Unexpected new owner, please be kind haha

[taylorlane0210]

So, Sunday afternoon I ended up rescuing a male veiled chameleon from an acquaintance of my best friend. I've always wanted a chameleon and have experience with various amphibians, turtles, fur babies of all sorts, and livestock. My animal knowledge is pretty vast and I've been spending hours reading up on chameleon care, but I just need some help and reassurance. I was told this chameleon is 3 years old. He was in a plastic container with one single strand of fake leaves and absolutely 0 room to move, no lighting whatsoever and I'm assuming this person was just misting the container occasionally. He appears to me to be extremely underweight and just overall unhappy. I know he will take time to adjust to being in a bigger enclosure and a regular schedule and feedings, I just feel guilty that he's still so stressed. He's only green when he's sleeping. So far, all I've gotten him to eat are wax worms and horn worms. Not a fan of crickets whatsoever. Due to not planning on saving him from the negligent home he was previously in, I just grabbed supplies in a pinch. I've got him set up with the Reptibreeze chameleon kit and using the supplies that came with it. I have bought some additional foliage and a waterfall for his enclosure. Misting seemed to stress him out more, as he would lunge at my hand any time I had the misting bottle in it. I am looking around for a bigger enclosure, though. I guess I'm just looking for some tips to calm him, lower his stress levels and ensure he's getting the nutrients he needs.
I've attached some photos of him in the container he'd been housed in, his current enclosure and a little closer up photos of him.

 

[DeShawni Green]

First, thanks for trying to do a good thing and rescue an animal that had no choice in this situation. These guys and gals depend on us, so thanks for trying to help give this cham a better life.

1) Get rid of that waterfall - typically leads to bacterial infections, unless you plan on cleaning/sterilizing every single day.
2) Get some more live chameleon safe plants if possible and replace some the fake stuff - https://flchams.com/chameleon-safe-plant-list/
3) Hydration!!! - a dripper, a misting system, and hornworms (but cant "only feed" them) - are all good sources of hydration.
4) Food - doesn't like crickets? There are a myriad of other healthy foods to feed, just try and mix it up a little. lots of options here: https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/feeders.74/
5) Nutrients: IMPORTANT: Calcium WITHOUT D3 can and should be used multiple times a week, then you can use Calcium WITH D3 in place of the other calcium once a week. Then also a multivitamin once a week. Dust the food, but they shouldnt look like scary ghosts.
6) Humidity and temp - just make sure humidity and temp are within range for your species. Some basic tips: https://chameleoncaretips.com/chameleon-humidity/

Now some tips for comfort...

Hard to say because each chameleon can have a different personality. The more time you spend around him, the more he will get used to you being there. Take it in phases. First try and get him to be comfortable in his enclosure. Watch and observe him without stressing him out, and try and see what he likes and dislikes. Work on handling him if he will allow it. Keep other pets at a distance if possible. But again, let him have time to adjust to his new home and surroundings. Does he like to explore? Let him out and explore supervised, of course. Get him some of the foods he likes, and make sure he feels safe - is the best you can do for comfort.

You are doing a great thing! I consider my chameleon my friend, and I hope yours will think the same of you.

 

[RoscoRescuer]

Poor baby! You are in the right place and as much as I'd love to give you advice to help you out, I am also new to this chameleon ownership roughly a month ago. Everyone here is very helpful and there are a lot of knowledgeable people who offer advice kindly. I am so sorry your boy has gone through so much but it sounds as though you genuinely want the best for him. I will say, that I have heard that the fountain isn't all that great (though it could help keep your humidity up ?‍) but IDK. A misting system is best. My little guy needs to be misted 4 to 5 times a day (more like 5) or he tends to get dehydrated, I am learning. I am actually in the process of building him a misting system...thanks to these awesome peeps here! I would recommend live plants and after having put his first plant in his enclosure, they aren't as hard to clean than I thought. Lol. It was harder to put it in the enclosure (because its huge) than it was to clean it. I hope that you can get his stress level down soon. He does look sad and stressed but like I said, you are in the right place. This group is amazing.

 

[Beman]

This boy is very malnourished. Ok so Cage is fine for now if he was living in a plastic tub. I would not stress by getting another cage right now and moving him over to it. If he can regain his health then upgrading to a 2x2x4 cage would be optimal.

You need live plants. I would get a big dwarf umbrella to put in there. Cover the dirt with 1 inch or larger rocks and pull all fake foliage out. Return the waterfall. They are bacteria growers and chameleons do not drink that way. You will mist down the new plants for about 2 minutes so he can drink from the leaves.

Supplements... You want a calcium WITHOUT D3 and reptivite WITH D3. The calcium without D3 use at every feeding then the reptivite with D3 use 2 times a month only say the 1st and the 15th. This one is a mulitvitamin and calcium with D3. Lightly dusting all feeders then immediately feed.

Feeders. hornworms will be good to dehydrate. wax worms are basically all fat. So if you can get him to eat crickets it is better but if not he may go for silkworms. I would feed him 3 feeders each day so he puts on a bit of weight.

Lighting you need a 24 inch T5HO fixture with a 5.0 UVB bulb. This should be placed on the top of the cage and the highest basking branch about 9 inches below it.

I would take in a fecal to a vet to see if he is carrying a parasite load. A vet visit would be a good idea if you have a vet that actually knows reptiles and chameleons. But this may stress him right off the bat.

Start reading through this website. ALL OF THE INFORMATION ON IT IS CORRECT unlike others. https://chameleonacademy.com/

 

[MissSkittles]

Oh good Lord! That poor guy! ?
First...you need a linear T5 ho fixture with a 5.0 uvb bulb, long enough to span the width of the enclosure. He will be needing at least a 24x24x48” enclosure, but compared to what he was in, this can wait a little. Need to get his health in check first.
Second...get rid of the waterfall and any Repti carpet or other bottom substrate. Those all breed bacteria and he is probably too compromised to fight anything off.
Third...feeders & supplements Attaching feeder options and gutloading graphics. Crickets are ok, but probably roaches or silkworms might be more nutritious. I have no idea what to tell you about how many feeders to give him. He needs some meat on his poor little bones, but I would think it best to build up his tolerance for eating. He probably hasn’t had proper, if any, supplements. He will need phosphorus free calcium without D3 at every feeding except one per week. One feeding every week you’ll alternate between a calcium with D3 and a multivitamin.
Avoid handling him at this point. Let him settle in and acclimate to his new home. Do add more branches and vines and live plants, like a Pothos. Get rid of the fake plants. Veiled’s nibble their plants and have been known to eat a fake leaf and get impacted.
As I’m typing you’re getting a bunch of other replies, so I’ll end this here.

 

[Beman]

First, thanks for trying to do a good thing and rescue an animal that had no choice in this situation. These guys and gals depend on us, so thanks for trying to help give this cham a better life.

1) Get rid of that waterfall - typically leads to bacterial infections, unless you plan on cleaning/sterilizing every single day.
2) Get some more live chameleon safe plants if possible and replace some the fake stuff - https://flchams.com/chameleon-safe-plant-list/
3) Hydration!!! - a dripper, a misting system, and hornworms (but cant "only feed" them) - are all good sources of hydration.
4) Food - doesn't like crickets? There are a myriad of other healthy foods to feed, just try and mix it up a little. lots of options here: https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/feeders.74/
5) Nutrients: IMPORTANT: Calcium WITHOUT D3 can and should be used multiple times a week, then you can use Calcium WITH D3 in place of the other calcium once a week. Then also a multivitamin once a week. Dust the food, but they shouldnt look like scary ghosts.
6) Humidity and temp - just make sure humidity and temp are within range for your species. Some basic tips: https://chameleoncaretips.com/chameleon-humidity/

Now some tips for comfort...

Hard to say because each chameleon can have a different personality. The more time you spend around him, the more he will get used to you being there. Take it in phases. First try and get him to be comfortable in his enclosure. Watch and observe him without stressing him out, and try and see what he likes and dislikes. Work on handling him if he will allow it. Keep other pets at a distance if possible. But again, let him have time to adjust to his new home and surroundings. Does he like to explore? Let him out and explore supervised, of course. Get him some of the foods he likes, and make sure he feels safe - is the best you can do for comfort.

You are doing a great thing! I consider my chameleon my friend, and I hope yours will think the same of you.

A multivitamin should not be given once a week...

 

[taylorlane0210]

Alright, I'm at work so I've briefly skimmed these, but I'll read more in depth and take notes when I get home. Thank you all for taking the time to reply and help Caerus live a better life. I forgot to mention, I do have the chameleon sampler pack from Rainbow Mealworms on the way and I've been looking at what live plants to add because fake wasn't ideal, just easier to get in a hurry. I'm a bit concerned with a misting system as using the mist bottle stressed him out so much more. He only attempts to bite when I used the misting bottle. I've not tried to handle him aside from moving him from that tiny container to this enclosure as I'm trying to let him adjust. My dog hasn't been allowed in the room with him and I've just kept the door shut aside from going in to feed and turn his lights on in the mornings and turn them off at night. I do leave his enclosure door open when I'm in there doing my makeup in the mornings to see if he wants to kind of roam around.

 

[MissSkittles]

Alright, I'm at work so I've briefly skimmed these, but I'll read more in depth and take notes when I get home. Thank you all for taking the time to reply and help Caerus live a better life. I forgot to mention, I do have the chameleon sampler pack from Rainbow Mealworms on the way and I've been looking at what live plants to add because fake wasn't ideal, just easier to get in a hurry. I'm a bit concerned with a misting system as using the mist bottle stressed him out so much more. He only attempts to bite when I used the misting bottle. I've not tried to handle him aside from moving him from that tiny container to this enclosure as I'm trying to let him adjust. My dog hasn't been allowed in the room with him and I've just kept the door shut aside from going in to feed and turn his lights on in the mornings and turn them off at night. I do leave his enclosure door open when I'm in there doing my makeup in the mornings to see if he wants to kind of roam around.

Are you misting him or his plants? You really only need to mist the plants so he can drink. Most chams don’t like being misted directly.

 

[taylorlane0210]

I guess I didn't make that very clear haha
I've only been misting the plants. If he's in the thickest bit of foliage, I just mist the opposite side and give him a bit to move out of that area so I could mist those leaves.

 

[taylorlane0210]

Okay, first off, thank you all for taking the time to give me some much needed information. I'm sorry it's a lot. I've made a list and want to ensure I'm not missing anything. There are a couple of follow up questions below the list, as well.

-calcium WITHOUT D3 6 days a week
-calcium WITH D3 one day a week
-24 inch T5HO fixture with a 5.0 UVB, 9 inches above the highest branch/basking spot
-no bio/repti carpet
*-no waterfall, install a misting system
-at least 3 feeders daily to get his weight up
*-live plants instead of the current fake ones

*I understand why the misting system is optimal, but I don't have any experience with these. I think what he may hate about the mist bottle is the whooshing noise it makes. Will the misting system stress him out more? How loud are they generally?
*I absolutely suck at keeping plants alive. I have the list of safe plants linked above, but any suggestions on the easiest plants for his enclosure?
I've read a lot about dark leafy veggies being part of their diet, as well. How often, if at all, should they be getting things like collard greens and other leafy veggies?

 

[Beman]

Okay, first off, thank you all for taking the time to give me some much needed information. I'm sorry it's a lot. I've made a list and want to ensure I'm not missing anything. There are a couple of follow up questions below the list, as well.

-calcium WITHOUT D3 6 days a week
-calcium WITH D3 one day a week
-24 inch T5HO fixture with a 5.0 UVB, 9 inches above the highest branch/basking spot
-no bio/repti carpet
*-no waterfall, install a misting system
-at least 3 feeders daily to get his weight up
*-live plants instead of the current fake ones

*I understand why the misting system is optimal, but I don't have any experience with these. I think what he may hate about the mist bottle is the whooshing noise it makes. Will the misting system stress him out more? How loud are they generally?
*I absolutely suck at keeping plants alive. I have the list of safe plants linked above, but any suggestions on the easiest plants for his enclosure?
I've read a lot about dark leafy veggies being part of their diet, as well. How often, if at all, should they be getting things like collard greens and other leafy veggies?

Calcium with d3 twice a month. If you buy reptivite with d3 this is your multivitamin and your calcium with d3 and you give it say the 1st and 15th of the month. Calcium without d3 at all other feedings.

I do not feed veg or fruit to my Veiled but I do gutload my feeders with it. By gutload we mean this is what we feed the bugs.

Mistking misting systems make very little noise and the spray is very fine. Not like the harsh blast of a hand held... he may also be freaking out if the person was spraying him directly rather then plants for him to drink off of.

Pothos are easy plants and very hard to kill.

 

[MissSkittles]

Okay, first off, thank you all for taking the time to give me some much needed information. I'm sorry it's a lot. I've made a list and want to ensure I'm not missing anything. There are a couple of follow up questions below the list, as well.

-calcium WITHOUT D3 6 days a week
-calcium WITH D3 one day a week
-24 inch T5HO fixture with a 5.0 UVB, 9 inches above the highest branch/basking spot
-no bio/repti carpet
*-no waterfall, install a misting system
-at least 3 feeders daily to get his weight up
*-live plants instead of the current fake ones

*I understand why the misting system is optimal, but I don't have any experience with these. I think what he may hate about the mist bottle is the whooshing noise it makes. Will the misting system stress him out more? How loud are they generally?
*I absolutely suck at keeping plants alive. I have the list of safe plants linked above, but any suggestions on the easiest plants for his enclosure?
I've read a lot about dark leafy veggies being part of their diet, as well. How often, if at all, should they be getting things like collard greens and other leafy veggies?

Calcium with D3 once every other week. Multivitamin once every other week.
I have a Mist King and it really isn’t loud at all. Automatic misters are nice, but not essential. If the poor guy was kept in that tiny cricket keeper, misting was probably a miserable experience that made him cold and wet. Hopefully in time he’ll calm down about misting.
Veiled’s don’t need to eat anything other than live bugs. They will eat their plants. They will eat some greens, fruit & veggies, but I see those as an occasional treat. My girls seem to enjoy blueberries so I occasionally give them a couple. Gut loading the feeders is most important, so give the veggies to them. Adding a little bit of bee pollen to your gut load or when you dust the feeders also adds some nutrients.
For plants, Pothos are all but indestructible...unless he eats all of the leaves. When you add the correct uvb, you will have an empty light socket in the dual dome and could add a plant light, which will help.

 

[Beman]

Calcium with D3 once every other week. Multivitamin once every other week.
I have a Mist King and it really isn’t loud at all. Automatic misters are nice, but not essential. If the poor guy was kept in that tiny cricket keeper, misting was probably a miserable experience that made him cold and wet. Hopefully in time he’ll calm down about misting.
Veiled’s don’t need to eat anything other than live bugs. They will eat their plants. They will eat some greens, fruit & veggies, but I see those as an occasional treat. My girls seem to enjoy blueberries so I occasionally give them a couple. Gut loading the feeders is most important, so give the veggies to them. Adding a little bit of bee pollen to your gut load or when you dust the feeders also adds some nutrients.
For plants, Pothos are all but indestructible...unless he eats all of the leaves. When you add the correct uvb, you will have an empty light socket in the dual dome and could add a plant light, which will help.

Are you reading my mind today?????????

 

[MissSkittles]

Calcium with d3 twice a month. If you buy reptivite with d3 this is your multivitamin and your calcium with d3 and you give it say the 1st and 15th of the month. Calcium without d3 at all other feedings.

I do not feed veg or fruit to my Veiled but I do gutload my feeders with it. By gutload we mean this is what we feed the bugs.

Mistking misting systems make very little noise and the spray is very fine. Not like the harsh blast of a hand held... he may also be freaking out if the person was spraying him directly rather then plants for him to drink off of.

Pothos are easy plants and very hard to kill.

You beat me! Wonder how it is we say almost the exact same things. ? Hmm...could I have learned from you perhaps?

 

[Beman]

You beat me! Wonder how it is we say almost the exact same things. ? Hmm...could I have learned from you perhaps?

And because you my dear know your husbandry!!!!

 

[Kristen Wilkins]

Okay, first off, thank you all for taking the time to give me some much needed information. I'm sorry it's a lot. I've made a list and want to ensure I'm not missing anything. There are a couple of follow up questions below the list, as well.

-calcium WITHOUT D3 6 days a week
-calcium WITH D3 one day a week
-24 inch T5HO fixture with a 5.0 UVB, 9 inches above the highest branch/basking spot
-no bio/repti carpet
*-no waterfall, install a misting system
-at least 3 feeders daily to get his weight up
*-live plants instead of the current fake ones

*I understand why the misting system is optimal, but I don't have any experience with these. I think what he may hate about the mist bottle is the whooshing noise it makes. Will the misting system stress him out more? How loud are they generally?
*I absolutely suck at keeping plants alive. I have the list of safe plants linked above, but any suggestions on the easiest plants for his enclosure?
I've read a lot about dark leafy veggies being part of their diet, as well. How often, if at all, should they be getting things like collard greens and other leafy veggies?

Welcome @taylorlane0210 what an amazing thing your doing . It’s quite an undertaking taking in a sick chameleon. They hide sickness much to well . By the time you are seeing what you are there rather sick .

You have great keepers on here Helping already . For misting there’s misters that will mist for 2 or 3 min at a time . That might be less stressful . Stay in one area for a min at a time . He will need to see what your doing staying in one place is helpful . I also Recommend a timer ( kitchen timer ) often you feel it’s been a min however it’s only been 20 seconds . Till your able to get a system . Best of luck .

 

[taylorlane0210]

Awesome, thanks again. No need for veggies for him, just for gutloading. D3/multivitamin once every other week. Like I said originally, I've had animals my entire life. Never have I had such a finicky animal ? I'm really hoping the lives plants and continuing to work with him on our daily routine and good food, he'll adjust, then be happy and healthy.

 

[Kristen Wilkins]

Awesome, thanks again. No need for veggies for him, just for gutloading. D3/multivitamin once every other week. Like I said originally, I've had animals my entire life. Never have I had such a finicky animal ? I'm really hoping the lives plants and continuing to work with him on our daily routine and good food, he'll adjust, then be happy and healthy.

Once he starts Growling you will know he’s feeling better.

 

[hiddenflaws]

Really would love updates of him as you nurse him back to health and make him healthy and happy! I am amazed to see that he is still alive, but I am glad that you took him in!

 

[Beman]

Awesome, thanks again. No need for veggies for him, just for gutloading. D3/multivitamin once every other week. Like I said originally, I've had animals my entire life. Never have I had such a finicky animal ? I'm really hoping the lives plants and continuing to work with him on our daily routine and good food, he'll adjust, then be happy and healthy.

You will do great. Start reading this website https://chameleonacademy.com/
It will give you complete and total husbandry info. For all questions come here and we will help you.