New to the forums and the World of Veileds

adkinsms6677

New Member
Just wanting to pop in and say hello and I am looking forward to using these forums to get to know my Veiled better.:D

I was a manager at a pet store (to remain unnamed) and once I got used to the store, I realized that none of our reptile towers were equipped with UVB lighting. Through some of my research, I have learned (I think) that UVB is imperative to their survival. We lost 3 Veiled Chameleons before I became manager and this last chameleon that came in, I took home. His name is Marvin James, and he seemed to be really comfortable with his surroundings. Then, one day, he refused to eat and open his eyes.

Longer story short, I read up on how to open a chameleons mouth and began making sure he was getting his nutrients and hydration every day. Then, 4 days ago..his eyes were open and he was roaming around his enclosure. He is still really tiny (he wasn't very old when he was shipped to the pet store) and now it seems he doesn't seem interested in his crickets or worms. Should I continue to feed him the Repti-Boost and crickets by hand? Should I just let him go until he is hungry and then he will eat? Any information regarding Marvin would be greatly appreciated. I have owned other reptiles and amphibians in the past, but this is my first chameleon.

Thanks in advance, guys!
 
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Welcome to the forums! I keep veileds and they are a pleasure to work with. How tiny is your baby? Any photos? I would probably keep feeding him. What size crickets are you offering him? They shouldn't be bigger than the space between his eyes. If he's small you should try flies. They usually really go for flies. Fruit flies if he's tiny and house flies if he's to big for fruit flies. Here's my blog for new keepers. I hope you find it helpful.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html
 
I am unsure of his exact age, but he was delivered to the store in May. He is about 3-4 inches without his tail. The pic on my profile (if it shows up) is of Marvin from earlier today. I am feeding him small crickets, but it sounds like I should try to find some small flies for him, because, he isn't very big. The vet we use at the pet store recommended that I use meal worms and gut loaded crickets and she said that our small crickets at work would be ok. I have tried putting kale in his cage (which is a little big for him, but in a month or so, should be pretty good) but he turns his nose up at it. When I feed him, I have been putting him in a separate cage which is our travel cage for him to eat and before he got sick, he ate heartily. I have been doing lots of research on these forums and also been reading books about veiled chameleons. My humidity is spot on with almost everything that I have read and the temperature of his cage is also pretty spot on, with cooler areas for him. I HAVE been using a basking bulb because he really seems to like it. I make sure the plants are 7-10 inches away and keep an eye on him most of the day when I am home. I have been letting him have about 12-14 hours of daylight and at night, his cage is about 72 degrees, with the lower parts being a smidge cooler. Thanks for the welcome, and I will continue reading your tips and hopefully I can get him figured out. I really hated seeing him at the store with no UVB lighting. I am glad he is home with me!

PS. Where do you recommend I buy flies at, since I am pretty sure most places do not sell them around here.
 
In fear of sounding "dumb". Where do I keep the flies? I have a cricket keeper for the crickets, but not exactly sure how to keep flies or how to catch them to put them in his cage.
 
In fear of sounding "dumb". Where do I keep the flies? I have a cricket keeper for the crickets, but not exactly sure how to keep flies or how to catch them to put them in his cage.

If you get fruit flies which he probably needs for now they come in a deli cup and you crack the lid and sprinkle a few in his enclosure. When you buy house flies they are bigger and will come in the form of fly eggs called Pupae. You can put them in the frig and just hatch out a few at the time in a deli cup. This is a better place for fruit flies and I recommend the hydei.
http://www.flycafe.net/
 
Great! Thank you. I have never had to "hatch" stuff and I am assuming it's all relatively easy? What conditions would you recommend?

And if I haven't told you lately...thank you SO much for all of your help and information!

Did you get to see Marvin James on my profile?
 
I did see Marvin James on your profile. He is a little cutie. Fruit files I just keep at room tempature. When I take the house fly eggs out of the frig to hatch I normally set them on top of my frig. It's warm there and they hatch fast.
 
If you get fruit flies which he probably needs for now they come in a deli cup and you crack the lid and sprinkle a few in his enclosure. When you buy house flies they are bigger and will come in the form of fly eggs called Pupae. You can put them in the frig and just hatch out a few at the time in a deli cup. This is a better place for fruit flies and I recommend the hydei.
http://www.flycafe.net/



Do you think I should feed him in his cage? It's a ReptiBreeze and about 15 inches wide by 30 inches high. I wouldn't imagine he would be able to find the small flies in that cage. I have a small travel container as well that I have been feeding him in when he was sick, but the top mesh would be too big and the flies could get right out. Does he need the light to eat? If not, I could cover the top with a light towel to prevent the little buggers from escaping.
 
Since he's so tiny and been sick, I believe I would feed him in the small cage with something over the top. I also wanted to let you know that Petco and PetSmart often carry a small bottle of fruit flies if you'd like to buy him some right away.
 
I may try Petco. I work at Pet Supplies Plus, but we don't have fruit flies. I hate to shop at Petsmart, as their employees usually haven't any useful knowledge and it takes about an hour just to wait for someone to get me a fish. LOL

Last night, I put a Pothos plant in the bottom of his enclosure and was thinking about going out today to get some more live plants, so perhaps I can do away with any of the artificial stuff. There's a great place here called The Reptile Hut, so I am going there first, to see if they have anything that I need.

Do you have any tips for setting up the automatic mister, since it seems to me it was made for a glass enclosure? I have a really nice on still in the box. He is drinking fine every day, so that's a plus! I will feel much better once he eats on his own, though. we thought we were going to lose him, since I have been "force" feeding him for about 3 weeks. I was sooo relieved to see his eyes open last week and him getting his "Groove" on in his enclosure.

I'll let you know what I pick up today, and will try to get a picture of his enclosure once I get everything situated. :)
 
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