Hello,
So glad I stumble across the forum! 10 years ago I purchased a pair of Veileds for my 6 yo son, not really knowing what I was getting into.
As a nurse, I have the caretaker gene and our Colorado sun and solar home seemed the perfect location for chameleons. I scoured the bookstore and internet, read everything I could get my hands on. We made some mistakes in the process, but came to adore our colorful friends, hatched 2 clutches of eggs and educated all our frineds and visitors on Chameleons. Godzilla passed away several years ago at the age of 9yo, and we have been chameleon free for about 4 years.
After I started some house renovation, decided it was time again!
Our chameleons had always live int he open in ficus trees, no cages, with waterfalls and theri food fed out of a cup. I decided to go one step further and built an entire indoor terrarium.
The daytime temps are 85 and nighttime 65. They are misted twice daily, as it is dry here, get calcium and vits supplements 3 times a week, a UVB light, and can hunt freely within their garden to eat when they want.
I cut the back legs off the crickets so they can crawl but not hop out, and throw random wax worm into the terraium. I have seen some different behavior than I ever noted before now that their trees are not in pots but actuall in the ground. I always throught they were only tree dwellers, but I see the 4 month old male frequently coming down to the ground and hunting on land for food. He must feel " safe" and can catch those pesky jumpers on foot faster than chnaging branches. Unfortunately, the female of the pair suffered from MBD, despute my best efforts to keep her on supplements, UVB, gut load crickets, etc. She ate more, was a more agressive hunter, so suspect she grew much faster than the male and could not keep up with her bone growth. My son, Nick, and I feel terrible, as we feel we are educated chameleon owner, but things happen. She may have come to us already in deficit and could not catch up.
I have read the threads on not cohabitating males and females, but in our open enviroment where there is plenty of room to roam and seperate, ours have always done well. The female, Jade, had her own tree and her own" side of the garden", so early breeding did not take place. She kept him away until she was 2 1/2. I am guessing that my mimicing a natural enviroment as much as possible in captivity has allowed them to maintain somewhat natural cycles.
The fountain and lights are on a timer, am looking to add a timed misting system as well. In the Summer or warm days, they go outside to a large screened cage to absorb sun.
In the Spring we have Miller moths that take over the fields and get into the house. In the past, I have put an adult chameleon on a lonf wooden dowel, walked around the house, and let them " clean house." The LOVE the moths, and I get a clean house. I understand the concern with feeding wild insects, pesticide etc. but with trial and error, have found the chameleons trive on the natural insects and large locusts ( when they are big enought to eat them.)
I would love to replace our little female, am not a pet store fan, if anyone has an appropriate aged girl.
So glad to be here and check out my photos. I will add more later.
Barb
So glad I stumble across the forum! 10 years ago I purchased a pair of Veileds for my 6 yo son, not really knowing what I was getting into.
As a nurse, I have the caretaker gene and our Colorado sun and solar home seemed the perfect location for chameleons. I scoured the bookstore and internet, read everything I could get my hands on. We made some mistakes in the process, but came to adore our colorful friends, hatched 2 clutches of eggs and educated all our frineds and visitors on Chameleons. Godzilla passed away several years ago at the age of 9yo, and we have been chameleon free for about 4 years.
After I started some house renovation, decided it was time again!
Our chameleons had always live int he open in ficus trees, no cages, with waterfalls and theri food fed out of a cup. I decided to go one step further and built an entire indoor terrarium.
The daytime temps are 85 and nighttime 65. They are misted twice daily, as it is dry here, get calcium and vits supplements 3 times a week, a UVB light, and can hunt freely within their garden to eat when they want.
I cut the back legs off the crickets so they can crawl but not hop out, and throw random wax worm into the terraium. I have seen some different behavior than I ever noted before now that their trees are not in pots but actuall in the ground. I always throught they were only tree dwellers, but I see the 4 month old male frequently coming down to the ground and hunting on land for food. He must feel " safe" and can catch those pesky jumpers on foot faster than chnaging branches. Unfortunately, the female of the pair suffered from MBD, despute my best efforts to keep her on supplements, UVB, gut load crickets, etc. She ate more, was a more agressive hunter, so suspect she grew much faster than the male and could not keep up with her bone growth. My son, Nick, and I feel terrible, as we feel we are educated chameleon owner, but things happen. She may have come to us already in deficit and could not catch up.
I have read the threads on not cohabitating males and females, but in our open enviroment where there is plenty of room to roam and seperate, ours have always done well. The female, Jade, had her own tree and her own" side of the garden", so early breeding did not take place. She kept him away until she was 2 1/2. I am guessing that my mimicing a natural enviroment as much as possible in captivity has allowed them to maintain somewhat natural cycles.
The fountain and lights are on a timer, am looking to add a timed misting system as well. In the Summer or warm days, they go outside to a large screened cage to absorb sun.
In the Spring we have Miller moths that take over the fields and get into the house. In the past, I have put an adult chameleon on a lonf wooden dowel, walked around the house, and let them " clean house." The LOVE the moths, and I get a clean house. I understand the concern with feeding wild insects, pesticide etc. but with trial and error, have found the chameleons trive on the natural insects and large locusts ( when they are big enought to eat them.)
I would love to replace our little female, am not a pet store fan, if anyone has an appropriate aged girl.
So glad to be here and check out my photos. I will add more later.
Barb
