How old am I??

[Enjera]

After purchasing this beautiful magnificent little Cham at petco I honestly didn’t get the chance to ask about his age…I’ve had em for 2 months now and a week I bought em sept 17 so they basically decided to say that’s his birthday but if anyone can identify roughly about how many months and how many insects or times I should feed em without turning him obese….any help tips and tricks are welcomed and thank you

 

[jannb]

He's adorable! I have babies about that size. I'd say 4 to 5 months old.

 

[Enjera]

Thank you for the post…
I’m super excited for my little man to keep growing and showing off his inner colors

 

[elizaann2]

He is darling!

 

[elizaann2]

I feel like a 9 month old should be eating about 10 small feeders daily but I know that Veileds you want to be more careful with how much you feed since they tend to over eat. @Beman how much would you recommend he be fed?

 

[MissSkittles]

Aww…he’s a cutie! At this young age, I’d be feeding him at least 10-15 appropriately sized feeders. He’s a growing boy. Usually by about 10-12 months he should be getting about 3-4 feeders every other day or even three days a week. @elizaann2 suggested a husbandry review, which would be a wonderful way to make sure everything is as perfect as possible for your sweet little guy.

 

[elizaann2]

I second guessed myself and changed my post

But what I said before was are you open to doing a husbandry review to ensure you've got everything down correctly for him?

 

[Enjera]

I second guessed myself and changed my post

But what I said before was are you open to doing a husbandry review to ensure you've got everything down correctly for him?

Yes please let’s do it

 

[elizaann2]

Here you go! The more information you share the better . Also if you can share a picture of his full enclosure including the lights on the top that would be awesome!

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 do 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.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types 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?
• Placement - 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?
• Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem -

 

[Enjera]

Here you go! The more information you share the better . Also if you can share a picture of his full enclosure including the lights on the top that would be awesome!

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?Veiled chameleon…average age 5-6 months from most people that gave their opinion and I trust lol….been in my car for 2 months and a week literally…
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?I don’t handle my chameleon at all….He seems to get stressed and hisses at me a lot so I just let him be….as long as he’s not sick there’s no means to handle him with all due respect he’s amazing as it is….
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?I’ve been feeding my Cham horn worms about 2xS a month but about 4 a month total ….i feed em crickets super worms meal worms I’m looking into getting live grasshoppers wax worms and my wife just bought me some black soldier fly larvae and I can’t wait till they hatch to flies…..I gut load them with apples carrots and green veggies and the schedule is usually from 8-10 am to allow him enough time to digest those bad boys…
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with, and what is the schedule?the brand I’m using is repashy NoD for every feeding and for vitamin A every 2 times a month is Reptivite
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long do you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?I use a dripper and I also hand mist with my reptile mister I bought from Amazon but I am looking into buying an automatic misting system but for now I’m doing great without it….i just 2 times a day…30 min before lights go on and 30 min after they turn off but I won’t lie I tend to tweak it every now and then when I think it’s necessary such as a very hot day…I’ve only seen him drink twice since I’ve had him.
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?Which brings me to his peee…I can tell he is hydrated due to the white creamy residue he leaves behind and his poop is nice and moist as if it wasn’t hard for him to push out such as us humans when we don’t drink enough water and have to push excessively lol sorry for that brief example hahaha…and no I haven’t nor know if it’s been tested for parasites….how much would that cost?
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.No other info I’m sorry besides it coming from petco…and I’ve heard and read reviews about buying chameleons from such places it’s not the best but so far my little man has been a champ and thriving…

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?I have the repti breeze XL 2x2x4 enclosure….i have three sides covered with anti mold and fungi shower liner to help with humidity
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?I have repti zoo 65 w daylight basking and HO T5 uvb lighting kit 24W 24 in& schedule is 8am-8pm
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?My tempts throughout the day goes from high to low so I try to have the humidity 80%or higher during early morning such as 2am-6am and through out the day 30-50% and a basking of 75-80……85 the highest…..I measure these tempts with hygrometers I have 2 In the enclosure and I have a small ID card that came with my uvb light and it helps determine whether it gives out rays or not it’s pretty neat it helps by allowing me when to switch the bulb…

• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?As I mentioned in last paragraph…..throughout day time 30-50% and morning early morning I try to have it as high as possible….
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?Yes I have a variety of live plants and I’m using pothos money tree ivy tree and snake plant
• Placement - 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?My cage is located in the living room on bricks about 18in off the ground….no traffic near the window I do have a ceiling fan…
• Location - Where are you geographically located?Im located in the Westside of California lol

• California

Current Problem -

 

[Enjera]

 

[MissSkittles]

Give me a little bit of time and I’ll go thru everything for you. I am at work and it is possible I’ll be called away…just fyi.

 

[Raymond1412]

Hello! Beautiful Veiled!! I got mine from Petco as well! Judging by the cask, I would say that he is a Juvenile chameleon, maybe about 8-9 months old. I used to have a Veiled very similar to yours, and he was 8 months old. I hope this helps!!

 

[MissSkittles]

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?Veiled chameleon…average age 5-6 months from most people that gave their opinion and I trust lol….been in my car for 2 months and a week literally… I’ll be going by that age then.
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?I don’t handle my chameleon at all….He seems to get stressed and hisses at me a lot so I just let him be….as long as he’s not sick there’s no means to handle him with all due respect he’s amazing as it is….It is always a good idea to build some trust with him though. Here’s a great blog on how that’s done. https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/building-trust-with-your-chameleon.2396/
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?I’ve been feeding my Cham horn worms about 2xS a month but about 4 a month total ….i feed em crickets super worms meal worms I’m looking into getting live grasshoppers wax worms and my wife just bought me some black soldier fly larvae and I can’t wait till they hatch to flies…..I gut load them with apples carrots and green veggies and the schedule is usually from 8-10 am to allow him enough time to digest those bad boys…Drop the meal worms and it’s good. Also maybe try some silkworms and roaches…both very healthy staple feeders. Just for kicks & giggles, attaching graphics below.
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with, and what is the schedule?the brand I’m using is repashy NoD for every feeding and for vitamin A every 2 times a month is Reptivite Ok, but I’m not as concerned about the vitamin A as I am for vitamin D3. Does your ReptiVite contain D3 or not? If it does, excellent! If it doesn’t, you’ll need to give a calcium with D3 one feeding every other week and not the same week that you use the ReptiVite.
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long do you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?I use a dripper and I also hand mist with my reptile mister I bought from Amazon but I am looking into buying an automatic misting system but for now I’m doing great without it….i just 2 times a day…30 min before lights go on and 30 min after they turn off but I won’t lie I tend to tweak it every now and then when I think it’s necessary such as a very hot day…I’ve only seen him drink twice since I’ve had him. Many chams are secretive about drinking. Your misting is great. Just don’t run the dripper all day. Usually only about 15-20 minutes once a day is enough. I noticed lots of budget misting systems of Amazon but I know zip about them. The only system I will vouch for is Mist King.
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?Which brings me to his peee…I can tell he is hydrated due to the white creamy residue called urate he leaves behind and his poop is nice and moist as if it wasn’t hard for him to push out such as us humans when we don’t drink enough water and have to push excessively lol sorry for that brief example hahaha… I’m a nurse and if you only knew how nurses talk to each other during meals and no I haven’t nor know if it’s been tested for parasites….how much would that cost? The costs vary by vet, but it seems to be around $30-50 for an in house fecal test - more if they send it to an outside lab. You will need a vet visit though and those usually start around $45.
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.No other info I’m sorry besides it coming from petco…and I’ve heard and read reviews about buying chameleons from such places it’s not the best but so far my little man has been a champ and thriving…Some of us have Petco chams and haven’t had problems. Others have had some of the saddest stories. I don’t like supporting Petco, but believe that it isn’t the animals faults where they ended up and they deserve good homes too. It’s a debated topic with no conclusion.
  To be continued….

 

[MissSkittles]

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?I have the repti breeze XL 2x2x4 enclosure….i have three sides covered with anti mold and fungi shower liner to help with humidity perfect
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?I have repti zoo 65 w daylight basking and HO T5 uvb lighting kit 24W 24 in& schedule is 8am-8pm What is the strength of your uvb? It should be written on the end of the bulb.
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?My tempts throughout the day goes from high to low so I try to have the humidity 80%or higher during early morning such as 2am-6am and through out the day 30-50% and a basking of 75-80……85 the highest…..I measure these tempts with hygrometers I have 2 In the enclosure and I have a small ID card that came with my uvb light and it helps determine whether it gives out rays or not it’s pretty neat it helps by allowing me when to switch the bulb Ok. 85 is perfect basking temp for an adult male. Your guy isn’t quite an adult just yet, but he’s big enough that it should be ok. You do need to make sure that at night his temps drop below at least 68-70 if you are boosting humidity. Heat plus high humidity is a recipe for respiratory infection. Depending on the brand of your uvb bulb, they need to be changed every 6 months to a year. The card may tell you that it is still putting out some uvb, but it might not be at a level high enough for your chameleon. Only a solarmeter 6.5 can tell you that. Those run about $250, so most find it cheaper to just automatically change the bulbs.
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?As I mentioned in last paragraph…..throughout day time 30-50% and morning early morning I try to have it as high as possible….
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?Yes I have a variety of live plants and I’m using pothos money tree ivy tree and snake plant I also see some artificial plants - are they in your enclosure? If so, you’ll be needing to remove and replace those with safe live plants. If they aren’t inside, then it looks like you already know to hang them on the outside of the door to provide your cham more privacy. I do like the way that you have your branches. Very nice scaffolding!
  • Placement - 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?My cage is located in the living room on bricks about 18in off the ground….no traffic near the window I do have a ceiling fan… Nice. I like your creative thinking.
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?Im located in the Westside of California lol
  • So there isn’t a whole lot to change. You’re doing great and your little guy should be growing up into a big beautiful cham. If you have some nice warm and sunny days, you could take him outside for some fresh air and natural uvb. However, do not leave him unattended for even a minute. Not only are they super fast when they want to be, but predatorial birds are even quicker. I just hold my chams when I take them outside as it’s only for about 15-20 minutes at a time. One has a skin-piercing grip, so I have a small plant for him to sit on directly in front of me when I take him out.

 

[Enjera]

Thank you

 

[Enjera]

Hello! Beautiful Veiled!! I got mine from Petco as well! Judging by the cask, I would say that he is a Juvenile chameleon, maybe about 8-9 months old. I used to have a Veiled very similar to yours, and he was 8 months old. I hope this helps!!

Thank you for your opinion and advice I will take it in consideration…after all I’m just trying to give him as many years to live…I’m still learning through out the days and weeks that go by….its as if my hw and knowledge just keeps growing and growing day by day and I love it….within the mere future it’s be great to breed but that’s in the long run as of now I just want to enjoy and watch my little guy grow as he has these past 2 months…

 

[Enjera]

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?I have the repti breeze XL 2x2x4 enclosure….i have three sides covered with anti mold and fungi shower liner to help with humidity perfect
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?I have repti zoo 65 w daylight basking and HO T5 uvb lighting kit 24W 24 in& schedule is 8am-8pm What is the strength of your uvb? It should be written on the end of the bulb. 12% uvb and 10% uva if I’m not mistaken

• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?My tempts throughout the day goes from high to low so I try to have the humidity 80%or higher during early morning such as 2am-6am and through out the day 30-50% and a basking of 75-80……85 the highest…..I measure these tempts with hygrometers I have 2 In the enclosure and I have a small ID card that came with my uvb light and it helps determine whether it gives out rays or not it’s pretty neat it helps by allowing me when to switch the bulb Ok. 85 is perfect basking temp for an adult male. Your guy isn’t quite an adult just yet, but he’s big enough that it should be ok. You do need to make sure that at night his temps drop below at least 68-70 if you are boosting humidity. Heat plus high humidity is a recipe for respiratory infection. Depending on the brand of your uvb bulb, they need to be changed every 6 months to a year. The card may tell you that it is still putting out some uvb, but it might not be at a level high enough for your chameleon. Only a solarmeter 6.5 can tell you that. Those run about $250, so most find it cheaper to just automatically change the bulbs.
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?As I mentioned in last paragraph…..throughout day time 30-50% and morning early morning I try to have it as high as possible….
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?Yes I have a variety of live plants and I’m using pothos money tree ivy tree and snake plant I also see some artificial plants - are they in your enclosure? If so, you’ll be needing to remove and replace those with safe live plants. If they aren’t inside, then it looks like you already know to hang them on the outside of the door to provide your cham more privacy. I do like the way that you have your branches. Very nice scaffolding! Thank you ….i worked on it for about 4 hrs maybe even more….im always trying to find more ways to add more branches or more foliage…..& yes I do let the temp drop before raising humidity….arterial we don’t want them getting sick as you mentioned or have there little feet begin to rot due to always having it wet and damped….i only have three artificial and they’re no where near the Cham besides one where he likes to hang and sleep on at night….everything else are all the real deal….
  • Placement - 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?My cage is located in the living room on bricks about 18in off the ground….no traffic near the window I do have a ceiling fan… Nice. I like your creative thinking. Thank you lol…I was planning on getting the xl stand with shelf but reviews said it gets rusted and what not so I went the easy and cheapest way but yet it works perfectly
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?Im located in the Westside of California lol
  • So there isn’t a whole lot to change. You’re doing great and your little guy should be growing up into a big beautiful cham. If you have some nice warm and sunny days, you could take him outside for some fresh air and natural uvb. However, do not leave him unattended for even a minute. Not only are they super fast when they want to be, but predatorial birds are even quicker. I just hold my chams when I take them outside as it’s only for about 15-20 minutes at a time. One has a skin-piercing grip, so I have a small plant for him to sit on directly in front of me when I take him out. I’m actually planning on getting more plants to have around his enclosure like I mentioned I don’t handle him since he hisses and opens his mouth for defense well I don’t wanna stress the little guy so I let him be but yes I’m planning on having extra foliage around so he can get comfortable getting out the cage on his own so he can wonder around ….i have a few ideas and can’t wait to show everyone and please ideas are more than appreciated…..I’ll try my very best

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?I have the repti breeze XL 2x2x4 enclosure….i have three sides covered with anti mold and fungi shower liner to help with humidity perfect
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?I have repti zoo 65 w daylight basking and HO T5 uvb lighting kit 24W 24 in& schedule is 8am-8pm What is the strength of your uvb? It should be written on the end of the bulb.
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?My tempts throughout the day goes from high to low so I try to have the humidity 80%or higher during early morning such as 2am-6am and through out the day 30-50% and a basking of 75-80……85 the highest…..I measure these tempts with hygrometers I have 2 In the enclosure and I have a small ID card that came with my uvb light and it helps determine whether it gives out rays or not it’s pretty neat it helps by allowing me when to switch the bulb Ok. 85 is perfect basking temp for an adult male. Your guy isn’t quite an adult just yet, but he’s big enough that it should be ok. You do need to make sure that at night his temps drop below at least 68-70 if you are boosting humidity. Heat plus high humidity is a recipe for respiratory infection. Depending on the brand of your uvb bulb, they need to be changed every 6 months to a year. The card may tell you that it is still putting out some uvb, but it might not be at a level high enough for your chameleon. Only a solarmeter 6.5 can tell you that. Those run about $250, so most find it cheaper to just automatically change the bulbs.
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?As I mentioned in last paragraph…..throughout day time 30-50% and morning early morning I try to have it as high as possible….
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?Yes I have a variety of live plants and I’m using pothos money tree ivy tree and snake plant I also see some artificial plants - are they in your enclosure? If so, you’ll be needing to remove and replace those with safe live plants. If they aren’t inside, then it looks like you already know to hang them on the outside of the door to provide your cham more privacy. I do like the way that you have your branches. Very nice scaffolding!
  • Placement - 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?My cage is located in the living room on bricks about 18in off the ground….no traffic near the window I do have a ceiling fan… Nice. I like your creative thinking.
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?Im located in the Westside of California lol
  • So there isn’t a whole lot to change. You’re doing great and your little guy should be growing up into a big beautiful cham. If you have some nice warm and sunny days, you could take him outside for some fresh air and natural uvb. However, do not leave him unattended for even a minute. Not only are they super fast when they want to be, but predatorial birds are even quicker. I just hold my chams when I take them outside as it’s only for about 15-20 minutes at a time. One has a skin-piercing grip, so I have a small plant for him to sit on directly in front of me when I take him out.

 

[MissSkittles]

Thank you for replying about your uvb strength. The standard is either 5.0 or 6%, so your 12% is a bit too much. You can either get another bulb or for now, elevate your uvb off the enclosure about 3”, so the distance between uvb and basking area is about 11”. On Etsy someone has a product called ReptiRisers that elevate lights or you can use your wonderful creativity. I use small wire baskets from the dollar store when I need to raise my lights. Not terribly aesthetic, but it works.

 

[Enjera]

Thank you for replying about your uvb strength. The standard is either 5.0 or 6%, so your 12% is a bit too much. You can either get another bulb or for now, elevate your uvb off the enclosure about 3”, so the distance between uvb and basking area is about 11”. On Etsy someone has a product called ReptiRisers that elevate lights or you can use your wonderful creativity. I use small wire baskets from the dollar store when I need to raise my lights. Not terribly aesthetic, but it works.

Sounds great thank you….well I have this one same exact
And yes I have read about the small basket to raise the light structure …..but I might have given you the wrong info lol the pic below is what I bought