What did I do wrong??

[Skvenegas]

Very discouraged and need some guidance. We bought a very small veiled from petsmart and thought we knew what we were doing. Unfortunately we had to return it, he (which I think was actually a she) would not hardly eat and didn’t open its eyes and barely moved the last 3 days. We took him to the vet and was given carnivore care but it didn’t seem to help. If it was something we did I’m hoping we can correct it so we can hopefully try again and do it right
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Veiled, very small only 2 inches head to base of tail, 10 days
Handling - Once a day
Feeding - Small crickets, fruit flies, super worms, never saw him eat but about 3 crickets.
Supplements - calcium without d3 every day and did multivitamin once but not even sure he ate it
Watering - Dripper and misted several times a day, saw him drinking at first but not the last couple days
Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? No
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Zoo med screen cage 30inx16
Lighting - Reptisun 5.0 and zoomed blue daylight 60 watt, 12 on 12 off for both
Temperature - Basking temp 85, bottom. Of cage 72 Lowest overnight temp? 70 at night How do you measure these temps? Probe thermometer
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? They would get somewhat low around 40 but would spray to keep them around 70 How are you creating and maintaining these levels? Spraying and running a humidifier in the room What do you use to measure humidity? Humidity gauge
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? No
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? Living room near a window and a vent
At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? Around 5.5 feet
Location - Where are you geographically located? Central Indiana

Current Problem - What did we do wrong ?? He seemed fine the first few days and than went really down hill, didn’t eat, move, or open his eyes even when being held. Please any info on cage, temps, lights would be appreciated. Very heart broken to take him back but felt like we were doing something wrong. Scared to try again until we know for sure we have everything right. Thanks

 

[WyattN.]

I recently purchased a baby veiled as well and mine seems happy as is. I recommend no fake plants since they will eat leaves,if you do bye real plants get ficus,Pothos, shefflera abricola, or hibiscus. If you do have substrate, take it out it can be bad for them if they accidentally eat it trying to get a cricket. Also does it have a basking spot?
You also might want to try not handling it at all since it's young and still adjusting. Stress can actually cause health problems with chameleons especially veiled. Since that's what you have.
Also try gutloading your crickets yourself. If your even giving them gutloaded crickets.
Hope it all works out with your next one.

 

[CamrynTheCham22]

Fake plants are okay, just so long as there are live plants in the cage. Here are some safe plants for chameleons: https://flchams.com/chameleon-safe-plant-list/
You should not give them D3 every day, it can overload their system. They do not need that much. You might need more foliage in your cage. They want extensive territory, with plenty of vertical climbing space.
Gutloading is crucial. It is how the chameleons get all of their nutrients. You should definitely start gutloading your crickets.
At this point, live plants are the most important item you need to modify in your cage, as they provide humidity as well as snacks and cover. Good luck! Hope this helps.

 

[DarinD]

Your enclosure needs much more foliage and coverage for the animal. Closing eyes is a sign of stress. Stress is induced by feeling exposed by lack of plant cover and in a new environment. A newly acquired animal should be left alone and not handled whatsoever for a while. They need to acclimate to their new surroundings. I'll start with a few notes on your enclosure. Why is your dripper in the bottom of the cage?

 

[Lennoncham]

Hi welcome to the forums. Sorry to hear about your troubles. Unfortunately petsmart isn't a great place to get chameleons from as they don't take great care of them. If you are going to get another one I would suggest finding a breeder. There are many breeders on the forums as well as site sponsors.

It sounds like you were doing most things right. A few things I would change are:
1. More branches and foliage
2. Get a tube uvb light like a t5. Those coil bulbs are no good and can cause eye issues.
3. Start gutloading the crickets.

 

[Skvenegas]

Your enclosure needs much more foliage and coverage for the animal. Closing eyes is a sign of stress. Stress is induced by feeling exposed by lack of plant cover and in a new environment. A newly acquired animal should be left alone and not handled whatsoever for a while. They need to acclimate to their new surroundings. I'll start with a few notes on your enclosure. Why is your dripper in the bottom of the cage?

Your enclosure needs much more foliage and coverage for the animal. Closing eyes is a sign of stress. Stress is induced by feeling exposed by lack of plant cover and in a new environment. A newly acquired animal should be left alone and not handled whatsoever for a while. They need to acclimate to their new surroundings. I'll start with a few notes on your enclosure. Why is your dripper in the bottom of the cage?

It’s sort of mid level it has 4 blocks under it with some leaves to drip on to

 

[Syreptyon]

It’s sort of mid level it has 4 blocks under it with some leaves to drip on to

Drippers should be placed on the top of the cage. Chameleons are arboreal and only feel comfortable when they are up high (and have proper cover as stated by members above me). It should drip from above onto leaves much nearer to the top of the enclosure.

Also it looks to me like you were using a compact fluorescent bulb? If you decide to try again, make sure you get a linear tube UVB instead

 

[Skvenegas]

Ok thank you all for the responses going to be sure and make all the changes!

 

[JacksJill]

You most serious mistake was where you got your chameleon. I suspect his time in the pet store had him stressed and run down pretty far and the stress of a new home pushed him over the edge. Chameleons aren't that high on the food chain so will try to hide any problems they have as long as possible. Next time try to find a reputable breeder and buy direct. You will pay more up front but likely less over time.
In the mean time make the adjustments recommended by the members above.

 

[Longhorn1234]

Check out the classifieds, a member here is having a pre-sale on veiled chameleons. It's not that much more money than buying one from a chain store, but you'll get a healthier chameleon

 

[kinyonga]

@DarinD said..."Closing eyes is a sign of stress"...while this is true in some cases there are many reasons for closing the eyes...nutrient issues, infection, RI, UVB light hurting them, etc.you need to eliminate things to figure out the truth.

Also....with chameleons there is a sort of natural death rate....some just aren't strong enough to make it. This is why we recommend that you buy one that is at least 3 months old. At that age there is less chance of it dying.

Hope you have better luck with the second one!

 

[timw1]

I doubt you did anything wrong to him in just a few days. Research this forum for proper husbandry and buy a Cham. from a reputable breeder and you will be better off.

 

[CamrynTheCham22]

If you need any more help, we are always here! You can never really know from a chain store. I got my female from Petco, which was risky but she is healthy if not a little small. Next time I will not be buying from a chain store. We all learn from experience, but it definitely helps to have a little knowledge under your belt beforehand. Good luck!

 

[jcarlsen]

Very discouraged and need some guidance. We bought a very small veiled from petsmart and thought we knew what we were doing. Unfortunately we had to return it, he (which I think was actually a she) would not hardly eat and didn’t open its eyes and barely moved the last 3 days. We took him to the vet and was given carnivore care but it didn’t seem to help. If it was something we did I’m hoping we can correct it so we can hopefully try again and do it right
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Veiled, very small only 2 inches head to base of tail, 10 days
Handling - Once a day
Feeding - Small crickets, fruit flies, super worms, never saw him eat but about 3 crickets.
Supplements - calcium without d3 every day and did multivitamin once but not even sure he ate it
Watering - Dripper and misted several times a day, saw him drinking at first but not the last couple days
Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? No
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Zoo med screen cage 30inx16
Lighting - Reptisun 5.0 and zoomed blue daylight 60 watt, 12 on 12 off for both
Temperature - Basking temp 85, bottom. Of cage 72 Lowest overnight temp? 70 at night How do you measure these temps? Probe thermometer
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? They would get somewhat low around 40 but would spray to keep them around 70 How are you creating and maintaining these levels? Spraying and running a humidifier in the room What do you use to measure humidity? Humidity gauge
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? No
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? Living room near a window and a vent
At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? Around 5.5 feet
Location - Where are you geographically located? Central Indiana

Current Problem - What did we do wrong ?? He seemed fine the first few days and than went really down hill, didn’t eat, move, or open his eyes even when being held. Please any info on cage, temps, lights would be appreciated. Very heart broken to take him back but felt like we were doing something wrong. Scared to try again until we know for sure we have everything right. Thanks

I'd honestly say the biggest mistake was getting one from Petsmart. Unfortunately, stores like those don't have proper housing or food for their chams, and the Petco I get some worms from usually has chameleons in poor condition in there. I'd go with a reputable breeder next time so you know that the chameleon has had a good start.

 

[kinyonga]

This thread has been bugging me because doesn't seem like you've been given enough information to help you with your next chameleon...so I'm going to try this....
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - for your first chameleon I would recommend buying one that is at least 4months old from a reputable breeder (there are lots on this forum) and buy a male..you don't have to deal with reproductive issues that way.
Handling - don't handle it much for the first few days so it can get used to it's new home. Expect it to be defensive if you try to remove it from it's cage rather than let it come out on it's own.
Feeding - feed appropriate sized insects that have been fed/gutloaded properly. Crickets are a good feeder because they are easy to care for, feed/gutload and buy. Superworms, silkworms, roaches, and other insects will add variety and nutrients. To gutload/feed roaches, crickets, superworms, etc. I use dandelion greens, collards, kale, endive, escarole, squash, zucchini, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, carrots, and a BIT of fruit such as berries, apples, pears, melon, etc.
Supplements - I recommend dusting the insects just before putting them in the cage with the chameleon with a phosphorus-free calcium powder at almost every feeding to help make up for the poor ratio of calcium to phosphorous found in most feeder insects. Twice a month I recommend that you dust the insects with a phosphorus-free calcium/D3 powder to ensure that the chameleon gets some D3 without overdosing it and leaving it to produce the rest from it's exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system and lead to health issues but D3 produced from it's exposure to the UVB light or natural sunlight won't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of is at will. It's also recommended that you dust twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene prOformed source of vitamin A. PrOformed sources won't build up in the system...but this leaves it up to you to decide if/when your chameleon needs some prEformed vitamin A. prEformed sources can build up so you need to be careful with them. Do NOT dust the insects so they look like ghosts!
Watering - water should be provided by misting and a dripper IMHO. Both need to run long enough to stimulate drinking.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - whether you use screen or glass or a combination of both depends on the circumstances if where you live. If you live in a cold climate or the air conditioner is on constantly you might choose glass. If you do you need to be careful not to let water like stagnant in it and make sure the air flow is set up correctly. If you chose screen you will have to find ways to keep the humidity right and to make it so the temperature is good throughout the cage. That's just briefly touching on some of the issues.
Provide an egglaying container in the cage of all female egglaying species as soon as they take on their adult receptive colors.
Lighting - I recommend a long linear tube UVB light rather than acompact in. A regular white incandescent household light bulb if a wattage that produces the proper basking temperature is what I use for basking. No lights should be on at night. If your cage will be much below 60F at night you can use a ceramic heat emitter to keep the chameleon warm.
Temperature - this depends on the age and species of chameleon.
Humidity - this depends on the species of chameleon too.
Plants - I recommend live non toxic well washed (both sides if the leaves) plants. If the chameleon doesn't chew on them the insects might.
Placement - depending on where you live...do not place the cage near a vent or window.

I hope this helps!

 

[Skvenegas]

Updated enclosure!!
Thank you so much for all the feedback!! I really really appreciate it! I have made several updates! Let me know if there is anything else!

Live golden Pothos (cleaned well with river rocks over soil)
Dripper at the top
No substrate
More foliage
Another vine

Also have calcium without d3 and reptivite, as well as Fluker orange cubes and greens for crickets

Only thing left is to purchase the tube UVB light

Thank you again!!! So excited!!!

 

[rcc760]

I got my Cham from PetSmart and luckily the vet confirmed she is doing well and is healthy. However, everyone here knows what they’re talking about with how bad PetSmart and Petco are. I went to Petco the other day to see about their feeders and they had a sick Cham. When I brought it to their attention, they seemed completely unconcerned. I would have bought it if I had the money, but I didn’t. They did take it out to be examined though after I bagged them. Definitely get from a breeder next time!