Need to sort out what food for my young velied.

[Oski]

Hi all, i have just got a young veiled female chameleon,

I was told to feed her small brown/black crickets, and meal worms,

I have only had her a few days now and have seen her eat quite a few crickets, but the meal worms i have in one of them escape proof dishes on the bottom of the viv, she does not bother with them unless i dropp one near her then she will take it,

I have read not to feed them too many meal worms?

And also about gutloading and dusting? i was not told anything about this in the shop.

So im after some advice please what would be a good diet for my young veiled? and is dusting the food, necessary,?or can i feed the crickets, some the vege to gutload? sorry about the questions, but i was not told this in the shop and want to get it all correct, thanks


Ifso what stuff to i need?

 

[pssh]

Feed the crickets and other feeders high calcium veggies like kale and collard greens. I'll leave a link at the end. Meal worms can be fed about once or twice a month. Other feeders include roaches, stick bugs, locusts, praying matis, non toxic moths and butterflies, wax worms, butter worms, silk worms, hornworms, superworms, and snails.

You need three dusts, a phos free calcium with no d3, a phos free calcium with d3 and a multivitamin with no vit A. Use the calcium with no d3 5 times a week, the calcium with d3 2-4 times a month (it depends on the brand so report back) and use the multivitamin once or twice a month.

Here's the link but stay away from broccoli, spinach, and tomatoes:
http://www.guinealynx.info/diet_ratio.html

 

[Metric]

What lighting did the pet store recommend to use?

seeing as they didn't mention gutloading and dusting I'm a little worried they might have given you some bad (or non at all) advice in regards to the lights you should be using.

 

[jessica]

Heres a couple old post about mealworms has some info about meal worms
Hope this helps with your meal worm question

https://www.chameleonforums.com/mealworm-disclaimer-33751/index2.html

https://www.chameleonforums.com/feeding-mealworms-everyday-30632/

 

[Oski]

Thanks for the replys, very much appreciated will be buying the dusts in the next few days when it opens,

As for the lighting i was going to make another post, i have a exo terra viv, with the hood that houses two coil type bulbs NOT the long ones,

I have read these can cause problems?,

The bulb i have is an, exo terra repti glo, 26w 10.0 uvb compact,is this any good?

For heating i have a spot lamp 75w exo terra sun glo daylight spot, on a thermostat,

My main concern is the uvb bulb, and also the hood can house 2 compact bulbs, but i was told one is enough and to change it in about 56 months?

I can post some pics of my viv if needed to see if its a set up correct and if any1 would change bits? Thanks again for your help Oski

 

[lucky]

that 26w coil bulb is NO GOOD. they cause eye problems. you want to get a reptisun 5.0 tube light. they are the best. turn off your coil for now.

 

[pssh]

I would not use the coil bulbs and return the hood. Buy either a reptisun 5.0 or a reptiglow 5.0. Make sure they're both linear tubes

Go ahead and post the pictures if you like.

 

[Oski]

Hi thanks alot for your replys, hopefuly the shop will take the hood back as thats no good to me then i will get the one that will hold the tube type bulb, also have some pics of her and the setup, how old would youo say she is from the pics? i was told 1 month ish? thanks Oski

 

[Oski]

A few more

,

View attachment 18107

 

[pssh]

Looks about a month is, possibly almost two.

Add a few more vines and some more coverage and take out the substrate. If she eats it she can become impacted and can die from it. Other than those few things it looks good. Also if that's a water bowl, you dont need it.

 

[Oski]

Hi thanks for your reply, im nearly there ,

i will add more vines, and get the dust, for crickets, and also try and swap my hood and bulb,

, the substrate is that natural stuff that comes in a brick, and i added water it expands into that stuff, i did actually see her get some of that caught up with a cricket early today, so i take it thats bad?, what else could i use, medium stones?

One bowl in the pic has a few meal worms, its meant to be one so they dont escape, but have never seen her near it, and the other is water i thought i would add it for humidity? and mist twice a day, with a squirter thing,i can lose that too if its not doing anything,

And another thing by the looks of it, the hoods what house the linear bulbs hold two like the compact one does, do i just need 1 reptiglow 5 bulb?

Sorry for the questions but glad i learnt more here as i have been told different by the shop, thanks again

 

[pssh]

You can buy a hood for one reptisun 5.0 at a hardware store. You will save a lot of money by going there instead of a pet store.

The substrate isn't good for them and builds up in the stomach. You can leave it in there, but I wouldn't. Many chameleons have died from impactions and I wouldn't want you to loose yours on accident. You can use large stones but it would be extremely hard to clean, I prefer paper towels or nothing. The stones would also allow the crickets and other food to hide in the cracks and what not.

Water bowls are not needed. Mist her three or so times a day (for a couple minutes each time) and set up a dripper. A hole poked int he bottom of a cup works fine. Also set up a small catch container of some sort and cover it with screen so she can't fall in and so the dripper can drip into it. Make sure the dripper drips onto a few leaves. I also recommend getting a small ficus tree, a pothos, a hibiscus, or an umbrella plant for more coverage so that she can eat them if she wants. You can use other plants as well but make sure they are non toxic to chameleons.

Mealworms are not the best feeders and I tend to avoid them as they are not that important to her diet. Try small silkworms instead. They are much better for her.

 

[sandrachameleon]

Hi all, i have just got a young veiled female chameleon,
I was told to feed her small brown/black crickets, and meal worms,
I have only had her a few days now and have seen her eat quite a few crickets, but the meal worms i have in one of them escape proof dishes on the bottom of the viv, she does not bother with them unless i dropp one near her then she will take it,
I have read not to feed them too many meal worms?
And also about gutloading and dusting? i was not told anything about this in the shop.
So im after some advice please what would be a good diet for my young veiled? and is dusting the food, necessary,?or can i feed the crickets, some the vege to gutload? sorry about the questions, but i was not told this in the shop and want to get it all correct, thanks
Ifso what stuff to i need?

hello
You have read correctly not to offer too many mealworms. Crickets are fine - but yes they must be gutloaded and calcium dusted.

You will find lots of important and useful information in these links:
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/2007/12/keeping-female-veiled.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/75-feeder-nutrition-gutloading.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/65-supplements.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/92-hydration-importance.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/68-lighting-links.html

 

[Oski]

Thanks for the reply/info very helpful, so just to clear it up i need a linear 5 reptiglow not a 10 as my compact bulb was. and i only need one linear tube as it houses 2? they said they would swap it over i have to pay difference, they only ones they got house 2 bulbs and some led light? thanks again,

Also changing substrate to stones, cleaned out regulary, more vines and multi vit, and dusts, lose bowl set up a dripper system and find some silk worms or something to swap with the meal worms, thanks again

 

[skully23]

Thanks for the reply/info very helpful, so just to clear it up i need a linear 5 reptiglow not a 10 as my compact bulb was. and i only need one linear tube as it houses 2? they said they would swap it over i have to pay difference, they only ones they got house 2 bulbs and some led light? thanks again,

Also changing substrate to stones, cleaned out regulary, more vines and multi vit, and dusts, lose bowl set up a dripper system and find some silk worms or something to swap with the meal worms, thanks again

Oski, I wouldn't bother putting stones. As Pssh said it allows the food to hide. Use paper towel, newspaper, or nothing. If your spending money on stones then Dont! Go spend it on more vines, food, a real plant, or something else needed. btw glass may stress her out as everyone told me when I first came to asking.

OH, whats with the pot leaves? lol joking

 

[pssh]

You can buy a hood that houses one bulb at a hardware store that works just as well.

If you use stones you must cup feed or she will probably starve from a lack of food.

 

[sandrachameleon]

Thanks for the reply/info very helpful, so just to clear it up i need a linear 5 reptiglow not a 10 as my compact bulb was. and i only need one linear tube as it houses 2? they said they would swap it over i have to pay difference, they only ones they got house 2 bulbs and some led light? thanks again,

You only need one ReptiSun 5.0 tube, assuming that there isnt a dense screen (or plastic or glass etc) between the tube and the chameleon, but if the fixture allows for two bulbs you could add a regular plant grow tube, to help the plants in the cage grow well.

This may help with Where to buy feeders: https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/171-where-buy-feeders-online.html

 

[Oski]

Hi , i have changed the bulb now and have a reptiglow linear 10 bulb.

I went for the 10 as i have read people on here using them fine and also my bulb is outside the mesh top so some of the rays will be caught?

The exo terra hood that houses the linear bulbs only come in an very expensive double version that holds two linear and a led spot light,

i did not need this, so was recommended the fittings for the bulb,. and have no hood as such just a reflective bit of alumunium designed for these. that houses the bulb, so its directed into the tank through the mesh. hope this is correct?

Also seems betternow as it free's up some more of mesh top as there is no bulky hood there now, so more airflow now, i will provide some more pics of the lights setup. thanks

 

[pssh]

with 10.0's you have to raise them a few inches off the screen until they are 6 months old.

 

[Oski]

The uv/uvb bulb sits on the oustside of the mesh and is about 1.5 inches away from the mesh , i have some pics, thanks Oski


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