New owner!

[Kells]

Hey everyone! I had a couple people reach out to me recommending I ask for advice on care for my baby veiled Cham.

Here’s the scoop! (I call it “he” I’m not 100% yet there is roughly a 50/50 on opinions.

He should be about 2 months old. He was the smallest of the bunch and not doing too well when I bought him. At the beginning of this month. He seems to be doing fine. He knows where to find food and water.

I have him in a large sized screen cage with a vaporizer that smokes and makes drips all down faux foliage (which I have a lot of) along with a few faux vines for it to get around. I have the bottom lines with coconut shred and moss. I learned that when they are babies and they get spooked they just dead fall from anywhere. So, I added a screen bridge type net to keep him from dying lol. I’m using an 80w uv heat bulb I keep it on 7a-7p. I feed him twice a day about 6-8 large pin head or small, small crickets. (I sprinkle calcium on them) He’s also wanted a few very small meal worms. I keep his food in a container they can’t get out of, for right now.

First 2 pics are from the day I got him. One on the store feed bowl and othernon my pinky.

Thanks I’m advance for the advice/ constructive criticism if I am doing something wrong.

 

[Brodybreaux25]

They should have also given you the form as well.

Please fill out the “how to ask for help” form and post your answers back here. Quality pictures will help us help you.



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:



1 The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.



2 Photos can be very helpful.

 

[Kells]

They should have also given you the form as well.

Please fill out the “how to ask for help” form and post your answers back here. Quality pictures will help us help you.



Chameleon Info:



◦ Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?

Veiled
Not positive on sex
About 2 months old
About a month in my care


◦ Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?

Every day or every other day 10-15 min

◦ Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Large pin head/ small, small crickets
6-8 twice a day
Carrots and the flukes orange feed



◦ Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
Rep-Cal calcium powder
I put it in a salt shaker and shake it on the crickets


◦ 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 vapor humidifier that smokes and drips on a faux plant
Always running (sometimes he sleeps right under it)
I have before, not all the time. But he goes over where the water is frequently.


◦ Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
Brown with white on end
No parachute testing


◦ History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

He was sort of the runt ( you can see him in comparison to his siblings in the first photo.






Cage Info:



◦ Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
16x16x32
Screen


◦ Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?

80 watt uv heat
Zoo med I think?

◦ Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
I have not measured temps. They said I didn’t need to the 80w would be fine.

The light is right over a faux ledge where is feed bowl is so he could bask there

◦ Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
I also so have a specific number for this

◦ Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?

N/a

I have quite a few faux foliage

◦ 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?

A few feet off the floor on a table
Not high traffic

Not right by a fan or air duct

◦ Location - Where are you geographically located?

Florida





Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

No current issues, just gathering information and tips





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







Please Note:



1 The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.



2 Photos can be very helpful.

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi Kells. I can see at least a couple of things that need correcting, but will let the more experienced members help you as I’m not knowledgeable with the babies. If you could clarify if your calcium has vitamin D in it and post better pics of your little one’s back feet, that would help. Many thanks

 

[Kells]

I actually made a different post asking about sexing it. It’s hard to get pics. I will try to get better ones today or tomorrow. The calcium does have Vit. D!

Thanks for your reply!

 

[Kells]

Hey everyone! I had a couple people reach out to me recommending I ask for advice on care for my baby veiled Cham.

Here’s the scoop! (I call it “he” I’m not 100% yet there is roughly a 50/50 on opinions.

He should be about 2 months old. He was the smallest of the bunch and not doing too well when I bought him. At the beginning of this month. He seems to be doing fine. He knows where to find food and water.

I have him in a large sized screen cage with a vaporizer that smokes and makes drips all down faux foliage (which I have a lot of) along with a few faux vines for it to get around. I have the bottom lines with coconut shred and moss. I learned that when they are babies and they get spooked they just dead fall from anywhere. So, I added a screen bridge type net to keep him from dying lol. I’m using an 80w uv heat bulb I keep it on 7a-7p. I feed him twice a day about 6-8 large pin head or small, small crickets. (I sprinkle calcium on them) He’s also wanted a few very small meal worms. I keep his food in a container they can’t get out of, for right now.

First 2 pics are from the day I got him. One on the store feed bowl and othernon my pinky.

Thanks I’m advance for the advice/ constructive criticism if I am doing something wrong.

 

[MissSkittles]

@Beman

 

[Beman]

@Beman

I was waiting to see if you were going to take it on lol. You know more then you think you do. Give me a few and I will look through the help form

 

[MissSkittles]

I was waiting to see if you were going to take it on lol. You know more then you think you do. Give me a few and I will look through the help form

Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I’m lacking knowledge about the babies.

 

[Beman]

@Kells Hi there! And welcome to the forum! I am going to go through and red bold my feedback. I may have some additional questions as well.

Chameleon Info:



◦ Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?

Veiled
Not positive on sex
About 2 months old
About a month in my care

◦ Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?

Every day or every other day 10-15 min... Just don't overwhelm the little one. when they are young they are at their most fragile.

◦ Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Large pin head/ small, small crickets
6-8 twice a day At this age they should eat as much as they want and have access to food constantly during the day.
Carrots and the flukes orange feed The gutload needs to be improved on. So we gutload to pass the nutrients on to the cham not to feed the insects. I will post an image for you.


◦ Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
Rep-Cal calcium powder Which one are you using with D3 or without?
I put it in a salt shaker and shake it on the crickets


◦ 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 vapor humidifier that smokes and drips on a faux plant Ok you need to stop running this all the time. Heat from lights and fogging creates warm wet air that can cause them to develop a respiratory infection. These have to be treated by a vet with antibiotics. Right now you should be either hand misting with a little dripper running or mistking auto mister with a little dripper running. Cool mist humidifiers or foggers are used only at night when the cage is at its coolest. Say 12-5am I will post a podcast link to better explain.
Always running (sometimes he sleeps right under it)
I have before, not all the time. But he goes over where the water is frequently.


◦ Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
Brown with white on end
No parachute testing. This would be a good thing to get tested. Parasites are either really easy to treat or not at all.


◦ History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

He was sort of the runt ( you can see him in comparison to his siblings in the first photo.






Cage Info:



◦ Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
16x16x32 Good.
Screen


◦ Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?

80 watt uv heat Ok this will need to be changed. You need a T5HO linear fixture with a 5.0 UVB bulb. This should run the width of the cage across the middle of the cage sitting directly on the top of the cage. Then you need the basking area to be 7-8 inches below it. At 2 months old they don't need high heat temps. Once he hits about 3 months he will need a heat lamp with a regular incandescent white bulb.
Zoo med I think?

◦ Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
I have not measured temps. They said I didn’t need to the 80w would be fine. You do want to know this info. Get a digital temp gauge.

The light is right over a faux ledge where is feed bowl is so he could bask there

◦ Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
I also so have a specific number for this What are your levels? Should only be 30-40% during the day then up to 100% at night. Listen to the podcast link.

◦ Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?

N/a

I have quite a few faux foliage

◦ 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?

A few feet off the floor on a table
Not high traffic

Not right by a fan or air duct

◦ Location - Where are you geographically located?

Florida


https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/

https://www.chameleonbreeder.com/podcast/ep-89-naturalistic-hydration-for-chameleons/

 

[Kells]

Thanks you! So much info! I really appreciate it.

I’m torn with the handling. I have read mixed things. When I go more than 3 days without holding him he freaks out when I do try. When I get him out every day or every other day he is WAY better about it. I don’t want to stress him out but don’t want him to not want to be handled when older.

I will start gut loading with what the chart recommends no issues with that!

Calcium with D3

I will listen to the podcast later and adjust the run time.

As well as look up a reptile vet in my area to check his stool

I found the box for the current light. I added pic. I will look into getting what you wrote above set up.

When I go to get him more crickets this week I will buy gauges for temp and humidity

Seriously, thanks again!

 

[Beman]

Thanks you! So much info! I really appreciate it.

I’m torn with the handling. I have read mixed things. When I go more than 3 days without holding him he freaks out when I do try. When I get him out every day or every other day he is WAY better about it. I don’t want to stress him out but don’t want him to not want to be handled when older.

I will start gut loading with what the chart recommends no issues with that!

Calcium with D3

I will listen to the podcast later and adjust the run time.

As well as look up a reptile vet in my area to check his stool

I found the box for the current light. I added pic. I will look into getting what you wrote above set up.

When I go to get him more crickets this week I will buy gauges for temp and humidity

Seriously, thanks again!

Your welcome hun.

Ok you need to get this supplement. This will be the only supplement you use. You are risking D3 overdose right now with your current schedule. https://www.amazon.com/Repashy-Calc...cium+plus+lod&qid=1566864279&s=gateway&sr=8-1

Change the UVB asap.. That is not a good one. They are used for larger enclosures. They tend to be much to HIGH of a UVI output on a small cham cage.

Here is my recommendation on handling. Never do it in a way where you are pulling them out. It is one thing if they are climbing up on you. I am going to give you my blog link for building trust. This is by no means a guide on taming. I do not believe in taming them just being able to work with them so that neither you or the cham gets stressed.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/building-trust-with-your-chameleon.2396/

 

[Kells]

Awesome! I will read/listen to all of the new information and re arrange my set up over the next few days!

 

[Beman]

Awesome! I will read/listen to all of the new information and re arrange my set up over the next few days!

It is a lot of info at once. Don't get overwhelmed... Just start piece by piece with the most important details. Supplements, lighting, hydration etc. As always please ask questions.

 

[Kells]

It is a lot of info at once. Don't get overwhelmed... Just start piece by piece with the most important details. Supplements, lighting, hydration etc. As always please ask questions.

Yes! I was reading so much on here that I figured I would join and make sure the pet shop was directing me right... clearly not. I usually don’t get pets I don’t know anything about but we were getting supplies for our ball python and I saw this baby Cham that was half the size of the rest and getting climbed on and scratched up and had to take it home lol the guy at the store tried to tell me not to take it like 4 times..

I just want him to be healthy. I will get him all set the right way with my new knowledge. And will be messaging you with any other questions lol

 

[Brodybreaux25]

Don’t get your thermometer/hydrometer from the pet store, cheap and notoriously unreliable. This is a important tool, invest in a good digital one, about $20.

 

[Jack135]

Hey everyone! I had a couple people reach out to me recommending I ask for advice on care for my baby veiled Cham.

Here’s the scoop! (I call it “he” I’m not 100% yet there is roughly a 50/50 on opinions.

He should be about 2 months old. He was the smallest of the bunch and not doing too well when I bought him. At the beginning of this month. He seems to be doing fine. He knows where to find food and water.

I have him in a large sized screen cage with a vaporizer that smokes and makes drips all down faux foliage (which I have a lot of) along with a few faux vines for it to get around. I have the bottom lines with coconut shred and moss. I learned that when they are babies and they get spooked they just dead fall from anywhere. So, I added a screen bridge type net to keep him from dying lol. I’m using an 80w uv heat bulb I keep it on 7a-7p. I feed him twice a day about 6-8 large pin head or small, small crickets. (I sprinkle calcium on them) He’s also wanted a few very small meal worms. I keep his food in a container they can’t get out of, for right now.

First 2 pics are from the day I got him. One on the store feed bowl and othernon my pinky.

Thanks I’m advance for the advice/ constructive criticism if I am doing something wrong.

Hi do you know how much he weighs or how long he is now? Thanks. Good luck. I have one similar age.

 

[Coop]

@Jack135, I would recommend not dredging up old threads. The OP is not going to respond, mostly because they have probably not checking old threads, and not many people will respond. I would recommend staying with the newer threads and creating your own.

 

[Beman]

@Jack135, I would recommend not dredging up old threads. The OP is not going to respond, mostly because they have probably not checking old threads, and not many people will respond. I would recommend staying with the newer threads and creating your own.

Actually this one is not that old. Only a little over a month so they may get an answer from the OP. They did start their own thread as well.

 

[Coop]

Whoops Nevermind. I thought for some reason the thread was from April, not august. Sincere apologies