First Time Chameleon Owner

[Baileyrob1189]

Hey there!

First time chameleon owner and I’ve got two major questions!

Info: I have a female veiled chameleon named Fern. I do not know exact age, but I know she is at least 6-7 months old. And I believe she’s under a year. Her enclosure is 25x25x61. Filled with pothos and schefflera and bromeliads. She lives in my plant shop so I think she’s one happy girl! We mist 2-3 times a day. Feed every other day. Temp is in the 80s. Humidity in the 60-70s. More on diet below. I believe she is getting ready to lay her first eggs. Been very restless and I keep finding her digging in her potted plants... and completely ignoring the lay bin I made her ?

Question 1: Does her back leg look like it might have gout? I didn’t think a thing of it until a read a post on this forum that said a similarly shaped leg was gout. She’s not having any issues walking, seems very healthy. But does is look normal to you guys?

Question 2: How much should I be feeding her? I keep finding mixed reviews. I was told from Petco to do meal worms and wax worms and have since read on this forum that’s no good! So I’m focusing on crickets and fruit now, until I can get in some of the approved worms. Only juuuust made that switch. But I can’t find any info on how many crickets are enough. She is a very food motivated girl!! ?

please help this newbie! ?

 

[Fchamel]

Hello! To answer your feeding question... Mealworms are a complete nono. Pet stores are not very knowledgeable about caring for chameleons. I will attach a feeding char below. Feed 3-5 feeders every other day. Also, feed wax worms only in moderation because they have a high-fat content.

 

[Fchamel]

A great place to buy feeders is dubiaroaches.com

 

[MissSkittles]

Hey there!

First time chameleon owner and I’ve got two major questions!

Info: I have a female veiled chameleon named Fern. I do not know exact age, but I know she is at least 6-7 months old. And I believe she’s under a year. Her enclosure is 25x25x61. Filled with pothos and schefflera and bromeliads. She lives in my plant shop so I think she’s one happy girl! We mist 2-3 times a day. Feed every other day. Temp is in the 80s. Humidity in the 60-70s. More on diet below. I believe she is getting ready to lay her first eggs. Been very restless and I keep finding her digging in her potted plants... and completely ignoring the lay bin I made her ?

Question 1: Does her back leg look like it might have gout? I didn’t think a thing of it until a read a post on this forum that said a similarly shaped leg was gout. She’s not having any issues walking, seems very healthy. But does is look normal to you guys?

Question 2: How much should I be feeding her? I keep finding mixed reviews. I was told from Petco to do meal worms and wax worms and have since read on this forum that’s no good! So I’m focusing on crickets and fruit now, until I can get in some of the approved worms. Only juuuust made that switch. But I can’t find any info on how many crickets are enough. She is a very food motivated girl!! ?

please help this newbie! ?

Hi! To help reduce the number of eggs laid and the frequency of laying, I feed my girls 3 feeders 3 days a week. Plus I give them occasional treats like pupated bsfl. So far it’s working very well as they’ve only laid once all year.
The only thing she needs is bugs...no fruit, veggies or greens. She will eat her plants and IMO the jury is still out on why.
Since you mention getting her and keeping advice from Petco, you may want to have your husbandry reviewed (find the form under ‘How to ask for help’) just to make sure all is correct. The chain pet stores and even some mom & pop ones are notorious for giving bad advice. https://chameleonacademy.com/veiled-chameleon-care/ is an incredible resource for everything chameleon. Neptune the chameleon on YouTube offers great videos on many topics and always adding more.

 

[Nightshaded]

Hello! To answer your feeding question... Mealworms are a complete nono. Pet stores are not very knowledgeable about caring for chameleons. I will attach a feeding char below. Feed 3-5 feeders every other day. Also, feed wax worms only in moderation because they have a high-fat content.

Interesting picture. Has anyone ever fed their cham a stickbug before? I've never knew they were used for feeding, which I don't think I could do because I like them so much. It's probably because they are so rare where I live. I haven't seen on in years.

Also, +1 to dubiaroaches.com
I can't believe I used to buy crickets. Man, these roaches are sooo much better imo.

 

[Fchamel]

Interesting picture. Has anyone ever fed their cham a stickbug before? I've never knew they were used for feeding, which I don't think I could do because I like them so much. It's probably because they are so rare where I live. I haven't seen on in years.

Also, +1 to dubiaroaches.com
I can't believe I used to buy crickets. Man, these roaches are sooo much better imo.

I haven't fed my chamelon stick bugs before either. Mostly because I don't want to risk it. The bug could have a pesticide on it, or something that chams are allergic to. Yes, dubias are awesome! Though I still feed crickets. They are a favorite. ???

 

[kinyonga]

I don't see any signs of gout. I'm not a vet. It's just my opinion.

@MissSkittles has already addressed feeding.