MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
I was thinking/remembering when you posted about hooting.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/hooting…-biotremors…vibrations…in-chameleons….189455/
Chameleon bruising on eye and feet
- Thread starter KayMcAraw
- Start date
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/hooting…-biotremors…vibrations…in-chameleons….189455/Too bad the site with the sound representation of it is disabled now.I was thinking/remembering when you posted about hooting.
Andrew1283
Chameleon Enthusiast
Some forum members were concerned those whistle hissing sounds were a URI but he’s going on a year now with no URI, is healthy as an horse, and still makes his little territorial birdie squawks. He was born that way and it’s like having a mini velociraptor. Funny though I can go up to him and rub his chin/belly and he settles right down. We work together if you will recall. Well I sit next to him 8 hours of each day and he likes to keep me in his sight and show me how big and tough he is. He’s such a wimp/mush. I tell him every day that I love him. He has never once tried to bite me. Knock on wood!!!
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Gloriawood
Chameleon Enthusiast
That’s how Spaghetti is *usually*. He will let me rub his little feets. Come to the front and say hi. He’s been grumpy after the vet. But I spend a good deal of time in my bedroom where his enclosure is. So I’m near him at least eight hours a day too. He will watch me read or draw. He also really likes to watch my husband play video games. He likes the TV
KayMcAraw
New Member
Sorry for being MIA on here I have had such a busy past few days. All this was so informing and thank you. I have gotten her a lower wattage heating bulb, started spraying in the morning and night so the humidity goes down in the day, turned the heat off at night, and started to feed her different things. I’ve come to notice that she’s a picky eater lol but she really loves the hornworms. I’ve gotten smaller baby crickets so they aren’t too big for her either. I put wax worms with some leafy greens in her bowl but she doesn’t seem interestedBreaking this into two parts.
1. Veiled chameleon, female, 2 months old. I’ve had her for two ish weeks. Are you certain she’s a she? Males will have protruding little nubs on their back feet called tarsal spurs. If in doubt, post a clear pic of her back heels. I think she looks maybe a little older than 2 months, but only by maybe a month or so. I’ll base my suggestions on an age of 3 months.
2. I only handle her when needed cause I know it can be stressful especially since she’s in a new environment Yes! You will want to start working on building trust with her. While she may never be ‘friendly’ and come out onto your hand on her own, trust is still important. This is a great blog to go by. https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/building-trust-with-your-chameleon.2396/
3. I feed her live crickets, usually at least 3 a day, one in the morning and two in the evening. Variety is always best and at her age, she needs to be fed much much more than that. Many on line vendors sell species specific variety packs, which are great if you have only 1-2 insect eaters. Do check the forum sponsors and the graphics below. https://www.chameleonforums.com/sponsors/?tag=food For her age, she should be getting at least 15-20 appropriately sized feeders once a day in the morning. For size, anything larger than the space between her eyes is too big. My personal preference is to feed a bit smaller and just give a little extra. It’s also very important that the insects be as healthy and well fed as possible, so that they are more nutritious. You don’t need to specifically gutload, but instead just keep your bugs well fed. The orange cubes, jelly pots and most of those things are very poor for nutrition. I feed my bugs a variety of fresh veggies, greens and a little fruit plus the occasional bit of Repashy Bug Burger.
4. I use Reptivite vitamins with D2, I put them on my crickets every time I feed them to my chameleon. Reptivite with D3 is a great multivitamin and D3 combo product, but is to be used only one feeding every other week. It contains preformed vitamin A and D3, both of which are fat soluble (meaning not excreted quickly) and can quickly build up to toxic levels. Stop using this for at least 3-4 weeks. Use only a phosphorus free calcium without D3 lightly dusted on every feeding. You’ll continue to use this for every feeding except when using the ReptiVite with D3. Repashy Supercal nod is a good one. https://www.amazon.com/Repashy-SuperCal-NoD-Oz-JAR/dp/B00N3BKCGA?th=1
5. I have an automatic misting system, it goes off every hour for 45 seconds. I also have a little fountain that gives the sense of a natural water source, I see her drink from that the most. You need to adjust your mister to mist for longer (2 minutes at least if able) and less frequently. The ideal is for right before lights go on and off. If needed, you can add a brief 1 minute misting mid day or use a dripper if so inclined for about 15-20 minutes. It’s important to let the enclosure dry out during the day. If your night time temps are consistently below at least 68, you can and should use a fogger/humidifier for a few hours in the late night/early morning to simulate the natural hydration they get from fog in the wild.
6. Her droppings are a tan-ish color or a brown, yes she has been tested It’s always a good idea to have a fecal and general wellness visit. Gives a chance to meet your vet too and hopefully you’ll never need to see him/her again.
7. Additional info is that she was not fed very well when I bought her, her ribs were very visible. Since I’ve gotten her, she has thickened up a lot and now you can only see a little shadow of the ribs. Where did you get her from? Most pet stores have substandard care and little knowledge of chameleons and the sources for getting their veileds is usually questionable.
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nice to know she has expensive taste she has been way more active recently since I started doing these things and seems happier in general.
CalamityCrow
Avid Member
Glad to hear she's been happier! Waxworms are really more of a treat - so I'd stick to crickets, hornworms, black soldier fly larvae, dubia roaches, and silkworms for main feeders. A lot of chams get addicted to waxworms and they're way way too fatty for them to eat every day.Sorry for being MIA on here I have had such a busy past few days. All this was so informing and thank you. I have gotten her a lower wattage heating bulb, started spraying in the morning and night so the humidity goes down in the day, turned the heat off at night, and started to feed her different things. I’ve come to notice that she’s a picky eater lol but she really loves the hornworms. I’ve gotten smaller baby crickets so they aren’t too big for her either. I put wax worms with some leafy greens in her bowl but she doesn’t seem interested
Also if the leafy greens (make sure it's not spinach!) is for the feeders, that's okay, but chams don't need to eat anything except insects. No veggies or fruit.
KayMcAraw
New Member
Glad to hear she's been happier! Waxworms are really more of a treat - so I'd stick to crickets, hornworms, black soldier fly larvae, dubia roaches, and silkworms for main feeders. A lot of chams get addicted to waxworms and they're way way too fatty for them to eat every day.
Also if the leafy greens (make sure it's not spinach!) is for the feeders, that's okay, but chams don't need to eat anything except insects. No veggies or fruit.
should’ve rephrased what I said lol, I read on multiple websites that chameleons eat kale and that it’s good for them since it’s rich in calcium.
I shouldve rephrased what I said lol, I read on multiple websites that chameleons eat kale and that it’s good for them since it’s rich in calcium.
CalamityCrow
Avid Member
Sometimes veiled chams will munch on their leaves in their enclosures (That's why live plants are ideal, to avoid impaction), but as far as them directly eating plant matter, it's not a beneficial thing. Their bodies don't process plants like they do insects and so whatever nutrients those plants may have, the cham won't get them if they eat it... they just poop out what went in in the first place. It's best to have them fill their bellies with insects (they're actually insectivores, not omnivores) that have eaten all the good veggies and get all the delicious nutrients from them instead of filling up on plant matter that won't benefit them.
