Veiled Chameleon Questions

[GrantM]

Hello, I just joined here. I'm sure you have gotten dozens of similar threads to this one, so forgive me if this is repetitive. I'm thinking of getting a veiled chameleon sometime relatively soon. I have never kept chameleons before, but I do keep other reptiles and amphibians (currently crested geckos, gargoyle gecko, leopard gecko, neon tree dragon, and White's tree frog).

I'm a bit worried about the hardiness of veiled chameleons. I take very good care of all my animals, but I have lost a couple of reptiles before. I don't want an animal that may drop dead for no reason - if I start out with a healthy animal and take good care of it, I don't want it to die. Are chameleons like that? Obviously, there are exceptions, but have any of you lost healthy chameleons for (apparently) no reason? I've heard they are fairly sensitive...

I prefer the size and apperance of female veiled chameleons, but I have heard they can be a little harder to care for due to the fact that they lay infertile eggs often. Is this an issue? How do you care for gravid or laying femals and how does it affect their health?

If I decide to get this chameleon, I have narrowed it down to two sources to buy her from. One is FLChams and the other is a friend of a friend who breeds veiled chameleons locally on a small scale. I don't think any of you would know of the local breeder, but have any of you purchased from FLChams? If so, what are your opinions of them? I have seen them at several reptile shows and they seem like a reliable source.

I don't want to get a tiny, fragile baby chameleon, but I do want to watch him grow. I was thinking of starting out with a juvenile. What age chameleon would you suggest for me to get? Also, I've read that smaller chameleons should be kept in smaller enclosures. Could a younger chameleon be kept in a glass cage (Zoo Med 12x12x18 glass terrarium) instead of a screen one or just be kept in the full-sized cage?

I have heard so many varying opinions on cage size for chameleons - anything from 18x18x36 to 24x24x48 to 36x36x48. Does anyone care to shed some light on this?

Are artficial plants okay for chameleons? I was thinking of using Exo Terra silk plants for the cage?

Should I use a drip system and water dish? Or just mist the cage often?

Will adult chameleons really eat vegetables? Are the same foods that are good for bearded dragons healthy for chameleons too?

How often should I supplement the food? I use Blue Iguana Calstron for calcium and D3. Do I need to use a multivitamin too? I have a jar of Reptivite with D3.

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[jamncristian]

you should read my blog, it should answer alot of questions
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/jamncristian/256-chameleon-care.html

 

[Carlton]

I prefer the size and apperance of female veiled chameleons, but I have heard they can be a little harder to care for due to the fact that they lay infertile eggs often.
I don't want to get a tiny, fragile baby chameleon, but I do want to watch him grow. I was thinking of starting out with a juvenile. glass cage (Zoo Med 12x12x18 glass terrarium) instead of a screen one or just be kept in the full-sized cage?

I have heard so many varying opinions on cage size for chameleons - anything from 18x18x36 to 24x24x48 to 36x36x48. Does anyone care to shed some light on this?

Are artficial plants okay for chameleons? I was thinking of using Exo Terra silk plants for the cage?

Should I use a drip system and water dish? Or just mist the cage often?

Will adult chameleons really eat vegetables? Are the same foods that are good for bearded dragons healthy for chameleons too?

How often should I supplement the food? I use Blue Iguana Calstron for calcium and D3. Do I need to use a multivitamin too? I have a jar of Reptivite with D3.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Veileds are actually more tolerant of new keeping mistakes. Females take a bit more of a learning curve because they can start producing infertile egg clutches. Some never do. It helps to avoid overfeeding them as they are growing. Basically you will need to provide a laying bin of soil/sand mix for them to dig in and deposit the infertile clutch.

The only "smaller" chams that should be housed in glass terrariums past the baby stage are the pygmy or "leaf" species. A very young juvenile veiled can do OK in a screen cage if you subdivide it to reduce the area within which it needs to orient itself or hunt.

As for cage size for an adult, bigger is pretty much always better. Bigger cages allow you to provide a broader range of microclimates and more free choices for roaming. Bigger cages can handle the nicer larger potted plants such as Ficus alli. If you have the space for the largest cage your cham will love it. The 18x18.36 is really marginal IMHO.

Live plants will make it much easier to maintain air humidity and air quality. A cage entirely filled with silk plants will be dry out fast regardless of how often you spray it. Depending on where you live and the general climate in your house, you'll have better luck with live plants.

Chams don't "see" standing water. It needs to be dripping or moving for them to be attracted to it or be stimulated to drink. They will lick water droplets off the leaves in the cage. You will need to either hand spray the cage until dripping several times a day (again depending on your climate), use an automated misting system, in addition to a dripper.

Some adult veileds do like greens and fruit chunks. They have to learn to like them and some don't ever really eat much. It is more of a individual thing. Some will also chew on the plants in the cage (another reason not to use artificial plants).

You will need to dust live insect foods with plain calcium daily, with a calcium with D3 once or twice a week (age related), and a herp vitamin once every4-6 weeks (age related).

Lighting is critical. Any regular incandescent lightbulb will provide a basking area, but you will also need to provide a source of UVB for calcium/D3 metabolism. A safe recommended brand is the ReptiSun 5.0 LINEAR fluorescent tube light (avoid the compact fluorescent types).

There is more detail to cover. Check out the thread "Raising Kitty the Veiled Chameleon". It's very informative and may answer most if not all your initital questions.

 

[TattooedGecko]

You will need to dust live insect foods with plain calcium daily, with a calcium with D3 once or twice a week (age related), and a herp vitamin once every4-6 weeks (age related).

My Cham Will puke up his meal if i dust them with the calcium.

 

[GrantM]

Thanks for posting that link to your blog, that answered a lot of questions.

I read the Raising Kitty the Veiled Chameleon blog, it was extremely helpful. It answered pretty much all my questions and more. Thank you for telling me about it.

If I raised a femal veiled chameleon in the same way that Raising Kitty the Veiled Chameleon said, would I need to provide an egg laying site as an extra precaution?

I live in Georgia and it is extremely humid here. The humidity in my house stays around fifty percent all the time. I plan on misting two or three times a day and providing a drip system, does this sound good?

I will definitely provide a large live potted plant. I like the appearance of Schefflera arbicola and Ficus benjamina.

I think I now have a plan for the care and set up of my veiled chameleon, thanks for all the help!

 

[threelilkids]

Hi, I bought my male from FLCHAMS. He is very health and doing great. Mike(FLCHAMS) is very nice and loves and cares alot for all his chams. I look at feeding like this, feed the crickets(gutloading) what your cham should eat. mist afew times a day,with a dripper all day, keep lighting, temps and humidity right. READ everything you can, and ask the people on this site for advise. They have heard it a million times over and still come back to tell it as nice as can be. I chose a male so I'd have no egg-laying problems,as they lay with or without a male. Good luck