New Veiled Chameleon

[PoseidonTheChameleon]

My main concern is his uvb, also please get a hygrometer asap to know the exact humidity levels

 

[BCboom]

Thank you for your response I will try to add more live plants and change the uvb as soon as I can. For the cage size I will not be changing it right now but I plan on building a larger cage once he gets of size. The crickets are a semi small size and are gutloaded with apples and oatmeal. I going to assume I have the right humidity because I mist it 3 time a day for about 3 minutes and I have a dripper that also add to the humidity.

 

[PoseidonTheChameleon]

Thank you for your response I will try to add more live plants and change the uvb as soon as I can. For the cage size I will not be changing it right now but I plan on building a larger cage once he gets of size. The crickets are a semi small size and are gutloaded with apples and oatmeal. I going to assume I have the right humidity because I mist it 3 time a day for about 3 minutes and I have a dripper that also add to the humidity.

But you cannot assume, you can get a hygrometer at walmart, target etc. I would only mist when you turn the lights on and off, getting live plants will help to give him an opportunity to drink so the water will drip off of the plants.

 

[ERKleRose]

Thank you for your response I will try to add more live plants and change the uvb as soon as I can. For the cage size I will not be changing it right now but I plan on building a larger cage once he gets of size. The crickets are a semi small size and are gutloaded with apples and oatmeal. I going to assume I have the right humidity because I mist it 3 time a day for about 3 minutes and I have a dripper that also add to the humidity.

You need more and different gutload ingredients (no oatmeal!), there are great options on the gutload chart that was posted. You need a digital hygrometer ASAP to know precise humidity levels so you can adjust them if needed

 

[BCboom]

Ok I will try to do that

 

[BCboom]

On question I have is I'm not sure if my chameleon coloration is supposed to be this light
Current coloration:

 

[BCboom]

Not sure if this coloration is normal or not

 

[GrayMadder]

Not sure if this coloration is normal or not

Chameleons usually show bright colors when they feel like they need to be defensive or trying to protect their territory. Your cham feels the constant need to be defensive because it has no where to hide. Hiding makes a cham feel safe. And since your cage is open everywhere and has no foliage the cham feels threatened and is feeling defensive. Your cham is probably stressed and the constant stress will start to bring your cham into the intolerant zone of stress and the health will slowly decline. The constant stress will make your chams immune system low and more susceptible to getting sick.

Your cham does look a bit pale. Lack of proper uvb and calcium can be culprits. I'm not the best at this. But the suggestions on here will help with a healthy cham..


@cruz.m @ERKleRose

If I didn't explain correctly please help. Just trying to help out!

 

[GrayMadder]

I would say your main biggest priorities to your husbandry that need to be fixed ASAP:
1. Proper Lighting
2. More foliage
3. The proper supplementation
4. Proper hydration /a way to measure your humidity (the foliage will help with the humidity too)

 

[ERKleRose]

On question I have is I'm not sure if my chameleon coloration is supposed to be this light
Current coloration:

A light color is completely normal, though his eyes are kind of sunken in, which could be from stress, dehydration, or both

I would say your main biggest priorities to your husbandry that need to be fixed ASAP:
1. Proper Lighting
2. More foliage
3. The proper supplementation
4. Proper hydration /a way to measure your humidity (the foliage will help with the humidity too)

Don’t forget the gutload!

 

[BCboom]

Ok thank you for the feedback I will try to fix this as soon as I can

 

[ERKleRose]

Ok thank you for the feedback I will try to fix this as soon as I can

Thanks! I expect to see update pictures of him growing into a beautiful boy, as well!

 

[GrayMadder]

A light color is completely normal, though his eyes are kind of sunken in, which could be from stress, dehydration, or both

Don’t forget the gutload!

Thank you!!!

 

[GrayMadder]

Ok thank you for the feedback I will try to fix this as soon as I can

Sounds good!!

 

[Cham1224]

Thanks and welcome to the forums! My feedback and any questions will be in red. @skywes13 has already posted the two care images; I’ve already posted helpful links above:

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - Male Veiled
• Handling - I handled him once so far, for about 5 minutes
• Feeding - I feed him crickets dusted in calcium without d3 What size are the crickets, and how do you gutload them? Variety is key for gutload and feeders!
• Supplements - Calcium without d3, plan on giving him d3 twice a month You also need a multivitamin without D3. If you use the two supplements that came in the Zoo Med Chameleon Kit, use those two only! The calcium without D3 every feeding and the multivitamin with D3 once every two weeks. What brands do you use?
• Watering - Misted 3 time a day, dripper used for 1-3 hrs a day How long do you mist for? It should be a minimum of 2-5+ minutes long each time for his daytime mistings. Try to only mist in the morning and late afternoon/night when his cage is cooler for his daytime mistings if your humidity allows it.
• Fecal Description - Feces seems normal, the urine part is white, it has not been tested for parasites Find an experienced chameleon vet to go to and do as I have suggested above for a general check-up and peace of mind.
• History - Baby chameleon not sure the age, had him for 3 days

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Cage from reptibreeze kit, screened He’ll need a minimum cage size of 2’ x 2’ x 4’ tall, but preferably 4’ x 2’ x 4’ tall or bigger soon, if not now. Bigger is always better! Your cage needs TONS more live plants, branches, and vines (real and fake without leaves- just no Exo Terra vines) ASAP so he can feel secure hiding in the foliage and being able to use the whole cage! I’ve posted two cage set-up links above.
• Lighting - Use the lighting from the kit, both are on 12 hrs a day You need a T5 High Output linear light fixture either the length of or a foot longer than what his biggest enclosure will be ASAP! You also need either an Arcadia 6% (replace yearly) or a Zoo Med 5.0 (replace every 6 months) linear UVB bulb of the matching size ASAP, as well! Get a Solarmeter 6.5 if you can afford it! It’ll give you precise UVI readings, tell you if an UVB bulb is defective, and tell you when to actually replace your UVB bulbs (when the readings are cut in half)! He needs a regular household white light incandescent bulb for his heat bulb instead of the blue light. Make sure both the linear UVB bulb and heat bulb are raised the appropriate distances away from his basking branch! Do you use anything at night?
• Temperature - Basking temp is about 85 Don’t go higher than that. Most keepers’ basking spots are between 80-85*F. Measure this with a digital thermometer with a probe placed where his casque/top of his back is when he’s on his basking branch. What are his ambient and nighttime temps?
• Humidity - Not sure but it is misted 3 times a day This is crucial! Get 3 thermometer-hygrometer combos and place one near the top of his cage, one in the middle, and one at the bottom to measure humidity levels and ambient temps. It should be between 30-50% during the day and up to 100% at night. Do you use a cool mist fogger or anything else?
• Plants - 1 live plant, not fully grown You need live plants only with veileds, no fake plants or fake vines with leaves on them! Veileds will try to eat anything, so fake plants are an impaction risk! You can hang his current fake plant outside of his cage to give him extra privacy. All plants need to be chameleon-safe (I posted a link for a list above) and properly cleaned beforehand, along with rocks too big for him to eat covering the soil in the pots.
• Placement - the cage is on a sidetable
• Location - in my room

Current Problem - Worried about how much it eats (2 crickets a day, 4 crickets on the first day). And coloration seems kind of light He is probably too uncomfortable in his cage to eat because he has no privacy or foliage to hide himself in. He is also still settling in his new environment. I would still take him in to an experienced chameleon vet to rule out anything else.

Terra vines are bad? 100% humidity at night?

 

[ERKleRose]

Terra vines are bad? 100% humidity at night?

Yes. The debris that comes off Exo Terra vines can cause health issues. If your chameleon is shedding and rubbing its eyes, head, etc. (or just itching or something), the debris can get trapped in the eye and caught lots of problems. It is recommended to use a cool mist fogger/humidifier at night to raise the humidity levels up to 75-100% so there is natural hydration. Bill Strand goes into greater detail of it in his website The Chameleon Academy.