Advice Please!

will187

New Member
hi everyone. im new to the forum, and to keeping chams. i have recently bought a baby veiled chameleon and set-up. ive had him for around 2 weeks.. and worrying if im doing everything right has caused me no small amount of stress. i decided to post some pics and details of him, and his set-up here, and ask for any advice or feedback you guys can offer. i have an adult corn snake, and an adult beardie, so i have SOME experience with keeping reptiles, but im very cautious each time i start caring for a new species. details and pics will follow.

id like to reassure everyone that the viv he is in is temporary, he's only young, so i got one that was long enough for a good gradient, but only 18 inches tall to avoid any nasty falls. i will be purchasing a 4foot x 4foot x 2 foot (H X L X D)
viv when he is about 2-3 months older.

he seems pretty much ok, but over the last 2 days, i havent seen him eating as much, or defecating as much and just today he has been closing one eye quite alot. i have pics of him in various states, to show what i mean.

He is being heavily misted once or twice a day, depending on how hydrated he looks (skin tightness, eye plumpness etc), i also have a dripper running on his cool side. he has a constantly high number of crickets in his tank, as they seem to be hiding alot, and i want him to be able to find them. they are cycled every 24 hours if not eaten, and kept in a kricket keeper. the kricket keeper contains pro-rep bug-grub, and bug gel, both are freshened every day. his crickets are also dusted with nutro-bal everytime i put them in the tank, to maximise the chances of him getting plenty of supplementation.

In the pics, you will be able to see the lights im using. i have an exo-terra 10.0 strip bulb running the entire length of his viv for UV, and a normal incandescent bulb (40w) in his basking spot, bringing basking temps to about 85 degress, with ambient temps around 70. thats pretty much it! let me know what you guys think, and if he is showing any bad signs that im missing.

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Thanks.
 
Please fill this out. Of what I've read, your UVB is too strong, most of us use a repti-glo or repti-sun 5.0. The 10.0 tends to be too strong and may be the reason for your cham closing it's eyes. Even the 5.0 bulbs are recommended to be lifted a tad bit away from the cage as they may cause eye irritation as well.

Your lights are INSIDE the cage?? Your cham can burn itself, the first thing you should do is turn off the UVB and get a new bulb. I would by no means be surprised if he's closing his eyes due to lights.

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
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?
Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.


Pictures are helpful
 
EDIT... could only upload 5 pics in the last post. and wanted to show you guys him closing his eye. also, he has shed for the first time today, i think he got like 90% of the skin off in a few hours.. i misted him twice and after a good scratch, i couldnt see any more dead skin, which i assume is good. so, this is the pic im most concerned about. i havent noticed him doing this before, and im a little worried. anyway.. thanks in advance for your responses.

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Did you scratch the skin off? That is a big no-no if you did, you can injure your chams skin if you do. Fill out what I had posted above. Where are you located? I'd say give your cham some natural sunshine and don't put the UVB on until you get a 5.0. He will be able to burn himself if he gets too close to that bulb. You can keep a cham in glass but your set up is not super ideal.
 
that looks like a way too intense uvb light for him. it is blinding my eyes just looking at the picture. I do not like how the bulb is inside the cage like that either.
 
Yes a 10.0 uvb is too high for a cham youl need a 5.0 either a reptisun or a reptiglo will work fine but most people here use the Reptisun. when i first got my "Neo" 3 months ago after about a month he kept closing his left eye and i read that it could be a humidity problem or a vitamin deficiency. i bought a ReptiFogger Terrarium humidifier and dusted his crickets with a Reptivite for 3 days and since then i have his crickets on a dusting schedule and kept his humidity around 50%-60% and he has never closed his eye since....except to sleep...your going to want to make sure that he is drinking so dont just mist his cage and you really shouldnt mist the cham directly you need to mist around him so that he can see the water droplets and you can make sure hat he is drinking
 
hi mbondy, thanks for the reply. ive been consulting with a reptile store that has quite a few adult veileds. they said that the exo-terra 10.0 isnt actually as strong as it thinks. its more like 7% apparently, and they said it will be fine. im not sure about him burning himself on the bulb, as i can comfortably grasp the bulb and keep my hand on it without it even getting uncomfortably warm. he has moments when he gets very close the bulb, and moments when he retreats into the foliage a little aswell, so he CAN get away from it if he so desires. i forgot to mention that the only natural furnishings in his tank are the bog wood pieces.. everything else is artificial. and i know its not ideal that his lights are inside the viv. i wasnt given the best service by my local reptile store, (hence why im now using another one) but im trying to make do as best i can as it is only temporary.
EDIT.. no i didnt scratch the skin off.. i meant he had a good scratch on his leaves and vines, i havent actually touched him today as i didnt want to bother him during shedding. also..i forgot. one other thing i was concerned about is that i seem to be finding some half eaten crickets around. does this mean theyre too big for him? im feeding what ive been recommended by the stores ive spoken to..
 
A 10.0 UVB bulb that close to him is probably way too strong. Most people use 5.0 in 3-4 ft high enclosures and the bulbs are outside going through a screen. It doesn't look like you can move it outside the enclosure so you may need even less than 5.0 until you move him.
 
His eyes are probably messed up from the 10.0 UVB that's an inch from his face. Do you have a digital thermometer? If so place it by the basking spot. I would just get him outta there honestly chams like to climb on anything even that hot light so your playing russian roulette with that Cham and the enclosure. Sorry not gonna be able to come back on for a while so I'll give some advice quick then I'm sure everyone will help. Go to petco get a 5.0 UVB zoo med if possible and a digital thermometer. You can use any household bulb to get basking zone to like 85ish cause he is pretty young. Keep the UVB light at 6inches from where he basks. As far as enclosure I'm not good at diy stuff but I'd def put him in at least a rubbermaid container with a clamp lamp and have strip light accross the top. Put branches and vines so he is comfortable. If your tight on money go to lll reptile and get a reptaurium or if not get him a 18x18x36 screen cage. Sorry for rambling just felt bad
 
For the adult veiled cham the 10.0 might be okay depending on the location (distance from the viv). I have a veield slightly older than yours and the 5.0 was causing the eye closing so I ended up having to move it up a bit and that solved my problem. You have a 10.0 inches away which is probably causing the problem. There eyes are very sensitive and if blidness occurs you are looking at some major time consuming care.

Also I would recomend some live plants. Maybe a pothos. As the veiled gets bigger he will start to nibble on it as well.
 
For starters quit listening to pet store employees when it comes to chameleons. Most know little to nothing about proper husbandry.

First get a proper enclosure for the little guy. Your cage while attractive is not functional for a chameleon. Its more suitable for a gecko or dart frog enclosure. Get a cobo wood screen cage or go all screen. Even a large exo terra since your in the Uk would be better than the cage you now have.

Get all the lights out of the cage. To do that you need a cage witha screened top. We all use 5.0 uvb bulbs for chameleons. They are not bearded dragons they dont need a 10.0 uvb bulb unless your cage is over 4 ft in height. So get the proper bulb and move it outside the cage. Get rid of that basking bulb you have it looks to powerful for that little guy. Buy a hooded heat light fixture and you can use a 60 watt household incandescent bulb as your heat source. Again that needs to be OUTSIDE the cage.

Buy a digital hygrometer/thermometer combo with a probe and attch the probe to his basking branch under the heat light. You need basking temps of around 85 degrees fahrenheit for a veiled baby. Sorry dont know celcius temps.

He needs to be misted at that age a min of 3x a day and a dripper is also advisable. he looks a bit dehydrated in the close up pics. Prob because the bulbs are so close and the heat in that cage is to high. That should get you started. I'd be giving him lonnnng misting sessions til I saw him drinking andkeep doing that for several days til i saw a change.
 
For starters quit listening to pet store employees when it comes to chameleons. Most know little to nothing about proper husbandry.

First get a proper enclosure for the little guy. Your cage while attractive is not functional for a chameleon. Its more suitable for a gecko or dart frog enclosure. Get a cobo wood screen cage or go all screen. Even a large exo terra since your in the Uk would be better than the cage you now have.

Get all the lights out of the cage. To do that you need a cage witha screened top. We all use 5.0 uvb bulbs for chameleons. They are not bearded dragons they dont need a 10.0 uvb bulb unless your cage is over 4 ft in height. So get the proper bulb and move it outside the cage. Get rid of that basking bulb you have it looks to powerful for that little guy. Buy a hooded heat light fixture and you can use a 60 watt household incandescent bulb as your heat source. Again that needs to be OUTSIDE the cage.

Buy a digital hygrometer/thermometer combo with a probe and attch the probe to his basking branch under the heat light. You need basking temps of around 85 degrees fahrenheit for a veiled baby. Sorry dont know celcius temps.

He needs to be misted at that age a min of 3x a day and a dripper is also advisable. he looks a bit dehydrated in the close up pics. Prob because the bulbs are so close and the heat in that cage is to high. That should get you started. I'd be giving him lonnnng misting sessions til I saw him drinking andkeep doing that for several days til i saw a change.

I second ALL of that.

You have to understand that chameleons require very specialized care that is significantly different than most other reptiles. Pet stores employees typically have more general knowledge and may not know what is best for each individual species (and this is coming from a pet store employee).

You posted here for help, and that is exactly what we are trying to give you. We do this because we care about chameleons. So please listen to our advice, especially about getting a screen cage, a Reptisun 5.0, and putting all bulbs OUTSIDE the cage.
 
And PLEASE fill out this form. This is what everyone here uses to ask for help. It allows our forum's most experienced and knowledgeable members to give you specific advice for you and your cham which can improve and possibly save his life.

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
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?
Location - Where are you geographically located?
 
thanks for the replys guys. i aprreciate all your advice, id just like to clarify a few things. i havent filled out that form, as i believe i covered all the relevant info in my first post. to go over a few things again, he does have a dripper.. he is misted twice a day, and the "basking" bulb is just a 25 watt incandescent. also, he hasnt been closing his eye at all today.. ive seem him eat 2 monster crickets that managed to hide in his tank, and has also produced a very healthy looking bowel movement.(good amount of urate and faecal matter, no orange in the urate and firm but pretty moist) also, i didnt get ANYTHING from a "pet store". i bought him from a reptile and extoic pet specialist store, who also breed several kinds of reptiles, including a few species of chams. i have started reading around, and my consultation has come from another reptile specialist, the northampton reptile centre, as i was a bit peeved when the guy in my local store told me i was being stupid because i was so concerned for him. also, the light really isnt that bright. that picture was taken on a mobile phone on auto-focus, and it looks really bright. after reading around, and i hope this doesnt sound rude, i have decided to stick to the 10.0. its not too hot as i can hold it comfortably for an unlimited amount of time, and i have come to believe that its a good start for my little guy. with the incredible growth rate in chams, ive been told they need maximum D3 and calcium to fortify theyre growing bones. also, veiled chams are originally from saudi arabia and yemen, which, being in africa, has some of the strongest sunlight in the world.. second only really to parts of australia, so they get sxome really intense rays. as previously stated, he has plenty of places to hide in the vegetation if he needs to, which ive seen him doing, but not nearly as much as ive seen him happily basking a few inches from his lights. he has been doing great since last night, active, alert, feeding and defecating. so i figure i cant be doing that much wrong. also, can people please try and remember that his enclosure is TEMPORARY? he will be going in a 4 foot tall viv soo.. itll be 4 foot tall, 4 foot long and 2 foot deep. i will be assembling it myself, and the back wall, rather than being screened (it gets cold here in the UK) has about 15-20 5cm circular vents, so plenty of air cirulation. also, his lights will again be INSIDE his new enclosure, as this is my only option, but i will be creating a "canopy" effect, to make sure he cant get closer than about 12 inches, which will give him 36 inches of vertical climbing space. im pretty sure this seems adequate. i REALLY REALLY appreciate the advicen guys, and i dont want to seem rude. i asked for help and im taking it all in. all im saying is that i dont think there is only ONE SINGLE way to do this, and i dont think im being ill-advised, as my advice has come from the same guy all the time, on the "chameleon desk" in northampton reptile center (he ONLY deals with chams) i will continue posting pics of him as he grows, as i consider your advice invaluable, just wanted to clarify a few things. oh i almost forgot. the repti-glo 10.0 is actually only 7% i measured it with a uvb meter, and its well within the recommended range suggested on uvguide.co.uk (specialist site that does research into the recommened uvb amounts for captive reptiles)
 
hi guys. im back with an update. my little guy is doing great! doing all the normal things as far as i can tell, and ive bought, decorated, and moved him into his new viv. ive got some pics, and wanted to see what everyone thought of his new viv. its a specialised chameleon vivarium, as screen enclosures are impractical in britain, due to the huge temperature fluctuations. ive only decorated the bottom half of his tank, and adjusted the lights accordingly. as he grows, i will move everything up, and add more decor, but i dont want to risk him falling at this tender age. let me know what you guys think! (btw.. check how pissed he was at me in the first pic when i was trying to coax him out of his old place and into the new. scary threat display! damn males :p ) (and in the third pic, you can just make him out traversing one his vines in the middle of the frame!)

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From what I see, he has a very short cage. They like height. There's also the bare minimum of plants in his cage, he'll need alot more. The bulbs should not be inside the cage, they'll burn themselves.
 
hi mbondy, thanks for the reply. ive been consulting with a reptile store that has quite a few adult veileds. they said that the exo-terra 10.0 isnt actually as strong as it thinks. its more like 7% apparently, and they said it will be fine. im not sure about him burning himself on the bulb, as i can comfortably grasp the bulb and keep my hand on it without it even getting uncomfortably warm. he has moments when he gets very close the bulb, and moments when he retreats into the foliage a little aswell, so he CAN get away from it if he so desires. i forgot to mention that the only natural furnishings in his tank are the bog wood pieces.. everything else is artificial. and i know its not ideal that his lights are inside the viv. i wasnt given the best service by my local reptile store, (hence why im now using another one) but im trying to make do as best i can as it is only temporary.
EDIT.. no i didnt scratch the skin off.. i meant he had a good scratch on his leaves and vines, i havent actually touched him today as i didnt want to bother him during shedding. also..i forgot. one other thing i was concerned about is that i seem to be finding some half eaten crickets around. does this mean theyre too big for him? im feeding what ive been recommended by the stores ive spoken to..


I am not offering any advice since I am a new owner also. But if you ask for advice and it is given by numerous people that have had great results and are respected from the others on the forum, I would take it Especially when they are all telling you the same thing- Get rid of that light, move them out and away from him.

Otherwise why would you ask for help? stay with that reptile store that you buy things from, they will tell you anything you want to hear and to get you to buy more.

I truly wish you the best with your new Cham and for his sake I hope you listen to the advice that has no financial gain, just love of the Chams.
 
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