new chameleon

[daniel.s]

hello,

i recently, but not recently got my first chameleon. He is arround 3/4 months old and i have him for 4 weeks now i think. I had some little problems here and there but i think he is pretty happy now.
he is a bit shy and when i give him food or spary water he shies away, is that normal for a young chameleon? I would like to hear some feedback because i want to improve my husbandry with him.

o and last week he ate very poorly, he almost never eats when i'm in the room with him, any help with that?

 

[Chameleon Mike]

Welcome to the forum. Please take the time to fill out the "Request for help form". This will help members get an idea of how to improve your husbandry, supplements, and other areas of chameleon care where you need help.

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.

--------------

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

 

[Brodybreaux25]

Just wanted to say your boy is at least 6-7 months old.

I’ll wait for your help form to discuss everything else. Welcome to the Forums!

 

[daniel.s]

Welcome to the forum. Please take the time to fill out the "Request for help form". This will help members get an idea of how to improve your husbandry, supplements, and other areas of chameleon care where you need help.

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - i am 90% sure he is a male veiled chameleon i got him 4 weeks ago, at the pets store they told me he is 3 months old.
Handling - sinds i got him i handeld him poorty because he was very scared and hides, so lets say 1x a week.
Feeding - He is now eating house crickets and mealworms, i give him about 6-10 crickets (size 6) dusted with Sticky Tongue Farms calcium and 2 mealworms everyday.
Supplements - Calcium Sticky Toungue Farms
Watering - I spray his terrarium 2/3 times a day with a hand spray.
History - I know the guy who sold the chameleon to the pets store and the pets store owners. I know he is a home breeder and not a huge like breeding farm thing.
Cage Info: Reptibreeze 40x40x100(cm) its a screen cage, i have a Arcadia 23 watt day light lamp 7% UVB and a Arcadia basking light 100 watt (his basking spot is arround 30-32 °C, my lighting schedule is a bit of but i do my best to start at 9-10am and turn it off at 9-10pm‎. my temerature in my room is usually arround 20°C‎ my humidity is arround 40-60% i live in the Netherlands so the temperature is pretty hard to keep it arround 20°C‎ but the humidity is ~50% all the time. my terrarium looks pretty boring but im going to fix that soon after i finish my exams.
i hope this is enough info

 

[daniel.s]

Just wanted to say your boy is at least 6-7 months old.

I’ll wait for your help form to discuss everything else. Welcome to the Forums!

thank you! i will ask the store if they can give my his exact date of birth. doesn''t he look a but thin? i thook the photo at the time that he was eating very poorly, this monday he started to eat more so i hope he will look a bit 'bigger'

 

[Chameleon Mike]

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - i am 90% sure he is a male veiled chameleon i got him 4 weeks ago, at the pets store they told me he is 3 months old.
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - i am 90% sure he is a male veiled chameleon i got him 4 weeks ago, at the pets store they told me he is 3 months old.
Looks like 5-6 month old Veiled. We would need pics of the back od the legs to see if there are any spurs to determine the sex.
Handling - sinds i got him i handeld him poorty because he was very scared and hides, so lets say 1x a week.
Feeding - He is now eating house crickets and mealworms, i give him about 6-10 crickets (size 6) dusted with Sticky Tongue Farms calcium and 2 mealworms everyday.
Absolutely no meal worms should be fed due to no nutritional value and impaction problems
Supplements - Calcium Sticky Toungue Farms
Calcium without D3 every feeding. Twice a month multi vitamin
Once a month calcium with D3

Watering - I spray his terrarium 2/3 times a day with a hand spray.
History - I know the guy who sold the chameleon to the pets store and the pets store owners. I know he is a home breeder and not a huge like breeding farm thing.
Cage Info: Reptibreeze 40x40x100(cm) its a screen cage, i have a Arcadia 23 watt day light lamp 7% UVB and a Arcadia basking light 100 watt (his basking spot is arround 30-32 °C, my lighting schedule is a bit of but i do my best to start at 9-10am and turn it off at 9-10pm‎. my temerature in my room is usually arround 20°C‎ my humidity is arround 40-60% i live in the Netherlands so the temperature is pretty hard to keep it arround 20°C‎ but the humidity is ~50% all the time. my terrarium looks pretty boring but im going to fix that soon after i finish my exams.
The cage will need to be upgraded to a 2x2x4' screen very soon. The one you have will be to small when he's an adult.

i hope this is enough info

 

[Beman]

@daniel.s See info below provided in bold color. Welcome to the forum.

Your Chameleon - i am 90% sure he is a male veiled chameleon i got him 4 weeks ago, at the pets store they told me he is 3 months old.
Handling - sinds i got him i handeld him poorty because he was very scared and hides, so lets say 1x a week.
Feeding - He is now eating house crickets and mealworms, i give him about 6-10 crickets (size 6) dusted with Sticky Tongue Farms calcium and 2 mealworms everyday. Mealworms are not very nutritious. You can add other feeders like BSFL, different types of roaches and superworms. they should have a variety of feeders.
Supplements - Calcium Sticky Toungue Farms Are you using miner all indoor or outdoor? He will need calcium WITHOUT D3 (miner all outdoor) on every feed except 2 times a month when you need to give him Calcium WITH D3 and 2 times a month he will need a multivitamin. Pick a day of the week and rotate between the two each week.
Watering - I spray his terrarium 2/3 times a day with a hand spray. does he have a constant water source like a little dripper? These sit on the top of the cage and drip down the plant leaves on a slow drip.
History - I know the guy who sold the chameleon to the pets store and the pets store owners. I know he is a home breeder and not a huge like breeding farm thing.
Cage Info: Reptibreeze 40x40x100(cm) its a screen cage, cage size is too small. You will need 61x61x122cm minimum for a male.
i have a Arcadia 23 watt day light lamp 7% UVB and a Arcadia basking light 100 watt (his basking spot is arround 30-32 °C, my lighting schedule is a bit of but i do my best to start at 9-10am and turn it off at 9-10pm‎. Are you using Arcadia's screw in UVB bulb? LIke this one here https://www.arcadiareptile.com/lighting/d3-basking-lamp/
They actually do not recommend these for use on small cages. Only for much larger enclosures. They produce very high levels of UVB at close ranges. You will need a T5 HO fixture and arcadias 12% bulb.
You want to keep the basking level heat to about 29 degrees C. Once he is full grown about 12 months old they like it a little hotter but still no hotter then 32 degrees C. You can lift the fixture up off the screen a few inches to drop the heat level. get a heat gun to more accurately measure your levels.
Get a timer that you can set to turn the lights on and off at an exact time each day. You want 12 hours on 12 hours off in total darkness.

my temerature in my room is usually arround 20°C‎ my humidity is arround 40-60% i live in the Netherlands so the temperature is pretty hard to keep it arround 20°C‎ but the humidity is ~50% all the time. Ok as far as temp as long as your ambient house temp does not drop below 10 degrees C. then you are good at night. No need to worry there. Humidity is also fine for daytime. You want them in a 30-50% max range for daytime. You can add a cool mist reptile fogger at night between the hours of 1-5am to boost nighttime humidity when the lights are off and the cage is at its coolest. Attach the tube of the unit to the top back corner or top side of the cage so it fogs into the enclosure.
my terrarium looks pretty boring but im going to fix that soon after i finish my exams.
i hope this is enough info

I think he is not eating due to the level of UVB be is getting blasted with. The lighting should be corrected asap. Here is some additional info that can help as well.

great podcast to learn tons www.chameleonbreeder.com
additional info https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/
see helpful graphics below.

 

[Brodybreaux25]

Boy, no doubt.

 

[daniel.s]

@daniel.s See info below provided in bold color. Welcome to the forum.

Your Chameleon - i am 90% sure he is a male veiled chameleon i got him 4 weeks ago, at the pets store they told me he is 3 months old.
Handling - sinds i got him i handeld him poorty because he was very scared and hides, so lets say 1x a week.
Feeding - He is now eating house crickets and mealworms, i give him about 6-10 crickets (size 6) dusted with Sticky Tongue Farms calcium and 2 mealworms everyday. Mealworms are not very nutritious. You can add other feeders like BSFL, different types of roaches and superworms. they should have a variety of feeders.
Supplements - Calcium Sticky Toungue Farms Are you using miner all indoor or outdoor? He will need calcium WITHOUT D3 (miner all outdoor) on every feed except 2 times a month when you need to give him Calcium WITH D3 and 2 times a month he will need a multivitamin. Pick a day of the week and rotate between the two each week.
Watering - I spray his terrarium 2/3 times a day with a hand spray. does he have a constant water source like a little dripper? These sit on the top of the cage and drip down the plant leaves on a slow drip.
History - I know the guy who sold the chameleon to the pets store and the pets store owners. I know he is a home breeder and not a huge like breeding farm thing.
Cage Info: Reptibreeze 40x40x100(cm) its a screen cage, cage size is too small. You will need 61x61x122cm minimum for a male.
i have a Arcadia 23 watt day light lamp 7% UVB and a Arcadia basking light 100 watt (his basking spot is arround 30-32 °C, my lighting schedule is a bit of but i do my best to start at 9-10am and turn it off at 9-10pm‎. Are you using Arcadia's screw in UVB bulb? LIke this one here https://www.arcadiareptile.com/lighting/d3-basking-lamp/
They actually do not recommend these for use on small cages. Only for much larger enclosures. They produce very high levels of UVB at close ranges. You will need a T5 HO fixture and arcadias 12% bulb.
You want to keep the basking level heat to about 29 degrees C. Once he is full grown about 12 months old they like it a little hotter but still no hotter then 32 degrees C. You can lift the fixture up off the screen a few inches to drop the heat level. get a heat gun to more accurately measure your levels.
Get a timer that you can set to turn the lights on and off at an exact time each day. You want 12 hours on 12 hours off in total darkness.

my temerature in my room is usually arround 20°C‎ my humidity is arround 40-60% i live in the Netherlands so the temperature is pretty hard to keep it arround 20°C‎ but the humidity is ~50% all the time. Ok as far as temp as long as your ambient house temp does not drop below 10 degrees C. then you are good at night. No need to worry there. Humidity is also fine for daytime. You want them in a 30-50% max range for daytime. You can add a cool mist reptile fogger at night between the hours of 1-5am to boost nighttime humidity when the lights are off and the cage is at its coolest. Attach the tube of the unit to the top back corner or top side of the cage so it fogs into the enclosure.
my terrarium looks pretty boring but im going to fix that soon after i finish my exams.
i hope this is enough info

I think he is not eating due to the level of UVB be is getting blasted with. The lighting should be corrected asap. Here is some additional info that can help as well.

great podcast to learn tons www.chameleonbreeder.com
additional info https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/
see helpful graphics below.


View attachment 231978View attachment 231979View attachment 231980View attachment 231981View attachment 231982

thank you very mutch for the information, But is this Cage enough for him for now? or should i buy the bigger cage as fast as possible? i will fix my lights for sure. again thanks for the information!

 

[daniel.s]

@daniel.s See info below provided in bold color. Welcome to the forum.

Your Chameleon - i am 90% sure he is a male veiled chameleon i got him 4 weeks ago, at the pets store they told me he is 3 months old.
Handling - sinds i got him i handeld him poorty because he was very scared and hides, so lets say 1x a week.
Feeding - He is now eating house crickets and mealworms, i give him about 6-10 crickets (size 6) dusted with Sticky Tongue Farms calcium and 2 mealworms everyday. Mealworms are not very nutritious. You can add other feeders like BSFL, different types of roaches and superworms. they should have a variety of feeders.
Supplements - Calcium Sticky Toungue Farms Are you using miner all indoor or outdoor? He will need calcium WITHOUT D3 (miner all outdoor) on every feed except 2 times a month when you need to give him Calcium WITH D3 and 2 times a month he will need a multivitamin. Pick a day of the week and rotate between the two each week.
Watering - I spray his terrarium 2/3 times a day with a hand spray. does he have a constant water source like a little dripper? These sit on the top of the cage and drip down the plant leaves on a slow drip.
History - I know the guy who sold the chameleon to the pets store and the pets store owners. I know he is a home breeder and not a huge like breeding farm thing.
Cage Info: Reptibreeze 40x40x100(cm) its a screen cage, cage size is too small. You will need 61x61x122cm minimum for a male.
i have a Arcadia 23 watt day light lamp 7% UVB and a Arcadia basking light 100 watt (his basking spot is arround 30-32 °C, my lighting schedule is a bit of but i do my best to start at 9-10am and turn it off at 9-10pm‎. Are you using Arcadia's screw in UVB bulb? LIke this one here https://www.arcadiareptile.com/lighting/d3-basking-lamp/
They actually do not recommend these for use on small cages. Only for much larger enclosures. They produce very high levels of UVB at close ranges. You will need a T5 HO fixture and arcadias 12% bulb.
You want to keep the basking level heat to about 29 degrees C. Once he is full grown about 12 months old they like it a little hotter but still no hotter then 32 degrees C. You can lift the fixture up off the screen a few inches to drop the heat level. get a heat gun to more accurately measure your levels.
Get a timer that you can set to turn the lights on and off at an exact time each day. You want 12 hours on 12 hours off in total darkness.

my temerature in my room is usually arround 20°C‎ my humidity is arround 40-60% i live in the Netherlands so the temperature is pretty hard to keep it arround 20°C‎ but the humidity is ~50% all the time. Ok as far as temp as long as your ambient house temp does not drop below 10 degrees C. then you are good at night. No need to worry there. Humidity is also fine for daytime. You want them in a 30-50% max range for daytime. You can add a cool mist reptile fogger at night between the hours of 1-5am to boost nighttime humidity when the lights are off and the cage is at its coolest. Attach the tube of the unit to the top back corner or top side of the cage so it fogs into the enclosure.
my terrarium looks pretty boring but im going to fix that soon after i finish my exams.
i hope this is enough info

I think he is not eating due to the level of UVB be is getting blasted with. The lighting should be corrected asap. Here is some additional info that can help as well.

great podcast to learn tons www.chameleonbreeder.com
additional info https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/
see helpful graphics below.


View attachment 231978View attachment 231979View attachment 231980View attachment 231981View attachment 231982

Will this light get the job done? https://www.terramania.nl/catalog/p...dia-39w-pro-t5-uvb-kit-12-uv-lamp/category/4/

 

[daniel.s]

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - i am 90% sure he is a male veiled chameleon i got him 4 weeks ago, at the pets store they told me he is 3 months old.
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - i am 90% sure he is a male veiled chameleon i got him 4 weeks ago, at the pets store they told me he is 3 months old.
Looks like 5-6 month old Veiled. We would need pics of the back od the legs to see if there are any spurs to determine the sex.
Handling - sinds i got him i handeld him poorty because he was very scared and hides, so lets say 1x a week.
Feeding - He is now eating house crickets and mealworms, i give him about 6-10 crickets (size 6) dusted with Sticky Tongue Farms calcium and 2 mealworms everyday.
Absolutely no meal worms should be fed due to no nutritional value and impaction problems
Supplements - Calcium Sticky Toungue Farms
Calcium without D3 every feeding. Twice a month multi vitamin
Once a month calcium with D3

Watering - I spray his terrarium 2/3 times a day with a hand spray.
History - I know the guy who sold the chameleon to the pets store and the pets store owners. I know he is a home breeder and not a huge like breeding farm thing.
Cage Info: Reptibreeze 40x40x100(cm) its a screen cage, i have a Arcadia 23 watt day light lamp 7% UVB and a Arcadia basking light 100 watt (his basking spot is arround 30-32 °C, my lighting schedule is a bit of but i do my best to start at 9-10am and turn it off at 9-10pm‎. my temerature in my room is usually arround 20°C‎ my humidity is arround 40-60% i live in the Netherlands so the temperature is pretty hard to keep it arround 20°C‎ but the humidity is ~50% all the time. my terrarium looks pretty boring but im going to fix that soon after i finish my exams.
The cage will need to be upgraded to a 2x2x4' screen very soon. The one you have will be to small when he's an adult.

i hope this is enough info

thank you for the information! i would love to send some more detailed photo's but when i get close to the cage he shies away

 

[Chameleon Mike]

thank you for the information! i would love to send some more detailed photo's but when i get close to the cage he shies away

No need. @Brodybreaux25 was able to identify him. He also gave you a lot more info then I did. Please take the advise given and take care of your little guy.

 

[daniel.s]

No need. @Brodybreaux25 was able to identify him. He also gave you a lot more info then I did. Please take the advise given and take care of your little guy.

i will do my best, i had a snake before but i like a chameleon a lot more! even though they are pretty hard to keep and mine is very shy, is it normal that he is soo shy? or will he get comfortable?

 

[Chameleon Mike]

I have Panthers. From what I have researched Veils are more likely to be aggressive then Panthers. If you give him what he needs to be healthy he might start coming around.

 

[daniel.s]

I have Panthers. From what I have researched Veils are more likely to be aggressive then Panthers. If you give him what he needs to be healthy he might start coming around.

oke, thank you. i will try to post update's over him

 

[Beman]

Will this light get the job done? https://www.terramania.nl/catalog/p...dia-39w-pro-t5-uvb-kit-12-uv-lamp/category/4/

Yes that one will work. But get it in the length for the larger cage. It will not matter if it hangs off the current cage now.

 

[Beman]

thank you very mutch for the information, But is this Cage enough for him for now? or should i buy the bigger cage as fast as possible? i will fix my lights for sure. again thanks for the information!

I would get the larger cage sooner then later. They grow fast and it can be stressful for them when they do not have enough room to move around in. You want to add lots of horizontal branches for him as well. Do the one at the top 8 inches down from the screen top. Any closer and the UVI will be too high and the heat will be too hot.

 

[daniel.s]

I would get the larger cage sooner then later. They grow fast and it can be stressful for them when they do not have enough room to move around in. You want to add lots of horizontal branches for him as well. Do the one at the top 8 inches down from the screen top. Any closer and the UVI will be too high and the heat will be too hot.

i changed the basking light for a 75watt exo-terra not the temperature is 29.6 c. because i have to change this cage for a bigger one i'll wait with redesigning the brenches etc. i also have to sell my current stuff that need to be changed or find other use for it. i also turned the uvb light because you said he was blasted with uvb, will that do harm not having the daylight light turned off?

 

[Beman]

i changed the basking light for a 75watt exo-terra not the temperature is 29.6 c. because i have to change this cage for a bigger one i'll wait with redesigning the brenches etc. i also have to sell my current stuff that need to be changed or find other use for it. i also turned the uvb light because you said he was blasted with uvb, will that do harm not having the daylight light turned off?

Temp is perfect now. What do you mean by turned the uvb light? do you mean turned off? He will have the light from the basking light mimicking the brightness of sunlight but will not have the UVB for D3 conversion in his body. So his sleep patterns and digestion will be fine. It is one of those situations where too much UVB causes issues and too little UVB for a length of time causes issues. As long as you have the T5 fixture coming very soon he will be ok going without the UVB light.

 

[daniel.s]

yeah i will fix my lights afap. i see that you have a veiled chameleon so i think that you could answer my last question for today. Is it normal that he is very shy and hides when i get near the cage? and will he get more conforable with age?