My new little friend

[Cherbit]

I had just finished reading a thread posted by another new member and realized we have quite a few things in common. I was at PetSmart with my dog Ralph-he told me his name the day before my and my husbands official adoption of him. Ralph drug um dragged...pulled me to the back of the store to check out ferrets-turns out he’s fascinated by them when they are sleeping but no so much when they are up running wildly around their commune playing with each other. We both ended up back with the reptiles and I was considering getting another beta but there were three chameleons in their enclosure. The largest was up on a branch, the middle one moved themselves on another branch and the little one just walked over to the edge of their enclosure and started following me no matter where I moved to. I put my finger on the glass and ran is around and she followed it. She walked to the door and tried to get out. It was amazing. Ralph and I went to the front of the store and I bought my cat and dog food and spoke to the staff about the chameleons in the back. They just went off sale at half price and no one had bought them. According to them non furry folk tend to not sell after I asked if one could kind of be put on hold till I did some research. Ralph and I left and went grocery shopping and I just could not stop thinking about her so back to PetSmart we went and home we came with a chameleon. The staff just laughed when they saw me back. I got her and a glass terrarium with a screen top and heat lamp. Then I did my research. Oh how glad I am I got him before I learned everything I have learned in the past three days.
I can say that I will not stop treating him the way I have been. He likes to be held and he likes going outside. He also likes spider crickets so there will be no end of free crickets for him. The one thing I can say is I’m not sure if he’s a panther or veiled. I was thinking panther but then I got a look at some veiled and am now thinking that is what he is.
I bought only the one at that time. I was thinking on the car ride home that he might like a friend and now I see that may not be a good idea, but he would be used to it since all three at PetSmart were in the same enclosure. I don’t know how long their memories are so he will likely not get a roomie.
Sometime next year he will get a larger enclosure. This small one will be put in the living room and the larger one will be in my bedroom so he can move from room to room with me. Since he is so active I was thinking of getting a hamster ball for him to explore in. Maybe for Christmas?
I believe in the instant connection between people and the animals in their care. I fell heart over head for him before he was even in my hands. As a cute aside the staff at PetSmart said he had never acted like that before. So it’s kismet he’s mine.
So that’s all for now. I have loaded some photos so if you can tell from the pictures please let me know what type of chameleon he is.
Thank you.

 

[CamoChameleonsHuman]

I had just finished reading a thread posted by another new member and realized we have quite a few things in common. I was at PetSmart with my dog Ralph-he told me his name the day before my and my husbands official adoption of him. Ralph drug um dragged...pulled me to the back of the store to check out ferrets-turns out he’s fascinated by them when they are sleeping but no so much when they are up running wildly around their commune playing with each other. We both ended up back with the reptiles and I was considering getting another beta but there were three chameleons in their enclosure. The largest was up on a branch, the middle one moved themselves on another branch and the little one just walked over to the edge of their enclosure and started following me no matter where I moved to. I put my finger on the glass and ran is around and she followed it. She walked to the door and tried to get out. It was amazing. Ralph and I went to the front of the store and I bought my cat and dog food and spoke to the staff about the chameleons in the back. They just went off sale at half price and no one had bought them. According to them non furry folk tend to not sell after I asked if one could kind of be put on hold till I did some research. Ralph and I left and went grocery shopping and I just could not stop thinking about her so back to PetSmart we went and home we came with a chameleon. The staff just laughed when they saw me back. I got her and a glass terrarium with a screen top and heat lamp. Then I did my research. Oh how glad I am I got him before I learned everything I have learned in the past three days.
I can say that I will not stop treating him the way I have been. He likes to be held and he likes going outside. He also likes spider crickets so there will be no end of free crickets for him. The one thing I can say is I’m not sure if he’s a panther or veiled. I was thinking panther but then I got a look at some veiled and am now thinking that is what he is.
I bought only the one at that time. I was thinking on the car ride home that he might like a friend and now I see that may not be a good idea, but he would be used to it since all three at PetSmart were in the same enclosure. I don’t know how long their memories are so he will likely not get a roomie.
Sometime next year he will get a larger enclosure. This small one will be put in the living room and the larger one will be in my bedroom so he can move from room to room with me. Since he is so active I was thinking of getting a hamster ball for him to explore in. Maybe for Christmas?
I believe in the instant connection between people and the animals in their care. I fell heart over head for him before he was even in my hands. As a cute aside the staff at PetSmart said he had never acted like that before. So it’s kismet he’s mine.
So that’s all for now. I have loaded some photos so if you can tell from the pictures please let me know what type of chameleon he is.
Thank you. View attachment 249517View attachment 249518View attachment 249519

That's a veiled chameleon. Can I get a picture of the enclosure and the back of its back feet please?

Ps you're not going to like hearing this but your chameleon is unwell and your husbandry guided by Petsmart is most likely the culprit

 

[Cherbit]

There has been no guidance from PetSmart. They didn’t even know how to take care of them. The only food they gave was fruit and lettuce. Since I am new to this in your opinion what do you think is wrong with him?

 

[kinyonga]

It's likely a nutritional problem. Although it's not showing bend arm/leg bones that I can see in the photos so far he should be lifting his body further off your hand when he's sitting on it.

There a lot of stuff you need to know in a hurry and a visit to a good exotics vet would likely be a good idea.

Do you have any supplements for him to dust on the insects?
How are you providing water? Do you have a UVB light? What's the basking temperature? Can you post a photo of the cage setup please?

Enough for now...I'm going to work on the information you need and will post again soon with that info.

 

[Cherbit]

So I found some exotic vets within 45 min of my house. It’s the weekend so will call on Monday. the water is hand misting for now. The cage and I hate that term is vertical. It’s my understanding he’s still a juvenile. I’ll be stoping at PetSmart to get some powder for the crickets I’m going to order online. I’ll also be getting a drip system. The label on the light bulb says blue daylight. So far the humidity in in the 80% range but the temp is only around 70. I’m game for a larger setup but not this year. This is the photo of the set up and yes it was a kit.

 

[kinyonga]

This care sheet will get you started...
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/

Regarding supplements...since many of the feeder insects we use have a poor ratio of calcium to phos in them it's important to dust the insects just before you feed them to the chameleon with a phos free calcium powder at almost every feeding. For many years I have used RepCal phos free calcium powder for this. Dust them lightly ...you don't want them to look like ghosts.

Because we don't know the exact amount of D3 they need I recommend dusting the insects twice a month with a phos free calcium/D3 powder lightly...again I use RepCal phos free calcium/D3 powder. This gives them some D3 without overdosing them and leaving them to produce the rest from their exposure to the UVB light we provide for them. D3 from supplements can build up in the system and lead to health issues so we have to be careful with supplements. D3 produced from exposure to the sun (direct...not through glass or plastic) won't lead to an overdose as long as the chameleon is allowed to move in and out of it at will. This is true for the UVB from the proper UVB bulb too. I recommend the long linear reptisun 5.0 UVB light for the cage. D3 is fat soluble.

To ensure that the chameleon gets the vitamins it needs we dust twice a month lightly with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A are fat soluble and can build up in the system but PrOformed sources won't...so this is a safe powder to use. However some people use a little preformed vitamin A once in a while because it's unsure if the chameleons can all convert the prOformed kind well or not.

Regarding feeding/gutloading insects...in addition to dusting the insects we want to feed them well so the chameleon gets healthy food. For roaches, crickets, locusts, superworms I use a wide assortment of greens such as dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, etc and veggies such as carrots, squash, zucchini, sweet red pepper, sweet potato, etc and a little bit of fruit....apples, melon, berries, pears, etc. Spinach and members of the cabbage family should be used sparingly or not at all.

Regarding a basking light/area...for basking all you need is a regular household incandescent bulb of a wattage that produces the proper temperature. All lights should be outside the cage. There should be no lights on t night.

Regarding plants...make sure that they are live/real and well washed both sides of the leaves...and non toxic.

Regarding providing water...I recommend misting a couple of times a day for long enough that the chameleon drinks. I also recommend running a dripper during the day too.

I'm sure I e missed some things.but this should get you started.

 

[Cherbit]

Thank you. So are oak leaves toxic? I can’t find any info on them regarding chameleons.

 

[Kaizen]

While @kinyonga has much more experience than I, I think using repashy calcium plus LoD at every feeding would be a great all in one supplement alternative to the schedule proposed above. Some chams are trickier with their supplements, but as you have a veiled, I think the repashy route is far easier.

 

[kinyonga]

@Kaizen ...I meant to mention that...but in trying to not miss things I forgot. I must be getting old! Thanks for waking me up!

 

[CamoChameleonsHuman]

I'm seeing signs of MBD in his casque @Brodybreaux25 your thoughts? Most likely due to lack of any UVB and calcium supplements.

 

[Brodybreaux25]

I'm seeing signs of MBD in his casque @Brodybreaux25 your thoughts? Most likely due to lack of any UVB and calcium supplements.

Yes, male veild with early/mild casque deformity.

 

[Kaizen]

@Kaizen ...I meant to mention that...but in trying to not miss things I forgot. I must be getting old! Thanks for waking me up!
[/QUOTE

Yes, male veild with early/mild casque deformity.
View attachment 249552View attachment 249553View attachment 249554View attachment 249555View attachment 249556View attachment 249557

Brody, I don’t know that I’ve met someone whose fingers are so consistently on the pulse: nice pics; you’re a star!

 

[Brodybreaux25]

Brody, I don’t know that I’ve met someone whose fingers are so consistently on the pulse: nice pics; you’re a star!

You haven’t! Lol I don’t do half measures, I’m either balls deep or bored out of my mind!

Don’t tell anyone, they might start expecting me to be productive!

Thanks!

 

[Graves923]

Since he is so active I was thinking of getting a hamster ball for him to explore in. Maybe for Christmas?

Follow the advice given. Lots of great info in this thread already.

I do want to add this, though... Please, for the sake of the chameleon, do not get a hamster ball for him to roll around in.... Rolling around on the ground is not how chameleons explore. Building him a free range area would be far more beneficial and enriching. Hamster balls are made for hamsters and other rodents. Not reptiles.

 

[CamoChameleonsHuman]

Follow the advice given. Lots of great info in this thread already.

I do want to add this, though... Please, for the sake of the chameleon, do not get a hamster ball for him to roll around in.... Rolling around on the ground is not how chameleons explore. Building him a free range area would be far more beneficial and enriching. Hamster balls are made for hamsters and other rodents. Not reptiles.

Oh good God I didn't even see that comment.... Yes don't do that!