New veiled chameleon

[dennislentz32]

So I bought a chameleon on Thursday. It was kind of a spur of the moment thing. Didn't exactly know what I was getting into. So I have done some research and I have a few questions. I'm sure I could get the answers elsewhere but I would prefer this because it is more direct.

I think my chameleon is a female. I have yet to witness her eat or drink. I put crickets in there on Friday and I think she ate them unless they got lost somehow. I have mealworms in there now and I think they are untouched. I am concerned that I haven't been able to witness any action yet. I have a drip system going and have been misting consistently throughout the day.

There is a dust I am supposed to put on her right? What should I buy? And how often do I use it?

I have only false plants in there. Is it harmful to have those in there? Are real plants a "must-have?"

I'm attaching a picture of the setup. I need more stuff to put in it I know but I'm just glad I have the correct cage now. You can see her up at the top. Is it safe for her to be that close to the light? The temp stays around 80 and hydro stays around 60%. I have a 50 UVB fluorescent bulb and 50 W infrared heat lamp. Do I shut them both off at night?

Thank you ahead of time. I'm all ears for suggestions/opinions/must-do's!

 

[mbondy]

Well looks like you have a red bulb...that's a no. I would say use a 50, possibly 60 watt bulb but watch the temperature if it gets too hot. You can either buy a basking lamp at the pet store or use a standard house bulb.

Looks like you have a 5.0 repti-glo/sun UVB tube with a hood, that's good. Also you need a plant and many branches set high up where she can have a basking area and get her proper rays. She naturally will want to be high up. Real plants are best to keep the humidity up. This is a must have and you need plants and branches for her to not get too stressed as she's very exposed. You can keep the fake stuff in there and mix it up with real plants.

You'll need a calcium w/o D3, calcium w/ D3, and a multivitamin. Other people will chime in on brands. Calcium w/o D3 daily. Calcium with D3 twice a month, same with the multivitamin. You dust these on your feeders, not the cham.

Feel free to ask more questions! Congrats!

 

[Justin Ward]

So I bought a chameleon on Thursday. It was kind of a spur of the moment thing. Didn't exactly know what I was getting into. So I have done some research and I have a few questions. I'm sure I could get the answers elsewhere but I would prefer this because it is more direct.

I think my chameleon is a female. I have yet to witness her eat or drink. I put crickets in there on Friday and I think she ate them unless they got lost somehow. I have mealworms in there now and I think they are untouched. I am concerned that I haven't been able to witness any action yet. I have a drip system going and have been misting consistently throughout the day.

There is a dust I am supposed to put on her right? What should I buy? And how often do I use it?

I have only false plants in there. Is it harmful to have those in there? Are real plants a "must-have?"

I'm attaching a picture of the setup. I need more stuff to put in it I know but I'm just glad I have the correct cage now. You can see her up at the top. Is it safe for her to be that close to the light? The temp stays around 80 and hydro stays around 60%. I have a 50 UVB fluorescent bulb and 50 W infrared heat lamp. Do I shut them both off at night?

Thank you ahead of time. I'm all ears for suggestions/opinions/must-do's!

you need calcium w/o d3 for almost every feeding, and a calcium w/o d3 od a multivitamin both 2 times a month..real plants arent necessary but do help keep humidity up, i would get rid of the analog gauges and get digital ones, they are far more accurate...also i wouldnt use the red bulb, just a normal household bulb will work, not the spiral ones (anywhere between a 40-75 watt depending on your room temp i usually use 60w heat bulbs...keep the lights on 12 hous and off 12 hours...they need total darkness to sleep and about a 10-15 degree temp drop...let us know if you have any other questions and congrats

 

[kinyonga]

Welcome to the world of chameleons!

The light would be safer if moved further away...but I would recommend using a regular household incandescent light in the fixture instead of the red one. I don't keep the temperature in the basking area for babies any warmer than the low 80's F. Their small bodies dehydrate, warm and cool quicker than the adults do. The don't need any heat (or light) at night unless the temperatures drop to the mid 60'sF.

If you want to know if its a female or a male...look at the heels...males have tarsal spurs and females don't...
http://web.archive.org/web/20060819...m.com/html/husbandry/glossary/tarsalspur.html

If its a female, please be aware that they can lay eggs once they are sexually mature even when they haven't been with a male...and if you don't provide them with a proper place to dig in the cage, you might miss the often subtle indications that she needs to lay them and the chameleon could end up eggbound and die. I put an opaque container (at least12" deep x 12" x 8" filled almost full of washed playsand in the cage and leave it there so the female always has a place to dig.

Also...once a female is sexually mature its important not to overfeed her constantly. It can lead to egglaying issues, prolapses, constipation and even MBD.

Fake plants are okay for babies up to about 3 months of age....but since veiled chameleons are known to eat vegetation, its advisable that you get real ones. Be sure to wash the leaves well (both sides) putting them in the cage. Its also advisable to cover the soil over with rocks that are definitely too big to ingest so that the female won't eat the soil.

Here is some information about supplementing, etc. and the reasoning behind it and a few websites that I hope you will find useful...
Appropriate cage temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part indirectly in nutrient absorption.

Exposure to UVB from either direct sunlight or a proper UVB light allows the chameleon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system to make/keep the bones strong and be used in other systems in the chameleon as well. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic no matter whether its from the sun or the UVB light. The most often recommended UVB light is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light. Some of the compacts, spirals and tube lights have caused health issues, but so far there have been no bad reports against this one.

Since many of the feeder insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in them, its important to dust the insects just before you feed them to the chameleon at most feedings with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it. (I use Rep-cal phosphorus-free calcium).

If you also dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. It leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of what it needs through its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system but D3 produced from exposure to UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it. (I use Rep-cal phos.-free calcium/D3).

Dusting twice a month as well with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while. (I use herptivite which has beta carotene.)

Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs. I gutload crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms, etc. with an assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.)

Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon (muscles, etc.) and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.

Here are some good sites for you to read...
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200605020...Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200406080...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://web.archive.org/web/200601140...ww.adcham.com/
If you can't access the sites above that have the word "archive" in you can do it through the WayBackMachine.

 

[carol5208]

I would get a tall potted plant like a Shefflera(home depot) cover the soil with LARGE river rocks so your chameleon cannot eat the soil. It is preferred to repot the soil with new soil WITHOUT fertilizer in it. You have everything at the bottom of the cage. These chameleons are tree dwellers, not grounhd dwellers therefore everything needs to be higher up. A basking branch needs to placed about 8 inches under the basking light. A desired basking temp of aobut 82 degrees is what you want. Cage temps should be in the low to mid 70's and humidity about 50% with spikes after misiting the cage. Your cham may not drink from the dipper. Therefore, you need to get a spray bottle and mist the entire cage, not only for your cham to drink but to spike the humidity. Supplements as others stated. Gutload your crickets with fresh fruits and vegetables. You have come to the right place to learn, but it is best to do your research and have everything in place BEFORE you purchase your pet. If you chameleon has little spurs on the heels of the back feet, then it is a male, if not, then a female. If you have a female be aware that they can lay infertile clutches of eggs without having been mated. They can start producing eggs as young as six months. You will have to get a laying bin in the cage for her to lay eggs or she will become eggbound and die. Lets determine first if you have a female or not. Get rid of the red light as others stated. Make sure you turn your lights off at night. 12 on 12 off. We are here to help. Looks like you have some of the basics, you just need to make some changes.

 

[VeiledChams]

So I bought a chameleon on Thursday. It was kind of a spur of the moment thing. Didn't exactly know what I was getting into. So I have done some research and I have a few questions. I'm sure I could get the answers elsewhere but I would prefer this because it is more direct.

I think my chameleon is a female. I have yet to witness her eat or drink. I put crickets in there on Friday and I think she ate them unless they got lost somehow. I have mealworms in there now and I think they are untouched. I am concerned that I haven't been able to witness any action yet. I have a drip system going and have been misting consistently throughout the day.

There is a dust I am supposed to put on her right? What should I buy? And how often do I use it?

I have only false plants in there. Is it harmful to have those in there? Are real plants a "must-have?"

I'm attaching a picture of the setup. I need more stuff to put in it I know but I'm just glad I have the correct cage now. You can see her up at the top. Is it safe for her to be that close to the light? The temp stays around 80 and hydro stays around 60%. I have a 50 UVB fluorescent bulb and 50 W infrared heat lamp. Do I shut them both off at night?

Thank you ahead of time. I'm all ears for suggestions/opinions/must-do's!

First of all, this is the right place to get the answers you seek. Welcome.

Now, what type of cham did you get? Each species requires different husbandry. What I can tell you is that a 5.0 Reptisun UVB tube light is a must (the reptiglo 5.0 also works). Must be a 5.0 because the 10.0 is too much and the 2.0 is too little. The infrared light is pointless. You can just use a regular household bulb to get the appropriate temperatures for your cham. (I use a 40 watt bulb at about 8-10 inches away from my girls' basking spot and I get 80-82 F temperatures. ) You DO shut them off at night. In the wild, aside from the moon, there is no light, so you want to mimic that. If temperatures in your chams enclosure get in the 50's, you may want a ceramic heat emitter, but it isn't necessary. Veiled chams can take temperatures down to the low 50's no problem. Again, it depends on what cham you got.

As far as food goes, you're going to need to gutload al of your food items. This means feeding your crickets and whatnot fresh fruits and veggies to give the insects the nutrients you want your cham to get. Remember, what your feeders eat is what your cham eats. This is a great blog by one of the members on gutloading
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/75-feeder-nutrition-gutloading.html
You will want to have crickets as the staple diet of your cham (dubia roaches are a good substitute) and all other things as additions to the variety of the diet. You can get hornworms, superworms, mealworms, silkworms, grasshoppers (depending on which), etc. Variety is key.
Supplementation is crucial to a chameleon. The usual is Calcium WITHOUT D3 every feeding, Calcium WITH D3 twice a month (unless kept outdoors), and multivitamins (herptivite) twice a month. Montane species require less supplementation I believe.

Your enclosure need to be overhauled. Live plants are not a must, but are highly recommended. they not only help you keep humidity up, but it ads foliage to your cage and your cham will feel safer. Not only that, but Veileds are known plant eaters. So if you have a veiled, having a live plant is a pretty good idea. I would recommend having a schefflera (Umbrella Plant) because they provide plenty of branches for the cham to walk on, and plenty of leaves for water to drip on.

That is very good that you have the dripper, as chameleons do not recognize standing water a source of drinking water. Also, very good that you mist a lot. Thumbs up for that.

Finally, you say you have a girl so you need to be very vigilant as females will lay eggs. Keep a laying bin inside her cage at all times. Once you see her "not normal" (roaming around the bottom of the cage), she will probably lay eggs. Even if not mated! So you gotta be very careful with that.
This is another very useful blog by Jann, one of the senior members here:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/jannb/345-egg-laying-laying-bin.html

Get a picture of your girl and we'll tell you what species she is!

Again, welcome to the forum and the chameleon addiction

 

[camimom]

First of all, this is the right place to get the answers you seek. Welcome.

Now, what type of cham did you get? Each species requires different husbandry. What I can tell you is that a 5.0 Reptisun UVB tube light is a must (the reptiglo 5.0 also works). Must be a 5.0 because the 10.0 is too much and the 2.0 is too little. The infrared light is pointless. You can just use a regular household bulb to get the appropriate temperatures for your cham. (I use a 40 watt bulb at about 8-10 inches away from my girls' basking spot and I get 80-82 F temperatures. ) You DO shut them off at night. In the wild, aside from the moon, there is no light, so you want to mimic that. If temperatures in your chams enclosure get in the 50's, you may want a ceramic heat emitter, but it isn't necessary. Veiled chams can take temperatures down to the low 50's no problem. Again, it depends on what cham you got.

As far as food goes, you're going to need to gutload al of your food items. This means feeding your crickets and whatnot fresh fruits and veggies to give the insects the nutrients you want your cham to get. Remember, what your feeders eat is what your cham eats. This is a great blog by one of the members on gutloading
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/75-feeder-nutrition-gutloading.html
You will want to have crickets as the staple diet of your cham (dubia roaches are a good substitute) and all other things as additions to the variety of the diet. You can get hornworms, superworms, mealworms, silkworms, grasshoppers (depending on which), etc. Variety is key.
Supplementation is crucial to a chameleon. The usual is Calcium WITHOUT D3 every feeding, Calcium WITH D3 twice a month (unless kept outdoors), and multivitamins (herptivite) twice a month. Montane species require less supplementation I believe.

Your enclosure need to be overhauled. Live plants are not a must, but are highly recommended. they not only help you keep humidity up, but it ads foliage to your cage and your cham will feel safer. Not only that, but Veileds are known plant eaters. So if you have a veiled, having a live plant is a pretty good idea. I would recommend having a schefflera (Umbrella Plant) because they provide plenty of branches for the cham to walk on, and plenty of leaves for water to drip on.

That is very good that you have the dripper, as chameleons do not recognize standing water a source of drinking water. Also, very good that you mist a lot. Thumbs up for that.

Finally, you say you have a girl so you need to be very vigilant as females will lay eggs. Keep a laying bin inside her cage at all times. Once you see her "not normal" (roaming around the bottom of the cage), she will probably lay eggs. Even if not mated! So you gotta be very careful with that.
This is another very useful blog by Jann, one of the senior members here:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/jannb/345-egg-laying-laying-bin.html

Get a picture of your girl and we'll tell you what species she is!

Again, welcome to the forum and the chameleon addiction

OP said veiled.
Now, Since I didn;t see it, good real plants (and cheap) are scheffelara and pothos, the cham can munch it without problems. Don't use mealworms as daily feeders. Just because you dont see her eat, doesnt mean she isnt, same with drinking. I have owned my male veiled for roughly 5 months, and have only seen him drink once, and eat 4 times. As long as crickets disappear, and the poops are brown with a white 'tail' to it, then they are being hydrated just fine.
To sex it, look at the back of the back feet. Males have tarsal spurs, look like pimples, females dont. If you still arent sure, post a pic o fthe back of the back feet.
You may need to raise your lights off the cage so she cant get too close to it and burn herself, never a fun thing to deal with. Depending on how hot it is where you are, you may not even need a basking light all day, I use my UVB for heat because youngesters can have lower temps, roughly 85 in my cage. Also, real sunshine is better for them. (No they cant get it through windows).
How big are the crickets you feed her? SHe looks roughyl the same age as mine size wise, so you should be giving her as many crickets and she can make 'disappear in a day. Until they are close to adults, they should eat as much as they can.
Now ont hat note, the more females eat, the more eggs they can lay and the shorter their life span. Many ppl on here recommend cutting their food intake back when they hit maturity, which is around 6 months. Unless you are really good, she will probably still lay eggs, so be prepared for that. I think jannb has a great blog on laying bins ( i think that member, cant say for total sure though).

Good luck and post any and all questions on here, never a stupid question. ALso everyone loves pictures!!!!

 

[VeiledChams]

Are you directing that to me?? lol or why did you quote me.

 

[camimom]

Are you directing that to me?? lol or why did you quote me.

Partly yes. lol. You asked what species, and he said new veieled in the title of his thread. Figured Id be that person and point it out, lol.
I quoted mainly to make sure I didnt say the same thing as you did. It makes me feel redundant.

 

[VeiledChams]

hahaha, oh i didnt catch that I quoted but since it doesnt show the title, I guess I didnt see it.. thank you for pointing it out!

 

[camimom]

hahaha, oh i didnt catch that I quoted but since it doesnt show the title, I guess I didnt see it.. thank you for pointing it out!

Always happy to be of service!

 

[dennislentz32]

Thank you for the help everyone! I want to make this work the best I can. I will be heading to Petsmart tomorrow. More pictures... I'm thinking it is a male now actually!

 

[VeiledChams]

from pic#2, i say male

 

[Bernie]

from pic#2, i say male

Agreed! ^^^^^

 

[camimom]

I concur! its a boy! (which can be agood thing, if this is your first cham, its best to wait until youare more comfortable with them before trying to handle a female and her egg laying)

Congrats!!! How long is he from nose to tip of tail? how old did they say he is?

 

[dennislentz32]

I have updated my enclosure. I got a new bulb so no more red. I bought an umbrella plant.

Pictures: