ChamelioEstavez
New Member
First of all, I just wanted to say a massive thank you to all of the members of this forum. The discussions and threads on here have provided valuable information for me on the care, upkeep, cost and diet for my Cham.
My Cham, Chamelio Estavez, is a 10 month old (we think) veiled. We bought him from a pet store, which we had just been checking out as a supplier for food, with intentions to buy our Cham from a breeder. I knew from this forum that this had its risks but I was so upset by the conditions this dude was kept in that we ended up putting down a deposit for him on the spot. He was being underfed so that he would remain small and sellable. When we got him home and set up, he ate over 20 size 4 crickets, endless meal worms and a few wax worms. He also ate most of the live plants we had set up in the cage for him. It was as though he hadn't seen food in his life!
We had followed the instruction of an online supplier for cage set up (which we later found to be wrong but thankfully rectified quickly). He had live plants for the first two weeks but he loves his greens so we ended up swapping them out for fake plants and including greens in his diet instead. His favourite is clover which I now grow in pots out the back just for him. He had a Terra Sunglow lamp. We were told when we purchased it that it contained UVB but when it blew three months later and we went to our local reptile dude (Tyranosaurus Pets in Leeds, who, btw is brilliant if anyone needs advise, new pets, food) he said it didn't. We bought our little guy a UVB on the spot. The shop owner was really concerned about Chamelio as he hadn't had UVB in 3 months and asked to see photos. Verdict was that Chamelio was incredibly healthy looking for a Cham with no UVB. Mind you, it was summer at this stage, and Chamelio spent more time basking in the sun by on the curtain than in his cage.
Unfortunately, our setup was not quite right for our Cham and he ended up with a sunburnt veil (this was before I was a member on here but I ended up finding a post with an identical photo of the veil). Unfortunately our closest exotic vet is 2 hours away and we don't have a car so we had to manage with what we had. We changed the setup for the cage (the UVB was too close and on for too long) and gave him regular showers to help with the burn. An antibiotic cream was advised on this forum but it was impossible to get so we just kept it clean to avoid infection. The damaged part started to break away from the rest of the veil and was getting him caught on vines in his cage. I ended up trimming it with very sharp scissors until it reached the back of the crown and then the remainder fell off on its own. He now has, a slightly pointed veil but is fully healed.
He is now well into his 5th shed and loving the return of the sun (albeit brief in an English winter). He is mostly free range in the summer. He, unfortunately, has some separation issues and often becomes very unhappy when left alone in the room. His colours change to very muted and dull tones. When we walk in the room, he almost instantly becomes bright green with all his beautiful markings showing. He comes out in winter and sits with us in other rooms of the house (which is kept at a minimum of 22 degrees) for brief periods to help with the anxiety. I know free ranging isn't always advised because of a Cham's inability to seek what they require to live (Like sitting under their UVB light) but he gets ample cage time and has the appropriate supplements and gut loaded food.
I will, in time, complete the questionnaire on his enclosure so people know what set up we have. Just wanted to do a not so quick intro and say thanks for all the help so far
This is my guy today, chilling in the English winter sun for a little while.
My Cham, Chamelio Estavez, is a 10 month old (we think) veiled. We bought him from a pet store, which we had just been checking out as a supplier for food, with intentions to buy our Cham from a breeder. I knew from this forum that this had its risks but I was so upset by the conditions this dude was kept in that we ended up putting down a deposit for him on the spot. He was being underfed so that he would remain small and sellable. When we got him home and set up, he ate over 20 size 4 crickets, endless meal worms and a few wax worms. He also ate most of the live plants we had set up in the cage for him. It was as though he hadn't seen food in his life!
We had followed the instruction of an online supplier for cage set up (which we later found to be wrong but thankfully rectified quickly). He had live plants for the first two weeks but he loves his greens so we ended up swapping them out for fake plants and including greens in his diet instead. His favourite is clover which I now grow in pots out the back just for him. He had a Terra Sunglow lamp. We were told when we purchased it that it contained UVB but when it blew three months later and we went to our local reptile dude (Tyranosaurus Pets in Leeds, who, btw is brilliant if anyone needs advise, new pets, food) he said it didn't. We bought our little guy a UVB on the spot. The shop owner was really concerned about Chamelio as he hadn't had UVB in 3 months and asked to see photos. Verdict was that Chamelio was incredibly healthy looking for a Cham with no UVB. Mind you, it was summer at this stage, and Chamelio spent more time basking in the sun by on the curtain than in his cage.
Unfortunately, our setup was not quite right for our Cham and he ended up with a sunburnt veil (this was before I was a member on here but I ended up finding a post with an identical photo of the veil). Unfortunately our closest exotic vet is 2 hours away and we don't have a car so we had to manage with what we had. We changed the setup for the cage (the UVB was too close and on for too long) and gave him regular showers to help with the burn. An antibiotic cream was advised on this forum but it was impossible to get so we just kept it clean to avoid infection. The damaged part started to break away from the rest of the veil and was getting him caught on vines in his cage. I ended up trimming it with very sharp scissors until it reached the back of the crown and then the remainder fell off on its own. He now has, a slightly pointed veil but is fully healed.
He is now well into his 5th shed and loving the return of the sun (albeit brief in an English winter). He is mostly free range in the summer. He, unfortunately, has some separation issues and often becomes very unhappy when left alone in the room. His colours change to very muted and dull tones. When we walk in the room, he almost instantly becomes bright green with all his beautiful markings showing. He comes out in winter and sits with us in other rooms of the house (which is kept at a minimum of 22 degrees) for brief periods to help with the anxiety. I know free ranging isn't always advised because of a Cham's inability to seek what they require to live (Like sitting under their UVB light) but he gets ample cage time and has the appropriate supplements and gut loaded food.
I will, in time, complete the questionnaire on his enclosure so people know what set up we have. Just wanted to do a not so quick intro and say thanks for all the help so far
This is my guy today, chilling in the English winter sun for a little while.
