Baby Veiled Chameleon...is she ok?

[Kristen Wilkins]

Thank you all for your help and advice. As per nursemaia's opinion I have moved her back into her enclosure and misted it well to try to maintain humidity. Temp is currently 78.6 degrees. I have no substrate, have moved lights to one side and set up cool and warm areas.
I am trying to find a local reptile vet who is open Saturday as per Kristen and Kinyonga's advice.
Here is a picture of her set up enclosure. I am trying to find a pot so I can put the golden pothos in there but I was told to move her asap so that is what I have done.
I know I am new to this and making the more experienced members very mad, I am sorry, I am doing the best that I can and truly trying to help my cham.

Kinyonga, i am feeding her small crickets gut loaded with carrot, apple, turnip greens, kale and potato as that is what was recommended to me. I have tried putting turnip greens and kale in there for her to eat but she doesn't eat it. I have tried putting fruit in there too but she only eats the crickets. I have been scared to put too many things in there as I am not sure what is safe. I read about what plants to get so they would be fine for her. I read kale, turnip greens and apples as well as blueberries and banana and cantaloupe are good and have put these all in her cage at different times but she has never touched them.

I am uploading a pic of her larger enclosure so I can get more advice. Away from vents, pets, traffic and close to an internal wall for temperature stability. View attachment 190221

Thank you,

Looking good . Even with a vet visit she may not make it . I'm not saying not to take her in if you can find an exotic vet fantastic absolutely take her . A regular vet would be useless and a waste of your money . You can add plastic to 2/3 sides for now , till you can get plants . Potho's you can get even at a supermarket in the floral . If you add a 2x4 across the top from Metal to metal you can hange a plant then add branches .

If you can Exchange mustard greens for Dandyline that's a better choice . I would not offer banana .

 

[FirstChami]

@Nursemaia Thank you so much! I thought my chameleon was doing better but I think she must be a goner....I have just come home to find that her skin is all falling off! =( I am sorry, this is the best pic I could get!

 

[FirstChami]

Looking good . Even with a vet visit she may not make it . I'm not saying not to take her in if you can find an exotic vet fantastic absolutely take her . A regular vet would be useless and a waste of your money . You can add plastic to 2/3 sides for now , till you can get plants . Potho's you can get even at a supermarket in the floral . If you add a 2x4 across the top from Metal to metal you can hange a plant then add branches .

If you can Exchange mustard greens for Dandyline that's a better choice . I would not offer banana .

Thanks so much Kristen! You have been so helpful and kind....all of you have! I truly appreciate it!

 

[Nursemaia]

@Nursemaia Thank you so much! I thought my chameleon was doing better but I think she must be a goner....I have just come home to find that her skin is all falling off! =( I am sorry, this is the best pic I could get!
View attachment 190246

She's shedding. That's normal but if you didn't know that they did that it tells me you have a lot to learn and need to do some research, NOW

 

[FirstChami]

She's shedding. That's normal but if you didn't know that they did that it tells me you have a lot to learn and need to do some research, NOW

Is THAT what shedding looks like? I HAD read that they do that, but I thought it would look different somehow....this sort of looks like sunburn and she's peeling and I thought if it had been too warm in the cage maybe she got burned somehow....dumb*ss I know... =/

 

[Nursemaia]

It just sorta explodes off of babies. Burns look like something completely different

 

[FirstChami]

Well that's why I was so dismayed! I only left for about an hour! When I left she looked normal and when I got back she looked as you see there! I was shocked by how suddenly it happened. That's a relief... thank you once more.
Can I please ask? Should I continue misting during this process and if so more or less or the same as usual?
Thanks in advance!

 

[Kristen Wilkins]

Well that's why I was so dismayed! I only left for about an hour! When I left she looked normal and when I got back she looked as you see there! I was shocked by how suddenly it happened. That's a relief... thank you once more.
Can I please ask? Should I continue misting during this process and if so more or less or the same as usual?
Thanks in advance!

You should mist more , keep up the humidity as well . Don't try to pick or help the shedding .

 

[kinyonga]

Here we go .....chameleons 101....

If your veiled chameleon is a female she needs to have proper husbandry to lessen the chance of reproductive issues such as egg binding, MBD, follicular stasis, short life, etc. She will need to be fed wel l but not overfed constantly as she reaches sexual maturity. She will need a proper place IN her cage to dig so that she can lay eggs when she needs to. Veiled females can and do lay (infertile) eggs with out having been mated. Failure to provide a proper place can lead to eggbinding and death. She will get mustard yellow splotches on her when she is sexually mature...so you should know when that happens.

Since most feeder insects we use have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorous it's recommended that you dust the insects before you give them to the chameleon at almost every feeding...all but 4feedings a month..with a phosphorous-free calcium powder to make up for it. Two of those days that you didn't dust with the phosphorous-free calcium I recommend you dust with a phosphorous-free calcium/D3 powder leaving the chameleon to produce the rest of the D3 from its exposure to the UVB. D3 from supplements can build up in the system and lead to health issues so that's why we don't do it more often. D3 produced from exposure to the UVB light should not build up in the system as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it at will. The other 2 of those days I recommend you dust 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 they are safe. PrEformed sources can/do build up. This leaves it up to you to decide if your chameleon needs any prEformed vitamin A or not. It's thought that some/all chameleons can't convert the beta carotene to prEformed so they may need some prEformed once in a while.

It's important to feed/gutload the insects well. For crickets, superworms, roaches, locusts, etc I recommend using a wide assortment of greens (dandelion greens, kale, endive, escarole, collards, etc...skip spinach and cruciferous veggies as much as possible) and veggies (carrots, squash, zucchini, sweet red pepper, etc) and a BIT of fruit (berries, apples, pears, melon, etc).

Appropriate temperatures are important too since that aids in digestion and thus indirectly in nutrient absorption. It's important that your chameleon doesn't get burned by the lights so you should be able to hold your hand inside the cage right up against the screen under the light.
I use a regular incandescent household white light bulb for a basking light. For a UVB light I use a long linear Repti-sun 5.0 tube light.
Basking temperature for a juvenile veiled should be in the low 80's F. For adult females too. For adult males it can be in the mid 80's F.

You need lots of branches and greenery in the cage so the chameleon can move around and hide and feel comfortable. I don't recommend fake plants for veiled chameleons because they eat greenery and have been known to try to eat the game ones.

I don't use substrates because of the possibility of impaction. I cover the soil in the plant pots with rocks that are definitely too big for chameleons tomingest. People do use substrates but it's something you need to learn about first.

For watering most people mist several times a day and provide a dripper. Drippers should drip slowly..one or two drops per second. Cages should not stay wet at night. Stagnant water should not lay in the cage.

I've likely missed a few things...but I hope this will help.

 

[FirstChami]

You should mist more , keep up the humidity as well . Don't try to pick or help the shedding .

Thanks so much Kristen! I truly appreciate all the info!
Kinyonga...I can't thank you enough! I am doing some of that already and making appropriate changes as I am getting advice on here. I have no substrate now and I am gut loading and dusting the insects I feed her. I have been misting and have not helped her shed, but she seems to have completed that now. She is looking all lovely and green, has eaten a couple of crickets and seems settled for the night. I am really hoping that despite my glaring mistakes she will make it! She is looking a bit better today I think but maybe that's wishful thinking. I have ordered a mister and dripper and hope that will help. I am going to get a shower curtain tomorrow to cover three sides of the mesh cage and getting more garlands etc for her to climb on.

Thank you all so much! I will keep you updated on her progress.
=)

 

[kinyonga]

You're welcome! Good luck!