Veiled Chameleon Care Sheet
(Chamaeleo Calyptratus) Part 1
by ChameleonsInMyHouse
[Brief Introduction - Veiled Chameleons (Chamaeleo Calyptratus), are native to Saudi Arabia, Yemen. An arboreal species of reptile, naturally capable of withstanding day temperatures close to 100 degrees F., or over. In a quick summary, they are one of the hardier and more popular Chameleon species on the market, with beautiful blood line morphs exclusively from breeders, or just regular but personality equipped pets for the beginner and hobbyist! They are relatively a beginner level Chameleon that is more forgiving to errors than other species, but before beginning, be sure you can commit to the reptile’s every needs and husbandry requirements. Overall, they are awesome pets if you treat them right!
Lighting - Lighting requirements for any diurnal (active in daytime)reptile, are important for playing roles in the metabolism, growth and health of the animal. In order to properly provide these to your reptile, you need to provide them with up to three types of lighting; UVB source (aids in bone growth, provides Vitamin D3 to help prevent or reverse MBD). UVA source (provides daylight to promote plant growth, UVA enables the reptile to see proper rays, cycling the reptile’s daytime). And lastly, if needed, a Heat source (provides the reptile with required temperatures they need to be comfortable and healthy).
*TIP: A proper day light-cycle for any diurnal reptile is 12:12hr. Make sure 12 hours of UVB/UVA light is provided, along with 12 hours of darkness for proper rest.
Equipment needed for proper lighting:
- Single or dual fluorescent light fixture. Fixture must be able to hold T8 Linear Tubes. Fixtures are available for lights 12-48’’ long.
- ZooMed ReptiSUN 5.0 UVB fluorescent tube comes in sizes 12’48’’ long, and needs to be changed every 10-12 months.
- Exo-Terra ReptiGLO 5.0 UVB fluorescent tube is the same as ZooMed, but needs a mandatory light change every 5-6 months
- A reflector dome with a diameter of 5.5-8.5’’ can be used on smaller cages, where larger reflector domes are beneficial for cages of 2x2 or larger.
- Any Incandescent house bulb can be used as a heat lamp. Trial and error will be the only way to see what wattage is best for your Chameleon.
- UVA sources can be used with Daylight bulbs reading a color temperature of 6500K. You can buy these in flourescent tubes and use them in a dual fixture with your 5.0 UVB light. You can also buy 6500K CFL bulbs or reptile brand-named Daylight bulbs. *** Reptile brand-name bulbs will also give you heat!
Housing – In general when housing Chameleons, “bigger is better”. Appropriate cage size should be determined by the age of the Chameleon. Although some keepers have placed juveniles in adult-sized cages with great success, the most feared problem in debate is finding food. Some keepers believe it is harder for the young Chameleon to find its food or hunt its prey down. If you can achieve cup feeding, you could immediately move any age from juvenile and up into an adult-sized cage. Veiled Chameleons are also a species that needs adequate air-flow. Aluminum screen cages achieve this best, as it keeps the air flowing throughout the cage, eliminating higher chances of URIs (respiratory infections). However, aluminum screen cages are harder to keep in higher humidity levels. I will explain later how to achieve right humidity levels, but no sweat! Veiled Chameleons are forgiving in regards to humidity.
TIP: It is NEVER recommended housing 2 Chameleons together, although there are exceptions to a selected few species capable of living in community enclosures, Veiled Chameleons are highly territorial and can be very aggressive towards other Chameleons, especially two males.
Equipment for properly housing a Veiled Chameleon:
Aluminum Screen Cages:
- 16x16x30 (Juveniles/Sub-Adults)
- 18x18x36 (Adult Female *minimum recommendation)
- 24x24x48 (Adult Male & Female)
- *Neonate Hatchlings can be housed in a well vented aquarium, or Exo-Terra-style terrarium. This will provide them with sufficient humidity. Be cautious if having to use heat lamps and monitor enclosure temperatures often
proper chameleon set-up (Veiled cage on right)
Temperature – Temperature is determined by the age and sex of the Chameleon. Females will always require lower temperatures than males in order to minimize or eliminate infertile clutches. It is also recommended to have a 10-15 degree temperature drop at night. No heat lamp is required at night unless room temperatures go below 55 degrees Ferenheit
Temperatures for Veiled Chameleons
Neonates – Juvenile (hatchling–3 months old) – 74-76 degrees Fahrenheit *heat lamp not usually required
Juvenile – Sub-Adult Female(3-5 months old) – 76-78 degrees Fahrenheit *heat lamp not usually required
Sub-Adult – Adult Male(5-12 months old) – 82-85 degrees Fahrenheit
Sub-Adult – Adult Female(5-12 months old) – 72-82 degrees Fahrenheit
Adult Male(12+) – 85-90 degrees Fahrenheit
Adult Female(12+) – 80-82 degrees Fahrenheit
Equiptment For Proper Temperatures
- 5.5''-12.5'' light reflector domes
- Incandescent house bulbs can be used for heat.
- Ceramic heat bulb *ONLY IF NEED AT NIGHT*
- Digital Thermometer
Hydration Requirements– As stated earlier, Veiled Chameleons are a species that are forgiving towards lower humidity levels. However, this does not mean you can make this part of husbandry a part-time chore. Water and misting sessions still need to be offered daily. There are a few great ways and products that are able to satisfy your Veiled Chameleon’s hydration requirements.
Misting – to keep required humidity levels for Veiled Chameleons, 2-3 five minute mist-sessions a day should keep your Veiled nice and comfortable. A desired humidity level is 55-65% during the days, with a 5-10% increase at night time. In order to provide mist in the enclosure, keepers with one or two chameleons will generally just use a spray bottle. It is always recommended to use Reptile Water conditioner before offering your reptile, or before spraying down the enclosure. Tap water can sometimes be very contaminated and in some cases, cause fatality to your pet. Another way of supplying mist-sessions to your Veiled Chameleon’s cage is through a rain-system. There are many misting systems on the market, many that are poorly made, and some that are heavy duty and crafted excellent. I recommend visiting http://www.MistKing.com for more information on one of the leading and affordable mist-systems on the market.
**Humidifiers are beneficial as well in order to maintain humidity levels, but regular filter cleanings must be done.
Water – Veiled Chameleons may not drink as much as other species of Chameleons, but drinking water must be offered daily as well (especially to females). Chameleons do NOT drinking standing water (in a dish), these animals drinking moving water off leaves after morning dews, daily fogs, and rainfall. In order to imitate this in your husbandry, a product called a “water dripper” is available by a couple companies on the market. ZooMed offers two sizes and are labeled on the market as “Little Dripper” and “Big Dripper”, and are quite affordable ranging from about $8.00-$14.00. Another imitation that I recommend due to a heavy duty quality is Fluker’s water dripper. For a slight price increase compared to ZooMed, you get a full gallon of use, and a heavy duty metal nozzle.
Feeding & Supplements – There are many important factors to understand when feeding and supplementing your Chameleon and feeders. You need to understand how much is appropriate while factoring the following (age, sex, the feeder, condition of the animal, and temperature). Feeding and supplementing is also very important to female Chameleons, due to the capability females have of laying infertile egg clutches which will be talked about later. This area seems to be the biggest confusion and struggle with new Chameleon owners, but once a general knowledge has a foundation, balance becomes easier to achieve.
READ PART 2 HERE! http://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/chameleonsinmyhouse/396-veiled-chameleon-care-sheet-part-2.html
(Chamaeleo Calyptratus) Part 1
by ChameleonsInMyHouse
[Brief Introduction - Veiled Chameleons (Chamaeleo Calyptratus), are native to Saudi Arabia, Yemen. An arboreal species of reptile, naturally capable of withstanding day temperatures close to 100 degrees F., or over. In a quick summary, they are one of the hardier and more popular Chameleon species on the market, with beautiful blood line morphs exclusively from breeders, or just regular but personality equipped pets for the beginner and hobbyist! They are relatively a beginner level Chameleon that is more forgiving to errors than other species, but before beginning, be sure you can commit to the reptile’s every needs and husbandry requirements. Overall, they are awesome pets if you treat them right!
Lighting - Lighting requirements for any diurnal (active in daytime)reptile, are important for playing roles in the metabolism, growth and health of the animal. In order to properly provide these to your reptile, you need to provide them with up to three types of lighting; UVB source (aids in bone growth, provides Vitamin D3 to help prevent or reverse MBD). UVA source (provides daylight to promote plant growth, UVA enables the reptile to see proper rays, cycling the reptile’s daytime). And lastly, if needed, a Heat source (provides the reptile with required temperatures they need to be comfortable and healthy).
*TIP: A proper day light-cycle for any diurnal reptile is 12:12hr. Make sure 12 hours of UVB/UVA light is provided, along with 12 hours of darkness for proper rest.
Equipment needed for proper lighting:
- Single or dual fluorescent light fixture. Fixture must be able to hold T8 Linear Tubes. Fixtures are available for lights 12-48’’ long.
- ZooMed ReptiSUN 5.0 UVB fluorescent tube comes in sizes 12’48’’ long, and needs to be changed every 10-12 months.
- Exo-Terra ReptiGLO 5.0 UVB fluorescent tube is the same as ZooMed, but needs a mandatory light change every 5-6 months
- A reflector dome with a diameter of 5.5-8.5’’ can be used on smaller cages, where larger reflector domes are beneficial for cages of 2x2 or larger.
- Any Incandescent house bulb can be used as a heat lamp. Trial and error will be the only way to see what wattage is best for your Chameleon.
- UVA sources can be used with Daylight bulbs reading a color temperature of 6500K. You can buy these in flourescent tubes and use them in a dual fixture with your 5.0 UVB light. You can also buy 6500K CFL bulbs or reptile brand-named Daylight bulbs. *** Reptile brand-name bulbs will also give you heat!
Housing – In general when housing Chameleons, “bigger is better”. Appropriate cage size should be determined by the age of the Chameleon. Although some keepers have placed juveniles in adult-sized cages with great success, the most feared problem in debate is finding food. Some keepers believe it is harder for the young Chameleon to find its food or hunt its prey down. If you can achieve cup feeding, you could immediately move any age from juvenile and up into an adult-sized cage. Veiled Chameleons are also a species that needs adequate air-flow. Aluminum screen cages achieve this best, as it keeps the air flowing throughout the cage, eliminating higher chances of URIs (respiratory infections). However, aluminum screen cages are harder to keep in higher humidity levels. I will explain later how to achieve right humidity levels, but no sweat! Veiled Chameleons are forgiving in regards to humidity.
TIP: It is NEVER recommended housing 2 Chameleons together, although there are exceptions to a selected few species capable of living in community enclosures, Veiled Chameleons are highly territorial and can be very aggressive towards other Chameleons, especially two males.
Equipment for properly housing a Veiled Chameleon:
Aluminum Screen Cages:
- 16x16x30 (Juveniles/Sub-Adults)
- 18x18x36 (Adult Female *minimum recommendation)
- 24x24x48 (Adult Male & Female)
- *Neonate Hatchlings can be housed in a well vented aquarium, or Exo-Terra-style terrarium. This will provide them with sufficient humidity. Be cautious if having to use heat lamps and monitor enclosure temperatures often
proper chameleon set-up (Veiled cage on right)
Temperature – Temperature is determined by the age and sex of the Chameleon. Females will always require lower temperatures than males in order to minimize or eliminate infertile clutches. It is also recommended to have a 10-15 degree temperature drop at night. No heat lamp is required at night unless room temperatures go below 55 degrees Ferenheit
Temperatures for Veiled Chameleons
Neonates – Juvenile (hatchling–3 months old) – 74-76 degrees Fahrenheit *heat lamp not usually required
Juvenile – Sub-Adult Female(3-5 months old) – 76-78 degrees Fahrenheit *heat lamp not usually required
Sub-Adult – Adult Male(5-12 months old) – 82-85 degrees Fahrenheit
Sub-Adult – Adult Female(5-12 months old) – 72-82 degrees Fahrenheit
Adult Male(12+) – 85-90 degrees Fahrenheit
Adult Female(12+) – 80-82 degrees Fahrenheit
Equiptment For Proper Temperatures
- 5.5''-12.5'' light reflector domes
- Incandescent house bulbs can be used for heat.
- Ceramic heat bulb *ONLY IF NEED AT NIGHT*
- Digital Thermometer
Hydration Requirements– As stated earlier, Veiled Chameleons are a species that are forgiving towards lower humidity levels. However, this does not mean you can make this part of husbandry a part-time chore. Water and misting sessions still need to be offered daily. There are a few great ways and products that are able to satisfy your Veiled Chameleon’s hydration requirements.
Misting – to keep required humidity levels for Veiled Chameleons, 2-3 five minute mist-sessions a day should keep your Veiled nice and comfortable. A desired humidity level is 55-65% during the days, with a 5-10% increase at night time. In order to provide mist in the enclosure, keepers with one or two chameleons will generally just use a spray bottle. It is always recommended to use Reptile Water conditioner before offering your reptile, or before spraying down the enclosure. Tap water can sometimes be very contaminated and in some cases, cause fatality to your pet. Another way of supplying mist-sessions to your Veiled Chameleon’s cage is through a rain-system. There are many misting systems on the market, many that are poorly made, and some that are heavy duty and crafted excellent. I recommend visiting http://www.MistKing.com for more information on one of the leading and affordable mist-systems on the market.
**Humidifiers are beneficial as well in order to maintain humidity levels, but regular filter cleanings must be done.
Water – Veiled Chameleons may not drink as much as other species of Chameleons, but drinking water must be offered daily as well (especially to females). Chameleons do NOT drinking standing water (in a dish), these animals drinking moving water off leaves after morning dews, daily fogs, and rainfall. In order to imitate this in your husbandry, a product called a “water dripper” is available by a couple companies on the market. ZooMed offers two sizes and are labeled on the market as “Little Dripper” and “Big Dripper”, and are quite affordable ranging from about $8.00-$14.00. Another imitation that I recommend due to a heavy duty quality is Fluker’s water dripper. For a slight price increase compared to ZooMed, you get a full gallon of use, and a heavy duty metal nozzle.
Feeding & Supplements – There are many important factors to understand when feeding and supplementing your Chameleon and feeders. You need to understand how much is appropriate while factoring the following (age, sex, the feeder, condition of the animal, and temperature). Feeding and supplementing is also very important to female Chameleons, due to the capability females have of laying infertile egg clutches which will be talked about later. This area seems to be the biggest confusion and struggle with new Chameleon owners, but once a general knowledge has a foundation, balance becomes easier to achieve.
READ PART 2 HERE! http://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/chameleonsinmyhouse/396-veiled-chameleon-care-sheet-part-2.html
