leaves quite a few times. As for feeding you have to feed them every day without fail you cannot forget to feed chameleons, i usally put between 5 and 10 crickets in daily depending on how hungry my chameleon is, you get to know how they feed and want feeding after a while of keeping them, i dust the crickets with calcium powder twice a week which is for keeping my chameleons bones strong and healthy, you need to do this also it's not just a choice in dusting there crickets, if they don't get the calcium powder there bones run into trouble so this dusting has to be done, they can be fed locust's also but it's only every couple of weeks i give those to my chameleon, i find if a chameleon eats locusts for an extended period they don't like going back to feeding on crickets, there mainstay of diet should always be crickets. Once a week i give my chameleon waxworms as a treat i give around 4 to 8 waxworms in one go my chameleon eats them one by one as i put them in he totally loves them, you should never feed them waxworms as there mainstay diet there way to fatty and should only be fed as a treat, mealworms can also be given to them but as the same with waxworms there very fatty and only should be given once a week around 20 or so should be put in. Some people feed yemen chameleons dead baby mice (pinkies) but i don't do this they don't need this form of feeding and not all chameleons will like them but its up to you if you give dead mice, and remeber if there not eaten after a few hours the dead mice must be removed as they go off very quick in heated enclosures. I'll mention gutloading here, gutloading means feeding your live food i;e crickets, locusts,mealworms with things such as peices of fruit and veg or even tinned catfood so they get plump with goodness from the food they eat, then in turn your chameleon eats the livefood and get's all that goodness to, i feed the livefood to my chameleon within 24 hours of gutloading. Temps for yemen chameleons housing is an easy rule to follow, they need an ambient air temp of between 74f and 80f and there basking spot placed at one end of the enclosure has to be between 90f and 95f, the other end of the enclosure is left for the chameleon to be able to reach a cooler spot when they don't want to be in the basking spot, my cool end is the end i have the live plants in sprayed with water, over night they need all the lights turning off and the enclosure temp can drop as low as 60f to 55f, yemens are from desert terain and the temp drop simulates there habitat perfectly but not all chams are the same when it comes to temps and this really does need to be read up about for the species you intend on keeping. They need a uva/uvb light on 12 hours a day, i leave the heat lamp on the same amount of time as well 12 hours on 12 hours off for both bulbs, i have these rigged up to timers so just incase i'm not home my chameleon gets the proper lighting and heat periods he needs. A uva/uvb light gives them what they are lacking from sun light, this helps them process there food and works with the calcium powder for there bones producing vitavims in there bodys thus giving them stronger bones and an all round healthy chameleon, and the uva/uvb bulb or tube has to be changed every six months due to it wearing out and the bulb not produceing enough uva/uvb rays. I never put substrate in the bottom of my cham's housing as when they feed they tend to get the substrate stuck to there tounge as well as there meal, and if swallowed by the chameleon it can prove dangerous to them. This is basically the main parts to caring for a yemen chameleon and you do really need to stick to a routine, as for them bruiseing easy mentioned by paul in an earlier post, yes chameleons do bruise very easy if they fall or are handled roughly, never handle them roughly when in your hands, gentle handling is the key to a happy chameleon in your hands and they grow to trust you after a while if handled with care. Chameleons don't fall that often, if you have a chameleon that falls alot then there is more and likely something wrong with them, there grips are vice like and they are very strong for there size, my chameleons claws and grip leaves me with little cut's on my hands very much like kitten scratches as his grip is so tight and claws are so sharp, this is usally a good sign of there health to, strong grip equals a healthy chameleon. I dedicate 1 day a week to my chameleon for cleaning his housing out, which i find if you do it the same day weekly this becomes something you and your chameleon get used to, and it causes less stress to your chameleon. I hope i covered the basic of things you need for a yemen chameleon in this post there is more to keeping a chameleon but these things layed out here are what you have to stick to as a routine, the rest you work out for yourself i have found. Don't by all means be put off once in a routine you find it's easy and enjoyable and my chameleon has bought me a lot of happiness, also there are plenty of people out there willing to give you help if you need it, just look for help in the right places, but common sense works as well lol. I'll be adding to this post time to time as my findings happen (i'm new to this to) so keep cheaking back for updates, and if any of you feel you want to add to it or find that i am wrong in what i have wrote please let me know i'm always happy to talk about chameleons all day long lol.
Animal
Animal
