Brand new Veiled Chameleon owner.....

[Cheycowgirl]

I just received my baby veiled chameleon yesterday from my boyfriend. I have wanted one for some time, problem is I'm not very knowledge on how to take care of him/her. I read up and I have him/her in a 18X18X24 terrarium with a few fake leaves and braches. I put a feeding dish in and so far he/she hasn't ate anything (24hrs later). I put a few wax worms and a few meal worms in the dish. I also have a mini combo dual deep dome.

My Question are...
How do I keep the moisture level up?
Is coconut fiber ok for the bottom of the terrarium?
How old is he/she because petsmart didn't know for sure? He/she is about 6" from nose to tip of tail and sooper dooper light!
And finally how do I tell if its a male or female?

 

[KWALA]

Welcome to the forums! Females do not have a spur on the back foot, NO COCO FIBER IS NOT OK ESPECIALLY WITH Veileds they are notorious for eating the stuff and getting stomach problems. And you can keep the humidity up by spraying it with a spray bottle or a misting system. The images are not loading for me but thats not your fault just my internet. But the thumbnails look like a girl. I'm no expert so maybe some pros can help you with that.

 

[Camille1]

Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information, you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses.
We highly recommend filling this out as accurately as possible even though you are not sure about the answers to some of these questions.


Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

 

[Kath44]

https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your Cham. Check the care sheet out and look for jannb blog on keeping veileds.

No substrate on the bottom. Easier clean up and less risk of them eating it.
If you see spurs on back feet it's a boy. No spurs it's a girl. If you're unsure, try and get a pic of its back feet and post it on here. Someone will be able to tell you then.
Unsure on age, I'd guess about 4-5 months.
Kath.

 

[Swayne8998]

No substrate unless you are using soil to keep live plants. Also, I would recommend moving him to an open-air screen enclosure, which he will definitely require when he gets older in a few months. In about 6-7 months, he will need a 24x24x48 screen open air enclosure. As far as moisture level, get a quality misting system like a MistKing and have it spray his cage for about 45 seconds 4 or 5 times a day. I would also suggest moving away from waxworms and mealworms and more towards crickets and baby dubia roaches. Sexing young chameleons can be tough, but you can usually tell by a "spur" on the back of the back heel. If he has one, it's a male, if not, female. But like I mentioned, he/she may be too young to tell. Judging by the size, he looks probably between 2-4 months old. When he reaches 8 months, that boy will be about 5 times as big as that.

 

[Cheycowgirl]

Thanks so much for your wisdom

 

[Cheycowgirl]

Thanks so much for your wisdom, Everyone!! I went back to the pet store and their lizard specialist was there. He said my Cham is about 2 months old. I got him/her some small crickets and was pleasantly surprised when she ate a wax worm from my hand as well as hunted all the crickets placed in her cage. It maybe to soon to tell the sex of my cham but I will load some pictures of the hind legs if I can figure out how to do so.

 

[Fogerty]

Best Guess

I have a 3 month old female, and yours is a little larger, I do not see any spurs there cowgirl ,so my guess would be you have a 4-5 month old Female.