5 month old cham Gender and care tips pls ✨
- Thread starter Sunkissedn
- Start date
Sunkissedn
New Member
Haha I just didn't know if it was
Chameleons 101...
It's important to provide proper husbandry if you want it to do well.
Your chameleon is a veiled/calyptratus chameleon. Females of this species can produce eggs as soon as they are sexually mature even without ever having been with a male. They can become sexually mature at a young age...4 or 5 months. The female will show mustard colored splotches when she is sexually mature and bright blue dots when she is receptive. It's important to provide a suitable egglaying container IN her cage once she is that age. It should be an opaque container at least 12" deep x 12" x 8" filled with moist washed playsand.
You need to provide lots of branches and non-toxic plants for the chameleon to climb around on and hide in. The veileds eat vegetation so the plants need to be non-toxic. It's also advised that you cover the soil with stones that are definitely too big to ingest because some chameleons will wat the soil....which in itself isn't bad but some soils cause impaction. Make sure you wash the plants well before using them.
You need a basking area. At the age your chameleon is I would keep it in the low to mid80's F. It can be provided by a regular household incandescent bulb of a wattage that produces that temperature range. Be careful it's not too close to burn the chameleon. This basking area will allow the chameleon to warm up to digest it's food properly which aids in nutrient absorption.
You need a UVB light so that the chameleon can produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic.
You need a dripper and a mister to provide water for the chameleon. It will lick water off the leaves.
Since most feeder insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorous it's recommended that you dust the insects just before feeding them to the chameleon with a phosphorous-free calcium powder at most feedings to make up for it.
It's also recommended that you dust twice a month with a phosphorous-free calcium/D3 powder to ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdosing it and leaving it to produce the rest with its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system leading to health issues like MBD but D3 produced from exposure to the UVB light won't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of the UVB at will.
It's also recommended that you dust twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene prOformed source of vitamin A. PrOformed sources of vitamin A won't build up in the system so this leaves it up to you to decide whether or not to provide some prEformed or not. Preformed sources can build up in the system.
It's important to feed/gutload the insects well too. Crickets, superworms, roaches, locusts, etc can be fed a wide assortment of greens and veggies such as dandelion greens, kale, collards, endive, escarole, squash, zucchini, carrots, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, etc and a small amount of fruit such as melon, berries, pear, apple, etc.
Hope this helps! It's a lot to absorb and I may have missed the odd thing.
It's important to provide proper husbandry if you want it to do well.
Your chameleon is a veiled/calyptratus chameleon. Females of this species can produce eggs as soon as they are sexually mature even without ever having been with a male. They can become sexually mature at a young age...4 or 5 months. The female will show mustard colored splotches when she is sexually mature and bright blue dots when she is receptive. It's important to provide a suitable egglaying container IN her cage once she is that age. It should be an opaque container at least 12" deep x 12" x 8" filled with moist washed playsand.
You need to provide lots of branches and non-toxic plants for the chameleon to climb around on and hide in. The veileds eat vegetation so the plants need to be non-toxic. It's also advised that you cover the soil with stones that are definitely too big to ingest because some chameleons will wat the soil....which in itself isn't bad but some soils cause impaction. Make sure you wash the plants well before using them.
You need a basking area. At the age your chameleon is I would keep it in the low to mid80's F. It can be provided by a regular household incandescent bulb of a wattage that produces that temperature range. Be careful it's not too close to burn the chameleon. This basking area will allow the chameleon to warm up to digest it's food properly which aids in nutrient absorption.
You need a UVB light so that the chameleon can produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic.
You need a dripper and a mister to provide water for the chameleon. It will lick water off the leaves.
Since most feeder insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorous it's recommended that you dust the insects just before feeding them to the chameleon with a phosphorous-free calcium powder at most feedings to make up for it.
It's also recommended that you dust twice a month with a phosphorous-free calcium/D3 powder to ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdosing it and leaving it to produce the rest with its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system leading to health issues like MBD but D3 produced from exposure to the UVB light won't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of the UVB at will.
It's also recommended that you dust twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene prOformed source of vitamin A. PrOformed sources of vitamin A won't build up in the system so this leaves it up to you to decide whether or not to provide some prEformed or not. Preformed sources can build up in the system.
It's important to feed/gutload the insects well too. Crickets, superworms, roaches, locusts, etc can be fed a wide assortment of greens and veggies such as dandelion greens, kale, collards, endive, escarole, squash, zucchini, carrots, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, etc and a small amount of fruit such as melon, berries, pear, apple, etc.
Hope this helps! It's a lot to absorb and I may have missed the odd thing.
jannb
Chameleon Enthusiast
I highly recommend you listen to Lynda (Kinyonga) above. She has been raising veileds for 25+ years.
Just a coupe more links that you might find helpful.
https://www.facebook.com/jbesok/posts/10210655100712852
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/2007/12/keeping-female-veiled.html
Just a coupe more links that you might find helpful.
https://www.facebook.com/jbesok/posts/10210655100712852
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/2007/12/keeping-female-veiled.html
Kristen Wilkins
Chameleon Enthusiast
I was hoping you would chim in
. You have a wealth of info !!.
Sunkissedn
New Member
Guys, another thing. She has been shedding since yesterday and today she won't eat. I'm scared to just put the feeders in a bowl because I don't know if she will find them. She likes to be on top of the cage most of the time in a branch
serenaj25
Avid Member
chams or at least my chams tend to get a little bit grumpy while shedding because it is an uncomfortable process to go through. i wouldn't be alarmed if he doesn't eat for a day. give him prolonged mistings to help him get the shedding skin off and try to feed him again later today once he is feeling a little better. what do you feed him?
Kristen Wilkins
Chameleon Enthusiast
It's normal for some chameleon not to eat while shedding . Up her misting make sure her humidity is adequate . You can leave a few in there for a snack .
Sunkissedn
New Member
I feed her gut loaded crickets and mealworms. When I mist her habitat, should I mist her too? I'm not sure if I should because I accidentally did it earlier and she turned a shade darker
Sunkissedn
New Member
And also, I barely see her drinking either. I'm worried because she barely drinks already
serenaj25
Avid Member
if you haven't had her for very long, you probably won't see her drinking until she feels more comfortable around you. you shouldn't be worried unless she shows signs of dehydration. you can mist her if you put some warm water in the bottle so th e cold water doesn't stress her out.
Kristen Wilkins
Chameleon Enthusiast
I would drop the meal worms . Theirs very little nutritional value and hard to digest . They can be a concern for compaction . hornworms , silkworms , super worms , wax worms . BSL , crickets , Dubia roaches , Are all good . Cricket crack or Repashy are good gut loads for crickets and Dubias , if your not making your own . You should be dusting your feeders every feeding with calcium without D3 . Twice a month with D3 and a multivitamin opposite weeks twice a month .
For drinking chameleons often are very secretive . You may never see your baby girl drink it's important to keep a watch on her eyes if they seem to be sucking in you'll have to make some changes .
For drinking chameleons often are very secretive . You may never see your baby girl drink it's important to keep a watch on her eyes if they seem to be sucking in you'll have to make some changes .
Sunkissedn
New Member
I see, the habitat I purchased came with calcium but it has D3. Should I toss that?
Sunkissedn
New Member
And also, the sellers at Petco told me to cut her crickets in half because she is still small but she refuses to eat dead feed
Kristen Wilkins
Chameleon Enthusiast
You will need small crickets don't cut them in 1/2 . Also don't listen to what petco says . Sadly most have no idea how to raise chameleons . You can order them , along with your other feeders . Hornworms grow very fast you will need small ones for her age . Also the gut load you will need to order what petco will give you is crap !!. You will need the D3 twice a month , petco does not sell calcium without D3 you will have to order it online as well you can get it off of Amazon .
Sunkissedn
New Member
Is there any calcium brand you recommend? I was looking through lllreptile.com and they sell live feeders. You say hornworms are good? What's better than crickets?
Sunkissedn
New Member
They said the best thing to feed them is crickets but the more I read the less I think that's true
Kristen Wilkins
Chameleon Enthusiast
They are a good feeder because they gut load well . You want to have a variety of feeders . They take a few days to get in I would order them as soon as you can . Especially if the cricket you have are too big . You should be able to get wax worms and super worms at petco . They usually have small and med crickets you want small . Don't feed them off till you have re fed your crickets with your own gut load . I usually get between 200 and 500 at a time but I also have several scaly babies maybe 100 at a time for you . She will eat pretty well once she gets used to her new surroundings . The little girls can be little piggys . You can also try some green with her . Dandyline greens, Kale , collard greens , endive , zucchini, yellow squash , carrots , red bell pepper , apple in small amounts raspberries and melon . My babies absolutely love raspberries . She may not want it yet just start offering it .
Kristen Wilkins
Chameleon Enthusiast
Dubias you will still need to gut load them . Get a small amount first just in case your baby does not like them . There not active often chameleon like the Hunt as much as the meal
. Yes Hornworms she will love them , silk worms as well those 2 you will need to order .Similar threads
