Is my Veiled Chameleon a little on the skinny side???

[matthewpstyles]

Hi, I am a new chameleon owner and would love to know if my 5 month old veiled chameleon is a little thin or not?? Currently has a body of around 3.5 inches long (snout to bum).

Here are afew pictures:

 

[alexbrock]

how much is he eating daily?

 

[matthewpstyles]

Id say about 5 locusts (small to small-medium size) and 6 small silent crickets. Doesnt seem to touch waxworms, mealworms, greens etc.

 

[athena9995]

Are you sure about 5 months? That's about the size mine was at 6 weeks.

 

[alexbrock]

Id say about 5 locusts (small to small-medium size) and 6 small silent crickets. Doesnt seem to touch waxworms, mealworms, greens etc.

That sounds good. At the 5 month age they should be eating as much as they can. But I have to agree with the other member, are you sure its 5 months? I have a 3.5 month old at the moment that looks bigger. Is it a female?

 

[matthewpstyles]

definitely a 5 month old female. 100% certain. is it just a little on the small side?? should i increase the amount of food i give it?? i dust with a powder also. inclusive of the tail it is easily 8 to 9 inches long. in fact i just measured the body at exactly 3.6 inches long.

 

[carol5208]

If you are sure of the size, then yes it is small. Some members on here have different species that are unusually small also. When you say dusting with powder...what kind of powder are you using and how often? What types of lighting are you using also?
It doesn't look that big compared to your finger but if you say 9 inches then you should know. Nine inches is not that small. It looks only to be about half the size of your index finger without its tail.

 

[alexbrock]

she looks beautiful and healthy. have you read up on supplementation and how often to do so? do you gut-load the feeders? Since you feed a variety of different feeders, a good thing, i cannot say if its enough. my 3 month old veiled male eats between 10-15 1/4 inch crickets daily.

 

[matthewpstyles]

i use a komodo brand insect dusting powder. i use a 100w sunglow and a 10%UV light on for a minimum of 12hrs per day. also have a 50w nightlight as it gets pretty cold here. im pretty sure it is 8-9 inches.
@alexbrock
just started to gutload on the advice of a shopkeeper. Just using salads etc at the minute. is there anything that i should be looking at for gut loading? I think ill try and feed more to her.

she has a big appetite and feeds/waters well, so i dont think its a health problem. Perhaps she is just a little small??

 

[Cainschams]

You should fill this form out to the fullest you can and post it. It will help us help you

https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/

The proper amount of food is only part of keeping a chameleon nice and healthy. Supplements, gut loads, UVB and UVA lighting, along with a proper basking site temperature. These all play a role and if one is not in balance then it throws the others off. You could be loading your cham with well supplemented, gutloaded feeders with correct lighting but if the basking site is too low it will not properly digest what you are feeding it, for instance.

 

[alexbrock]

i use a komodo brand insect dusting powder. i use a 100w sunglow and a 10%UV light on for a minimum of 12hrs per day. also have a 50w nightlight as it gets pretty cold here.

@alexbrock
just started to gutload on the advice of a shopkeeper. Just using salads etc at the minute. is there anything that i should be looking at for gut loading? I think ill try and feed more to her.

she has a big appetite and feeds/waters well, so i dont think its a health problem. Perhaps she is just a little small??

I am no expert but I have research enough and talked to enough people to help you out a bit.

I use 3 supplements for my chameleons.
-Multivitamin with calcium (Repcal)
-Multivitamin with D3
-Sticky Tongue Minerall

LINK

http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog...rep-cal-calcium-and-herptivite-combo-special/

http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog...ners/-/sticky-tongue-minerall-indoor-formula/

Most keepers also use a 5.0 UVB light for their chameleons.

Make sure to check the temps. Collard greens are always great for gut-loading.

Here is a link to some very helpful info:

http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/

 

[alexbrock]

https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/

And yes, fill this out so that everyone can assess the situation and help you better.

 

[matthewpstyles]

ok, many thanks, heres the info..

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Female Veiled, 5 months approx in age.

Handling - Every other day and whilst cleaning

Feeding - 10-12 Locusts, Crickets etc. per day Loaded with salads and dusted with powder for each feed. (Komodo)

Watering - Chameleon drinks from a drip system,arboreal lagoon hammock, misting and a water bowl.

Fecal Description - Yelow solid uric compound with some liquid, with dark brown faeces.

History - Friendly and willing to be handled. Comes to me when it wants some attention.


Cage Info:
Cage Type - Glass (3 sides are covered so it can only see out of the front and to minimize refelction, out of direct sunlight to prevent overheating). (3ftwide,3ft tall, 2ft deep).

Lighting - ExoTerra 100W sunglow, 50w nightglow, 10% UVB bulb also (exoterra also, reptiglow)

Temperature - 26-28 degrees celcius ambient temp, 35-38degrees celcius basking spot, shaded area is 25-27 degrees, nighttime temp is 19-20degrees celcius.

Humidity - 50-60% humidity, maintained by misting and standing water from excess drip.

Placement - out of direct sunlight, well ventilated with many vents, approx 4ft off the ground (at bottom) and 7ft from floor to top.

Location - cold climate in winter, northern UK.

Current Problem - small chameleon for 5 months of age?? is it due to lack of feeding enough??

 

[alexbrock]

ok, many thanks, heres the info..

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Female Veiled, 5 months approx in age.

Handling - Every other day and whilst cleaning

Feeding - 10-12 Locusts, Crickets etc. per day Loaded with salads and dusted with powder for each feed. (Komodo)

Watering - Chameleon drinks from a drip system,arboreal lagoon hammock, misting and a water bowl.

Fecal Description - Yelow solid uric compound with some liquid, with dark brown faeces.

History - Friendly and willing to be handled. Comes to me when it wants some attention.


Cage Info:
Cage Type - Glass (3 sides are covered so it can only see out of the front and to minimize refelction, out of direct sunlight to prevent overheating). (3ftwide,3ft tall, 2ft deep).

Lighting - ExoTerra 100W sunglow, 50w nightglow, 10% UVB bulb also (exoterra also, reptiglow)

Temperature - 26-28 degrees celcius ambient temp, 35-38degrees celcius basking spot, shaded area is 25-27 degrees, nighttime temp is 19-20degrees celcius.

Humidity - 50-60% humidity, maintained by misting and standing water from excess drip.

Placement - out of direct sunlight, well ventilated with many vents, approx 4ft off the ground (at bottom) and 7ft from floor to top.

Location - cold climate in winter, northern UK.

Current Problem - small chameleon for 5 months of age?? is it due to lack of feeding enough??

They don't drink from water bowls or any standing water. Remove that, can breed bacteria. Glass enclosures are usually not recommended for chameleons. Screen cages are the best, I would use a 36 inch tall cage, sorry I don't know metric. 48 inch when they reach adulthood. They do not need a lamp at night unless its freezing like 50 F, although I've read they can withstand that, but is not recommended. A 5.0 UVB is what you need. 100 watts seems like too much in such a small glass cage. Check the temps. Mist to keep humidity up, and make sure to not have anything at the bottom, substrate, it can be harmful if eaten.

Read the blog link posted earlier for more good info.

 

[matthewpstyles]

oh sorry, uploaded the wrong photo, this better shows her size i think, shes on the side of my had here between my index finger joint and my wrist...

 

[matthewpstyles]

They don't drink from water bowls or any standing water. Remove that, can breed bacteria. Glass enclosures are usually not recommended for chameleons. Screen cages are the best, I would use a 36 inch tall cage, sorry I don't know metric. 48 inch when they reach adulthood. They do not need a lamp at night unless its freezing like 50 F, although I've read they can withstand that, but is not recommended. A 5.0 UVB is what you need. 100 watts seems like too much in such a small glass cage. Check the temps. Mist to keep humidity up, and make sure to not have anything at the bottom, substrate, it can be harmful if eaten.

Read the blog link posted earlier for more good info.

thankyou for your help, will remove the standing water asap also.

 

[alexbrock]

Take care of the little gal, she is showing some wonderful color!!! Many members have had bad experiences, including myself, taking advice from pet stores. This is the best place for chameleon know how. Yee Haw!!!

 

[ToExXx]

pet stores are death traps, you wouldnt trust you life to a sugeon who only made min wage would you?