Is this color normal?

Rbalenbin

New Member
I recently picked up my first chameleon. I purchased from an acquaintance of mine. From what I was told the baby veiled is 1 and a half months old. I guess I just want to know if this color is out of the norm.

*- The species, sex, and age of your chameleon.
Veiled Chameleon, Male (pictures attached), 1 1/2 months old.
- How long has it been in your care?*
Since Thursday, November 7th

- How often do you handle your chameleon?
When I picked him out, and putting him into cage ONLY

- What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Pinhead crickets, as many as he eats in 5-10 minutes (averages 3-5 twice a day, morning roughly 30 minutes after lights on and about an hour or two prior to lights off, was using carrots and lettuce this batch used Fluker cricket quencher

- What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?*
I'm using rep-cal calcium with vitamin d3 until my calcium without d3 comes in this week. Also have rep-cal herptivite multivitamins that I've used twice since he's been in my care.

- What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?*
Spray bottle for 5-10 minutes around 5 times daily (some days more) yes I see him drinking water at times

- Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings.
Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?*- Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
First droppings spotted yesterday white tip with brown, pretty solid in my opinion. Not to my knowledge no

- Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?*- What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?*
It's a screen cage, 18x18x30, reptisun 5.0 for uvb/Uva and 40 incandescent bulb for basking, 12/12 schedule

- What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?*
Daytime around 75 floor/ 85 basking
Nightime with light on around 70 floor / 80 basking
Overnight around 65

- What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?*
Digital meter reads 61 - 68 (since thursday)
current read with meter is 65
created mostly with spray and live umbrella plant

- Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?*
Umbrella plant

- 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?*
Top of a 5 foot tall dressers. No fans, vents or traffic comes by this area. 5 feet is the bottom of the cage he's usually rested about 5 and a half feet up

- Where are you geographically located?
Bay area, CA
(East bay if that matter)
 

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It looks like he is about to shed. If he is only eating 6-10 pinheads a day, he isn't eating enough. How are you feeding him? Can he find enough to eat in such a big cage?
 
He's being cup fed. I put about 10 in and he eats as much as he wants and crawls away. So i try again with more at night time. I've introduced small crickets to him too and he ate like 5-6 in a day. Should I use those instead?
 
If the small crickets are smaller (from side to side, not head to butt) than the space between his eyes, he should be able to eat them. Maybe he doesn't like cup feeding. I would either make his cage smaller (a divider would be good, or you can buy a plastic tub and use that until he gets a little bigger) or maybe try using something that is bigger than a cup. I use shoe-box sized plastic tubs for my older babies/adults to eat from, but I think that might be a little big for him. The fact that the tubs are wide allows the crickets to run around and stimulate the chameleons, but the sides are tall enough that most don't escape. There are some great threads on here that can show you how to make a nice, easy baby bin for him until he is a little bigger and would do well in the cage you have now.
 
Okay I will definitely try that out. I thought maybe it had something to do with the fact I just got him 3 or 4 days ago. So his coloring is just due to a near shedding coming?
 
That's what it appears to be! I only worry about the food because he is so young. Maybe before you spend money you can try free ranging some near him to see if he is more interested in them that way? If he is, I would definitely put him in something smaller so he can free range his food.
 
Also, just a quick note on your supplements; babies this small (8 - 10 weeks is generally the age they are sold. If this is your first Cham, he's very, very young and will need extra diligent care till he's older) anyways, babies this small do not require daily supplements, as its easy to overdose them, and too much D3 is not a good thing. I would cut back - especially if you've used your multivitamin twice already and you've only had him since Thursday. The general rule of thumb (with an adult Cham) is plain calcium at every feeding; calcium with D3 twice a month and multivitamin twice a month. I alternate my multivitamin and Calcium w/D3 on Sundays. One Sunday cal w/D3, the next Sunday multivit. Also at this young age I would be dusting with plain calcium at every OTHER feeding.
In addition, a chameleon needs light to digest its food so it is always better to feed your Cham in the early part of the day so it has time to digest its food. Feeding it close to lights out means it will sit all night with undigested food in its tummy and this has been know to cause health problems.

As your guy is so young he will require waaaay more food to sustain him. With the large cage he's in he won't be able to hunt successfully enough to sustain himself. As suggeated I would section off a small part of the cage until he's bigger. this will help him feed, and to feel more comfortable in his environment. I would get ahold of a shallow deli cup and start cup feeding with that. Make it large enough that the bugs have travel space; as mentioned, their movement will stimulate your babe to eat!

He's a cutie for sure - good luck with him!
 
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Thanks for all of your inputs from chameleonmom and pssh. I'm going to take a trip to Walmart later and buy a feeding container. Is there anywhere I can get pure calcium? Everywhere I've gone only has calcium with d3
 
You can generally buy plain calcium at any pet store but yes, they are often sold out. I use the rep-cal brand. If you can't purchase in a store I would suggest ordering it online. It is very imperative it be PLAIN calcium!
 
Yeah I ordered one online on Friday. But i only used ground shipping so I don't know how long until it gets here. I'll have to try to find it in a store here...
 
I found this at petsmart. Would this suffice?
 

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Thanks to all the suggestions. He's been eating around 10-12 small crickets a day now. He's becoming a little chubby guy. But his teal/turquoise color is coming out a lot too
 
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