1.5 weeks old: I'm a little overwhelmed...

[Moosma]

I just bought a baby chameleon, and thought to ask the vendor how old was the baby when I got home.
She says about a week and a half old.
I have plenty of experience; he is my fourth chameleon.
I had one pass away who was 7 years old...
I still have the female she's 6 years old. I had another pass away due to complications from surgery at the age of three. But I'm scared at the thought of a 1.5 week

old!
I'll be setting crate up tomorrow...
How quiet should I keep him?
Starting with 3wk old crickets, but I will get pinheads tomorrow..
Is there anything I should know?

 

[kinyonga]

If you've managed to keep chameleons so that they live 7 years..then you probably know almost enough!
Babies of course need small crickets and other small insects and are fed more often than adults
You have to be more careful watering them so they won't aspirate big drops of it.
The basking temperature is usually kept in the low to mid 80's F.
There's a natural mortality rate for ones so young so it wasn't very responsible of the person who sold you this one IMHO..
Hopefully if I missed anything someone else will pipe up and tell you!
Good luck with your cute new addition!

 

[WyattN.]

I have had my baby since she was three weeks, so here's some tips,
First off, i recommend 6 1/4 inch crickets a day, and three waterings, for drinking, start by killing her crickets before hand feeding them to her, therefore earning her trust some more. If you don't hand feed set them on a leaf near a branch so she can reach.
Keep the cage by a window if possible.
Don't handle her often, and or reach into the cage quickly, it might scare her.
If she hisses, back of relatively quickly.
Keep at least one live plant since veileds eat them.
I recommend pothos, shefflera abricola/ umbrella tree, hibiscus, and ficus.
Let her trust you on her terms, she'll probably be a little scared of you at first.
Let me know if you have more questions! I'm happy to help.
WyattN.

 

[kinyonga]

@WyattN. ...you said..."First off, i recommend 6 1/4 inch crickets a day, and three waterings, for drinking, start by killing her crickets before hand feeding them to her, therefore earning her trust some more. If you don't hand feed set them on a leaf near a branch so she can reach"... IMHO 6 1/4 inch crickets is not enough for a baby veiled chameleon in one day...I always recommend feeding them as much as they will eat in one or two minutes a feeding and then leaving a couple if insects there for a snack.
You said..."Keep the cage by a window if possible"...I have to disagree with this too...at the very least you need to know where the person is living before suggesting this. If the person lives in cold climate this could cause respiratory issues.

 

[WyattN.]

Can't say I agree with you. My chameleon is growing great and in perfect health so just saying I seem to be doing stuff right.

 

[Lennoncham]

Can't say I agree with you. My chameleon is growing great and in perfect health so just saying I seem to be doing stuff right.

I agree with @kinyonga she has been doing this a long time and is well respected within the community. She has valid points about feeding and location/ climate. Just because something works for you doesn't mean it will work for everyone.

 

[Kristen99]

Can't say I agree with you. My chameleon is growing great and in perfect health so just saying I seem to be doing stuff right.

I wouldt be giving too much advice this early on in your chameleon keeping.. you don't want to give anyone wrong information.. as you said in another thread.."no idea I'm new too." You could end up giving incorrect information and confusing someone looking for experienced and educated advice from keepers.. keeping near a window is not a great idea... @kinyonga is very knowledgeable so I would maybe look to her for advice instead of disagreeing on basic care.
6 crickets a day is not even half of what a baby vailed will need..
for the OP I would try pinheads and flightless fruit flies for sure i had to makeshift an enclosure for mine when he was this little I'm sure you are aware in chameleon keeping 7 years congratulations that's awesome I think you will do just fine! Your little baby won't need a whole lot of heat for basking so just use your chameleon parent instincts and I think you'll be fine!

 

[CJ's Exotics]

Can't say I agree with you. My chameleon is growing great and in perfect health so just saying I seem to be doing stuff right.

You cannot just give advice after learning the black and white, you have to understand the grey.