New at this..

[megand]

Hi! So I just got my baby veiled chameleon 4 days ago. I did a lot of research before and I think I know most of the info I need.. I'll fill out one of these juuuust in case


Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Veiled chameleon,
sex- male
age- 4 months?
How long has it been in your care- 4 days
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? Ive held her before I got him, at the pet store. And once at home.
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? Crickets
What amount? He eats about 6 or 7.. Depends on what he feels like
What is the schedule? I wake up in the morning before school.. Turn on the light, Mist. After school, mist. Feed. About 8 or 9.. Turn off the light, mist. Usually my cham is already sleeping by then in his usual spot!
How are you gut-loading your feeders? I have gut load food, its orange cubes. Says its all i need.
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? At the top of my head I do not know, but i do have both of them..
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? I mist a minimum of 3 times a day!
Do you see your chameleon drinking? No.
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Color, Black, White at one tip..
Consistency, solid
Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? No

History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you- Bought him at a local pet store, he was around mulitple other chameleons. He seemed one of the more dominant ones. Very nice outside of the cage before I brought her home.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? Screen, and 21 by 21 by 48?
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? 125w. not quite sure the brand i do not remember.
What is your daily lighting schedule? 12 or more hours a day of light. I am soon going to buy an automatic light on off so hes on more of a schedule.
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? Also have not gotten a thermometer. It doesnt get too cold over night.. 72 degrees maybe?
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? Do not know about humidity.. I spray the cage. I spray the bottom paper towels that are on the bottom.
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? No.
Placement - Where is your cage located? My living room.
Is it near any fans, air vents, No
or high traffic areas? The only person that goes into my living room is me, and my friends occasionally. My parents only go in there when they need to talk to me..
At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? 5 ft?

Location - Where are you geographically located? Minnesota

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about. I just want to make sure I'm doing everything alright for my little chameleon. Who's name is for now.. Carlos. Undecided if it'll stick. I also just noticed today that he has two white bumps, not really bump bumps but sort of looks like white skin hanging from both sides of his nose. Wondering if maybe hes going to shed soon, or what I should do!

 

[kinyonga]

Welcome to the forum! Its good that you are asking right away about your husbandry!

I would advise you not to mist after the lights go off...you may end up with your chameleon getting a respiratory infection or a fungal infection.

At that age he should be eating a lot more than that...of the appropriate sized crickets. What size are you feeding him?

Its important to know what the supplements are and how often you are dusting with each of them, the brand and type (compact, spiral, long linear tube) UVB light you are using and the temperatures. Your chameleon needs a UVB light or exposure to direct sunlight. (UVB should not pass through glass or plastic.) (Young veileds should be kept in the low 80's IMHO)

At that age its important to make sure that your chameleon spends a fair amount of time in the range of the UVB light too.

IMHO it would be best to give your crickets a wide variety of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.).

Here are some sites....
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/20060502...rnals.com/vet/index.php?show=5.Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/20060421.../index.php?show=6.Vitamin.D3.and.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/

 

[megand]

I put in about 10 crickets, they're large. The workers at the pet shop said they were a good size. He usually eats most of them, leaves a couple for the morning before I feed him it seems. Ive tried giving him veggies but he doesnt recognize them as food, any advice for that? The light I have is UVB and basking.. Once again I'm not by my cage so I do not know the brands of things off the top of my head. A local breeder I know swears by this light though, so I think it's a good choice.. But also I would like to be able to hold my chameleon in the future, obviously not a lot but I dont want him to be aggresive.. I would like him to get used to me at least! Is there any techniques you have used to get him to trust your hand?

 

[Bokaru]

I put in about 10 crickets, they're large. The workers at the pet shop said they were a good size. He usually eats most of them, leaves a couple for the morning before I feed him it seems. Ive tried giving him veggies but he doesnt recognize them as food, any advice for that? The light I have is UVB and basking.. Once again I'm not by my cage so I do not know the brands of things off the top of my head. A local breeder I know swears by this light though, so I think it's a good choice.. But also I would like to be able to hold my chameleon in the future, obviously not a lot but I dont want him to be aggresive.. I would like him to get used to me at least! Is there any techniques you have used to get him to trust your hand?

Welcome to the forums!
10 crickets is a lot of crickets. I would recommend giving him only the amount he eats in one feeding and possibly spreading it out over several feedings (1-2 should be fine though).

Also rogue crickets can hide very well. Crickets are basically cockroaches with jumping legs. They will become hungry and eat anything they can get a hold of in your cage even your cham! I know some people will disagree with me but I feel hand fed is the best way to avoid this (some people use a cup).

Kinyonga's point about spraying at night is a good one to follow. This can also lead to spooking and extra anxiety which may make your cham jump from where they are perched or even put them into shock especially if they are already a sleep.

I have not raised Veileds. You might want to get a confirmation on my notes, but I think they should be if not, then about right.

 

[carol5208]

How large? Your chameleon is only 4 months old? Are the crickets larger than the space between his eyes?. If so, they could be too large and he could possibly choke. At 4 months old my chameleon ate about 15-20 1/4 inch crickets. You say you are gutloading your crickets?With what gutload food? Fresh veggies and fruits are great. Remember your crickets are what they eat and that gets passed on to your chameleon! Also you need three types of supplementation, this is very important! Use Calcium w/0 d3 every feeding, calcium w/d3 two or three times and month same with a multivitamin. The lighting is extremely important! It can mean the difference between a healthy cham and an unhealthy one! We all use the 5.0 reptisun. You should be using about a 60 watt housebulb for basking. Humidity is important also, especially with you living in a non humid place. You need to get something to measure that asap! The white around the nose could be a sign of over supplementation. Can you post some pics please of your set up and your chameleon.

 

[chameleon884]

Hi! So I just got my baby veiled chameleon 4 days ago. I did a lot of research before and I think I know most of the info I need.. I'll fill out one of these juuuust in case


Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Veiled chameleon,
sex- male
age- 4 months?
How long has it been in your care- 4 days
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? Ive held her before I got him, at the pet store. And once at home.
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? Crickets
What amount? He eats about 6 or 7.. Depends on what he feels like
What is the schedule? I wake up in the morning before school.. Turn on the light, Mist. After school, mist. Feed. About 8 or 9.. Turn off the light, mist. Usually my cham is already sleeping by then in his usual spot!
How are you gut-loading your feeders? I have gut load food, its orange cubes. Says its all i need.
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? At the top of my head I do not know, but i do have both of them..
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? I mist a minimum of 3 times a day!
Do you see your chameleon drinking? No.
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Color, Black, White at one tip..
Consistency, solid
Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? No

History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you- Bought him at a local pet store, he was around mulitple other chameleons. He seemed one of the more dominant ones. Very nice outside of the cage before I brought her home.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? Screen, and 21 by 21 by 48?
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? 125w. not quite sure the brand i do not remember.
What is your daily lighting schedule? 12 or more hours a day of light. I am soon going to buy an automatic light on off so hes on more of a schedule.
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? Also have not gotten a thermometer. It doesnt get too cold over night.. 72 degrees maybe?
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? Do not know about humidity.. I spray the cage. I spray the bottom paper towels that are on the bottom.
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? No.
Placement - Where is your cage located? My living room.
Is it near any fans, air vents, No
or high traffic areas? The only person that goes into my living room is me, and my friends occasionally. My parents only go in there when they need to talk to me..
At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? 5 ft?

Location - Where are you geographically located? Minnesota

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about. I just want to make sure I'm doing everything alright for my little chameleon. Who's name is for now.. Carlos. Undecided if it'll stick. I also just noticed today that he has two white bumps, not really bump bumps but sort of looks like white skin hanging from both sides of his nose. Wondering if maybe hes going to shed soon, or what I should do!

you are off to a good start. but you should change some things. get a reptisun 5.0 uvb light. this will help him absorb vitamins and calcium and other good stuff.
if he is only 4 months old and you are feeding him large crickets you should feed him small crickets at his age. the person at thepet shop was probably not very knowledgable. and 1 more thing. you said you have 2 supplements. here is what you SHOULD have.

Rep-Cal. - Calcium
Rep-Cal.- Calcium with d3
and Herptivite multi-vitamin.
you put the plain calcium on the crickets 5x a week.
do the d3 cal. about 2x a month. (every other week)
and the multi-vitamin 2-3x a month.
so all the things i would recommend-
1. reptisun 5.0
2. all 3 supplements
3. and smaller crickets!

good luck with your chameleon!

 

[chameleon884]

How large? Your chameleon is only 4 months old? Are the crickets larger than the space between his eyes?. If so, they could be too large and he could possibly choke. At 4 months old my chameleon ate about 15-20 1/4 inch crickets. You say you are gutloading your crickets?With what gutload food? Fresh veggies and fruits are great. Remember your crickets are what they eat and that gets passed on to your chameleon! Meaning what are you feeding your crickets? Also you need three types of supplementation, this is very important! Use Calcium w/0 d3 every feeding, calcium w/d3 two or three times and month same with a multivitamin. The lighting is extremely important! It can mean the difference between a healthy cham and an unhealthy one! We all use the 5.0 reptisun. You should be using about a 60 watt housebulb for basking. Humidity is important also, especially with you living in a non humid place. You need to get something to measure that asap! The white around the nose could be a sign of over supplementation. Can you post some pics please of your set up and your chameleon.

haha, you beat me while i was typing!

 

[carol5208]

Welcome to the forums!
10 crickets is a lot of crickets. I would recommend giving him only the amount he eats in one feeding and possibly spreading it out over several feedings (1-2 should be fine though).

Also rogue crickets can hide very well. Crickets are basically cockroaches with jumping legs. They will become hungry and eat anything they can get a hold of in your cage even your cham! I know some people will disagree with me but I feel hand fed is the best way to avoid this (some people use a cup).

Kinyonga's point about spraying at night is a good one to follow. This can also lead to spooking and extra anxiety which may make your cham jump from where they are perched or even put them into shock especially if they are already a sleep.

I have not raised Veileds. You might want to get a confirmation on my notes, but I think they should be if not, then about right.

The chameleon is only 4 months old. He should be eating 15-20 crickets a day. You say 10 is too much!? I guess if they are large, which he shouldn't be feeding in the first place!

 

[carol5208]

haha, you beat me while i was typing!

Don't you hate when that happens and you go through all that work and someone has already said everything you want to say! lol!!!

 

[chameleon884]

Don't you hate when that happens and you go through all that work and someone has already said everything you want to say! lol!!!

haha yeah.

happens all the time..

 

[megand]

I think he's 4 months! I'm not quite sure this is just a guess from looking around on the website.. I'll put a picture of him and the cage on here as soon! The guy at the pet store owns a chameleon himself, and said that my chameleon is just a the right size for the size of crickets I'm feeding him. Although I'm beginning to notice that the crickets are getting bigger? So I am planning on getting new ones either tomorrow or the next day, cause he does seem to be eating them still. I am feeding them this kind of food

Not sure if that image worked.. But yeah! Thank you guys for the help! I'll put pictures on here soon of my little guy!

 

[carol5208]

That is not the best food for your crickets. Like I said fresh fruit and veggies, kale, romaine etc,(dark green leafy ) carrots, apples, oranges, melons, to name a few. Yes, your crickets will continue to grow and I don't know what the size was to begin with but they will get up to one inch and that is kinda big for a 4 month old cham. I understand you are just following instructions from the pet store people but sometimes they are not as knowledgeable as they would lead you to believe!

 

[Ace]

the stuuf you are using is okay, try adding friuts and veggies in too,

avoid brocolli, spinach, and tomatoe=sick chams by not absorbing calcium without d3 and these veggies take away d3 , i believe, ....


thats good to get smaller crix cuz they grow fast and that help to give the right sizes for you cham.....pleas post pics

 

[nhayes1]

"When you said you "all use the 5.0 reptisun" -was wondering if you guys like the coils or the florecent light looking tubes? I had a petshop owner tell me to use a 10.0 because that way they would get the uvb when they were in the plants? - What say you ??

 

[Ace]

the tubes are recommended, cuz the coils may get your cham eye problems,plus the 10.0 is too much, unless you have a really BIG cage or free reanging and so much plant coverage that the light is covered by the foilage,
5.0 is good enough....have you heard of the phrase "...too much of a good thing..."

 

[Bokaru]

The chameleon is only 4 months old. He should be eating 15-20 crickets a day. You say 10 is too much!? I guess if they are large, which he shouldn't be feeding in the first place!

My bad, I am raising a Senegal and I know for a fact 10 is way too much for him, but he is small. I figured a 4 mo old to be pretty small still. But that's why I said to make sure all my pointers were correct. Thanks for catching it. :x

 

[megand]

one quick question... what temp should the water i mist be?

 

[Silkyslim]

one quick question... what temp should the water i mist be?

As warm as possible short of scalding. I put a fish tank thermometer in my water reservoir as I use a mist king and it keeps the water around 80. I do wish it was a little warmer but it works for now.

I have read that those that use hand misters will get water hot on the stove before putting it in the bottle and misting it. The small droplets cool very fast so it should be hard to burn the cham with water unless you dumped in water from a rolling boil.

From my knowledge I wouldn't recommend using hot water from the tap. Water heaters use conditioners and other additives plus I feel it's generally lower quality then fresh cold tap water. Before I get flamed lol. I had an old chef that swore by using cold water for everything, never hot water because the boiler was full "dirty and gross" additives so it is just something I follow.

As I said, I use a heater in my reservoir so I am not 100% on the hand mister temp kinda situtation

 

[Olimpia]

If your chameleon is eating large crickets without problem, then there is no problem. I've always given my chams large crickets at around 4 months old and they chow them down without problem. I have a 4 month old now eating full grown crickets like a champ.

For misting, fill the resevoire or pump with hot water, to where it mists out warm. But definitely not hot, but a nice warm temp is great.

 

[ataraxia]

i personally just use room temp water. i use to use a old manual pump spray bottle and recently started using a "pump pressurized kind" and absolutely love it. you can adjust the tip for a fine spray. i manually mist 1-2 times a day and shower mist in the morning. he drinks like he has ran a marathon in the shower. to me its worth the 10-15 minutes in the shower to watch him drink. rather than wondering and waiting on his stool.