My new veiled is a treasure!

[Xepera]

After a whole year of planing and arranging our little yemen guy is finally here. He arrived saturday evening and already he's brought us tons of joy. He's such a sweatheart and handsome too! He was born in Sweden in february, so he's about 5 months old. He seems healthy in every way, but please tell me if you see something wrong with him (pics in the end of my post).

He seems very friendly considering he's a chameleon. He actually turned light green when I took him gently to my hand from his transport box! He seems to like his new huge enclosure and he has been eating both veggies and bugs from the first day. I haven't seen him drink or poo yet, but I still think he is ok.

He is exploring his surroundings little by little, and we have let him to do that without any unnecessary disturbance. It's rude to stare! I have taken lots of pictures, but I dont think I have invaded in his personal space too much. I think we'll let him get used to us and the surroundings for a week or two before we begin to take him out even for a little time once in a while.

And now to the interesting part, the photos!

You'll find more in here:
The day of arrival: http://s38.photobucket.com/albums/e137/Xepera/IOR first day/
The second day, when he got fed up with the photographer and I decided not to bother him any further: http://s38.photobucket.com/albums/e137/Xepera/IOR second day/

Pics of the enclosure: http://s38.photobucket.com/albums/e137/Xepera/Chamaeleo Calyptratus terrarium/

 

[ChrisnLisa]

He's a cutie!! A few things I recommend. I don't use clear containers for feeding dishes, you do not want them to shoot their tongue at the outside of the bowl and hurt themselves. Also, know the pothos, ficus, and schefflera are safe plants in his cage, but I cant tell you for sure about the other two. Are you using a UVB light? I cannot tell in the pics. Also, what is the black dish on the bottom of the cage for?

 

[Xepera]

Thanks!

We have solved the clear container problem by putting a white plastic plate inside of it. It has sides on it and it helps the cham to find a right place to shoot. You can't see the food from the outside, so he'll automatically shoot from the top.

I have pothos, ficus and shefflera plus a plant that's name I dont know in english, but I have checked that it is in the safe list!

We have two ReptiSun 5.0 UVB-tubes since the enclosure is so big. The double tubes were recommended by a Finnish reptile specialist. He said that we would't probably need a normal day light tube at all, but I think the bottom of the enclosure is still a little dark for a sun loving chameleon, so we'll try to lighten it up with a daylight tube.

The black dish on the bottom was for collecting the water from the tripper, but although there was a stick in the dish to prevent drowning, I did feel a little worried about that, since the dripper is a big one and there is sometimes quite a lot of water. So we changed it into a different kind of container, which has only a small hole in it (cham can't fit into it).

Keep the advice and suggestions coming, I'm not an expert yet, but eager to learn!

 

[Xepera]

By the way, could someone tell me how often young chameleons like mine (5 months) should poop? When should I be worried? I haven't been able to find any feces from the terrarium floor, but small cham must have small poop and I could have very easily missed it. I try not to worry, but with a new animal in the house I can't help but think about every detail.

 

[laurie]

You can relax, you are doing a great job! I like the cage, the dish was also the only thing I noticed, well I will admit it is the first time I have seen a skull in a cage but it is not a problem. All the nice live plants will offer good drinking areas and provide good humidity, well done.
It is very possible that your guy has pooped in a plant and you haven't seen it, not to worry. Much as I try to keep my cages clean, I always find a missed poop in someones plant somewhere. As long as he is eating and drinking you are fine. It is not unusual not to see him drink in front of you. Not seeing him drink combined with not seeing him poop means you need to keep a good eye on him. I would guess you will keep an eye on him anyway.

Congratulations and it all looks great for a first timer. We are all here for more questions as you go.

 

[mokhok]

the first picture you posted brought a smile to my face!

looks like you are doing a great job.

 

[jannb]

Congrats! He looks great!