You can tell a lot about how healthy a chameleon is by its overall appearance. Consider the following when examining a possible chameleon:
Bending legs or a bow-legged appearance may be an indication of metabolic bone disease
A strong grip on branches is important.
The eyes of the chameleon should be bright (chameleons with closed eyes during the day tend to be ill)
It is a sign of dehydration if the eyes are sunken (sunken eyes).
Bright, clear coloration (although the chameleon's color may change from brown to crab depending on the environmental conditions).
There were no green or cheesy patches in the mouth of the animal (no mouth rot).
Make sure your skin is healthy-looking (avoid wounds, scratches, or bruising).
Maintain Temperatures with Thermometers
Reptiles such as chameleons rely on their surroundings to maintain body temperature. If there is not enough ambient heat, they may become too cold to move about their enclosures, have difficulty digesting their food, appear sick, and their colors may darken.There is a range of temperature recommendations for different species of chameleons, but a thermal gradient between 70-100 degrees should be present in their enclosure.
Under normal circumstances, the bottom part of the enclosure should stay in the ‘70s. In bright sunlight, these temperatures should be above 100 degrees.
You should monitor these temperatures with thermometers placed at the bottom and top of the cage.
Digital and analog reptile thermometers are available. They can be mounted to the enclosure or moved around to check for cold spots.
Maintain Humidity with a Hygrometer
Chameleon enclosures can be hard to maintain when they have screened enclosures. Humidity levels can be monitored with a hygrometer as well as a thermometer.They are similar, and can even be combined with one another.
It may be necessary to keep the humidity level around 50% within the cage depending on the chameleon's species. Using a misting system or hand mister will help not only provide droplets on leaves for your chameleon to drink but also maintain this moderate to high humidity environment.
Chameleons may experience constipation, difficulty shedding, dehydration, and other issues if their enclosure is too dry.
Prey Gut Load
All pets require food, but it must also be filled with nutrients. Gut-loading prey items like crickets before feeding them to your chameleon will ensure your pet gets the nutrients it needs from the food.There are a variety of items available to be fed to the crickets, such as cricket gut load, oranges, dark leafy greens, squash, and other foods. They can also occasionally be dusted with calcium powder before they are offered to your chameleon.
That way your chameleon will get the additional nutrients it needs to be healthy.
If you buy live crickets, they can be kept separately from your chameleon in an enclosure while being gut-loaded.
To get full benefits of the gut load, give your chameleon crickets within 24 hours after eating.
Consider the Enclosure's Height
The chameleon needs plenty of space to climb, as it is arboreal. Since this is true, the height of a chameleon's enclosure is far more important than the area it takes up on the floor.If your enclosure is not taller than twice the width, it should be filled with branches, vines, and anything else the chameleon can grab too.
This tall enclosure should have a dripper system so that water droplets can accumulate on various leaves throughout the cage as they fall, which a wide or long cage wouldn't facilitate as well.
Your chameleon will also benefit from the height since it will assure it has a good thermal gradient and will have a choice regarding the temperature it prefers.
Minimize Handling
If you want a reptile you can carry around and handle on a regular basis, you should think twice before getting a chameleon. Keeping these reptiles can be emotionally draining, as they are easily stressed by handling.Chameleons bite as a natural reaction to fear and stress and handling them more will not help them relax. Whenever possible, use a branch or a perch instead of touching the chameleon with your hand, and you should only handle your chameleon occasionally and under no restraint.
