How old is my baby chameleon?

[SolanchB]

Hey guys I’m new here and would like to know how old my little guy is. I got him at a pet store and they didn’t know his age. His name is Neji ( my boyfriend named him ?).

 

[Beman]

2-3 months more then likely. Are you sure of its gender? Does it have a tiny spur on the back of its back feet?

Let us know if you would like a husbandry review to make sure the pet store gave you the right advice.

 

[SolanchB]

2-3 months more then likely. Are you sure of its gender? Does it have a tiny spur on the back of its back feet?

Let us know if you would like a husbandry review to make sure the pet store gave you the right advice.

Yes he does have a spur and sure I need every help and advice i can get !!!

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi and welcome! That is an adorable baby. ?
When that young, you really need to make sure you’re doing everything correct as they are rather fragile. If you copy/paste the following with as much detail as possible and include some pics of your enclosure from lights to floor, someone can review what your doing and offer suggestions for any needed changes.

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.

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 - The current problem you are concerned about.

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Please Note:

1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
2. Photos can be very helpful.

 

[SolanchB]

Hi and welcome! That is an adorable baby. ?
When that young, you really need to make sure you’re doing everything correct as they are rather fragile. If you copy/paste the following with as much detail as possible and include some pics of your enclosure from lights to floor, someone can review what your doing and offer suggestions for any needed changes.

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?- He’s a veiled chameleon,2-3 month old and i got him a week ago.
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?- probably like 2-3 times a day
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? - I feed him twice a day as much as he can for 10 min.
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? - Repti Calcium once a day
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? At the moment I use a spray bottle about 4-5 times a day to mist and no I don’t see him drinking which I’m concerned about.
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? He only changes color from like green to dark green with spots sometimes
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you. No ?

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? Glass 10 Gallon
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? I use to different lamps one is for heating and the second one is for UV and day light. The heating lamp on 24/7 and the UV/ day light is only during the day on. It turns on and off just like the sunrise and sunset.
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? I have a temperature measure which is on 79 Fahrenheit during day and during night it goes down to 65.
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? I know this is one of the most important things for a chameleon but rn I don’t have a humidifier but I’m getting one real soon.
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? Right know I’m using fake plants but one is good for mold an humidity. I will buy real plants tho so it keeps and increase humidity.
• 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? The cage is not located near any air vents or hight traffic areas. It’s in a corner at a shelf about 4 feet from the floor.
• Location - Where are you geographically located? Florida

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

I don’t see him drinking and he’s not eating much

 

[MissSkittles]

Give me a few minutes and I’ll have your feedback. ?

 

[SolanchB]

Give me a few minutes and I’ll have your feedback. ?

Okay and I give him little crickets and meal worms.

 

[MissSkittles]

Putting my feedback in red. I’m going to give you a lot of info and changes that need to be made, so try not to get overwhelmed.
Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?- He’s a veiled chameleon,2-3 month old and i got him a week ago.
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?- probably like 2-3 times a day You should really let him settle in first.
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? - I feed him twice a day as much as he can for 10 min. This is good and crickets are ok. Mealworms aren’t so good. You also need to feed the bugs nutritious things so that they’ll be healthy and more nutritious for your chameleon. Attaching the feeder and ‘gutloading’ sheets for you.
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? - Repti Calcium once a day The calcium you’re using has vitamin D3 in it, which should only be given once every two weeks. Too much D3 builds up and can reach toxic levels. You should be using a calcium without D3 at every feeding except one per week. That one weekly feeding you’ll alternate between the calcium with D3 and a multivitamin. Reptivite without D3 is a good multivitamin to use.
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? At the moment I use a spray bottle about 4-5 times a day to mist and no I don’t see him drinking which I’m concerned about. It’s not at all uncommon not to see your chameleon drink. Some are very secretive about it. You are over-misting though. You should mist once early either right before or right after lights on, once mid day for a couple of minutes and once right before or right after lights out.
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? He only changes color from like green to dark green with spots sometimes ? This is a question about what his poos look like. They should be formed brown pellets with a white or cream colored end. It is okay if there is a little orange at one end of the white. The white is the urine, called urate.
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you. No ?
• Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? Glass 10 Gallon This really needs to be changed out ASAP. Chameleons live in trees so they need tall enclosures. The glass will hold in heat and humidity and is harder for a new keeper to maintain at proper levels. I would recommend an all screen enclosure. Although he’s tiny now, he will be big before you know it and it’s easiest to get his grown up enclosure of a 2x2x4’ or equivalent.
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? I use to different lamps one is for heating and the second one is for UV and day light. The heating lamp on 24/7 and the UV/ day light is only during the day on. It turns on and off just like the sunrise and sunset. The lamp that I see on your tank is the wrong type uvb. You’ll be needing a long T5 fixture with a 5.0 uvb bulb. The screw in types of uvb provide the correct levels in only a very small area and only very close to the bulb. Lights should be on a 12 hour schedule. No lights or heat needed at night.
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? I have a temperature measure which is on 79 Fahrenheit during day and during night it goes down to 65. These temps are perfect!
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? I know this is one of the most important things for a chameleon but rn I don’t have a humidifier but I’m getting one real soon. Veiled chameleons actually need lower humidity of between 30-50% during the day. At night it can get much higher. Instead of a humidifier, I’d suggest getting a hygrometer to measure humidity levels.
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? Right know I’m using fake plants but one is good for mold an humidity. I will buy real plants tho so it keeps and increase humidity. I think most of us start out with fake plants. Veileds will eat their plants so fake ones can be dangerous. Once you replace them with real, attach the fake to the outside of the enclosure for added privacy. You don’t need a lot of real plants but they do need to be enough to provide shady areas and some places to hide. Pothos and philodendron also provide nice long vines that can be wrapped around branches for extra climbing space.
  • 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? The cage is not located near any air vents or hight traffic areas. It’s in a corner at a shelf about 4 feet from the floor. Chameleons like to be up high and looking down at the world. It makes them feel safer.
  • Location - Where are you geographically located? Florida
  • Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
    
    I don’t see him drinking and he’s not eating much
    As I said, some chams are secretive drinkers. You can make sure he’s hydrated by looking at his urate, which should be like I described above. Not eating much is most likely as he may be starting to feel ill and is most definitely stressed.
    I know I’ve given you a lot of things to change and I won’t lie, it will be somewhat expensive. The changes need to be made though and as soon as possible in order for him to be healthy and survive. As I said much earlier, the babies are fragile and need perfect conditions.
    Priorities are: screen enclosure, correct uvb light, correct supplements, correct humidity. Also, the soil substrate on the floor should be removed. Bare floor is best and easiest to keep clean.
    After you make those changes, you can work on live plants, lots of branches and vines to climb on and adding more variety of feeders.
    There are some fantastic resources you can check out. https://chameleonacademy.com/veiled-chameleon-care/ and on YouTube make sure to watch Neptune the chameleon. Of course, any questions, just ask away.
    Most of us have started where you are and know how overwhelming the needed changes can seem. We’re here to help and support you so that you and your sweet baby have many happy and healthy years together. ?
    
    
    

 

[SolanchB]

I’m getting him next month a new cage which I will post the picture at the end and Everything you said that is important to have. Thank you sooo much I feel way better now that I have all that knowledge.

 

[heyooocera]

I’m getting him next month a new cage which I will post the picture at the end and Everything you said that is important to have. Thank you sooo much I feel way better now that I have all that knowledge. ❤View attachment 281805

So this one is still glass. You should look into the Reptibreeze L enclusure! Its a full screen on top and all the way around. They're great and easy to attach plants to

 

[SolanchB]

Is this one better

 

[heyooocera]

Is this one better View attachment 281807

yes!!

 

[Beman]

The first one is too small. The glass panels are not bad because the top is screen and a large portion of the sides are screen so you will still get airflow. But you need a 2x2x4 sized enclosure for an adult.

 

[SolanchB]

Got it. Thank you !!!!

 

[DeadFxce]

buy this https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-ReptiBreeze-Screen-48-Inches/dp/B001PHABI8
or you could build ur own super easy just get wood and screening and some sort of staple gun from home depot i built mine in around 2 hrs