New to the Chameleon world...

[JacqueInWy]

Hi all,
First time Chameleon owner, but long time lover of Chameleon’s.
I purchased my first Cham while in SLC, Utah this week and she is a gem...
I have named her Fiona, and she is 4 month’s old according to the Breeder...
stated she was from the First clutch of eggs to hatch In August.
Fiona is a Vieled, and seems tiny...
My question is, how many crickets should I be feeding her each day, the breeder said about 5 crickets a day... That does not seem like much, considering she put those 5 down in a matter of seconds..
I am feeding her the mini’s...
can I give her anything else, other then crickets?
Here are a few pictures of her
Thanks Everyone in advance, and can’t wait to learn more and get through all the posts I’ve been reading

 

[CJ's Exotics]

First of all, congrats! Next, get the fountain out of there. They breed bacteria, and get some more foliage. I think that size is fine. She should be getting probably at least 10 crickets, and you should feed them a variety. Don't hold her yet, she is most likely stressed and needs to be well acclimated before you hold her. What supplements are you using? Do you gut load? Please fill out the ask for help form, it will help you and us to make sure your care is on point.

 

[timw1]

Yup, what CJ said! Also, read, read and then read some more. There is a lot of great information on this site from very knowledgeable keepers/breeders.

 

[CJ's Exotics]

Yup, what CJ said! Also, read, read and then read some more. There is a lot of great information on this site from very knowledgeable keepers/breeders.

Exactly! Absorb all of the information that you can!

 

[kinyonga]

You said..."My question is, how many crickets should I be feeding her each day, the breeder said about 5 crickets a day... That does not seem like much, considering she put those 5 down in a matter of seconds..
I am feeding her the mini’s"... I always feed them as much as they can eat in a couple of minutes and then leave a couple of crickets in the cage for a snack later on at that age. With a female veiled, once she's sexually mature you want to be careful not to overfeed her constantly because it will likely make her produce a large clutch and can lead to MBD, prolapses and other issues. Veileds can produce eggs without having mated...so it's important to have an appropriate egglaying site IN the cage at all times once she's mature. When she's mature she will display mustardy yellow splotches and bright blue dots.

You can feed her other insects of appropriate size...small silkworms, small superworms, black soldier fly larva, small roaches, etc.

Make sure you feed and gutload your insects well. For crickets, superworms, roaches, locusts I use greens, veggies, and a bit of fruit... dandelion greens, make, collards, endive, escarole, carrots, squash, zucchini, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, berries, apples, pears, and melon, etc.

Supplementing is important too...I dust at almost every feeding with a phosphorus-free calcium powder to help make up for the usually poor ratio of phosphorus to calcium found in most feeder insects.

I dust twice a month with a phosphorus-free calcium/D3 powder to ensure that the chameleon gets some D3 without overdosing it and leaving it to produce the rest of the D3 from it's exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system and lead to health issues while D3 from exposure to the UVB light won't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of the UVB at will.

I also use twice a month, a vitamin powder with a beta carotene proFormed source of vitamin A (no D3). PrOformed sources of vitamin A won't build up in the system like prEformed sources will so it's safe....but it leaves it up to you to decide when/if your chameleon needs prEformed vitamin A.

Hydration can be provided by a misting system and a dripper...both. don't mist directly into the chameleon's mouth...you don't want it to aspirate the water.

Appropriate temperatures (low 80's for female veileds if that age) allow for proper digestion and thus play a part in nutrient absorption.

Really well washed non toxic plants are recommended for veileds in particular since they eat vegetation. They also eat the substrate (intentionally and accidentally) and soil from plant pots so be aware not to use anything that can lead to an impaction.

I've likely missed things...but hopefully you'll read enough from this site in particular to cover what I missed!