new with rescue

[cnocgreina]

hello!

i found this forum with the help from google - and hope i can get some answers here.

i got a "rescue chameleon" today, regarding the previous owner a 4 years old female veiled chameleon - cage etc included. she was the pet from the sons - who lost the interest in her. we are known to be people who take unwanted animals of all kind into our home - thats how she ended up here.

i have never owned a chamelen before, but right now there are a few cornsnakes, green tree pythons and amazon tree pythons living with us - so i hope i am not completly clueless.

i searched the internet about any information the last few hours, but i notice some things in our new girl that do not seem to be common

1) - her colour is brown. a really dark brown, i see some pattern, but no comparison to the green beauties i see on pictures

2) - she looks small compared to others. i did not handle her today at all, wanted to give her some space to get settled, but i will try to weight her tomorrow - how much should a grown up veiled chamelen aprox. weigh???

3) she hides on the bottom of the cage - preferable behing the flower pot, sitting on the ground in the corner.

her cage is self made, aprox. 4 feet high, 3 feet wide and 2 feet deep. 4 plants, lots of hiding places, vines to climb on - a heat lamp with a 40 watt lightbulp und a uvb lamp on top - outside of the cage, of course, so she does not get burned.

she has a water dripper as well.

i got some dubia feeding roaches for her - thats what the previous owner fed her.

what are your thoughts about this? do i worry for nothing or is something wrong with her?

thanks a lot
nadine

 

[KarmaChameleon1337]

Glad you took her in. One thing you should know is chameleons are not your general reptile, they need a bit more precise care than others. Pictures would be helpful. Female Veilds will lay eggs without even seeing a male, so you'll need a laying bin. That could be a reason she's on the bottom, or of course stress. The bin should be 12 inches deep and have moist playsand, moist enough to make a tunnel but not so moist that it collapses. Dark usually means stress or cold. Can we see the enclosure? There's a lot you will need to buy for this animal. I hope you and her both prosper, if you have any questions ask away.

 

[carol5208]

good of you to take her in. At 4yrs old, she is kinda considered a senior citizen so to speak for a female Veild. Would love to see a picture of her and have everyone check her out and make sure she does not have any issues that you would not be aware of. Uvb's need to be changed out about every 6 months so it might be wise to get a new one unless you know it is new. Is that all they feed her is roaches? Do you know about gutloading(feeding your roaches) and supplementing with calcium and vitamins???? What about temps and humidity levels? I am sure she is stressed being in a new environment. Post some pis when you can.

 

[Kate]

Congratulations on your new baby. Thank you for taking her in. Could you go to the health clinic section on forum and fill in " how to ask for help " form. This will give us an idea on her set up, feeding etc. good luck with her.

 

[jannb]

Welcome to the forums and congrats on your first chameleon. I have a few links for you below that you should find every helpful.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/2007/12/keeping-female-veiled.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/jannb/345-egg-laying-laying-bin.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/laying-bin-set-up-educational-video-77225/
http://raisingkittytheveiledchamele...-max=2008-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&max-results=11

 

[cnocgreina]

thanks everyone!!!

i will take pictures today, and post them here - i hope she is ok.

her previous owner had a plastik dish with the feeders on the ground, and he also mentioned she would eat any kind of greens, mashed pumpkins and any fruit pulp from gerber baby food - is this ok so far?

i will definitey get a new uvb bulp today as well.

i misted the plants in her cage this morning - the next question that came up - how the HECK do i find her in this cage, if she obviously does not want to be found??????

nadine