Husbandry

[pascal2023]

I'm unsure whether i'm overthinking all these small things i'm noticing about my juvenile chameleon, only want the best for my animals as we all do, wondered if someone may be able to take a look at this and dish out any advice, thanks in advance everyone

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - ( Yemen ) Veiled Chameleon, Female, approx 4 months, she has been in my care for 2 weeks
Handling - Only handled when feeding if her food isnt released into her cage so approx 2/3 times a day for a short amount of time, she is very social and adventurous
Feeding - I am currently feeding a mix since i am unsure what she will consume, so Mealworms, Wax Worms, 2nd & 4th brown Crickets and 3rd Hoppers, i feed twice 10/20 (mix of insects) along with 'supplements' calcium and multi vitamins
Supplements - Calci Dust (by ProRep) and Nutri Cal complete multivitamin supplement D3+ (by Komodo) twice a week with each feed on that day
Watering - Swell Premium High Pressure Rainfall System
Faecal Description - normal brown faeces and yellowish/ white wee . She hasnt been tested for parasites
History - Unknown ... been told shes a green piglet, she lives up to the name HAHA

Cage Info:
Cage Type - glass and screen mesh (2"x2"x4" hoping i havent written these dimensions in the wrong order haha)
Lighting - Solar D3 UV Basking Bulb, i have used these for years are never had issues with my other chameleons but if anyone has other recommendations ill take it on board
Temperature - 75f-80f and a basking temp of roughly 95f-100f
Plants - Using a mix of live and fake ( all reptile/ cham safe from trusted website but cant remember all of the names of them ) includes vines and floor plants and hanging plants (cover)
Placement - My Cage is in my spareroom, well ventilated, able to maintain temp and humidity
Location - United Kingdom

Current Problem - there are a couple of things i am worried about but not sure if it is a big issue, i have owned veiled chameleons before and they were both pretty similar however when they came into my care they were already 2+ year old and i think because the little one i have now is still a baby ( juvenile ) i dont want her to get sick, unsure whether they are like children in the sense that they are susceptible to catching illnesses ect if that makes sense.

- Ive noticed she will try and squash her self on the tiniest branch in the corner of her cage to almost escape the light
- she will occasionally just lay on one of her normal sleep branches with her legs hanging off it, is that normal? ive never seen it before with my others
- i always keep a feeding routine with her but its usually by the 2nd feed it takes her ages to become interested in food, she has enough time between feeds to digest food

any help or advice would be much appreciated, all the info on the list above ive used with my other chameleons and never had issues ( they were veiled too )

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi and welcome. At a quick glance, I only see a few things. Give me a bit and I’ll go thru all.

 

[MissSkittles]

Putting my feedback in bold.
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - ( Yemen ) Veiled Chameleon, Female, approx 4 months, she has been in my care for 2 weeks
Handling - Only handled when feeding if her food isnt released into her cage so approx 2/3 times a day for a short amount of time, she is very social and adventurous I would advise looking into a feeding station. Lots of different types out there. I like the shooting gallery. https://tkchameleons.com/products/shooting-gallery Is pretty easy to diy with a plastic container.
Feeding - I am currently feeding a mix since i am unsure what she will consume, so Mealworms, Wax Worms, 2nd & 4th brown Crickets and 3rd Hoppers, i feed twice 10/20 (mix of insects) along with 'supplements' calcium and multi vitamins Feeding a variety is perfect. You’ve completely lost me with the numerical values of your feeders though. Attaching some graphics below. Just as important as what feeders you give, is feeding your feeders so they’ll be nutritious. Many of the cube things have poor nutritional value.
Supplements - Calci Dust (by ProRep) and Nutri Cal complete multivitamin supplement D3+ (by Komodo) twice a week with each feed on that day I’m assuming the calcium does not have D3. That should be used every feeding except one every other week. That one feeding, you’ll use the multivitamin with D3. Some vitamins are fat soluble (preformed A, D3, E) and can easily build up to toxic levels, especially in a little one.
Watering - Swell Premium High Pressure Rainfall System Not familiar with the system, but how often do you mist? Ideally, you’ll mist for at least 2 minutes before lights on and off and 1-2 minutes mid day (or use a dripper mid day instead for 15-20 minutes).
Faecal Description - normal brown faeces and yellowish/ white wee . She hasnt been tested for parasites Always a good idea to do.
History - Unknown ... been told shes a green piglet, she lives up to the name HAHA That is certainly a veiled!

Cage Info:
Cage Type - glass and screen mesh (2"x2"x4" hoping i havent written these dimensions in the wrong order haha) I always have it wrong, so no biggie. Good size though…perfect!
Lighting - Solar D3 UV Basking Bulb, i have used these for years are never had issues with my other chameleons but if anyone has other recommendations ill take it on board Sounds like a mercury vapor bulb, which aren’t recommended unless you regularly monitor it with a solarmeter. They are inconsistent in their output. The standard is a linear T5 with either ReptiSun 5.0 or Arcadia 6%. Then needs to be 8-9” above basking area.
Temperature - 75f-80f and a basking temp of roughly 95f-100f Too hot! Latest standard is to keep young ones and our ladies at no higher than 80F at basking.
Plants - Using a mix of live and fake ( all reptile/ cham safe from trusted website but cant remember all of the names of them ) includes vines and floor plants and hanging plants (cover) You’ll need/want to replace all of the fake with safe, washed live plants. One wrong nibble can lead to impaction. I hang my fake ones on the outside of the enclosure to provide my chams more privacy.
Placement - My Cage is in my spareroom, well ventilated, able to maintain temp and humidity
Location - United Kingdom

Current Problem - there are a couple of things i am worried about but not sure if it is a big issue, i have owned veiled chameleons before and they were both pretty similar however when they came into my care they were already 2+ year old and i think because the little one i have now is still a baby ( juvenile ) i dont want her to get sick, unsure whether they are like children in the sense that they are susceptible to catching illnesses ect if that makes sense. It makes perfect sense. Babies have zero resources to fall back on so are more susceptible to illness and intolerant of even small husbandry error. Plus, isn’t being worried just a part of adoring our green scaled ‘babies’.

- Ive noticed she will try and squash her self on the tiniest branch in the corner of her cage to almost escape the light That is probably exactly what she is doing. Without a solarmeter to measure the uv output, you have no idea of the uv index. It could be crazy high. Plus, temps are too hot for her.
- she will occasionally just lay on one of her normal sleep branches with her legs hanging off it, is that normal? ive never seen it before with my others I don’t recall seeing any of mine do that when asleep, but others have reported it, so I don’t think it’s of concern. Always stay vigilant though.
- i always keep a feeding routine with her but its usually by the 2nd feed it takes her ages to become interested in food, she has enough time between feeds to digest food At about 4 months old she can/should be down to feeding just once a day in the morning.

any help or advice would be much appreciated, all the info on the list above ive used with my other chameleons and never had issues ( they were veiled too ) I do, but have some errands that I need to run off for. It’s mainly about egg laying. Before I come back later and give you my egg laying spiel, what do you know about it? Have you had a female before and know all? Do you need a refresher? Do you have minimal or no info and need the full basics? Let me know.
Very glad to have you here! However, pics! We need pics of your baby!

 

[pascal2023]

Thankyou for all of this I genuinely appreciate it, I’ve got some money together to upgrade a majority of those things you've listed, Thankyou for the names of the items too!

I’ll be rebuilding her a new “cage” next as hers is slightly damaged so will refresh everything and to be honest the lighting was top of my list to change so that’ll be first!

Also should’ve mentioned I feed the bugs with fruits/ veg/ leafy greens and that weird jelly stuff ( I’m the worst person for remember brands and names sorry, but it’s a clear jel aha! )

 

[pascal2023]

@MissSkittles i sent you a dm

 

[MissSkittles]

@MissSkittles i sent you a dm

And I just responded.

 

[pascal2023]

Thankyou

 

[MissSkittles]

This was also about an hour before bedtime, she’s “tucked up now” but in her “cage” her tail isn’t as tightly curled as it usually is, should I be worried about that

Aww…cute little green nugget. There will be all sorts of variations that you’ll see over time. My veiled girls are the silliest creatures sometimes and I never know what position I’ll find them in. My favorite is when they look to be hanging from their tail with back feet dangling.

 

[pascal2023]

Are there any grubs that are good for hydration other than Hornworms?

 

[Jpeff]

If you need a feeder. Famschams has used shooting gallery for 5 bucks each. I got 3 for 27 counting shipping. They look new. So I got 3 for price of one.

 

[pascal2023]

If you need a feeder. Famschams has used shooting gallery for 5 bucks each. I got 3 for 27 counting shipping. They look new. So I got 3 for price of one.

I’m from the UK sorry I should’ve specified where I’m from, feel like it’s difficult to find decent stuff here haha

 

[MissSkittles]

Are there any grubs that are good for hydration other than Hornworms?

Silkworms!