Grim is growing quick

[gt4awd]

Hello, I got my veiled three weeks ago. He has already doubled in size! Been really interesting to see the changes they go through so quickly. Generalized color, pattern changes, etc... He just finished his first shedding since I've had him. I feed small crickets daily. Hoping he is almost big enough for large crickets? There is a UV bulb and a 100w blue daylight. The heater is 100w ceramic. I did purchase a under tank heater just haven't installed yet. Three ballast now so I don't have to swap bulb for heater. Automatic mister system goes off 10 seconds every 2 hours. It flows a lot. Right now I'm showing 40% on the humidity so maybe I need to do once an hour again? It used to sit at 50% and max at 70% at night. Temp shows 80F Guage is positioned away from basking area though. He had a gaping issue since arriving at Petsmart. Seems to be gone now. Lasted about two weeks after purchase.

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi again and an official welcome to the forum. Your chameleon is beautiful, but I strongly suspect you just might have a girl. Also, I don’t want you to think I’m being a jerk or mean or anything like that…I’d like to help you so that you and your little beauty have the very best experience for many years together. So with that said, it looks that you’ve fallen victim to some of the incorrect info about how to keep chameleons. If you are open to learning and accepting my help and the help of our amazing community here, we can help you get everything set up correctly and perfectly for your sweetie. Just do let me know if you are open to that. Ok?

 

[elizaann2]

Hello and welcome!!

 

[gt4awd]

Hi again and an official welcome to the forum. Your chameleon is beautiful, but I strongly suspect you just might have a girl. Also, I don’t want you to think I’m being a jerk or mean or anything like that…I’d like to help you so that you and your little beauty have the very best experience for many years together. So with that said, it looks that you’ve fallen victim to some of the incorrect info about how to keep chameleons. If you are open to learning and accepting my help and the help of our amazing community here, we can help you get everything set up correctly and perfectly for your sweetie. Just do let me know if you are open to that. Ok?

Of course I am. Please let me know what's up. Honestly I live in a desert and my petsmart sells open screened cages for chameleons so yeah I hear you. I'm going to talk to management about getting rid of them. I've learned a lot already but I want to be the best I can be for any animal I own. Spent 7 years as a master technician in many fields. Mainly industrial. Then decided to work with people again instead of machines. I love my animals!!!

 

[gt4awd]

Hello and welcome!!

Thank you!!!

 

[MissSkittles]

Phew! I’m so very glad. While everything is important, I’m going to address the most important changes to start. The very first is that the coil or screw in uvb lights aren’t able to provide the uvb levels that chameleons need. The standard is a linear T5HO fixture with either a ReptiSun 5.0 or Arcadia 6% uvb bulb. I don’t advise any other brands as they have not proven to have reliable output. Then the uvb needs to be about 8-9” above basking area for optimal uvb levels. You have a very short enclosure and a young chameleon which will probably walk upside down along the screen top and put herself at risk for burns. To accommodate this, you’ll need to raise your lights at least a couple of inches above the screen top. You should be able to hold your hand on the screen for several minutes without it feeling too hot. Basking temp for young chameleons and girls is no higher than 80. While I’m thinking about it, let’s verify the gender of your cutie. Males have prominent nubs, called tarsal spurs on the heels of their back feet. Like this. This also shows the vertical bands and coloration that boys have starting at about 3 months old. Females will be a consistent green or when fired up, show patterns like your cutie is showing.




After having correct uvb lighting and basking temps, supplements are next in importance. You want to be lightly dusting at every feeding with a phosphorus free calcium without D3. For convenience and good health, I suggest using a combo product for D3 and multivitamins, like Repashy Calcium Plus LoD or ReptiVite with D3. You’ll use that product for one feeding every other week (or some do twice a month).
For feeding, I have to make a guess about how old your chameleon is and I’m going to say maybe 4 months. For that age, you want to feed daily about 20 feeders of appropriate size (smaller than the space between the eyes). You also need to care for the feeders and keep them healthy and well fed so that they are nutritious. Giving a variety of feeders is best and many on line vendors sell combo packs for different species. Check the forum sponsors as I believe Rainbow mealworms is one and you’ll have to check the others. https://www.chameleonforums.com/sponsors/?tag=food I am attaching graphics on feeders and what to feed them. Btw, it’s impossible to buy pre-gutloaded crickets as their digestion moves way too fast. As your girl grows older, you’ll need to reduce her feeding. This will explain some of it. https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/veiled-chameleon-laying-101.2488/
Humidity - you say you live in a desert, so you may have difficulty maintaining humidity, but there are things to do for that. While glass enclosures are great for that, they don’t come large enough for an adult veiled. I would suggest a hybrid, like Dragon Strand or Tamura designs. Check the sponsors page. *Keep in mind that ideal daytime humidity is between 30-50%. High heat plus high humidity = risk for respiratory infection. If those are out of budget, you can easily modify a screen enclosure. The easiest way is with shrink to fit window insulation film on the back and both sides, leaving the front open. @Beman has another way with adding acrylic panels that she can tell you about. However you do it, the minimum size needs to be 2x2x4’. I encourage doubling that if able. You want to fill up the enclosure with safe clean live plants, like pothos, weeping fig, tradescantia zebrina, schefflera and others. This is a great guide for plants. Our veiled friends like to eat their plants, so look for the ones marked ‘veiled tested’. https://chameleonacademy.com/plants/ You also want to fill the enclosure with lots of branches and vines for them to move around on. I like natural branches. I give a light scrub with soapy water, rinse the heck out of and dry in the sun. Avoid ones with sap or strong odors, like pine or eucalyptus. Being in the desert, you may have to put in a little extra to find branches. Someone there has to have some oak trees or something. Try checking with a tree trimmer or landscape company. I’m in Florida with scrub pines and palms, so every now and then go out driving to raid peoples curb piles of tree trimmings.
To attach all of these branches, vines and plants, it will depend on the type of enclosure you get. For screen it’s pretty easy and there’s Dragon Ledges https://dragonstrand.com/dragon-ledges/ or a method I’ve been using lately is attaching garden trellis to the frame with wire. For glass or hybrid, you’ll need to create a scaffolding type structure to hang things from. Avoid wooden dowels and bamboo - the former easily molds and the latter is very slippery when wet.
Rather than go on and on, let me guide you to https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/ or if you prefer videos, check out Neptune the Chameleon on YouTube for husbandry and Chameleon Academy has lots of videos on an assortment of things. Chameleon Academy also has podcasts, the husbandry program and an e zine. Of course, don’t be afraid to ask questions and please share all you can with us here. We all started at the beginning and many of us also got bad info. Again, I’m so very glad that you’re here and open to giving your little beauty the very best life.

 

[gt4awd]

Phew! I’m so very glad. While everything is important, I’m going to address the most important changes to start. The very first is that the coil or screw in uvb lights aren’t able to provide the uvb levels that chameleons need. The standard is a linear T5HO fixture with either a ReptiSun 5.0 or Arcadia 6% uvb bulb. I don’t advise any other brands as they have not proven to have reliable output. Then the uvb needs to be about 8-9” above basking area for optimal uvb levels. You have a very short enclosure and a young chameleon which will probably walk upside down along the screen top and put herself at risk for burns. To accommodate this, you’ll need to raise your lights at least a couple of inches above the screen top. You should be able to hold your hand on the screen for several minutes without it feeling too hot. Basking temp for young chameleons and girls is no higher than 80. While I’m thinking about it, let’s verify the gender of your cutie. Males have prominent nubs, called tarsal spurs on the heels of their back feet. Like this. This also shows the vertical bands and coloration that boys have starting at about 3 months old. Females will be a consistent green or when fired up, show patterns like your cutie is showing.


View attachment 359471

After having correct uvb lighting and basking temps, supplements are next in importance. You want to be lightly dusting at every feeding with a phosphorus free calcium without D3. For convenience and good health, I suggest using a combo product for D3 and multivitamins, like Repashy Calcium Plus LoD or ReptiVite with D3. You’ll use that product for one feeding every other week (or some do twice a month).
For feeding, I have to make a guess about how old your chameleon is and I’m going to say maybe 4 months. For that age, you want to feed daily about 20 feeders of appropriate size (smaller than the space between the eyes). You also need to care for the feeders and keep them healthy and well fed so that they are nutritious. Giving a variety of feeders is best and many on line vendors sell combo packs for different species. Check the forum sponsors as I believe Rainbow mealworms is one and you’ll have to check the others. https://www.chameleonforums.com/sponsors/?tag=food I am attaching graphics on feeders and what to feed them. Btw, it’s impossible to buy pre-gutloaded crickets as their digestion moves way too fast. As your girl grows older, you’ll need to reduce her feeding. This will explain some of it. https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/veiled-chameleon-laying-101.2488/
Humidity - you say you live in a desert, so you may have difficulty maintaining humidity, but there are things to do for that. While glass enclosures are great for that, they don’t come large enough for an adult veiled. I would suggest a hybrid, like Dragon Strand or Tamura designs. Check the sponsors page. *Keep in mind that ideal daytime humidity is between 30-50%. High heat plus high humidity = risk for respiratory infection. If those are out of budget, you can easily modify a screen enclosure. The easiest way is with shrink to fit window insulation film on the back and both sides, leaving the front open. @Beman has another way with adding acrylic panels that she can tell you about. However you do it, the minimum size needs to be 2x2x4’. I encourage doubling that if able. You want to fill up the enclosure with safe clean live plants, like pothos, weeping fig, tradescantia zebrina, schefflera and others. This is a great guide for plants. Our veiled friends like to eat their plants, so look for the ones marked ‘veiled tested’. https://chameleonacademy.com/plants/ You also want to fill the enclosure with lots of branches and vines for them to move around on. I like natural branches. I give a light scrub with soapy water, rinse the heck out of and dry in the sun. Avoid ones with sap or strong odors, like pine or eucalyptus. Being in the desert, you may have to put in a little extra to find branches. Someone there has to have some oak trees or something. Try checking with a tree trimmer or landscape company. I’m in Florida with scrub pines and palms, so every now and then go out driving to raid peoples curb piles of tree trimmings.
To attach all of these branches, vines and plants, it will depend on the type of enclosure you get. For screen it’s pretty easy and there’s Dragon Ledges https://dragonstrand.com/dragon-ledges/ or a method I’ve been using lately is attaching garden trellis to the frame with wire. For glass or hybrid, you’ll need to create a scaffolding type structure to hang things from. Avoid wooden dowels and bamboo - the former easily molds and the latter is very slippery when wet.
Rather than go on and on, let me guide you to https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/ or if you prefer videos, check out Neptune the Chameleon on YouTube for husbandry and Chameleon Academy has lots of videos on an assortment of things. Chameleon Academy also has podcasts, the husbandry program and an e zine. Of course, don’t be afraid to ask questions and please share all you can with us here. We all started at the beginning and many of us also got bad info. Again, I’m so very glad that you’re here and open to giving your little beauty the very best life.


View attachment 359472View attachment 359473

Ok so the screw based UV is not adequate. I want to question this more... why??? Clearly we have a difference between a concentrated area and elongated higher coverage bulbs. I get this it's common sense. If they move away from the concentration the exposure is over. Got it.

The instore crickets are expensive. I've searched and found options online for better. Just haven't gone that route yet.

From what you've said my humidity ranges are ok. Thank you.

The first photograph shows some branches i just pulled off natural bush outside. She/he loves it. Grim randomly started going to edge of terrarium following mister line. Now has a wrap around.

I have no natural plants. I did read they like to eat them. I eliminated vegetable mix as early info said they don't need it or want it unless dehydrated? Correct me on anything wrong thank you so much!

 

[gt4awd]

Thank you so much for the replies.

 

[MissSkittles]

Ok so the screw based UV is not adequate. I want to question this more... why???

This part of the Chameleon Academy husbandry program explains uvb and different types. https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-cage-set-up-replicating-the-sun/
This is an old video, but still very relevant and explains a lot.

The screw in bulbs have a very short range. We need a UV index of about 3.0 for our chameleons. The screw in bulbs give that at a distance of about 2-3” away and any farther than that, there’s no uvb output. But, if you go even a cm closer, you can enter a very high/too high uvb level. With the linear T5, the ideal 3.0 UVI is at about 8-9” and it more gradually decreases/increases. I don’t know if I’m explaining it very well.

 

[MissSkittles]

The Chameleon Academy podcasts are amazing for learning more in depth of why we do things the way we do. There are conversations with leading experts in the various fields that go into the details.

 

[gt4awd]

Hey everyone. Grim is doing good. She is very happy eating medium crickets now!

 

[kinyonga]

Welcome to the forum @gt4awd and to the world of chameleons!

You’ve been given lots of good information here already. It’s a learning process with chameleons. There is so much to know to have them do well in captivity!

You said…”I have no natural plants. I did read they like to eat them. I eliminated vegetable mix as early info said they don't need it or want it unless dehydrated? Correct me on anything wrong thank you so much!”…it’s said that it’s not for hydration that they eat greens and veggies, etc. I do know that female veileds will strip a pothos plant bare when they are gravid, so IMHO there is some reason they need to do this. There are other documented instances of some chameleon species eating fruits, greens, etc on occasion too.

Even if we don’t feed greens, etc to them, many of the insects should have them in their diet to keep them healthy and to get the nutrition from them into the chameleons.

The veiled chameleon females are a bit like chickens, they lay eggs even when not mated…but they do it in clutches…and it can be as often as every 120 days or so. The problem is that the way many people keep them in captivity, they end up producing large numbers of follicles and large numbers of eggs and usually develop follicular stasis and/or dystocia (egg binding) and die early. To lessen/stop the chances of this happening, we control their diet and temperatures as they approach sexual maturity.

 

[ERKleRose]

Hi there, and welcome! Everyone’s given you great advice! I just want to add a few more things, if that’s alright:
-She needs an appropriate lay bin in her cage if you haven’t added one already (veileds can be sexually mature as little as 4 months old). @MissSkittles ‘ blog she linked above goes over this more, along with the graphic I attached below!
-The heat mat is not needed at all, and the ceramic heater is not needed unless nighttime temps are staying in the 40*Fs. We aim for 65*F or lower for nighttime temps for veileds
-If you haven’t done so already, I recommend you switch to digital meters to check your temps and humidity levels! You want a probed digital thermometer to measure her basking temps and at least 2 digital thermometer/hygrometer combos (or separate of each if you prefer) placed near the top and near the bottom of the cage, to measure ambient and overnight temps and humidity levels
-Blue lights can cause eye issues in chameleons, so you’ll want to get a plain white light incandescent bulb for her heat bulb. You also want to make sure it is raised to at least 9”+ away from her basking branch to prevent burns
-Lastly, I’d also recommend you replace her cage sooner rather than later, not just because she’ll love having more space, but more importantly because the ventilation strip in her current cage is not set up properly for a chimney effect (which makes sure there is constant fresh air circulating through the enclosure), which helps prevent respiratory infections. You want at minimum ventilation at the bottom of the front of the cage and a screen top. Another option for retrofitting a screen cage is screwing in coroplast or pvc panels onto the sides and back of the screen cage (this is what I do)! Just remember that hybrid cages need longer misting times (2+ minutes around lights on and off, no misting during the day if possible). The Chameleon Academy delves deeper into hydration methods if you want to read more about it!