A few questions about my male veiled chameleon.

[Elig15]

On febuary 12 I bought a two veiled chams. The female is fine. The male I am kind of worried about. He is very mean. He hisses and try's to bite. Hiw can I change that? Also he is a brown/dark color with some green here and there. Is that normal? Also he dosent each much. He is getting very skinny. How can I fix that?
Thanks-

 

[carol5208]

In order for us to even begin to help you try and sort this out we need you to fill out this form:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/
Also, picture of your set ups(I am assuming you are not housing the two together) would be helpful as well as pictures of your chameleons.

 

[Elig15]

How would a post pictures from a moblie device?

 

[carol5208]

How would a post pictures from a moblie device?

I am not sure. I have never done it from my phone. Atleast fill out the form so we can see how you are keeping them and see if there is anything that may be causing your male not to eat.

 

[Elig15]

Both veiled chams are about 1 and a half to 2 years old.
I handle the female everyday. never the male he wont let me I don't want to stress him out.
I put about ten mealworms Inthere dish everyday, which is located at the bottom of the plant pot.
repti calcium and multi vitamin.
mist 8 times a day the first and the last mist for 1:45 minutes and the rest for 45 seconds.
poop is brown/black pee is white/yellow.
I bought them on craigslist from a guy that knew what he was doing and there both looked healthy.
Both are screen cages the girls is 24x24x36 boys is 24x24x48.
both have 50 watt basking an uvb.
never done any of the just kept it the way the guy had it.( should I be doing that, if so what should the temps be).
around 60-80.
live plants no idea what kind with stick from outside and fake vines.
near a window with closed curtains the top of the boys is around 4foot fro the floor.

 

[Ninkylou]

Do you have a visual barrier between the 2 cages. They should not see each other as it will stress them out. I have my enclosures side by side but have a white vinyl shower curtain between the 2 so they can't see each other.
Other things I would question with what you have posted.

1. Mealworms are not a good staple food for your chams. You should vary their food: Crickets, silkworms, hornworms, dubia roaches are all good choices for feeding. Make sure they are well gut loaded with fresh fruits & veggies (and commercial gut load if desired, not flakers cubes)

2. If they are adult their basking temperatures could be a bit warmer I think (I do not have Veiled so someone feel free to contradict me, I think the female could be cooler, which may be why she is doing better)

3. Maybe you could put the enclosures up a bit higher. I know they like to be higher than those around them.

4. If the UVB light is >6 months old (or you don't know its age) you should probably replace it.

Make sure you are supplementing correctly by doing some research here on the forum. Make sure you that your daily calcium does not have D3, it should not be used daily but just a few times a month. They should have plain calcium daily.

You really should invest in a thermometer and hygrometer to monitor temps and humidity. You can purchase an infrared temp sensor for a reasonable price that will allow you to check the temperatures at various places in your enclosures.

If the male is an adult you may not be able to change his aggressive behavior. Try to hand feed him, I would recommend using tongs and not being above him. Just be slow and persistent and you may have success in time. Many, if not most, chameleons are not particularly personable. I have one that is and one that isn't..


Good luck with them both and welcome to the forums!!

Here is a link to the Veiled chameleon care sheet that will help you with correct temps and food etc.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/

 

[Elig15]

Yes they can see each other, but the don't really pay attention to each other

 

[carol5208]

You did not mention how long you have had them. Meal worms are a poor choice of feeders, especially if they are the only thing you are feeding. Chameleons get bored with the same food day after day. That could be the problem as far as the eating. Can your male and female see each other? If so, make it so they cannot view each other. You really need to have more variety in their diet. Do you know about gutloading? That is feeding your feeders healthy and nutritious fruits and vegetables which will get passed on to your chameleon. Crickets and Roaches can be easily gutloaded and are better choices for feeders. Silkworms are another good choice as they are high in calcium and low in fat. Does your calcium contain D3? If so, you do not want to use that on a daily basis. You can overdose your chameleons on too much artificial d3 which will cause them health issues. Same thing with a multivitamin. Both of these should be used 2 times a month and then a plain calcium can be used at every or most feedings.

 

[Elig15]

I've had them for about a month. And what types of fruit and veggies? Also does stress cause him to be brown and black? And can I gut load with meal worms. I bought 1000 of them a few weeks ago.

 

[Elig15]

And I forgot to metion the repti calcium does not have d3

 

[carol5208]

I don't use mealworms, but superworms instead. They can be gutloaded just like crickets, and roaches. I am pretty sure mealworms eat just like the superworms. As far as the fruits and veggies you can use just about anything. Dark leafy greens like mustard, collard, kale, carrots, apples, oranges, sweet peppers, squash, are some of the things I use along with Bug Burger which is a commercial food for crickets but can be used for other feeders as well. We have a member on here called Sandrachameleon. Check out her page and her blogs and you can find out anything you ever want to know about gutloads and nutritional value of foods to feed feeders and such. As far as the color, it could be he is stressed or could be cold. Can he see the female??