OrianaB
New Member
Hello there, I'll try to condense this as much as I can but it'll still be long. I've been taking care of my former bio teacher's veiled chameleon for a few months. According to my teacher it's a male, and is named Newton. I'm not sure how old he is, but he is definitely at least 6 months and his body, not including tail, is about 4 inches. As discussed, I was supposed to have Newton picked up last week to go home, but my bio teacher told me to keep him due to lack of room in his apartment. I have no experience with chameleons besides Newton, so I started reading up on stuff so I could really take care of him in the long wrong since he's mine now. Currently he's in an "exoterra" type glass "tank" with two front doors and a mesh top with built in bulb. There is a heating pad on the side, the temperature there is always roughly 80 F. I feed him about 5-10 small crickets everyday (use calcium powder and feed them flukes cricket food) and spray inside a few times a day with water - but his uric acid is still yellow so I know he's dehydrated, even though I see him drink. I don't handle him since I know he gets stressed. After reading up today on proper care I know now that I'll have to switch him to a larger screen cage and give him a better diet. I planned on spending my whole next pay check on getting him set up with everything he needs. I realized that I wasn't completely sure if Newton is a male either - his casque is not as big as the ones I've seen in photos. I just got home tonight and went to go check Newton for those spurs on the back of the "paws" that male chameleons have. For some reason his light was off (I guess someone turned it off), and he was in darkness so when I found him asleep it didn't surprise me. Well I tried waking him up to see if I'd be able to notice the spurs, but he did not open his eyes for anything. He puffed up, hissed, and changed colors but did not open his eyes. I did notice that one of his eyes slightly opened for a few seconds and moved around, but it closed again. It basically looked like the way his eyes do when I shut off his light and he starts to go to sleep - he squints a little until finally deciding to close them. They are not puffy or swollen, and he looks exactly the same as he always does. He was completely fine this morning and ate the crickets with eagerness as usual - but now he is on his branch, tail curled up (like if he was asleep), and eyes closed. He has a pretty good grip on the branch. I've never tried to wake him up before though - I don't know if he's a deep sleeper and if this is normal or if there is something wrong. Just some extra info - yesterday my mom decided to let him out and he had a big adventure, he got lost for about an hour and I found him way up at the top of my closet but he was fine, as soon as I held him near his vines he grabbed them and climbed right back in. And before you say anything, I KNOW a vet would be a better option but it is 9 pm and I need advice now. My teacher said not to worry because he's a deep sleeper and the same thing happened to him but that he bounced right back - but I'm not really sure about this. Please give me any advice you have - should I completely leave him alone until tomorrow and see if he wakes up as he usually does? Sorry for the length, I'm just worried.
**Added some photos, maybe you can see something that I can't see - he is inflated from me poking him and his color is his usual color when he is asleep. His black polka dots of stress went away.**
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Veiled chameleon, apparently male (not sure), unknown age but at least 6 months, I've had him 3 months, not sure how long previous owner had him
Handling - Almost never - he gets very stressed so I avoid it
Feeding - 5-10 small crickets daily in the mornings. They are fed flukes orange cubes
Supplements - Reptocal calcium
Watering - Use spray bottle a couple times a day. I do see him drinking.
Fecal Description - yellow uric acid (I know he's dehydrated)
History - Unfortunately I don't have any extra info from his previous owner
Cage Info:
Cage Type - Glass exo terra with 2 front doors, mesh top. About 17 inches high, a foot wide and a foot deep.
Lighting - exo terra repti glo 5.0 UVB - probably over due for a change. I keep it on from about 8 am to 9 pm but it's not always the same.
Temperature - Heating mat on side of glass - there is it about 80. Not sure about the rest of the habitat. Exo Terra thermometer
Humidity - usually around 50% - exo terra hydrometer
Plants - No - only fake vines and a fake orchid plant
Placement - On table, next to (but not in front of) window. About 6 feet away diagonally from air vent. Top of tank is 4 feet up from the ground.
Location - New Jersey
**Added some photos, maybe you can see something that I can't see - he is inflated from me poking him and his color is his usual color when he is asleep. His black polka dots of stress went away.**
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Veiled chameleon, apparently male (not sure), unknown age but at least 6 months, I've had him 3 months, not sure how long previous owner had him
Handling - Almost never - he gets very stressed so I avoid it
Feeding - 5-10 small crickets daily in the mornings. They are fed flukes orange cubes
Supplements - Reptocal calcium
Watering - Use spray bottle a couple times a day. I do see him drinking.
Fecal Description - yellow uric acid (I know he's dehydrated)
History - Unfortunately I don't have any extra info from his previous owner
Cage Info:
Cage Type - Glass exo terra with 2 front doors, mesh top. About 17 inches high, a foot wide and a foot deep.
Lighting - exo terra repti glo 5.0 UVB - probably over due for a change. I keep it on from about 8 am to 9 pm but it's not always the same.
Temperature - Heating mat on side of glass - there is it about 80. Not sure about the rest of the habitat. Exo Terra thermometer
Humidity - usually around 50% - exo terra hydrometer
Plants - No - only fake vines and a fake orchid plant
Placement - On table, next to (but not in front of) window. About 6 feet away diagonally from air vent. Top of tank is 4 feet up from the ground.
Location - New Jersey
