Female Veiled Diet & Where to Get

[SunflowerSupreme]

I have a female veiled chameleon, I'm not exactly sure of her age, but it was estimated at about 5-6 months, and I want to give her the most balanced diet I can. Right now she has meal worms and crickets (with calcium supplements about every other day, and d3 every other week or so), but I want to expand upon that. My biggest issue is that everyone seems to recommend roaches, but I absolutely cannot feed her those because I have a severe allergy to them and don't want to risk hospitalization. Right now she's probably too small for Hornworms or Superworms, so I'm looking at maybe wax worms (as an occasional treat), butter worms, black soldier fly larvae, etc. I've heard of some people giving pinkie mice once they get bigger, but I wasn't sure.

So my question is what is her other best foods and also what websites do you recommend I get them from? None of the local stores have quite the variety that she would need. And if you don't mind, what is the care on these feeders?

Also, some people recommend feeding "vitamins" other than calcium and D3, but I couldn't find an exact list of what she would need. Any ideas?

Final thing: whats the best way to know if she's about to lay eggs and is it a good idea to always keep a laying bin with her?

Thanks in advance!!!

Edit: How much should she be eating? Some days she seems very hungry and some days she refuses food at all.

• Your Chameleon
  • Veiled chameleon
  • 5-6 months
  • Female
  • Her name is Mystique, if anyone was wondering, because I love Marvel XD
• Handling
  • I let her out every other day or so and let her explore my arms or the bookshelf.
  • She's pretty friendly, but if she seems to be too stressed I put her away
• Feeding
  • I am feeding crickets and mealworms, but I want to add to that
• Supplements
  • Calcium every other day or so
  • D3 once every other week at most
• Watering
  • I have a dripper and I mist 3-4 times a day times a day.
• Fecal Description
  • I haven't had it tested (yet), but it looks "normal" by what I've seen online.
  • White urate with a tiny bit of yellow at one end
• History
  • I bought her at the pet shop I work for
  • Before you start, we aren't one of those shops, several of my coworkers have vet training (and all of us have to do basic stuff on everything we have) and we lose quite a bit of money on the few live animals we keep because we take really good care of them. The only thing we didn't do for her was have a hugely varied diet (but she did get supplements)
• Cage Type
  • Right now she's in a large tank, more than enough room AT THE MOMENT, but a 36x18x24 exo terra is waiting for me to pick it up.
    • It does have ventilation
  • Jungle vine for climbing
  • Potted plants, not sure of the exact species (I'm not at home at the moment) but I double and triple checked that they are safe for her. Umbrella plant and something else.
• Lighting
  • I don't know the brands off the top of my head
  • I have a day light/basking light, a UVB, and a night light (my house gets really cold, like, under 60)
• Temperature
  • Not 100% sure off the top of my head (I can check later), but the ambient temperature I believe is 75. Basking spot is much warmer and she loves it.
• Humidity
  • My gauge is marked with the range that it needs to be in, and I keep it well above 60% when I am home. Sometimes it drops a little when I'm not home, but its rare.
• Plants
  • Potted plants, not sure of the exact species (I'm not at home) but I double and triple checked that they are safe for her.
  • Umbrella plant and something else.
• Placement
  • It is in our kitchen, on top of a cabinet
  • My cats have zero interest in her and no access. I'm not even sure they know she's there, they are far more interested in the fish across the room. If they did seem to mess with her I would move her
  • I lock the cage just to be safe.
• Location
  • East Tennessee

This is probably way too much information, and I have a done a lot of research already, I'm just very paranoid and want to take the best care of her.

 

[Graves923]

Switch the mealworms out for superworms and only use superworms as treats. Meal worms are not nutritional at all and have a tough to digest exoskeleton which causes impaction.

Black soldier flys I have heard good things about along with silkworms (probably the best feeder). Both of which are available online from several of the forum sponsors.

 

[SunflowerSupreme]

Switch the mealworms out for superworms and only use superworms as treats. Meal worms are not nutritional at all and have a tough to digest exoskeleton which causes impaction.

Black soldier flys I have heard good things about along with silkworms (probably the best feeder). Both of which are available online from several of the forum sponsors.

I'll do that, my only fear is that the super worms might be a bit too big for her (I'll get a picture of her with a ruler when I get home), which is why I got mealworms (plus I was having a easier time putting the supplements on them).

So the sponsors are the ones listed under the market? I wanted to make sure it was "reputable" and not just somewhere that anyone could advertise (navigating websites is not my area of expertise), so thanks!! I tried to get silk worms already because everyone raves about them, but the one site I've had time to check - mullberry farms, recommended by muchadoaboutchameleons - was sold out.

Thank you so much!!!

 

[JacksJill]

You can buy smaller superworms on line but they grow into the larger size eventually.

 

[Peachypink]

I'll do that, my only fear is that the super worms might be a bit too big for her (I'll get a picture of her with a ruler when I get home), which is why I got mealworms (plus I was having a easier time putting the supplements on them).

So the sponsors are the ones listed under the market? I wanted to make sure it was "reputable" and not just somewhere that anyone could advertise (navigating websites is not my area of expertise), so thanks!! I tried to get silk worms already because everyone raves about them, but the one site I've had time to check - mullberry farms, recommended by muchadoaboutchameleons - was sold out.

Thank you so much!!!

I just bought some small supers from Mulberry Farms, they are one of our sponsors.

Silks are very nutritious. Black Soldier Fly Larve and great for Calcium, plus if left alone for a few weeks they will turn to flies. My panther goes nuts for the flies.

Herptivite multivitimin is what people are talking about. It would be given twice a month just like the D3.

Do not use a night light. If your house drops below 55 then use a ceramic heat emitter that gives off no light. Chams need the dark to sleep and regulate hormones. They rely on a day/night schedule to set their circadian rhythm. Even red and purple l "night" lights will disrupt their sleep cycle. It is a slow thing, it won't seem like it is an issue until she is really sick. Also, they need the temp drop for their metabolism. So if you do get a ceramic heater make sure she still gets at least a 10 degree drop.

Check out the care sheets here in the forum. They are the most accurate care info you will find.

 

[Andee]

The best place I find to get silkworms (if you are looking for a larger vendor) is Coastal Silkworms, because you can buy either from the east or west coast side no matter where you live, and one side will have it if the other doesn't usually. Usually the shipping will just be a bit more depending where you live in the US. Hornworms I only rely on Great Lakes Hornworms because for smaller chameleons they do have smaller sizes easy to get, but they also have eggs that they can ship for you to hatch, which literally take no effort other than feeding, and can be fed to hatchlings. I totally recommend black soldier fly larvae because they are a two in one feeder, if they end up pupating into flies with you, you can also feed the flies. They are under the names of calci worms and phoenix worms as well. Butter worms I avoid with veileds particularly because if any type of cham will have an allergic reaction it will most likely be a veiled from my experience. Wax worms are fine as an occasional treat, I don't recommend feeding a female them unless she is in a gravid stage and then only once or twice during that stage, and maybe once or twice after, always makes sure she eats something healthier before hand. Superworms are really easy to get in smaller sizes. Just buy in bulk online or start a colony. There is also stick insects... you could always try the grasshopper route (getting wild caught grasshoppers and raising a captive colony) not always easy depending on where you live and your native grasshoppers. Isopods I always recommend, they are great for a staple feeder. If you decide to start with a wild caught colony, always make sure to separate the captive born to a different colony and only feed those. You have a lot of options even with your allergy. I only feed two roach species and I raise 6 species of feeders myself and feed 10 feeders regularly with an extra 4 non-regularly.

 

[JacksJill]

Her name is Mystique,

Love the name. Here is a Link to the care sheet

 

[SunflowerSupreme]

I just bought some small supers from Mulberry Farms, they are one of our sponsors.

Silks are very nutritious. Black Soldier Fly Larve and great for Calcium, plus if left alone for a few weeks they will turn to flies. My panther goes nuts for the flies.

Herptivite multivitimin is what people are talking about. It would be given twice a month just like the D3.

Do not use a night light. If your house drops below 55 then use a ceramic heat emitter that gives off no light. Chams need the dark to sleep and regulate hormones. They rely on a day/night schedule to set their circadian rhythm. Even red and purple l "night" lights will disrupt their sleep cycle. It is a slow thing, it won't seem like it is an issue until she is really sick. Also, they need the temp drop for their metabolism. So if you do get a ceramic heater make sure she still gets at least a 10 degree drop.

Check out the care sheets here in the forum. They are the most accurate care info you will find.

I'll ditch the night light, I don't think my house gets colder than that, but I'll watch her temperature over the next few days just to be sure.

Thanks so much for the feeding advice!! Once I realized I couldn't feed roaches - since they seem so popular - I started getting a little panicky, but I feel much more confident now. I just ordered the "small cham starter" (or something like that) from Mulberry Farms which comes with several different things for me to try. Do you ever feed your chams plant material? Fruit, veggie, etc? I see that some people do and some don't.... She has some live plants with her - Umbrella and something I can't recall (but it was cham safe) - but I've not seen any evidence that she eats directly from it.

 

[SunflowerSupreme]

The best place I find to get silkworms (if you are looking for a larger vendor) is Coastal Silkworms, because you can buy either from the east or west coast side no matter where you live, and one side will have it if the other doesn't usually. Usually the shipping will just be a bit more depending where you live in the US. Hornworms I only rely on Great Lakes Hornworms because for smaller chameleons they do have smaller sizes easy to get, but they also have eggs that they can ship for you to hatch, which literally take no effort other than feeding, and can be fed to hatchlings. I totally recommend black soldier fly larvae because they are a two in one feeder, if they end up pupating into flies with you, you can also feed the flies. They are under the names of calci worms and phoenix worms as well. Butter worms I avoid with veileds particularly because if any type of cham will have an allergic reaction it will most likely be a veiled from my experience. Wax worms are fine as an occasional treat, I don't recommend feeding a female them unless she is in a gravid stage and then only once or twice during that stage, and maybe once or twice after, always makes sure she eats something healthier before hand. Superworms are really easy to get in smaller sizes. Just buy in bulk online or start a colony. There is also stick insects... you could always try the grasshopper route (getting wild caught grasshoppers and raising a captive colony) not always easy depending on where you live and your native grasshoppers. Isopods I always recommend, they are great for a staple feeder. If you decide to start with a wild caught colony, always make sure to separate the captive born to a different colony and only feed those. You have a lot of options even with your allergy. I only feed two roach species and I raise 6 species of feeders myself and feed 10 feeders regularly with an extra 4 non-regularly.

I just ordered some feeders from Mulberry farms, but I will certainly look into Coastal and keep your ideas in mind for next time. Thank you so much!!! Do you have any tips for knowing when she is gravid? I'm just afraid I'll miss it and mess something up.

 

[SunflowerSupreme]

Here are some pictures of my baby!

 

[Andee]

She looks really healthy. You can tell she's gravid because most veileds get receptive colors before, very distinct, she will display a pattern of very light robin egg or baby blue with yellow-orange spots. She will be pretty but usually after the receptive colors she will start putting on weight. You need to make sure her basking temps are no higher than 85, and you are no longer feeding her every day and only feeding every other day about 6-7 feeders the size of large crickets. (that means if they are smaller feed more) You want to do all the temps and cut on feeding stuff because it will cut down on egg production and hopefully amount of laying cycles and hopefully prolong her life. She most likely won't show a huge interest in fruits/veggies at this age because I agree with you she looks around 5 months, she will show more around 8 months+. This doesn't mean don't try ^^. I personally haven't fed any of the veileds I've kept in the past fruits or veggies that they willingly took (though when I was syringe feeding them I often fed them a small amount of baby food to keep them regular and for extra moisture), but this is because all of my veileds have been rehabilitations and then get sent to forever homes before they reach the point of wanting vegetation. I don't see any signs of mbd or any respiratory/abscesses/infections, she looks great so far! ^^ good choice on a healthy girl <3

 

[Peachypink]

I'll ditch the night light, I don't think my house gets colder than that, but I'll watch her temperature over the next few days just to be sure.

Thanks so much for the feeding advice!! Once I realized I couldn't feed roaches - since they seem so popular - I started getting a little panicky, but I feel much more confident now. I just ordered the "small cham starter" (or something like that) from Mulberry Farms which comes with several different things for me to try. Do you ever feed your chams plant material? Fruit, veggie, etc? I see that some people do and some don't.... She has some live plants with her - Umbrella and something I can't recall (but it was cham safe) - but I've not seen any evidence that she eats directly from it.

I try but mine hasn't eaten them yet but I'm gonna keep trying.

 

[SunflowerSupreme]

She looks really healthy. You can tell she's gravid because most veileds get receptive colors before, very distinct, she will display a pattern of very light robin egg or baby blue with yellow-orange spots. She will be pretty but usually after the receptive colors she will start putting on weight. You need to make sure her basking temps are no higher than 85, and you are no longer feeding her every day and only feeding every other day about 6-7 feeders the size of large crickets. (that means if they are smaller feed more) You want to do all the temps and cut on feeding stuff because it will cut down on egg production and hopefully amount of laying cycles and hopefully prolong her life. She most likely won't show a huge interest in fruits/veggies at this age because I agree with you she looks around 5 months, she will show more around 8 months+. This doesn't mean don't try ^^. I personally haven't fed any of the veileds I've kept in the past fruits or veggies that they willingly took (though when I was syringe feeding them I often fed them a small amount of baby food to keep them regular and for extra moisture), but this is because all of my veileds have been rehabilitations and then get sent to forever homes before they reach the point of wanting vegetation. I don't see any signs of mbd or any respiratory/abscesses/infections, she looks great so far! ^^ good choice on a healthy girl <3

I'm glad you think she looks healthy!! I'm trying to find a good, reputable vet to take her to for a check up to be sure (but that's easier said than done) and to get the fecal tests done (I would need to take my own sample, right?), but now I feel much better about the fact that it might take me a week or two to manage.

Thanks for the information about laying! Everyone talks about what to do when she's about to lay, but I've yet to find a great guide to how to tell if she's going to lay. Whats the best way to cut her temps? Use a different bulb? Speaking of bulbs, is it bad that she sometimes seems to sleep before I turn out her light? At the pet shop her lights always went off at nine, so that's when she seems ready to sleep, but admittedly I've forgotten until after 10 before and I've found her snoozing in the shade. So most likely its just that I need to turn her lights off sooner (or get a timer) but I want to make sure that's not abnormal, since there seems to be so many problems with sleep and lights.

And I'm going to try with veggies soon, I saw her nibble at one of her plants today, so maybe thats just something she likes.

Once again, thanks for being so patient and helpful!