Husbandry Form

[Angelica_of_uptown]

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?

Veiled Chameleon
Male
Around 4-6 months
About 2 weeks

Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?

As little as possible maybe a total of 5 times since I've gotten him and 2 of them where getting him into his enclosure. He loves sunbathing outside as well so I do plan on trying to very slowly see if I can adjust him to being handled. Maybe about once a month to go out and sunbath in the warmer months but all on his own terms of course.

Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?

Crickets and sometimes hornworms.
Around 8-10 a day but depends on the size of the crickets. Usually in the afternoons between 1pm-3pm.
I do gut load with either carrots or the orange cubes you can get at petstores. Usually though the orange cubes are my go-tos.
He does eat out of a bowl as well, he's gotten pretty accustomed to it at the pet store so I didn't change it.

Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?

Exo Terra Calcium without D3 every day and Zoo Meds Reptivite twice a month. (On the 1st and 15th of each month)

Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?

I have a fogger but will spray down his enclosure on dryer days. His fogger is on 24/7. I do have a gallon jug that I use as a dripper and I have never seen him drink but I know they tend to be shy drinkers

Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?

Dark and an average consistency. White urates sometimes a bit runny. I know he was tested while at the pet store he was at and I believe he was clean.

History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Rescued from a pet store. He was abused while there by some employees who would flip him and force him out of his enclosure. Was in a small glass enclosure with reptivines and plastic plants when i first recived him and didn't receive UVB light till about a month ago. Was kept inside where store lights were on 24/7.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?

Screen, reptibreeze 2ftx2ftx4ft

Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?

I dont honestly know but he has a long tube UVB bulb that spans the diagnol of his cage and a heating bulb as well as a ceramic bulb that heats though recently i have only been using the normal heating bulb not the ceramic. Usually it's 12 hours on 12 hours off going from 9:30 am to 9:30 pm.

Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?

I try to keep it 90°F at the basking area but on hotter days it does reach 93-95°F. At the bottom it tends to stay around 70-75°F. I measure the tempature with a digital themermeter and hygrometer thats not specifically branded towards reptiles, I don't know the exact name but I have two one for the basking area and one for the bottom. Lowest overnight temps are around 60-65°F

Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?

The lowest they got was 43% but I misted right after I saw that. At the top it tends to stay around 50-60% humidity and at the bottom its a pretty solid 80%. I use a fogger as well as manually misting with a spray bottle on dryer days. Like I mentioned above I use a Thermometer and hygrometer combo.

Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?

I currently have 3 live plants but I'm waiting on my two pothos to come out of their quarentine. In there now is a Spider plant, an umbrella plant and a money tree. He used to have fake plastic plants before I got him and theres still two silk plants in there just until his pothos can go in.

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 in my room so most of the time he has the room to himself. There is a fan across from his enclosure but theres a good 5 to 6 feet between his enclosure and the fan. His enclosure is next to a window and currently the cage is on the ground so only 4 feet to the top from my floor since I'm waiting on a stand to be made that his enclosure can sit on.

Location - Where are you geographically located?

Upstate New York, more specifically Rensselaer, New York.

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi. I’ll go thru and review your husbandry. Just give me a bit of time to get it done.

 

[MissSkittles]

Since I tend to talk a lot (lucky you ), I’m breaking this down into 2 parts.
Veiled Chameleon
Male
Around 4-6 months
About 2 weeks

Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?

As little as possible maybe a total of 5 times since I've gotten him and 2 of them where getting him into his enclosure. He loves sunbathing outside as well so I do plan on trying to very slowly see if I can adjust him to being handled. Maybe about once a month to go out and sunbath in the warmer months but all on his own terms of course. While we do try to respect them and their desire not to be handled, not doing so can make them less tolerant of us when we do. You’ll want to work on building trust with your guy and this is a great blog on doing so. 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?

Crickets and sometimes hornworms. Attaching a couple of graphics. Crickets are a good staple and hornworms are a good treat, but variety of both is best. I give my chams a variety of staple feeders…roaches, crickets, silkworms, bsfl, etc.
Around 8-10 a day but depends on the size of the crickets. Usually in the afternoons between 1pm-3pm. It would be better to feed him in the morning so that he has the day to bask and properly digest his food.
I do gut load with either carrots or the orange cubes you can get at petstores. Usually though the orange cubes are my go-tos. Ahh…the orange cubes, lol. I think almost all of us have started with those. Those will keep your bugs hydrated and alive, but won’t make them nutritious. I don’t specifically ‘gutload’, but I do keep my feeders well fed with a nutritious assortment of fresh produce (the same stuff I give to my bearded dragon for his salad)…low oxalates greens (turnip, mustard, dandelion, collards, arugula, watercress, etc), various squashes, bell pepper, a little carrot, sweet potato, and just a few berries or whatever other fruit I have. I also give Repashy Bug Burger to which I’ve added some bee pollen and spirulina to.
He does eat out of a bowl as well, he's gotten pretty accustomed to it at the pet store so I didn't change it. Ok. If it’s on the floor of his enclosure though, do think about raising it to where he can see it from his basking branch. Chams rarely ever go down to the ground in nature and we need to provide higher access to food for them.

Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?

Exo Terra Calcium without D3 every day and Zoo Meds Reptivite twice a month. (On the 1st and 15th of each month) Very important! Does your Reptivite have D3 or not? If it does, perfect! If not, then you’ll need to get a phosphorus free calcium with D3 to be used twice a month (like on the 8th and 22nd).

Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?

I have a fogger but will spray down his enclosure on dryer days. His fogger is on 24/7. Yikes! No! Turn it off please. (I did the same when I was new too ) You’ll want to use a fogger only at night and only if your night time temps are below at least 68-70. This simulates the natural hydration chameleons get in the wild thru fog...cool wet nights and warm dry days. High heat and high humidity increase the risk for respiratory infection. You’ll instead want to spray/mist for at least 2 minutes right before lights go on and off. Mid day, you could either add a 1 minute misting or add a dripper for about 15-20 mins. I do have a gallon jug that I use as a dripper and I have never seen him drink but I know they tend to be shy drinkers Sadly, yes. It’s the great chameleon conspiracy that they drink only in secret to deprive us of how cute a basic life function can be.

Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?

Dark and an average consistency. White urates sometimes a bit runny. I know he was tested while at the pet store he was at and I believe he was clean.

History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Rescued from a pet store. He was abused while there by some employees who would flip him and force him out of his enclosure. Wtf?! I hope those employees no longer work with animals, small children or any other helpless beings. I also hope Karma is waiting for them. Was in a small glass enclosure with reptivines and plastic plants when i first recived him and didn't receive UVB light till about a month ago. Was kept inside where store lights were on 24/7. Poor guy!

 

[MissSkittles]

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?

Screen, reptibreeze 2ftx2ftx4ft Perfect!

Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?

I dont honestly know but he has a long tube UVB bulb that spans the diagnol of his cage and a heating bulb as well as a ceramic bulb that heats though recently i have only been using the normal heating bulb not the ceramic. Usually it's 12 hours on 12 hours off going from 9:30 am to 9:30 pm. Unless your night temps drop below 50, you won’t need a ceramic heating bulb. It is important to know what type of uvb that you have. You can measure the width of the bulb itself to determine if you have a T5 or T8. T8s are fatter and about 1”. To find your uvb strength, that will be printed on the end of the bulb. Hopefully you’ll find you have the ideal T5 with either a ReptiSun 5.0 or Arcadia 6%. Then that ideal uvb will need to be about 8-9” above your basking branch. If you have anything other than the ideal, the distance will be different, so check it out and get back to us. Perfect 12 hour schedule. Hopefully no lights at all at night so he can get uninterrupted beauty sleep.

Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?

I try to keep it 90°F at the basking area but on hotter days it does reach 93-95°F. This is a bit too warm. I keep my males basking temps around 85 and no higher. At the bottom it tends to stay around 70-75°F. Perfect to have a good gradient. I measure the tempature with a digital themermeter and hygrometer thats not specifically branded towards reptiles, I don't know the exact name but I have two one for the basking area and one for the bottom. Lowest overnight temps are around 60-65°F Beautiful!

Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?

The lowest they got was 43% but I misted right after I saw that. At the top it tends to stay around 50-60% humidity and at the bottom its a pretty solid 80%. This is too humid for daytime. Ideal range is between 30-50%. Once you turn off the fogger, it should come right down into target range. If not, you could cover the sides and/or back of your enclosure with a shower curtain or shrink to fit window insulation film to hold in humidity. Having live plants will add pockets of humidity that your cham can access when they feel the need. Besides risk of respiratory infection (which is pretty serious), too high humidity can also cause poor shedding. Chams are dry shedders, just fyi. I use a fogger as well as manually misting with a spray bottle on dryer days. Like I mentioned above I use a Thermometer and hygrometer combo.

Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?

I currently have 3 live plants but I'm waiting on my two pothos to come out of their quarentine. In there now is a Spider plant, an umbrella plant and a money tree. He used to have fake plastic plants before I got him and theres still two silk plants in there just until his pothos can go in. Yay! Veileds are plant nibblers (although some will strip their plants bare), so it’s more important than ever to provide only safe, clean plants for them. I have attached my fake plants to the outside of my enclosure doors to give my chams a sense of more privacy.
From your pics in your other post, I see you have an Exo Terra vine. Those are notorious for shedding off tiny particles that can easily become lodged into sensitive little eyes. You also asked about sticks. A great solution to both of theses is to go branch hunting, either in your yard or a public park. Just make sure no chemical pesticides or other are used on the trees/area. Avoid pine and other sappy and aromatic trees. Oak is great if you can find it. Give the branches a good scrub with some dish soap and blast all the soap and debris off with the hose. It’s mainly bird poop and stray bugs that we are trying to get off. My branches still have some lichen on them and that’s fine…looks pretty nice to me. Let your branches dry in the sun and they’re good to go. To attach, there are Dragon Ledges which also make it possible to hang plants. https://dragonstrand.com/dragon-ledges/ You could get some garden trellis/lattice and secure that to your frame to hang branches or come up with whatever else is in your imagination. The key thing is to use the frame of the enclosure to bear the weight and not the screen. Also, no tape ever inside your enclosure.

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 in my room so most of the time he has the room to himself. There is a fan across from his enclosure but theres a good 5 to 6 feet between his enclosure and the fan. His enclosure is next to a window and currently the cage is on the ground so only 4 feet to the top from my floor since I'm waiting on a stand to be made that his enclosure can sit on. That will be good as height equals safety/security to chams.

Location - Where are you geographically located?

Upstate New York, more specifically Rensselaer, New York.
You we’re concerned about why he keeps falling. I’m going to guess it’s from his previous lack of uvb and probably correct supplements too. With the proper care that you’re providing, it may take a little time for his body to fully recover. Even though he doesn’t like being handled, do try to take him outside a few times a week for some natural sunlight. Put him on a small houseplant and sit with him for about 15 minutes or so. The natural D3 will really help and there’s nothing like fresh air and sunshine for all living creatures to feel good. If it’s just that one spot in his enclosure that seems to be a problem for him, look at it and try to figure out what makes that spot different. Does he need to span a gap there, is there an angle that he has to traverse, etc. Maybe put a plant or extra branch or two at that spot for added stability there or just below, so he can have a better chance to catch himself.
That spot on his knee looks like it has layers of stuck shed on it. It’s an odd place for a burn, which makes me wonder what else the a-holes that tormented him at the pet store may have done. I would suggest for the knee, falling and just in general to have a visit with a vet experienced with chameleons. They may be able to remove the stuck shed (if that’s indeed what that is) and determine if he would benefit from any additional treatment for probable mbd.
I do hope I’ve been of some help to you. I’m very happy that you’ve found your way here and are giving this beautiful fella his best life. Do ask as many questions as you need and always make sure to keep sharing pics and info about your guy.

 

[Angelica_of_uptown]

@MissSkittles Thank you so much. His Reptivite does have D3 and I definitely will work on handling him. I will adjust my little things as well! It really really is insanely helpful and I'll start looking for a vet in the area!

 

[GrannyK]

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?

Veiled Chameleon
Male
Around 4-6 months
About 2 weeks

Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?

As little as possible maybe a total of 5 times since I've gotten him and 2 of them where getting him into his enclosure. He loves sunbathing outside as well so I do plan on trying to very slowly see if I can adjust him to being handled. Maybe about once a month to go out and sunbath in the warmer months but all on his own terms of course.

Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?

Crickets and sometimes hornworms.
Around 8-10 a day but depends on the size of the crickets. Usually in the afternoons between 1pm-3pm.
I do gut load with either carrots or the orange cubes you can get at petstores. Usually though the orange cubes are my go-tos.
He does eat out of a bowl as well, he's gotten pretty accustomed to it at the pet store so I didn't change it.

Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?

Exo Terra Calcium without D3 every day and Zoo Meds Reptivite twice a month. (On the 1st and 15th of each month)

Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?

I have a fogger but will spray down his enclosure on dryer days. His fogger is on 24/7. I do have a gallon jug that I use as a dripper and I have never seen him drink but I know they tend to be shy drinkers

Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?

Dark and an average consistency. White urates sometimes a bit runny. I know he was tested while at the pet store he was at and I believe he was clean.

History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Rescued from a pet store. He was abused while there by some employees who would flip him and force him out of his enclosure. Was in a small glass enclosure with reptivines and plastic plants when i first recived him and didn't receive UVB light till about a month ago. Was kept inside where store lights were on 24/7.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?

Screen, reptibreeze 2ftx2ftx4ft

Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?

I dont honestly know but he has a long tube UVB bulb that spans the diagnol of his cage and a heating bulb as well as a ceramic bulb that heats though recently i have only been using the normal heating bulb not the ceramic. Usually it's 12 hours on 12 hours off going from 9:30 am to 9:30 pm.

Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?

I try to keep it 90°F at the basking area but on hotter days it does reach 93-95°F. At the bottom it tends to stay around 70-75°F. I measure the tempature with a digital themermeter and hygrometer thats not specifically branded towards reptiles, I don't know the exact name but I have two one for the basking area and one for the bottom. Lowest overnight temps are around 60-65°F

Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?

The lowest they got was 43% but I misted right after I saw that. At the top it tends to stay around 50-60% humidity and at the bottom its a pretty solid 80%. I use a fogger as well as manually misting with a spray bottle on dryer days. Like I mentioned above I use a Thermometer and hygrometer combo.

Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?

I currently have 3 live plants but I'm waiting on my two pothos to come out of their quarentine. In there now is a Spider plant, an umbrella plant and a money tree. He used to have fake plastic plants before I got him and theres still two silk plants in there just until his pothos can go in.

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 in my room so most of the time he has the room to himself. There is a fan across from his enclosure but theres a good 5 to 6 feet between his enclosure and the fan. His enclosure is next to a window and currently the cage is on the ground so only 4 feet to the top from my floor since I'm waiting on a stand to be made that his enclosure can sit on.

Location - Where are you geographically located?

Upstate New York, more specifically Rensselaer, New York.

Hi and Welcome!!! I am also pretty new here and unfortunately won’t be able to help with your concern, but wanted to Congratulate you on your new Cham and thank you for rescuing him!!
You are in great hands here, everyone is amazing!!!
I’ve been a cham mom for 4 mos and I find myself here everyday learning something from the experts and fellow cham parents.

I too am from Ny, about an hour west of Albany (a bit north of Amsterdam) so I am happy geographically to have someone in similar climate. I find myself over worrying about temp and humidity occasionally despite having a healthy guy and doing good so far!

Good luck with your guy, looks like your off to a much better start than any chance he had at the store!!

 

[rbrock]

I hope he fully recovers from all his problems nursing one back to health is always tough.

 

[Sonny13]

I hope he fully recovers from all his problems nursing one back to health is always tough.

You’ll amazed what we can reach with some good care and love. Especially, Veiled’s are tough chameleons. Here is one of many succes story https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/back-again.186479/

 

[GrannyK]

@MissSkittles Thank you so much. His Reptivite does have D3 and I definitely will work on handling him. I will adjust my little things as well! It really really is insanely helpful and I'll start looking for a vet in the area!

Upstate Animal Medical Center in Saratoga has a vet for exotics, her name is Dr. Joy Lucas, she is wonderful and thorough!