First time Chameleon owner need some advise!

[VLS&DB]

So yesterday we got a Veiled Chameleon. We have done some research before we got it. Today we have spent a lot of time reading about them even more. We got her from Pet Co near us and she seems to be ok. She has eaten some live crickets and she has drank water dripped on her leaves. She is pretty active and seems to be doing good, but was hoping for some advice.

 

[kyliespencer]

Hi, I also got a veiled chameleon from petco about 2 weeks ago. My chameleon is doing very well. At first my chameleon did not eat or drink much but he slowly got comfortable in his new environment and is now eating up a storm! My only advice is to not handle your chameleon too much now and wait til he/she gets used to you feeding him and then he'll be much more comfortable. Chameleons don't do well under stress and lots of handling but they can be handled when they get used to you. Put your hands in his/her habitat while feedin occasionally to get him/her used to you!

 

[brownie64]

Welcome to the forums, and congratulations on your new cham. The best way for use to give you advise would be for you to tell us what you know, and how you do it. Your cham might not be sick, but if you were to fill out a ask for help form we could the be more prepared to give you friendly advise to help you on you marvelous journey. I'll leave you a link to it. And I will also leave you a link to the care sheets. The best advice I could give right now is to forget about everything that PetSmart may or may not have told you. I wish I had a nickel for every one they have given bad advise to.https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/

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

 

[VLS&DB]

Hey y'all, wifey started us off here lol...But any who I'm Dustin and for just a bit of background...I once had numerous snakes and other reptiles and herp stuff became a passion. I value every little detail in ensuring the safety and over all well being of our companions! We love animals and look forward to learning from all of y'all. And btw...I wouldn't trust crap from PetCo usually lol but this little girl was hard to pass up lol....I also dont listen to squat from any employee there lol...They are kids usually and only get paid minimum wage, what can you expect lol..thanks though brownie64 ​

 

[mvad]

This forum is a wealth of knowledge. Not everyone on here gives the correct advise but most do. My advise is not to buy chameleons at petsmart or petco. The sad fact is they are a business more interested in making profit than providing healthy animals. Most info they give on chameleon husbandry and care is wrong. Here is a wonderful care resource found here on this forum.

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

Sorry for the rant. Good luck with your new cham and enjoy the journey with her. She's very cute

 

[Pascelthecham]

let your cham get used to you and its new home, like for about a month, then spend plenty of time with it. i have a female veiled who loves to hang out with me and watch tv shows and movies.
i have found that the less i keep her in her terrarium, the friendlier she is

 

[jajeanpierre]

let your cham get used to you and its new home, like for about a month, then spend plenty of time with it. i have a female veiled who loves to hang out with me and watch tv shows and movies.
i have found that the less i keep her in her terrarium, the friendlier she is

I'm glad you are enjoying your little chameleon, but I wonder if your interpretation of her attitude towards you is accurate.

I've never seen any chameleon enjoy the company of another chameleon except to breed. They don't hang out together, and mothers eat their babies if they find them.

The word "friendly" connotes some sort of a reciprocal social relationship, something that biologists have not been able to observe in chameleons.

Perhaps a more apt description of your interaction would be--and I'm guessing because I haven't seen it--she shows an abscence of aggressive or flight behaviors outside the cage.

I doubt very much that your chameleon loves watching TV or hanging out with you. That she doesn't flee or attack says nothing about her enjoyment, and based on the natural history of chameleons, might be more of a survival strategy than anything else. A chameleon that stays hidden from predators (you, by the way) is more likely to see another day.

There can be a lot of things going on that have nothing to do with "friendly" behavior. A fearful and overwhelmed chameleon will often freeze. Is that "friendly"?

They really are not a pet that "enjoys" spending time with people.