NEW CHAM OWNER

Mmartin0097 · Jun 2, 2020

I am a new Chameleon owner, we just got this guy from a pet store about 2 weeks ago, they never said how old he was but I estimate 6-8 weeks. We’ve named him Corvo

We did become reptile parents during a rough time in our world. Because of the corona virus. We have not been able to find an exotic veterinarian who will take on a new client for what will probably be a few more weeks.

I know the basics, but Corvo has been a brownish color this week as seen in the photos, not solid just stripes and I’m having a difficult time figuring out what it is that could be setting him off. So that leads me to a few questions and concerns and the hope to find any answers on this forum.

Some concerns I have may be solely from inexperience or just the fact that I had never seen a chameleon in person before my own. I’m having a hard time telling if my Chameleon’s features are in the norm. One being his back ankles. I feel that they may be a little swollen, but it’s hard to confirm. What do I need to do if they are? Also, I’m worried his eyes may be a little sunken yet at the same times it’s hard to tell if it’s just the way his eye creases when he looks a certain direction.

My main concern, and what I suspect what may be the problem, is how much calcium he is receiving. I have a 3 times a week plan, but I’m unsure of one thing. When I am dusting the calcium (without d3) do I only do it on one cricket that day, or all the crickets he eats that day? What is the best calcium meal plan I can give him? I’m afraid of giving too much.

I really just am looking for advice and for experienced owners to help guide me so I can be sure I’m giving the best care possible. It’s hard to know if I’m doing everything right. No matter how many care plan PDFs I download or articles I read. Nothing is going to give me the comfort and conformation I need more than being told directly what I’m doing right and what I need to change. Any advice at all would 100% be beneficial. I left some photos I took of my guy today 6/2/20. He is not handled often so far about 2 times a week at most.

Thank you for any feedback given!!

hiddenflaws · Jun 2, 2020

Definitely older than 6-8 weeks IMO. Looks about around the same age as my cham when I first got him which was 4-5 months.
Also, mind filling out this so others can help you more? (

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Chameleon Info:

Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:

Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

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Please Note:

The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
Photos can be very helpful.

Pictures of his set up will be greatly appreciated as well! <3

Mmartin0097 · Jun 3, 2020

Your Chameleon - Veiled. Maybe 4-5 months old
Handling - 2 times a week at most
Feeding - Crickets and/or potato bugs. With high calcium diet as their main food source. I feed him 6-7 a day. 2 in the morning 2 in the afternoon and 2 at night. I throw some fruits and greens in for extra gutloading as well.
Watering - we have three potential water sources. He has an installed water fountain that is made from rocks. He has a fogger that I turn on for approximately 30 mins every couple of hours. And I manually mist with a bottle approximately 6 times a day. When he first can hone with us, we could see him lick the drops of the leaves and even drink from the fountain. But honestly this last week I can’t recall seeing him drink at all.
Fecal Description - dark brown, solid alway accompanied buy a little white one.
history - honestly at the pet store, they were not handled well. He was kept in a glass cage with 2 females and when we came to get him, they told me they didn’t know how to tell the gender. I told them that I could all they had to do was pick them up individually so I could see them. She moved quick and grabbed at these young reptiles aggressively. All at once two, trying to handle three spooked baby Chams all at once, it was chaotic. Flipped them upside down to look for the gender even though not necessary. And just scared the little guys crapless I felt so sad for them but was happy to get him out of there.

Cage Info:

Cage Type - Screen cage 16x16x36
Lighting - T5 HO 5.0 liner UVB build and the blue daylight bulb 40W I believe but I’ll have to check in the morning and confirm that. He gets 12 hours of daylight schedule being 9am to 9pm and is accommodated for anytime outside of his cage.
Temperature - balding spot temp in between 85-95•f the rest of his cage stays in between 75-85•f and at night drops down no lower than 67•f. I’ve placed two thermometers, one at his basking spot and one in the middle of his cage.
Humidity - i purchased a hygrometer at petsmart and it has an area that is labeled “okay” for the needle to be in. I forever this numbers at the moment I’ll have to check that in the morning too. What are your humidity levels?
Plants - No live plants at the moment
Placement - his cage is in our living room. We only live in a one bedroom apartment and he couldn’t stay in our room because my SO is a heathen who likes our room at a freezing temp. We keep him in the living room where there is no air conditioning and a safer temp for him. His cage is next to one window with black curtains so unwanted light during the night time is prevented as much as possible and we don’t live on a busy street so there is not often traffic just a car passing every now and then which isn’t loud at all. No fans or vents. His cage is on a small bedside table. the bottom of his cage is near 2 ft off from the ground.
Location - I live in upstate New York right near Lake Ontario,

Mmartin0097 · Jun 3, 2020

MissSkittles · Jun 3, 2020

Hi and welcome to the forum. I’ll put my feedback in red so it’s easier to read.

Your Chameleon - Veiled. Maybe 4-5 months old
Handling - 2 times a week at most
Feeding - Crickets and/or potato bugs. With high calcium diet as their main food source. I feed him 6-7 a day. 2 in the morning 2 in the afternoon and 2 at night. I throw some fruits and greens in for extra gutloading as well. Attaching feeder and gutloading infographics for you. It is best to feed him once, early in the day so he has time to bask and digest fully. You could give him a few more feeders daily. If he is as young as the pet store said, he should be eating as much as he wants within about 15 minutes. Like us, chameleons like variety in their diet. Best sources of nutrition are roaches and silkworms. I’ll go over supplements at the end.
Watering - we have three potential water sources. He has an installed water fountain that is made from rocks. He has a fogger that I turn on for approximately 30 mins every couple of hours. And I manually mist with a bottle approximately 6 times a day. When he first can hone with us, we could see him lick the drops of the leaves and even drink from the fountain. But honestly this last week I can’t recall seeing him drink at all. Get rid of the fountain. Chameleons generally don’t drink from them and they tend to become just bacterial soup. Fogging should only be done at night. Heat+high humidity can=respiratory infection. Most just mist 3 times a day for about 2 minutes. You need to give the enclosure time to dry out.
Fecal Description - dark brown, solid alway accompanied buy a little white one. The white is his urine, called urate and you can pretty much tell how hydrated he is by the color. White, cream is best. Sometimes may have a little orange at the tip...that is ok. All orange is dehydrated.
history - honestly at the pet store, they were not handled well. He was kept in a glass cage with 2 females and when we came to get him, they told me they didn’t know how to tell the gender. I told them that I could all they had to do was pick them up individually so I could see them. She moved quick and grabbed at these young reptiles aggressively. All at once two, trying to handle three spooked baby Chams all at once, it was chaotic. Flipped them upside down to look for the gender even though not necessary. And just scared the little guys crapless I felt so sad for them but was happy to get him out of there. Sadly most pet stores have very little clue about chameleons and their care. Chain pet stores are notorious for selling unhealthy chams and giving horrible husbandry advice. Your little guy is safe with you now and going to have a wonderful life.

Cage Info:

Cage Type - Screen cage 16x16x36 You will be needing to upgrade him to a larger enclosure. Generally 2x2x4 or equivalent is standard minimum.
Lighting - T5 HO 5.0 liner UVB build and the blue daylight bulb 40W I believe but I’ll have to check in the morning and confirm that. He gets 12 hours of daylight schedule being 9am to 9pm and is accommodated for anytime outside of his cage. Your uvb is perfect. Colored lights aren’t recommended. Most use an old fashioned incandescent bulb for basking.
Temperature - balding spot temp in between 85-95•f the rest of his cage stays in between 75-85•f and at night drops down no lower than 67•f. I’ve placed two thermometers, one at his basking spot and one in the middle of his cage. Depending on his age, this may be too warm. If he is around 2-3 months, you wouldn’t want basking temp over 85*. Personally, I would lower it until his age is better determined. Night time temp drops are perfect. Their temps can get as low as the 50’s at night.
Humidity - i purchased a hygrometer at petsmart and it has an area that is labeled “okay” for the needle to be in. I forever this numbers at the moment I’ll have to check that in the morning too. What are your humidity levels? Humidity levels are very important. During the daytime, you want it to be between 30-50%. At night when it’s cooler. it can get as high as 80-100%. You may want to change your thermometer and hygrometer to digital, which is more accurate.
Plants - No live plants at the moment Live plants are best. They will help maintain humidity, provide places to hide, leaves to drink from, more climbing opportunities and since veileds nibble their plants, an occasional snack. Just make sure the plants are safe. This is an excellent list. https://chameleonacademy.com/plants/ The biggest problem with fake plants is your cham could eat a fake leaf and get impacted.
Placement - his cage is in our living room. We only live in a one bedroom apartment and he couldn’t stay in our room because my SO is a heathen who likes our room at a freezing temp. We keep him in the living room where there is no air conditioning and a safer temp for him. His cage is next to one window with black curtains so unwanted light during the night time is prevented as much as possible and we don’t live on a busy street so there is not often traffic just a car passing every now and then which isn’t loud at all. No fans or vents. His cage is on a small bedside table. the bottom of his cage is near 2 ft off from the ground. No real need to worry about noises disturbing him. Chams don’t hear very well. They pretty much only hear lower frequencies. They do like to be up as high as possible and able to look down upon their world. I hope during the day he is able to look out the window. Some chams seem to enjoy having a view.
Location - I live in upstate New York right near Lake Ontario,

I don’t really see anything wrong with his legs or any other part of him. Let’s try to keep it that way. He needs dietary supplements. The standard method is to lightly dust at every feeding with a phosphorus free calcium without D3...except for one feeding every week you will be alternating calcium with D3 with a multivitamin. So that one feeding week 1 & 3 will be calcium with D3. Weeks 2 & 4 will be multivitamin. Everyone has their own regimen, but this is the basic one. Some use Repashy brand calcium with LoD on every feeding and no other supplement is then needed. I found it gave my girls edema.
From the pics of your enclosure, there are some changes that can be made. The green carpet looks nice, but is next to impossible to keep hygienic. Usually just a bare floor is best and easiest to keep clean. You really need to add many more branches and vines. He needs more little roads to travel. You can collect branches outside...wash with Dawn dish soap, blast with a hose and let dry in the sun. Avoid pine and anything else that has sap. Hanging things is a challenge. You could create a scaffold type support by attaching vertical sticks to the enclosure frame (with fishing line) and then zip tie some horizontal sticks and you’re good to attach things.
I hope I haven’t overwhelmed you. While it seems like a lot of changes, some should be pretty simple changes of routine. It is very important to get him started on correct supplements ASAP. Hope I’ve been of some help.