First chameleon

[Veiled Balter]

About a month ago I bought a veiled chameleon, and recently I have grown worried.

He only weighs 45 grams, but he eats and drinks fine. I can often see his room ribs, but I have been told that's normal. I currently feed him 4 crickets every 2-3 days, I tried feeding him more but he spat the 5th out.

It's clearly a male, but still he's digging holes. I checked the temperature, and its normal. I couldn't find other reasons for him to dig. He loves to go out of the terrarium, and often try to escape, but it's how animals behave, right?

Is he healthy or am I doing some thing wrong?

 

[EveryGreen]

what size exo terra?

 

[EveryGreen]

i would highly reccomend putting him in a mesh cage when hes older. and please fill this out, but first. do you have subsrate? please send pictures of the cage
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.


Pictures are helpful

fill this out please

 

[Veiled Balter]

Its a male and he's been in my Care for 2 Months. The pet shop owners says he's 2 years, but he just seems tiny.

I take him out about 2-3 times a day, often because he's trying to get out.

I feed him 4-5 crickets every 2 days, depends on how hungry he is, with his weight I just give him what he can eat.

I dust the crickets in nutri-cal ca:d3 once a week

I water him 2-3 times a day by misting him for about 3 minutes. I see him drink about once a day, but he doesn't s me to drink much.

There has been dark brown and white bits laying around in the cage. He hasn't been tested for parasites.

I don't know any thing from before I got him, but he seems to be a little confused some times, falling from a low branch, falling over when walking on my bed.

His terrarium is 36" x 18" x 36"/90 x 45 x 90 cm and of glass, from exo-terra

He has uvb light from zoo med and a heat lamp from exo- terra, both on for 14 hours a day.

The temperature is 22 at the bottom and 30 at the top. The temperature at night doesn't go under 18 and I use a exo-terra thermometer, than can stick to glass.

The humidity is about 80 and I try to keep it just under. I mesure it with an exo-terra hygrometer.

I use living plants, like living room birch(couldn't figure out how to translate it best, picture below). It's often scratched up.

The cage is place in a corner across from my bed, it's the only wall that isn't an outer wall. There is a computer fan placed on the cage to get some air circulation, but it isn't very effective. There is about 60 centimeters to the floor.

I live in Denmark.

I'm concerned that my chameleon isn't healthy, because he is pretty thin and weights only 44 grams. He does seem very active and happy, as he always want to go out of the cage.

 

[Fireborn]

He needs more foliage and a larger enclosure. They get restless when they don't have enough space. This happened when my male out grew his enclosure before I moved him into a 2ftx 2ftx 4ft high

 

[JacksJill]

He needs daily calcium on all his feeders. He should be on this schedule.
Supplementation:
Calcium and other vitamins are very important to your chameleon's health. Feeder insects should be lightly dusted with powdered supplement before being fed to your chameleon. Many keepers successfully use calcium (without D3 or phosphorus) at nearly every feeding, multivitamin once every 2 weeks, and calcium with D3 once every 2 weeks.
This care sheet will give you more info on husbandry.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/

 

[Graves923]

If he is in fact two years old, he definitely should put more weight on. When I last weighted my 8-9 month old male veiled at the vet he was weighing in at 97 grams shortly after his late morning feeding. Are you offering feeders daily to see if he eats or just every other day? Maybe try offering 10 or so med-large crickets each feeding. Use the cup feeding method to document his eating habits.

 

[Veiled Balter]

If he is in fact two years old, he definitely should put more weight on. When I last weighted my 8-9 month old male veiled at the vet he was weighing in at 97 grams shortly after his late morning feeding. Are you offering feeders daily to see if he eats or just every other day? Maybe try offering 10 or so med-large crickets each feeding. Use the cup feeding method to document his eating habits.

10 seems like overkill, a couple weeks ago he could barely eat 5 crickets.

 

[Veiled Balter]

He needs daily calcium on all his feeders. He should be on this schedule.
Supplementation:
Calcium and other vitamins are very important to your chameleon's health. Feeder insects should be lightly dusted with powdered supplement before being fed to your chameleon. Many keepers successfully use calcium (without D3 or phosphorus) at nearly every feeding, multivitamin once every 2 weeks, and calcium with D3 once every 2 weeks.
This care sheet will give you more info on husbandry.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/

I just heard that I shouldn't give him to much of it, because he could become sick

 

[Graves923]

10 seems like overkill, a couple weeks ago he could barely eat 5 crickets.

I'm just saying offer 10 in a cup and see how many he eats in 15 mins or so. My veiled usually eats 12-15 crickets daily. After about a year of age they ween themselves down to every other day feeding though.

 

[JacksJill]

Calcium with D3 can be over dosed and be toxic. Plain calcium without phosphorus is recommended to be given six days out of seven.

 

[Veiled Balter]

I'm just saying offer 10 in a cup and see how many he eats in 15 mins or so. My veiled usually eats 12-15 crickets daily. After about a year of age they ween themselves down to every other day feeding though.

I will try it, there is no harm in trying

 

[kinyonga]

Dusting the insects at almost every feeding lightly with a phosphorous-free calcium powder will help make up for the poor ratio of calcium to phosphorous found in most feeder insects.
If you don't make the insects look like ghosts you won't be overdoing the calcium.

If you dust twice a month lightly with a phosphorous-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon will get some D3 without overdosing it and allow it to produce the rest of the D3 it needs from its exposure to the UVB. D3 from supplements can build up and cause health issues but D3 from exposure to the UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and outnof the UVB at will.

If you dust twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene prOformed source of vitamin A the chameleon cannot overdose on the vitamin A because prOformed sources will not build up in the system like prEformed sources can. This leaves it up to you to decide when/if your chameleon needs prEformed vitamin A.

In addition to supplementing, it's important to feed/gutload your insects well. For crickets, locusts, roaches, superworms, etc you can use a wide assortment of greens and veggies such as dandelion greens, kale, endive, escarole, carrots, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, squash, zucchini, and a bit of fruit such as berries, apples, pears, melon.

Appropriate temperatures aid in digestion thus play a part in nutrient absorption.

Water can also be provided by a dripper. It's important that they drink well.

I also agree that you should be feeding him more.
Hope this helps!