Advice on owning.

[Shima]

Chameleon Info:

* Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
So far i'v only owned her for a day, I just want basic information on keeping her happy. I believe the species is senegal but am being adviced she could be a veiled.

* Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
I plan to hand feed her crickets until she warms up to me then handle maybe once a day depending on how she takes to me.

* Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?

So far just crickets and they are being dusted with supplements and fet letuice.


* Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?

Constant drip system and lucky lizard rain system twice a day for 5 minutes (been adviced on another thread to do 3 times a day)

* Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?

Born in captivity so unaware of parasites can check at vets.
As of yet i'v not checked droppings

* History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Captive born, when i picked her up she was in a cage with 3 other chams all of the same species

Cage Info:

* Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?

Wooden back and sides with a glass front 3ft high by 1ft back and side


* Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?

Unsure on brand they are from the local reptile store can check at home if its important? 100w bulb and UV lighting ran from 8am until 8pm

* Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?

Temps in the viv in day/basking 90f highest and at night 65/70f. I have a thermo on the hot side and the colder side of the viv

* Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?

Humidity varies through the day between 50 and 80 i have a gauge in the middle of the viv

* Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
No live at the moment but ficus is going in soon

* Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?

Viv is placed in the front room (not the sitting room) where people hardly ever go. This is where all of my reptiles are and none are in sight of each other. Viv is 2ft off the ground and she normally sits about 2/3 ft up in the viv.

* Location - Where are you geographically located?

I live in cumbria in england a rather wet and cold place but my house is generally warm normally at 20c

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

No Problems as of yet just looking for advice on keeping her happy.

current picture of her i will update my picture thread and this thread later when i have better pics

thanks for reading.

 

[carol5208]

Chameleon Info:

* Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
So far i'v only owned her for a day, I just want basic information on keeping her happy. I believe the species is senegal but am being adviced she could be a veiled.

* Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
I plan to hand feed her crickets until she warms up to me then handle maybe once a day depending on how she takes to me.

* Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?

So far just crickets and they are being dusted with supplements and fet letuice.


* Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?

Constant drip system and lucky lizard rain system twice a day for 5 minutes (been adviced on another thread to do 3 times a day)

* Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?

Born in captivity so unaware of parasites can check at vets.
As of yet i'v not checked droppings

* History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Captive born, when i picked her up she was in a cage with 3 other chams all of the same species

Cage Info:

* Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?

Wooden back and sides with a glass front 3ft high by 1ft back and side


* Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?

Unsure on brand they are from the local reptile store can check at home if its important? 100w bulb and UV lighting ran from 8am until 8pm

* Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?

Temps in the viv in day/basking 90f highest and at night 65/70f. I have a thermo on the hot side and the colder side of the viv

* Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?

Humidity varies through the day between 50 and 80 i have a gauge in the middle of the viv

* Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
No live at the moment but ficus is going in soon

* Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?

Viv is placed in the front room (not the sitting room) where people hardly ever go. This is where all of my reptiles are and none are in sight of each other. Viv is 2ft off the ground and she normally sits about 2/3 ft up in the viv.

* Location - Where are you geographically located?

I live in cumbria in england a rather wet and cold place but my house is generally warm normally at 20c

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

No Problems as of yet just looking for advice on keeping her happy.

current picture of her i will update my picture thread and this thread later when i have better pics

thanks for reading.

That is good you are running the dripper. Here is a blog/care sheet from one of our members JannB, a very experienced Veiled keeper here on the forum. I am not sure what supplements and lighting is available to you over there, so hopefully some of our UK members can chime in on that to help you out! i know 100 watt is way to high, especially for a youngster!
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html

 

[Bokaru]

I have to agree with Carol here on the light. Most recommend a 50 or 60w as ther preferred heating bulb. The 100w works great for more arid climate reptiles, but you might end up with burns or unwanted humidity loss with such a strong bulb.

Everything else looks great. I would like to say that the three misting should be good, just make sure you arent misting too close to lights out. A cold, wet cham can lead to problems.

Edit: OH! I almost forgot. When you were describing your lighting, you didnt go into much detail. Most people use a linear Reptisun 5.0 or Reptiglo 5.0 linear florescent bulb. I would definitely look into purchasing one if you dont have it yet.

 

[Shima]

I'll run and grab a 60w tonight thanks for that. This is why i asked, to get the best set up i can for her.

i'll check the brandings on the lights tonight and let you know i believe they are reptiglo lights but i'll confirm later.

I'm also misting at 9am and 3pm but i will change this maybe to 9am 1pm and 4pm does that sound like a good time?

Thanks

Edit: i'll have a read through that blog thanks

 

[kinyonga]

Here is some information you might be interested in...
Exposure to proper UVB, appropriate temperatures, supplements, a supply of well-fed/gutloaded insects, water and an appropriate cage set-up are all important for the well-being of your chameleon.

Appropriate cage temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part indirectly in nutrient absorption. For baby veileds I usually keep the temperature in the low 80'sF.

Exposure to UVB from either direct sunlight or a proper UVB light allows the chameleon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system to make/keep the bones strong and be used in other systems in the chameleon as well. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic no matter whether its from the sun or the UVB light.

Since many of the feeder insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in them, its important to dust the insects before you feed them to the chameleon with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it.

If you dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. It leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of what it needs through its exposure to the UVB light. (Some UVB lights have been known to cause health issues, so the most often recommended one is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light.) D3 from supplements can build up in the system but D3 produced from exposure to UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it.

Dusting twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while.

Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs....so its important too. Romaine lettuce is okay to give them moisture...but it should not be a main gutload.

Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon (muscles, etc.) and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.

Here are some good sites for you to read...
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200605020...Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200604210...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/

 

[Bokaru]

i'll check the brandings on the lights tonight and let you know i believe they are reptiglo lights but i'll confirm later.

Sorry I keep on forgetting to mention stuff... Even if they are the correct bulb, linears lose potency over time. Most recommend replacement after 4-6 months. If you can get your cham some good sunlight (not behind a window) daily, I would not worry about this much at this point, but it is definitely something to take into consideration down the road, the sooner the better, especially if you aren't too sure on the age of those bulbs.

 

[Shima]

The bulbs are reptiglo and brand new so thats good and i'v downgraded the basking lamp to 60w and put the timers on for 3 times a day misting

When she grows up i'v already set up a few vines that go accross the wall of her room for her to explore if she chooses.

unfortunatly i can't really take her into the garden to get direct sunlight unless she was on me. there are a lot of cats in the area including 3 of mine so i don't think they would get on. On the other hand the dragon and the cats get on great

Edit: idea.. i have a sitting area on the decking i could put a plant/tree on there and take her out and sit with her that way the cats can't get at her.. problem sorted haha.

My SLR camera also died last night so i'v not got any amazing pictures that arnt taken on a phone. but i'll upload them soon.

 

[kinyonga]

Because young chameleon bodies are small they tend to heat/cool and dehydrate more easily than an adult's would so I keep the temperatures more moderate...in the low 80's.

Are you sure its a female?? Males have tarsal spurs on their heels and females don't. Are you aware that female veileds can produce eggs even without being mated and that you need to provide them a place to dig to lay the eggs so they won't become eggbound and die?

You might be interested in this too...
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/2007/12/keeping-female-veiled.html

 

[bradleymarky]

hi shima

if its as cold in cumbria as it is in yorkshire dont take her outside, it might feel warm to us at 12 degrees in winter but not to a cham.

a normal 60 watt house bulb from b@q will be fine, misting twice a day is fine too.
weeping fig, schefflera and umbrella plants are fine the latter holds water very nice, its not often i see my veiled drinking they tend to be sneeky but if the urate is white dont worry

welcome

 

[Shima]

Thanks for all the info thats coming in i'm learning a lot

I was aware that when she produces eggs i will need a suitable place for her to dig i was thinking a nice deep area with mud that i can just put my uv and basking bulb over?

also i know she will be very tired after doing so. so i will have to put her straight in her tank and feed/mist her.

i have had her sex'd so i'm sure its a girl

it is always cold here really. well it would be to a cham. her temps are good at the moment and humidity is good to. i have a weeping fig on the way so that will go in her viv on tuesday to. well after being washed down that is.

at the moment though she doesnt seem to be eating. i'v only seen her eat 1 cricket in the past 2 days which is starting to worry me. i may get some wax worms and try her on them.

More pics.

 

[bradleymarky]

Thanks for all the info thats coming in i'm learning a lot

I was aware that when she produces eggs i will need a suitable place for her to dig i was thinking a nice deep area with mud that i can just put my uv and basking bulb over?

also i know she will be very tired after doing so. so i will have to put her straight in her tank and feed/mist her.

i have had her sex'd so i'm sure its a girl

it is always cold here really. well it would be to a cham. her temps are good at the moment and humidity is good to. i have a weeping fig on the way so that will go in her viv on tuesday to. well after being washed down that is.

at the moment though she doesnt seem to be eating. i'v only seen her eat 1 cricket in the past 2 days which is starting to worry me. i may get some wax worms and try her on them.

put the fig in the shower and give it a good soaking and leave it for a couple of days to dry a bit or you will soak your viv floor, dont worry about the eating she will be settling in at the moment, waxworms should only be given once a week as a treat if at all.

 

[Shima]

Ahh awesome thats ok then. well i'll maybe give her 1 just from my hand see how she takes to it.

i'll make sure to wash the fig and leave it to try

Also for the first time last night she came to me. she had managed somehow to climb up the viv door and looked a little stuck so put my hand there which she looked at for about 5 minutes then openly walked onto me. All this time she was a nice bright green so i'm thinking she wasnt scared at all

 

[Shima]

For some reason she still does not seem to be eating

bugs do go missing but iv not seen her eat so i don't know if they are just hiding or if she is eating them.

in all the time i'v had her i'v only seen her eat 2 crickets.

i'v tried crickets
mealworm
waxworm so far

not sure what to do about that.

 

[SageZA]

https://www.chameleonforums.com/roccoz-diary-veiled-chameleon-47697/

This is what i have done for my new cham as a new comer. Will be great full for any added comments.

 

[Shima]

Tried a few things last night and she is just refusing to eat them. tried putting crickets in a cup she didnt want them so tried waxworm just to see if she would take but nothing. im getting a little worried now. she is drinking though.