Veiled Chameleon Care Sheet

Care for Veiled Chameleons

Veiled chameleons aka Chamaeleo Calyptratus is one of the larger species of chameleon and are found in the mountain regions of Yemen.
Male chameleons are green in color and depending on how he feels and its state it will range from a bight olive green drab. Surroundings only partly contribute to color change. They don’t actually change their colors to match their surroundings like most people thing. It changes based on many factors. They also get striped and spots of yellow, brown, gold and blue. Babies and Females are uniformed with light greens with white markings. Gravid and breeding females are dark green bodied and blue and yellow spots and lines. covering the body and face. The brightness depends on mood, health and temperature.As like other chameleons veiled are tree dwellers, Which means in captivity we need to try to mimic this as best as we can by providing eith fake or live plants. (Make sure you check out my safe plant blog for a list of safe plants for your chameleon. There are plants that are toxic so its important to check that they are safe for chameleons) If you are using real plants you will want to transplant them into fresh organic soil and wash the old soil out to make sure they don’t contain any fertilizers. It is also important to flush the plant for a couple of weeks to ensure they are clean of anything that may hurt them. They have a penhensile tail that they use as a fifth appendage and to help them climb. Their eyes work independently which allows them to see 2 images at the same time

Sexing Chameleons is relatively easy to do because males have a small bump on the back of their foot. This extra bump on their heel is called a Tarsal Spur while females lack these spurs. Adult male chameleons are larger then females. Male Veiled’s are known to be larger then other male chameleon species. It is not uncommon for males to reach lengths of 24 inches in total length while others males may only reach 14-18 inches in total length. While female veiled chameleons usually average just under 12 inches.

LIGHTING:

As with any diurnal reptiles (Most active during the day) lighting is important to aid your chameleon to metabolize their food for their growth and health. In order to properly provide that to your chameleon, you will need to provide them with up to 3 types of lighting. UVB Light which aids in the growth of their bones, and provides vitamin D3 to help prevent or reverse MBD. Chameleons require a 5.0 UVB light that can be bought at your local pet store. To provide this you can use a regular 60 Watt house light just make sure you check the temps to make sure their basking temp is right. the 3rd is only necessary unless your house gets below 70 *F at night. in that case you would use a heat emitter with provides heat when your home is below 70 at night.

Lastly a proper light schedule is 12 hours on and 12 hours off. we use the 8:00am light on and 8:00 pm light off. The only time this should be changed is if you plan on breeding. then you will changed their times slowly to mimic the season.

HOUSING:

When housing a chameleon bigger is always better. Appropriated cage sizes can vary depending on age,

16 x 16 x 30 for babies/ juvenile

18 x 18 x 36 minimum for adult female again bigger is always better

24 x 24 x 48 adult Male or Female



inside their enclosure it is best not to use any loose sub straight. I use Repti carpet with all my reptiles. Loose sub straight can cause impaction. This can lead to death if not caught in time. Use could also use paper towel and replace it daily. Another thing to remember when furnishing a chameleon tank is the more vines, sticks, climbing structures the happier they will be, chameleons love to hide. So provide lots of hiding areas. Lots of branches will help so they have more choices to regulate their body temperature. You can use bamboo wrapped in garland and use a hot glue gun to put them in place. Making them strong enough to hold your chameleon’s weight. Be sure to provide lots of non-toxic plants and branches. Ficus trees can be used but be sure to use caution as the sap can be irritating to your reptile. Some other plants that are popular for chameleons to use is pothos, hibiscus, and shafferia plants. Fake plants may also be use but be sure to watch your chameleon as veiled's are known to eat their leaves and if you notice your veiled doing this it would be advised to remove the fake plants and replace them with live plants from the SAFE PLANTS LIST you can find this on our site. Remember to try to add branches and vines of different diameters and make sure they are the proper size for your chameleon to grip on to making sure to provide perches at different levels and temperatures within the enclosure.



TEMPERATURE:

Hatchlings and Juveniles 74-76 Degrees Fahrenheit

Sub- Adults 78-82 Degrees Fahrenheit

Adult female 80-82 Degrees Fahrenheit

Adult Males 85-90 Degrees Fahrenheit



HYDRATION:

Chameleons need to be offered water daily threw either a mister or dripper. I use both. Misting your enclosure is important because your chameleon drinks the water droplets in the enclosure. This is also accomplished by putting plastic cup on the enclosure with a pin hole poked in the bottom of it. allowing water to slowly drip into the enclosure on the foliage. The chameleon will then lap up the droplets from the leaf. It is important to provide a stream that allows for at least 2-3 minutes, 3-4 times a day. Allowing the enclosure to dry completely between misting is also important so they don't get a respiratory infection. I have found most chameleons are shy and don't like tot be watched when drinking and in those cases a dripper is the best route. Dripper can be bought online or from you local pet shop.

An important note: chameleons do NOT recognize standing water (water dish) these tend to become bacteria breeding grounds as chams tend to defecate in them. ( chameleon's can drowned in them as they do not swim) I would NOT recommend having them in the tank at all.

FEEDING:



Veiled Chameleons are omnivore which means their main diet consists of insects.

Hatchlings need to eat more then adults. Hatchlings (birth to 3 months) feed them as much as they will eat in 5 minutes. I use a cup that way there is no risk of impaction. This needs to be done 2 times daily until 3 months when you cut that down to 1 feeding for 5 minutes. Once your chameleon is around 6 months of age you can cut back their feedings to every other day. Once your chameleon matures and reaches adult you can keep his/her diet at around 10 crickets every other day, or the same of other staples like Dubai roaches, Silk worms just to name a few.



SUPPLEMENTS:

Hatchlings (up to 6 m) Plain calcium everyday, Multivitamin 2x month, Calcium W D3 2 x Month

Sub-Adult (6m-12m) Plain Calcium 4 x W, Multivitamin 2 x M , Calcium W D3 2 x M

Adult ( 12 m +) Plain Calcium 3-4x W, Multivitamin 2 x M , Calcium W D3 2 x M



Gut loading your crickets is important.

Here is a list of some gut loads:

Wet Gut loads: Kale, Collared, red lettuce, romaine Lettuce, carrots, yam, winter Squash, orange, apples, Raspberries, Strawberries, blue berries, watermelon, dandelion leaves, Hibiscus Leaves and flowers

Dry gut load: bee pollen, alfalfa powder, kelp powder, brewers yeast, wheat germ, raw uncooked sun flower seeds, small amounts of whole grain cereal.

this list goes on and on just make sure that you do research on anything before using it. you never know what could be poisonous or not.

HUMIDITY AND HYDRATION:

Your Veiled chameleon needs moderate humidity levels around 50% The humidity should be checked everyday. Hygrometers can be bought at pet stores and farm supply stores among other places. Misting the plants twice daily will help with the humidity levels, and a drip or mist system is also recommended as chameleons can not recognize standing water. So never put a water dish is with your chameleon, They lap up the water droplets off the leaves so the mist/drip system will also serve as a water source be sure to position drip system so the water droplets roll down the leaves in the enclosure.​