A couple of Noobs!

StreetMoggy

StreetMoggy

New Member
Hi guys, I'm new to this forum but have been lurking around for the past week. I set up a vivarium last weekend, and brought home buy little buddy today. Haven't named him yet, he came from a breeder, but it's not a special type, just a veiled.

Couple questions, does he eat live food 7 days a week? and on those days, is it one feeding or 2 (morning, and night)
should i just put a few greens in his food dish daily or only a few times a week. I was thinking the greens in the dish might keep the crickets in there?

I'm used to my bearded dragon, who eats a lot of greens and veg.

Is gaping normal for chams? I noticed now that he found the warm spot, he is gaping.

last one! how long should I program his lights? right now I have them on for 12 hours
Sorry for the GIANT photos...
Image%202013.01.31%205:43:52%20PM.png


Image%202013.01.31%205:42:47%20PM.png
 
Hello, welcome to the forum :) - that is a special kind......it's a Veiled! :) He looks great, congrats :D
At his age he should be eating every day.....once or twice is your choice really.
I wouldn't worry about him eating the veggies directly. Even Veileds don't usually eat their greens at that age. Gaping does usually mean he is too hot - youngsters are not so good at thermoregulation and sometimes forget to leave the hot spot.......
usually people will go for a 12 hour day, yes.........Here is a great basic caresheet I always recommend to new people with Veileds - https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/chameleonsinmyhouse/395-veiled-chameleon-care-sheet.html
 
I feed my male every day. :)
My female doesnt eat as much though,
Ive heard some veileds like greens like collard, kale, ect (mine hate them :p)
and yeah i also do 12 hrs on 12 hrs off.
and gaping is usually a sign of overheating (so ive read) so maybe readjust his basking temps, because they wont move away from a heat sorce thats too hot for them.

cheers,
erikk:D
 
Welcome to the forum. The big pictures are fine, your baby looks good that big.

A couple answers. He should eat only once a day, in the morning. He needs heat to digest his food so ideally, after he has been up an hour or so, you feed him. At that age he gets all the crickets he wants. But try not to have any left in his viv as they may bite him. Using several types of feeders is good.
At his age he will most likely not eat greens.

Light on 12 and off 12 is what most people do.

Do you know about the supplements he needs with his food, and about uvb lights?
 
laurie said:
Welcome to the forum. The big pictures are fine, your baby looks good that big.

A couple answers. He should eat only once a day, in the morning. He needs heat to digest his food so ideally, after he has been up an hour or so, you feed him. At that age he gets all the crickets he wants. But try not to have any left in his viv as they may bite him. Using several types of feeders is good.
At his age he will most likely not eat greens.

Light on 12 and off 12 is what most people do.

Do you know about the supplements he needs with his food, and about uvb lights?
Click to expand...

I'm glad he gets approval from the people on this forum :D
He has proper lighting, halogen for basking, and a separate uvb bulb as well.
I have calcium powder for dusting his food with, are there anymore supplements he should get?

I also have a "little dripper", that drips onto the live plants (a hibiscus, and a small fictus, and small pathos) and water conditioner.
 
Hi, welcome to the forums! :) First off, just a veiled?!? :eek: They are awesome! Just wait to see what colors you will get in 6 months ;). As others have correctly stated, feeding every day at that age is recommended. 15 to 20 small crickets in a day is not unheard of. After about a year old they do not need to eat as often. Also as stated, try to feed him early so he has time to digest properly. I do place some greens in the feeder bowl to keep the crickets occupied, but it isn't necessary. As for supplements, calcium with NO D3 at every feeding, calcium WITH D3 twice a month and a vitamin dusting twice a month. I hang a little kale, collard greens, etc from a clip in case he wants a bit, but he doesn't always eat them. It looks like a live plant in the first pic. What type is it? There is a safe plant list here https://www.chameleonforums.com/live-plant-database-2632/ to make sure you keep your little boy safe. (he may nibble on them) Pothos is a great choice, but many others are out there :cool:. You will want a few leaves/vines near the basking spot so there is enough shelter to escape the heat if needed. This will also help him to feel more secure. As for the lighting, 12 on and 12 off is fine! No lights at night. Here is what my schedule looks like for my veiled. https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/decadancin/754-winter-lighting-schedule.html Hope you have a great time watching your new boy grow! (it will happen fast!) :D
 
Decadancin said:
Hope you have a great time watching your new boy grow! (it will happen fast!) :D
Click to expand...

Damn straight......noobs are always surprised how fast they grow (oh wait...I'm always surprised by how fast they grow...:D..) - noobs need to remember to take lots of pics! Even if it doesn't have a name and it's only a Veiled :rolleyes: lol
 
Decadancin said:
Hi, welcome to the forums! :) First off, just a veiled?!? :eek: They are awesome! Just wait to see what colors you will get in 6 months ;). As others have correctly stated, feeding every day at that age is recommended. 15 to 20 small crickets in a day is not unheard of. After about a year old they do not need to eat as often. Also as stated, try to feed him early so he has time to digest properly. I do place some greens in the feeder bowl to keep the crickets occupied, but it isn't necessary. As for supplements, calcium with NO D3 at every feeding, calcium WITH D3 twice a month and a vitamin dusting twice a month. I hang a little kale, collard greens, etc from a clip in case he wants a bit, but he doesn't always eat them. It looks like a live plant in the first pic. What type is it? There is a safe plant list here https://www.chameleonforums.com/live-plant-database-2632/ to make sure you keep your little boy safe. (he may nibble on them) Pothos is a great choice, but many others are out there :cool:. You will want a few leaves/vines near the basking spot so there is enough shelter to escape the heat if needed. This will also help him to feel more secure. As for the lighting, 12 on and 12 off is fine! No lights at night. Here is what my schedule looks like for my veiled. https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/decadancin/754-winter-lighting-schedule.html Hope you have a great time watching your new boy grow! (it will happen fast!) :D
Click to expand...

Ok I'll have to get a multivit.
You guys are all making me feel bad for calling him "just a veiled" lol. He is special, and I think his name is Mr. Peabody. I think I figured out the picture thing a little better.
Also, the plant in question is a hibiscus. I also have a bearded dragon, and the "safe plant list" is the same pretty much for both reptiles, and I have a pretty large knowledge of overall plants, care and toxicity due to my career background :D
Everyone is really helpful on this forum. :)
IMG_2853.jpg
 
StreetMoggy said:
You guys are all making me feel bad for calling him "just a veiled" lol.
Click to expand...

You won't be doing that again will you? Good, it's a nooby mistake.....don't worry we will be very patient with you :)
as long as you are patient with Mr. Peabody. How much has he been eating since you got him? I guess since you aren't panicking he must have had some so he seems to be settling nicely.....often they take a while to get eating properly....good job :D
 
Veiled's are THE best out of all species, so special? Yes, to us they are VERY special and hold our hearts hostage every day of their lives!!

Now, it's the Panther group you have to watch out for....!! :D
 
Sounds like you are pretty much on the right track. At this age, they need to eat every day, and he should eat as much as he wants in about 5-10 minutes. You can feed him once or twice, but make sure he has at least a good 3-4 hours to bask after he eats.

What brand of calcium with D3 do you have and how much D3 is in it? Twice a month is the general recommendation, but some brands have more or less D3 in them so they should be used more or less. We can give you a recommendation for the brand so that you can figure out what works best for your personal situation.

Are you using a good thermometer? Usually 83 degrees is a perfect temp for young veileds, so it seems odd to me that he is gaping when it is at that temp.
 
Dope little dude you got. thankfully veilds are easy to take care of. usually its 12 hour summer 10 hour winters but to be honest just do what ever as long as its inbetween the 2 every day. He will eat 6 days a week (take sunday off easy to remember) and hell start eating every other day close to 9 months to a year. Give him like 6 or 7 if he eats all those you can do 8 to 10 (anything more is not necessary but some eat a little more) i wouldnt ever exceed 12 and dont let anyone tell you other wise anything over that is not necessary. Make sure to gut load your food and dont feed him anything bigger than his head is a good rule of thumb. They can also eat super worms, meal worms, and wax worms just make sure to get small ones for him. Panting is normal, just check the temp of the spot make sure its aboung 94-98 degrees and hell be chillin! and water him 2 or 5 times a day. any other quetions let me know!
 
DavidBuchan said:
You won't be doing that again will you? Good, it's a nooby mistake.....don't worry we will be very patient with you :)
as long as you are patient with Mr. Peabody. How much has he been eating since you got him? I guess since you aren't panicking he must have had some so he seems to be settling nicely.....often they take a while to get eating properly....good job :D
Click to expand...

Never again! I just meant when it comes to 'morphs' and what not, but to me he's super cute and I already love him to bits.

He seems to be eating well. In a single sitting he eats anywhere from 5-6 crickets, so I try to give him a couple feedings during the day, as he tends to get shy fast.
I've only been dusting with plain calcium, I do have calcium with D3, so I'll be sure to use that a couple months. As for the brands, I think I have 4 different kinds in total lol, people have given me their left overs, so I tend to mix it up. Going to get the multivitamin this week.

BUT ...:confused: He hasn't drank at all! I mist twice a day, and I also have a drip thing I turn on for 20min at a time (is this long enough?), but he really hates the water, will try to get far away from it, but then I see him "tasting the air" afterwards if that makes sense. any thoughts?
 
pssh said:
Sounds like you are pretty much on the right track. At this age, they need to eat every day, and he should eat as much as he wants in about 5-10 minutes. You can feed him once or twice, but make sure he has at least a good 3-4 hours to bask after he eats.

What brand of calcium with D3 do you have and how much D3 is in it? Twice a month is the general recommendation, but some brands have more or less D3 in them so they should be used more or less. We can give you a recommendation for the brand so that you can figure out what works best for your personal situation.

Are you using a good thermometer? Usually 83 degrees is a perfect temp for young veileds, so it seems odd to me that he is gaping when it is at that temp.
Click to expand...

I'll have to go through the brands and take a good look, but I have 3 different types? (was given some by a friend, after I bought both a plain calcium, and one with D3) I didn't think to check the vitamin amounts...that was silly of me.
I'll take recommendations as well.
I'm using a duel probe that measures temp and humidity.
And I own a temp gun, they both vary about a degree.

The humidity tends to be all over the place, ranging from a low of 30 to a high of 80... I might try and measure it every hour on my day off to get an exact average, but winter in Canada this year has not been very consistent, and I know it affects my dragon's vivarium, so it must affect Mr.Peabody's as well.
 
StreetMoggy said:
BUT ...:confused: He hasn't drank at all! I mist twice a day, and I also have a drip thing I turn on for 20min at a time (is this long enough?), but he really hates the water, will try to get far away from it, but then I see him "tasting the air" afterwards if that makes sense. any thoughts?
Click to expand...

If you can do the drip thing for longer that would be better, but you shouldn't be too concerned that you haven't seen him drink yet. A lot of chams are 'secret drinkers'. When he poops the urate section should be white. If it's yellowish then he's a little dehydrated so do longer mistings.
I use lukewarm water in a pressure pump sprayer. The chams seem to get used to a constant fine spray easier than if you use those rubbish trigger ones - http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgu...LMi80QXrv4CABw&sqi=2&ved=0CJgBEPUBMA0&dur=100
Well-hydrated insects will probably do a lot of it for you, Veileds in Africa probably get most of their water from their food I reckon.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Q
possible broken nail??
Replies
14
Views
458
elizaann2
elizaann2
CryptKeeper
BSFL eat everything
2 3 4
Replies
70
Views
2K
CryptKeeper
CryptKeeper
J
NEW Chameleon hiding on the bottom of enclosure.
2
Replies
30
Views
1K
TheMotherChameleon
TheMotherChameleon
B
Grumpy Colin..
Replies
2
Views
251
elizaann2
elizaann2
Q
Looking for guidance on my veiled chameleon
Replies
4
Views
417
kinyonga
K
Back
Top Bottom