New female veiled chameleon

[Mcjones91]

Hey y’all! Wanting to get your opinions on my set up. Please let me know what you think and what I should change. I just got her and she is pretty stressed. Trying to help her out as much as I can.
Photo attached!!
Thanks


Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - Female veiled chameleon about 3 months old, I’ve had her about 12 hours
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?- none beside transport from the store
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?- she was being fed small crickets about 6-10 per day. I haven’t fed her yet due to she still has crickets left from the store
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?- haven’t started yet.
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?- I have a drill sysytem that drips every 3-5 seconds
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?- mostly white with a little black. She has not been tested to my knowledge.
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.- unknown

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? Sceeen- 16x16x30inches
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?- her lighting I am not sure what brand but she is on a UVB And a heat source. Turned off the light last night about 9p’ and turned in about 9 am.
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?- Basking temp is about 79 and I do not have a thermostat the floor. Lowest overnight temp was 74. I have a digital thermometer and a hygrometer and thermometer combo in the middle of the cage.
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?- Use a hygrometer to measure, she has a constant drop source and I mist her cage a couple times a day. Level stays around 66%.
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? - currently using a croton plant. I know I need to cover the soil. ( doing that today)
• 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? She is in my bed room away from the daily commotion. The ceiling fan is on at night but in low
• Location - Where are you geographically located? Located in Lampasas, Texas.

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about. Cage setup

 

[timw1]

Hi, and welcome to the forum! You should read the caresheets located within this forum if you haven't done so. You need more cover for her, your setup is pretty bare. Live plants hold moisture and provide the needed cover for her to feel safe. Linear uvb bulbs work the best as they spread out the rays, 6% uvb will work on your enclosure. Your basking temp should be around 82-83 degrees. Please check out forum member jannb's blog for further info: https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-with-young-veiled-or-panther-chameleons.325/

 

[Julia777]

Greetings, and congrats on your new cham! I am sure many others will chime in, but I'd say to add more foliage for starters, so that she can hide. She will feel exposed if she can't hide.

 

[Mcjones91]

Greetings, and congrats on your new cham! I am sure many others will chime in, but I'd say to add more foliage for starters, so that she can hide. She will feel exposed if she can't hide.[/QUOT

Thank you Julia777! I have added some live plants to the bottom have have some vines with leaves to add to the top. I just haven’t yet because she is stressing from the move!

 

[timw1]

Hanging a Pothos in there would do the trick, you need foliage up higher where she will be basking and climbing.

 

[Mcjones91]

Hanging a Pothos in there would do the trick, you need foliage up higher where she will be basking and climbing.

I Have a pothos in there it is just small right now. If i raise it up on a pedestal with that do the trick?

 

[RJChamers]

You do know you have 2 post going right? And yes just make sure the temp is correct as basking point.

 

[Mcjones91]

You do know you have 2 post going right? And yes just make sure the temp is correct as basking point.

Yes i do know that I have 2 going! Im sorry! I didn't quite know how to post and I guess both of them worked! sorry about that!

 

[timw1]

I Have a pothos in there it is just small right now. If i raise it up on a pedestal with that do the trick?

Or hang it.

 

[BuddhaBud]

Hello there! Congrats on your new little one. I checked out your setup & could recommend a few things - take it or leave it, I'm no expert

I agree with the general consensus on more plants / cover. When you look in the cage, it should almost be hard to spot your chameleon, there's so much foliage. Just be sure to maintain the basking spot temperatures. Did you wash your live plants & repot them organic soil before introducing them into the enclosure? I would also recommend putting large rocks over any open soil - some chams (mine included) will eat dirt & run the risk of becoming impacted. Make sure the rocks are large enough to not be eaten either lol

Are you using a coiled UVB bulb or a linear (tube style) UVB? I've heard the coiled bulbs can create long term eye issues.. I'd recommend switching to a linear style bulb. They cover more area of the cage with UVB light anyways.

As far as your supplemental schedule, you need to implement one ASAP, especially with your young one. They will need lots of calcium & other nutrients to fuel their growth spurt into adulthood - if they're deficient when young, it'll create irreversible problems that only get worse as they age. So start now Calcium NO D3: daily - Calcium with D3: twice a month - Herptivite Multivitamin: twice a month.

As far as feeders - crickets are a great start. You'll want to provide variety in her diet as well - I'd suggest cycling hornworms (great for hydration), silkworms (high in calcium) or dubia roaches (high in protein). You'll want to start gutloading the feeder insects as well... this means feeding the bugs healthy nutritious food, so by the time your cham eats them, they're chalk full of good stuff. If your veiled is anything like ours, she'll enjoy munching on greens herself - try chopping up some collard, mustard or turnip greens into bite sized pieces & offer them in a bowl. Regarding gutloading & other nutritional aspects, there's a lot of great resources on this site if you dig deep enough.

Once you add more plants send us a pic! Oh, and one of your new scale-baby too!

 

[almightykasumi]

Someone may have already mentioned this, but the basking temp needs to be at the highest 90°F and at the lowest, around 85°F. It is really good if the temperature is somewhere in between them as well. Just watch out for an open mouth for prolonged periods of time. That means she is too hot.

Good luck with her and I hope everything goes well!

 

[Mcjones91]

Hey guys I have added some foliage to the top and I will take some pictures for y’all ASAP! But she is doing ok from what I can tell. Do you recommend covering any of her cage to help with humidity? That is my problem now is keeping that up. I mist her for 3 minutes 3-4 times daily with it drying completely in between. And I have a little
Dripper dripping every 3 seconds. She is eating well and I do notice her drinking I just cannot keep the humidity up for prolonged periods of time. Any recommendations? Cool air humidifier? Partially covering her enclosure?

She gets all spotted when we come into my room. Should I move her to a more secluded place in the house? I have a large laundry room where she would be be bothered much with coming in and out traffic. Besides my dogs coming in at night. What are your opinions? I appreciate all the help!

 

[almightykasumi]

You should research what chameleon colors and body language mean. To me, she looks a little scared and possibly a little stressed. Are you the only one that comes into the room? Is she next to the door or farther into the room? Right next to a door with a lot of movement will cause her stress. Being farther in allows her to see you but not be too intimidated. A laundry room sounds like there would be a lot of traffic so I don't recommend it.

I do recommend getting an automated mister. That helps keep humidity at the right level because, you know, heat and evaporation equals water in air which means humidity. I do not recommend covering the enclosure as chameleons need plenty of ventilation. With no ventilation, she could get upper respiratory infections.