FVcham
Member
Hi Guys!
I have been the happy owner of a male panther and male veiled who are both doing well. I was always reluctant to get a female due to the issues that can come out of egg laying. However, I came across a female veiled in a local reptile shop who was not in the best of conditions. She was surrendered to the shop by her previous owner and in the shop she was being kept in a very small cage (smaller than the chameleon kit cage), she had no branches or plants, just wood chip substrate and a very small fake wine hanging down one side. I even asked the shop if they would at least give her a lay bin and they said she doesn't need one because she isn't around males. Long story short, I couldn't leave her there. And now I am the proud and nervous owner of a female veiled. I am submitting a summary to double check my husbandry , get suggestions (my concern is at the bottom), and I'm attaching some pics of her cage and her so that I may get some feedback from @MissSkittles or other seasoned owners of female chams.
Chameleon Info:
Cage Info:
Current Problem - I am just not very confident at telling if she is receptive, gravid etc. The first week of having her, she was a great eater, she would wait at her food bowl every morning (made me feel guilty on non-food days). However, she has not had anything to eat in a about 5 or 6 days despite being offered a variety of feeders. She is showing darker patters and spots (see pic), however she is not going to the bottom of the cage at all. She literally basks under the heat light all day. She does have a lay-bin it is 12 by 9 and 9 inches deep filed with semi moist, washed play sand (I perform dig tests to ensure a hole would not collapse). I know that chams will go off food when getting ready to lay but what is the average timeline? Thanks so much!!
I have been the happy owner of a male panther and male veiled who are both doing well. I was always reluctant to get a female due to the issues that can come out of egg laying. However, I came across a female veiled in a local reptile shop who was not in the best of conditions. She was surrendered to the shop by her previous owner and in the shop she was being kept in a very small cage (smaller than the chameleon kit cage), she had no branches or plants, just wood chip substrate and a very small fake wine hanging down one side. I even asked the shop if they would at least give her a lay bin and they said she doesn't need one because she isn't around males. Long story short, I couldn't leave her there. And now I am the proud and nervous owner of a female veiled. I am submitting a summary to double check my husbandry , get suggestions (my concern is at the bottom), and I'm attaching some pics of her cage and her so that I may get some feedback from @MissSkittles or other seasoned owners of female chams.
Chameleon Info:
- Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care? Female, veiled, pet store said the previous owner had her a little over a year. Been in my care 3 weeks.
- Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? I do not handle her, she makes it very clear she does not want me around.
- Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? Feeding 3-5 feeders EO Day. Variety of dubia, silks, BSFL, crickets, and supers.
- Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? Arcadia Earth-pro every feeding with Repashy Lo-D every other weekend. I tried the Revitalise by Arcadia but for some reason, I had a Vitamin A deficiency problem with my male veiled and switched to something with a higher level of Pre-formed vitaminn A
- Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? I follow the chameleon academy Naturalistic hydration schedule. So mistking at night and early morning, fogger between 1:30AM -5AM and a dripper in the afternoon.
- Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? Not tested, fecals look good (actually much improved since we brought her home) the stool is formed and the urate is white and soft formed.
- History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you. Not much previous history.
Cage Info:
- Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? She is in a XL reptibreeze ( my other 2 are in the dragon strand hybrids and I will eventually move her to one of these as well, but since this was an un- expected rescue of sorts, I had to go for something a little cheaper so that my husband does not leave me LOL!! )
- Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? T5 linear (5.0). and a 50 watt zoo med basking lamp, no color, and cant use halogen being in California. )
- Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? Ambient averages about 75 degrees and basking is between 80-82
- Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? Daytime humidity hangs around 30 - 40. Using a hydrometer, night time can get up to 100 due to fogging schedule.
- Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? All live plants, there is a large palm at the front for privacy, 5 pothos throughout the cage.
- 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? No vents close to the cage, the chams have their own room, none of the chams can see each other, I put a sheet up (see picture) for even more privacy because my male veiled is so high maintenance and actually makes a knocking noise on his cage when he wants out) I put the sheets up so that she would not be disturbed when I attend to his every wish and demand.
- Location - Where are you geographically located? So Cal
Current Problem - I am just not very confident at telling if she is receptive, gravid etc. The first week of having her, she was a great eater, she would wait at her food bowl every morning (made me feel guilty on non-food days). However, she has not had anything to eat in a about 5 or 6 days despite being offered a variety of feeders. She is showing darker patters and spots (see pic), however she is not going to the bottom of the cage at all. She literally basks under the heat light all day. She does have a lay-bin it is 12 by 9 and 9 inches deep filed with semi moist, washed play sand (I perform dig tests to ensure a hole would not collapse). I know that chams will go off food when getting ready to lay but what is the average timeline? Thanks so much!!
