Baby Veiled Questions

[Parker103]

I have a Baby Veiled, He is only about 3 inches long not including tail. He seems to be totally fine, he is eating a lot and is always a bright green. Today he started crawling around on the botom of the cage and started digging a hole. Not sure why. Hes active and has never hissed or bit at me. He eats mealworms from my hand. When I feed him crickets I put him in a separate cloth container. He eats them no problem.
Also I have him in a ExoTerra glass terrarium with a small front vent and a mesh top. I have a heat lamp which he doesn't seem to like much. I know i need to get him a Non-Glass terrarium soon.

Everything sound normal? Any pointers?

 

[TyggyToo]

Just to be 100% sure....are you positive he's a male? Heel spur on the back feet? Someone is going to ask for a picture of the back of his hind feet so it might as well be me. We're looking for a little tiny bump.

Pointers: read read read through everything you can get your hands on...balance them all out...do your best. My info when I got my veiled F cham was well-meant, but sketchy. I've learned that calcium absorbtion is a lot more complicated than I imagined, that you can indeed over-supplement, and that the folks on this forum are deeply knowledgeable and happy to help. Welcome to the board! One thing you can do is fill out the 'how to ask for help' form that goes into painful detail on how you keep your critter, and the experienced members will offer suggestions on where to improve your care.

Submitted for your approval,
Tyg

 

[camimom]

Even if it is a female.. 3 inchs long is way to young to lay eggs.
Females cant produce eggs until they are about 5-6 months old. And unless she is super small, I doubt its eggs.
However, please post pics of the cage. the cham, the back feet. and fill out the how to ask for help form. Thanks!

 

[Olimpia]

Welcome to the forum! I'm going to provide a few of my own questions and comments below in blue.

I have a Baby Veiled, He is only about 3 inches long not including tail. He seems to be totally fine, he is eating a lot and is always a bright green. Today he started crawling around on the botom of the cage and started digging a hole.
This is typically female behavior, since they will lay infertile eggs even without a male and will dig a tunnel to lay them in. But we'd need to see photos of him and his cage to see what else could be causing it.

Not sure why. Hes active and has never hissed or bit at me. He eats mealworms from my hand. When I feed him crickets I put him in a separate cloth container. He eats them no problem.
Why do you put him in a bag to catch the crickets? Chameleons aren't usually comfortable at all in things, he may be happier if he catches the crickets lose in his cage, or if you put them in a cup/container within the cage. It worries me that, although he may be used to it, it may cause him undue stress.

Also I have him in a ExoTerra glass terrarium with a small front vent and a mesh top. I have a heat lamp which he doesn't seem to like much. I know i need to get him a Non-Glass terrarium soon.
What is the wattage on the bulb? Why do you think he doesn't like it? Is there also a UVB bulb on the cage? Chameleons (and indeed, nearly all reptiles) need UVB light to properly synthesize vitamins and minerals.

Everything sound normal? Any pointers?

 

[Parker103]

Here are pictures of his back legs and his enclosure. Today was the first time i fed him in the container i described earlier, its essentially a cloth storage cube with an open top, nothing like a bag! :O

But at the moment he is crawling all around the cage, very active.

Sorry If pictures are huge.
And thanks for the quick replies!

This is the corner he was digging in.

Lamp I am currently Using. Was going to pick up a UBV bulb asap.

 

[brandychams]

one more question what wqas he digging in ...is there substrate in the bottom of his terrarrium?

 

[Parker103]

Also need to replace the temp/Humid Gauges, The petco ones are crap and do not work.

 

[Parker103]

one more question what wqas he digging in ...is there substrate in the bottom of his terrarrium?

Yes, Its moist dirt. The kind that comes in a block. I read that having that is probably a bad thing as sometimes they can ingest it.

 

[camimom]

Yes, Its moist dirt. The kind that comes in a block. I read that having that is probably a bad thing as sometimes they can ingest it.

You are correct. please remove it.
if abug gets down there, and he shoots for it.. and he eats it, he can get impacted.
and you do have a boy. i saw spurs...
so remove the dirt and no more digging. problem solved. lol.
why do you have a water bowl? they wont drink from it.
If its to catch water from a dripp,er just positin your plant under it to catch t.
if he fals in it he could drown, if he poops in it, and for some reason does drink from it,, he could get sick.

 

[brandychams]

i see the pics now....get rid of the substrate it can cause impaction which can lead to death...he is a he...get a 5.0 repisun for uvb and a 30 watt-40 watt for basking

 

[Parker103]

So remove moss and dirt? What should i replace it with?

 

[brandychams]

most of us have a bare bottom but you could use parer towles if youd like but it needs replacing often...my cages dont have a solid bottom they have screen drainage for the water to go through

 

[Parker103]

Alrighty, I took out everything and he still seems to be attracted the the bottom left corner of the tank. Not sure why. He is also developing some darker coloration on his body that comes and goes.