Just a few questions

[chamelemom]

Hello all! Recently I purchased a male veiled chameleon. I have no idea how old he is, they didn't tell me at the pet store. I actually received a lot of incorrect information from the pet store guy, apparently. He told me I could feed Ricky mealworms but I hear they're hard to digest? And he told us he would need a small uvb bulb,(like the kind that could fit in a desk lamp fixture) and is in a glass tank. Since then we ordered a uvb t8 10.0 bulb and a 24x24x48 screen cage. He also is getting some dubia roaches and he has a pothos plant in his current tank. I mist his cage heavily twice a day, and yesterday he finally drank water from a little plastic pipette that I try to get him to drink from every day

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I only really have a few questions now, which are;
How old is Ricky?
Can he eat mealworms?
Where I live, there are tons of boxelder bugs. Are those safe for him to eat?
here's a picture of him
(keep in mind i am small)

 

[carol5208]

I would say he is about 3-4 months old. Please post a pic of the back of his back heels. This is how you detetmine if they are male or female. I am not familiar with those bugs you speak of. Some wild bugs are toxic like lady bugs and lightning bugs. Yes, you can feed meal worms. just mix them up with other feeders. Don't make them the greater portion of their diet if possible. Glad you are making the necessary changes to keep your little one healthy. Welcome to the forums and chameleon ownership!

 

[chamelemom]

I would say he is about 3-4 months old. Please post a pic of the back of his back heels. This is how you detetmine if they are male or female. I am not familiar with those bugs you speak of. Some wild bugs are toxic like lady bugs and lightning bugs. Yes, you can feed meal worms. just mix them up with other feeders. Don't make them the greater portion of their diet if possible. Glad you are making the necessary changes to keep your little one healthy. Welcome to the forums and chameleon ownership!

Thanks so much! I can't get a photo of his feets right now, but I know he's got the spurs that males have. Thanks for letting me know about the mealworms, and these are boxelder bugs.

 

[Peachypink]

I'm pretty sure I heard that box elder bugs are not ok to feed. I've not done research on it myself, but I could swear I heard that. My rule of thumb is, if it's in question, don't do it until you know 100% that it's safe. I remember seeing them everywhere when I was growing up. Hate those things!

 

[ZacharyLeesWife]

We have boxelder bugs everywhere here in MD! I can't speak for reptiles but they will make dogs and cats salivate and vomit. They're not poisonous but they have a chemical that they excrete when agitated that makes dogs and cats sick, so I would give them a solid no as to safety for a feeder.