NEWBIE!

[eahoormann]

Hey y'all, my name's Lizz,



I am SOO brand new to the world of reptiles! My boyfriend is pretty well versed but we just got a little veil(ed?), his name is Leif, from a local petstore. We are unsure of his age, so if anyone has a guess-timation on that we'd be appreciative. We've only had him a few days, still getting him settled with his fogger and greenery but so far he seems pretty content and eats well. As of now, it's still small crickets but my boyfriend thinks he could be ready for med/large. (I'm still pretty squeamish to the crickets, but I better hurry up and get over it... Boyfriend is leaving for a two week business trip next week! ).

Also, I know that chams can't get "attached" emotionally like a dog... but I've seen some things that say "I let my cham walk all over me, he just chills on my shoulder all day and wouldn't have it any other way!" But then some say "Don't touch your cham unless you are cleaning their cage." Are there just two camps and it depends on your cham or are some just better at being handled?

I will post more pics once we get his new home set up more. But any and ALL advice is greatly welcomed. Especially constructive criticism. TIA!!

 

[CharlieCharmingo]

Hi welcome! I'm no expert but I can give advice on the handling situation. As you let your little guy settle in it's important to cage his personality. Some take handling just fine and some don't. But if you want the odds of being handled to better try hand feeding him from time to time and doing stuff in the room while he's in his cage maybe with the cage door up maybe not again depending on personality so he can see you often and realize you hold no threat to him. Right now though he's probably scared from being in a pet store where tons of faces we're looking at him a whole new setup and two brand new constant faces looking at him. I would go very slow with trying to bond with him and go on his terms. Best of luck though and he's very handsome!

 

[jamest0o0]

Don't force your cham to do anything he doesn't choose, so if he walks on you, all good. Just be calm and don't stress him out. I let mine walk on me when i'm next to his free range and he's feeling adventurous, but i don't carry him around the house and play with him like some sorta cool toy. Sounds like you guys are on the right path, chams are awesome, but do have certain needs as do all things. You'll want more feeders than just crickets, i recommend butterworms, hornworms, and silkworms, along with roaches. I know you have nothing wrong atm, but as a proactive measure it could help if you filled the "ask for help" form and posted pictures. That way people can help you get off to a good start.

Goodluck!

 

[bobbydigital]

The rule of thumb is to not feed anything wider than the space between their eyes. My guess is about 3- 4 months old? Are you sure it's a boy. See if he has tarsal spurs on his back feet. If not then it's a female.

 

[jamest0o0]

You can cheat with the 'eye rule' when feeding soft worms. They can handle a little bigger(and i think it'd be a waste of money to feed worms that small lol)

 

[Sloppysponge]

You can cheat with the 'eye rule' when feeding soft worms. They can handle a little bigger(and i think it'd be a waste of money to feed worms that small lol)

With mine at this stage I pay close attention to the eye rule.

I just hatch silks, for me the eggs are 1500 for $15, you can feed them off at any point you want, not too mention much cheaper.

 

[jamest0o0]

I'm not saying you can't lol, just saying i'd rather feed a nicely gut-loaded worm that's of decent size than a puny little thing

 

[AZChamFan]

You can cheat with the 'eye rule' when feeding soft worms. They can handle a little bigger(and i think it'd be a waste of money to feed worms that small lol)

With mine at this stage I pay close attention to the eye rule.

I just hatch silks, for me the eggs are 1500 for $15, you can feed them off at any point you want, not too mention much cheaper.

I think perhaps there are two different ways of thinking going on here?! It obviously makes a huge difference if we're talking about width/diameter of the worm vs. length! A worm the width of the space between the eyes would be pretty good sized for the cham! Even with crickets, roaches and other feeders I think people often get confused between the length and width when using that rule, but it is meant to be width, or in the case of soft worms, the diameter as far as I know.

 

[EveryGreen]

let him settle into his new cage for 3 to 4 weeks without handling. just feed him. try and get him to trust you as early as possible cause babies are not as concerned as adults are. what are his basking temps? do you have any red lights on at night? honestly i highly would suggest to sticking with small crickets until hes juvenile. (5 to 7 months) then in that case go up to medium. and wait till large until hes rougly 8 to 10 months of age. do you have any live plants? please send a picture of entire cage. and fill this out below:

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.


Pictures are helpful

 

[jamest0o0]

@AZChamFan I always thought it was the length lol. If what you're saying is true that makes so much sense... I was thinking wow people must be giving pretty small feeders, even a full grown cham would take pretty small roaches going by the size between their eyes.

 

[Sloppysponge]

@AZChamFan this make a lot of sense. My only thing with my younger chams I am always even more careful about size.

Thank you for clearing up the confusion.

 

[eahoormann]

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - Veiled, Male, 3-4 months according to this thread. We've had him about a week
• Handling - We have only handled him when we were putting him in the cage and getting it set up
• Feeding - Small Crickets. About 10 at a time. In the morning, a few minutes after turning on his lamps. We have not gut-loaded yet.
• Supplements - What ever calcium comes with his cage set up 'kit'. (I feel bad for being so vague... but I'm at work. I can get more info later! HA!)
• Watering - We hand spray a few times in the morning. When my boyfriend is home during the day he will spray. and then again at night a few times. We also have a fogger.
• Fecal Description - I am not sure, I haven't handled this
• History - none that i know of.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - The screen kit from PetSmart... Again, sorry for the vagueness.
• Lighting - the lamp that came in the kit.
• Temperature - the house is typically about 70-72. night time might only be around 69-70
• Humidity - We are having a bit of difficulty with this, it's holding steady around 60%. We had a standard humidifyer in the room before we got the fogger and it was like 70-75%.
• Plants - No, but we want to. Maybe when we upgrade him to his big cage. Any advise on plants will be welcome
• Placement - He is located on the top floor of our house, in the second bedroom/office. his cage is in front of a window that has a thermo-curtain.
• Location - Kansas City, MO

Current Problem - Maintaining Humidity. Him being hydrated- we don't often seem him drinking- just want to make sure he's getting SOMETHING. And Diversifying his diet with other feeders and fruits/veggies. And finally, his shed. When we first got him they were anticipating a shed, like, that night. He still hasn't. Anything we can do to help?

Thank you all SOOO much for all the advise so far!!

 

[eahoormann]

He's so adorable!

 

[bobbydigital]

Try getting more feeders to have a nice variety such as silkworms, hornworms, butterworms, and dubias. Make sure you are gutloading with some good fruits and veggies and a good dry gutload as well. You can look up good recipes here on the forum. The insects are a vessel for your chameleons nutrients. I get my hornworms from josh's frogs, 25 for 15$ with free shipping. They will be small but i let them grow. Since your veiled is young you dont need to let them grow very much. Same with silkworms they grow at a fast rate. I get butterworms from elliots butterworms, 50 for 15$ with free shipping as well. Sometimes i get 100 worms.

As for your supplements they should go as follows, calcium without d3 at every feeding. Calcium with d3 twice a month. Multivitamin twice a month. Make sure your calcium is phosphorous free. Dust lightly.

You should be misting multiple times a day for at LEAST 1 minute each time. I've seen members say their automatic mister goes off for 10 minutes sometimes. Get a nice pressure spray bottle (i got mine from home depot). I used to use a little dripper as well but mine started leaking. My cham drinks as i drip from his spray bottle every morning. That along with a few live plants should keep your humidity up. Even one live one will make a difference. You can get a nice umbrella or ficus, or both from lllreptiles. Pathos, ficus, and umbrella seem to be the most popular and safest that i know of. you can also wrap the sides with shower curtain or tarp to keep the humidity up. I keep my cham in a wooden bookshelf that covers three sides but i have a tarp on the back side of the cage to keep the humidity up. Let the cage dry out between mistings as well. You can tell if your cham is hydrated by his urates. https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/poop-101.120171/

I originally bought the all in one set up with the kit for my chameleon but had to upgrade and add a lot of things. I had to buy a hotter bulb and a bunch of vines and fake plants. You want him to be able to hide if he needs to. I have 5 different fake plants and one really big live plant that takes up a lot of space. You can look at enclosure pictures on here to get ideas for yours.

You want your chams basking spot to be at about 85 degrees at that age im pretty sure. As for the shed, he will do it when he is ready. as they get older they shed less frequently. Also, in my experiences my cham eats his shed (which i read is common). Remember, no night light. Chams need complete darkness. Some of those kits come with a purple or red night light. disregard those, if it becomes too cold (i think they can handle up to low 50's) then use a ceramic bulb to emit heat but no light.

I am a bit tired so forgive me if i may have missed anything. I will attach a thread to the veiled care sheet to give you more helpful information. You have a good looking cham.

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

 

[jamest0o0]

Nice post^ listen to thos

 

[EveryGreen]

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - Veiled, Male, 3-4 months according to this thread. We've had him about a week
• Handling - We have only handled him when we were putting him in the cage and getting it set up
• Feeding - Small Crickets. About 10 at a time. In the morning, a few minutes after turning on his lamps. We have not gut-loaded yet.
• Supplements - What ever calcium comes with his cage set up 'kit'. (I feel bad for being so vague... but I'm at work. I can get more info later! HA!)
• Watering - We hand spray a few times in the morning. When my boyfriend is home during the day he will spray. and then again at night a few times. We also have a fogger.
• Fecal Description - I am not sure, I haven't handled this
• History - none that i know of.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - The screen kit from PetSmart... Again, sorry for the vagueness.
• Lighting - the lamp that came in the kit.
• Temperature - the house is typically about 70-72. night time might only be around 69-70
• Humidity - We are having a bit of difficulty with this, it's holding steady around 60%. We had a standard humidifyer in the room before we got the fogger and it was like 70-75%.
• Plants - No, but we want to. Maybe when we upgrade him to his big cage. Any advise on plants will be welcome
• Placement - He is located on the top floor of our house, in the second bedroom/office. his cage is in front of a window that has a thermo-curtain.
• Location - Kansas City, MO

Current Problem - Maintaining Humidity. Him being hydrated- we don't often seem him drinking- just want to make sure he's getting SOMETHING. And Diversifying his diet with other feeders and fruits/veggies. And finally, his shed. When we first got him they were anticipating a shed, like, that night. He still hasn't. Anything we can do to help?

Thank you all SOOO much for all the advise so far!!

what are the color of his Urates?

 

[eahoormann]

Try getting more feeders to have a nice variety such as silkworms, hornworms, butterworms, and dubias. Make sure you are gutloading with some good fruits and veggies and a good dry gutload as well. You can look up good recipes here on the forum. The insects are a vessel for your chameleons nutrients. I get my hornworms from josh's frogs, 25 for 15$ with free shipping. They will be small but i let them grow. Since your veiled is young you dont need to let them grow very much. Same with silkworms they grow at a fast rate. I get butterworms from elliots butterworms, 50 for 15$ with free shipping as well. Sometimes i get 100 worms.

As for your supplements they should go as follows, calcium without d3 at every feeding. Calcium with d3 twice a month. Multivitamin twice a month. Make sure your calcium is phosphorous free. Dust lightly.

You should be misting multiple times a day for at LEAST 1 minute each time. I've seen members say their automatic mister goes off for 10 minutes sometimes. Get a nice pressure spray bottle (i got mine from home depot). I used to use a little dripper as well but mine started leaking. My cham drinks as i drip from his spray bottle every morning. That along with a few live plants should keep your humidity up. Even one live one will make a difference. You can get a nice umbrella or ficus, or both from lllreptiles. Pathos, ficus, and umbrella seem to be the most popular and safest that i know of. you can also wrap the sides with shower curtain or tarp to keep the humidity up. I keep my cham in a wooden bookshelf that covers three sides but i have a tarp on the back side of the cage to keep the humidity up. Let the cage dry out between mistings as well. You can tell if your cham is hydrated by his urates. https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/poop-101.120171/

I originally bought the all in one set up with the kit for my chameleon but had to upgrade and add a lot of things. I had to buy a hotter bulb and a bunch of vines and fake plants. You want him to be able to hide if he needs to. I have 5 different fake plants and one really big live plant that takes up a lot of space. You can look at enclosure pictures on here to get ideas for yours.

You want your chams basking spot to be at about 85 degrees at that age im pretty sure. As for the shed, he will do it when he is ready. as they get older they shed less frequently. Also, in my experiences my cham eats his shed (which i read is common). Remember, no night light. Chams need complete darkness. Some of those kits come with a purple or red night light. disregard those, if it becomes too cold (i think they can handle up to low 50's) then use a ceramic bulb to emit heat but no light.

I am a bit tired so forgive me if i may have missed anything. I will attach a thread to the veiled care sheet to give you more helpful information. You have a good looking cham.

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

Oh my goodness!! Thank you so so so much!! Since I'm so new, I need to start at ground zero and this is perfect!