Help with new baby veiled

Quaz

Quaz

New Member
I bought a baby veiled at a show the other weekend. I have him in a small glass tank with screen top for now. There are several small twigs and a few live plants the substrate is damp sphagnum moss and a bit of potting soil under that. Temps are up to 88 daytime and 70 night.

At first he was eating great in front of me and now I think he's still eating but is incredibly shy and hides behind the branch he's on. I've been feeding him fruit flies. He also digs in the ground through out the day and has a bunch of dirt on him when I see him as night. I'm not really worried about him but just wanted a bit of feed back since it's been a while since I've owned a cham.

Anything else... I mist daily in a part of the tank where he isn't perched. The tank is also in an area where there isn't much traffic or movement to freak him out. he is next to my dart frog tank and I put a paper towel between them so my frog doesn't go nuts after the flies on the other side of the tank and so that the chameleon isn't freaked out by the frog smashing his head on the glass.

Thanks for any advice or suggestions.
 
First off-what type of lighting to you have on this guy-glass tanks heat up really really fast-if he is digging in the substrate he may be too hot. Next-remove the substrate-it can cause impaction issues. If you mist several times a day like you need to you will only create a huge mess. You should be misting several times a day and for several minutes, enough that you should have to wipe up the bare bottom of the tank with paper towels. Do you know how old he is?
Great site-please read...http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/
 
You need a fluorecent tube/linear (NOT compact/spiral) UVB bulb so that he can produce vitamin D3 so he can use the calcium in his diet. (BTW, the UVB light should not pass through glass or plastic.) Sunlight is the best source of UVB...so if you can get him outside it would be helpful. Most feeder insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorous so its important to dust the insects just before feeding them to the chameleon at most feedings with a phosphorous-free calcium powder.

The basking light can be a regular household incandescent bulb (not the new spiral ones) in a hood. The wattage should be whatever it takes to make the basking temperature in the low to mid 80'sF. Appropriate basking temperature is important to aid in good digestion which will help with nutrient absorption.

I also dust with a vitamin powder that has a beta carotene source of vitamin A twice a month. Beta carotene won't build up in the system and cause overdose like preformed will. However, there is controversy as to whether all chameleons can convert the beta carotene to vitamin A or not so some people give a little preformed vitamin A once in a while. Excess preformed vitamin A can build up in the system and prevent the D3 from doing its job and lead to MBD though so do not overdo it.

If your chameleon gets no direct sunlight then its likely a good idea to dust with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder lightly twice a month. D3 from supplements can also build up in the system.

You can gutload the insects with an assortment of greens (dandelion, kale, collards, curly endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, zucchini, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, etc.).

Since veileds will eat greens and veggies once they are about 5 or 6 months old you can give them any of the above to supplement their insect diet...and a bit of fruit such as apple, pear, melon, berries, etc.

Calcium, phos., vitamin D3 and vitamin A are the main players in bone health and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.
 
First off-what type of lighting to you have on this guy
Click to expand...

I have a 48" compact florescent light that spans that stretch of tanks. I have a paper towel over the screen top to keep the fruit flies in while he's feeding on those. When he moves up to larger crickets I'll remove that but the light comes in pretty well from behind the tank but it's through the glass

I mist once a day and it seems to really stress the little guy out. I don't ever see him drinking any drips but there are still plenty there when I'm not watching.

He must still be within a few months old being only an inch or so long.

I dust with rep-cal and herpti-vit

Thanks for all the helpfull advice and coments
 
I am thinking 48" is not a compact light but a linear flourescent tube? You need one that produces UVB and that will definitley not go through the glass tank so you will need it above the screen. You need to mist 3-5 times a day, and if he objects simply mist around him and watch to make sure urates are nice and white, yellows are a sign of dehydration and the young ones go downhill very fast. You will need the Repcal with D3 and without. Read the link I provided for good dusting info.
 
Sorry! I meant kinyonga!

Julirs, I'm confused. In the first paragraph you say the following?

"Most feeder insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorous so its important to dust the insects just before feeding them to the chameleon at most feedings with a phosphorous-free calcium powder."

Then in the 4th paragraph you say this:

"If your chameleon gets no direct sunlight then its likely a good idea to dust with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder lightly twice a month. D3 from supplements can also build up in the system."

Are you talking about dusting the cham itself twice a month?

Thanks.
 
Twas not me that said that-was Kinyonga!
Anyways what it means is that for most feedings you want to use Calcium with no D3, and a few times a month use Calcium with D3 unless your chameleon is getting several days of sunlight a week.
Please only dust insects-not chameleons! :)
 
well, there ya go! being a newbie, that's why I ask some probably silly questions to you experts! LOL!

I couldn't find the Rep-Cal w/o Vit. D3 locally so I've been using Rep-Cal with Vit. D3 twice a week on my baby cham. Where can I find the Rep-Cal w/o Vit D3? I also use the Herptivite mixed with it.

Thanks.
 
Never be afraid to ask questions! That is how we all learned. You can order Repcal at LLLreptile.com or Reptilesupply.com for far cheaper than most stores. Don't mix either-that diminishes the effect. For young chams I use Repcal no D3 5-6 times weekly, with D3 2-3 times monthly, and Herptivite 3X monthly. For adults I use D3 twice and Herptivite once monthly.
 
okay, so I was oversupplementing with both then. I just found Rep-Cal w/o D3 on LLLReptile and have ordered.

Thanks for the info!
 
i saw that episode live a few weeks back, definitely made me cringe when i saw the chamy in the snakes mouth.

lil off topic but, im using liquid calcium spray for non d3 treatments and using dust for d3 treatments and vitamins. im using spray cuz i couldnt find non d3 calcium dust locally but the spray seemed ok.
 
Ok, Here's a pic of little Earnest but wife's shortend it to Chammy.

100_3688.jpg


The light is a ESU power compact 50/50. It's a high output reef light which is basically two t5 bulbs conected. one tube is 20,000k (blue) and the other is 10,000k (white) It grows corals and plants well. I don't know if it grows chameleons well.

I got the hint that the substrate has to go and I should get a better enclosure for him. I planned on making this tank temparary any way since it's only about 6x6x10''

Given the advice on how often to mist the little guy I think I should invest in an automatic mister. Who has experience with zoo med habi-mist (good or bad) ?

Thanks for the help. I'll have to get a chart to go by on my dusting schedule.
 
heard haba mist isnt that good, heard real good things about herpmist though. Compact lights are bad!!! IMO you should ditch the coral lights and get the recommended ones ASAP!!!, they may grow coral but prob. not chameleons. and you will definitely have to get a screen enclosure.
 
I believe they are called habbaspit..I hear they work ok, but I think that if you are into the hobby you may as well spend the money and get a good misting system. I bought a Herpmist after seeing my local petstore misting system. It was some of the best money I have spent. A great fine mist, easy to setup, very quite, and best hand misting anyday. I also think that you need to get a 5.0 tube bulb for your light. I get mine from LLLreptile, very good prices. I have a 4ft one for 2 cages and replace it every 6 months.
 
cf bulbs dont give even coverage of uvb; and some bulbs have extremely too much uvb that have burnt up chammys. its not only if you have uvb or not, its how much uvb is required and how much is considered radiation poisioning. i would rather not experiment on my pets, but use something recommended.
 
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