Got a veiled chameleon yesterday.

D

Dori

New Member
I have a lot of questions..

Firstly, when I bought it, it was sort of wounded. The carekeeper was all like "no it's probably dirt" and tried to scratch it off and gave it a bruise and everything. I just want to know if you think it will heal?

Pics:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/tanalu/WOUND.png
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/tanalu/WOUND2.png

Also, I think the temperature is too high? I can't tell, the thermometer is showing me so many numbers.

Pic:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/tanalu/THERMO.png
(it's like 90 degrees fahrenheight now, but the thermometer is placed high)


Anddd, I was told to put crickets into a small clear cup and that it would crawl into it to eat them. But just now, the chameleon was trying to grab the cricket through the cup! Why? I know it can climb it. So what do I do?
 
Last edited:
im not sure about the wound, but you should try a cup thats not clear, and he'll eventually look in it, until then he'll probably keep shooting at the sides of the clear cup thinking he can get them that way :) kinda like the whole birds flying into glass thing..... hehe
 
Two of your pictures are not showing up....it says they have been deleted. The dark spot looks like it could be a burn from the light.....but thats an odd place for a burn. Jann
 
Okay I edited it.
And it just bothers me how it's trying to eat the cup!
So I let them roam around in the terrarium,
and I saw it almost eat one once, but it was too big to swallow....
 
Welcome to the forum Dori, there's lots to learn here and tons of support.

First of all go to http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/ and read it very carefully. Brad Ramsey, a senior member here, has everything you NEED to know about raising a veild chameleon, on this link.

The cup should not be clear! Your cham could seriously injure it's tongue by mistake.

The crickets must not be larger than the space between the cham's eyes or IT MAY CHOKE to death.

Please fill out the following to help us help you avoid future problems. (most of us made some pretty BIG mistakes when we started out)

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage construction (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
Lighting - What brand, model, and type 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?
Location - 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?

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.
Current Problem - The current problem that you are concerned about.

Pictures are helpful

Good luck and have fun!
 
Cage Info:
Cage Type - Full screen, 22 gallon, 14.5" x 14.5" x 25"
Lighting - Basking light (zoomed) 75 watt,
Daylight Blue UVA/UVB 60 watt
I keep them both on during the day and turn them off at night.
Temperature - I only have one thermometer in the corner which says 32 degrees celsius. Should I put more thermometers?
Humidity - The humidity is between 30% and 50%, it gets higher if I close the window or spray the cage, and gets lower when the window is open.
Plants - I'm not using any living plants at the moment.
Location - The cage is on the floor (well, carpet) and it's not near any vents or anything, and it's not near the window either..

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Veiled, most-likely female, and I think it's between 1.5-3 months. I don't know exactly because one of the workers said 3 months and another claimed it to be less? I bought it yesterday.
Handling - I don't bother it too much so far.
Feeding - I am feeding it crickets, I may buy worms for it as well, but I think the crickets are too big so I'll need to get smaller ones? And I put calcium dust on them.
Supplements - Um, if the calcium dust brand is necessary let me know? I don't feel like going upstairs again..
Watering - I misted it 3 times today, because it tried up REALLY fast and I think I saw it looking for water once, so I sprayed, and I saw it lick water off of the leaves.
Fecal Description - White and dark brown I think? And no I don't believe it's been tested.

Please let me know what I should fix! But I can't promise I can fix it right away since I can't afford much at the moment.

Thanks.
 
Oh and I think I saw my chameleon eat a piece of the Forest Bark I used for the ground. (when it ate a cricket)
..is it gonna be okay?
And it took a while to swallow the cricket.. I think I'll need smaller ones..
 
Dori said:
Oh and I think I saw my chameleon eat a piece of the Forest Bark I used for the ground. (when it ate a cricket)
..is it gonna be okay?
And it took a while to swallow the cricket.. I think I'll need smaller ones..
Click to expand...

You do not need Forest Bark in your cage. That could be dangerous to your little guy.

Have you read this? http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/ It will be very helpful to you as a new veiled owner. I still refer back to it when I have questions. Jann
 
Oh, well I couldn't find what else to use.

And is it going to be okay if it swallowed a piece or not?
 
Dori said:
Oh and I think I saw my chameleon eat a piece of the Forest Bark I used for the ground. (when it ate a cricket)
..is it gonna be okay?
And it took a while to swallow the cricket.. I think I'll need smaller ones..
Click to expand...

And yes an odd place for a burn:confused:
Oh man maybe the bark he ate along with the cricket could be the cause of the black spot possibly impaction point?? :confused: I, along with others would reccomend ditching the bark and having no substrate.
 
Dori said:
Location - The cage is on the floor (well, carpet) and it's not near any vents or anything, and it's not near the window either..
Click to expand...

Chams need to be as high up as you can possibly get them. They like it better when they are above you. This helps to keep stress down, and stress is a major factor in how well your cham does (stress can compromise thier immune system and causes problems with digestion).

DITCH THE SUBSTRATE!! You don't need anything in the bottom. This way you don't have to worry about them swallowing stuff their not supposed to and its MUCH easier to keep a clean cage without substrate.

Also Veileds love to munch on plants so try to work on getting at least one real plant (The babys don't really go for plants too often but older Veileds are like cows).
 
I just recently got my 1st chameleon too. I was told not to use anything on the floor as the chameleon could get impacted if it would injest the bedding. Like I said though, I am new to the hobby as well so what I said is just from what I've read, other more experienced people will be able to help you more!
 
i used a coconut bark substrate when i first got my chameleon as directed by the pet store, he did get a couple pieces every now and then with the crickets but he just picked it out of his mouth and was fine.

However, it really got disgusting within the first 3 days because of the amount of moisture the chameleon needs. I cleaned it out on the 3rd day and the bark was really gross and wet due to the dripper not hitting the cup all the time, the 3-5 minutes of misting 3 times a day, and then there was a mixture of hiding crickets.

Just make sure you have a lot of stuff for you cham to climb around on and i am sure he will be fine :)
 
Those types of Thermometers are useless. Digital probe types are pretty inexpensive. I'd suggest you get one to make sure your temps are spot on.
 
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