Adopted Veiled Cham - healing questions!!

[galcynnara]

I have recently aquired a 1-1.5 year Veiled Chameleon, knowing nothing about these beautiful creatures. The previous owner was looking for a good home due to his travel. Upon receiving this creature, realized his living conditions. He came with the appropriate sized habitat screened enclosure, misting system, 2 lights, Ficus & a few thick sized ropes & these rubberish vines. Are ropes going to harbor ants?The drive required the habitat to sit on its side for an hour or so and was carefully moved inside my home. After examination of habitat- ants were crawling both on ropes and inside soil. Ficus wasn't pruned and dead leaves/bugs & a pretty nasty towel sat at the base of the potted tree. Cut the rope zip ties to take the ficus out and prune/resoil~ thought he might catch himself on a dead branch and maybe thats how he was wounded(getting to that soon). Cham stayed on a back section of vine. Unfortunatly did not take the rope out to clean. Sanitized & cleaned bottom. Added reptile carpet and a few other cham safe plants to habitat, placed the ropes back in order & added some clean rocks. Previous owner said that he never liked to come out when people are around, but he has always been curious with my daughter and I. not been handled, but would like to get him to accept us and maybe let us feed him at some point. Seems to be adjusting well to the habitat changes and loved to explore his new space. Lights are both on 7am-7pm and the misting system is set to 2-3 min. every 3 hours from 6am-7pm. Cham doesn't seem in optimal health either. He is definately shedding. His dorsel on top has some issues and a chunk was falling from his inner right knee/leg, which now seems to be a healed over pinkish hue rather than rawness. He seems dark in color, so maybe stressed from all the changes. I've researched ALOT, but can't seem to find the right information. I hear they get pretty cranky during the shedding process and may not eat. Got him on Saturday and this evening is Monday ~ he isn't eating. Was told that he only likes carrot slices & superworms. I have dusted them appropriately with both repcal & the same brand of multi-v. he just doesn't seem interested. His eyes appear to be fine, interested in people and looking all about, no discharge. He puffs up & doesn't much want to be touched. And how would I get him out of his habitat if he needed vet services? Also wanted to mention that there are still a few ants on the ropes. Concerned they may hurt him if he is not feeling well and that they will eat his food. I'd really appreciate any feedback that could help me revive this amazing creature back to health...

 

[SaintJimmy]

I would not go with the previous owner's advice.

They need to eat much more than just carrots and worms.

Get him some crickets, hornworms, katydids you can catch, when you see an opportunity for variety, take it.

Also don't be afraid of him. Just take your hand under him, and lift him up. Even if he hisses/bites.

Put him into a small box with a towel at the bottom and a stick or something to hold onto for the vet trip.

A picture would be great btw.

 

[galcynnara]

I see that in most photos posted that there is nothing at bottom of habitat. Would the eco carpet be a poor choice as to lock in unwanted moisture. Some photos have a drainage system. How about the rope? Should I remove because ants could be living in it?

 

[galcynnara]

I will try to post some photos in the morning...

 

[Lovereps]

Welcome to the forum!
As you've probably already noticed, there is a lot of conflicting information on the internet--and even from petstores, where they should but often don't know better.

There are many experienced cham owners and plenty of newcomers on the forum, as well.

This is a caresheet with reliable info, written by experienced cham owners:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/
You will see that Veiled chams can eat a variety of fruits and vegetables and with a bit of persistence, I'm sure you'll be able to expand his menu to include some new favorites.
Unlike some other typres of reptiles, chameleons are very sensitive to receiving too much of their supplements.
Their foods should be lightly dusted as follows:
Calcium without any D3 daily
Calcium with D3 2x a month
Multivitamin 2x a month

A variety of well-fed feeder insects is good for your cham.
Silkworms, hornworms, phoenixworms,blue bottle flies, dubias and other feeders all add different nutrients to your cham's diet
More details on that are here: https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/food/

It isn't unusual for a chameleon to not eat for a few days after acquiring him.
Some chams do get spoiled and only want to eat one kind of food, which of course isn't good.

Have a look at the caresheets, there are more links in the section where those are and feel free to ask questions.

With good care, Veiled chams are one of the longer lived types of chams.