Age Guesstimate For Veiled Chameleon?

uzivur

uzivur

New Member
Hi new chameleon owner here and I was wondering if anyone could help me accurately identify how old my chameleon is.
Dale is a male (I'm almost 100% sure) veiled chameleon that I immediately rescued from someone who got him from a petco back in April. He's been with me for almost 2 months and has grown quite a bit since. The first picture is the first week home, the second is 2 months home with a fresh shed. Thanks!
 

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If you want, we can go over your husbandry since you are a new member. Feel free to fill this out. 🙂

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.

--------------

Please Note:
  1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
  2. Photos can be very helpful.
 
Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care? male veiled chameleon guessing 4 months old, has been home for 2 months
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? handled every day/every other day, depending on his mood but handfed daily
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? he was fed gutloaded crickets the first month he was home but i switched over to bsfl, dubias, and the occasional small superworms and waxworms
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? feeders other than bsfl are lightly dusted with calcium without d3 daily, with calcium with d3 every other sunday
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? i mist the enclosure 2x daily with warm water, i spray the screen because he likes to drink the droplets from there
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? poop is always consistent and urates are always white/cream. i havent gotten a fecal before because hes never shown signs of illness
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you. he did survive a cross country (overnight of course) trip from his previous home to my home mid april but didnt seem to be affected by it

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? screen cage, the reptibreeze 16x16x30 (i plan to upgrade him to a 2x2x4 in a month or so)
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? using a 50w zoomed basking bulb for his heat source and an 18in t8 uvb tube light
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? basking temps are usually low to high 90s with ambient cage temps sit at low 70s. overnight temps dont drop below 65 and its all measured with a probe thermometer
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? humidity levels usually sit between 60s-70s, but i add in a third misting daily when he sheds
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? all plastic plants
  • 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? the cage is on a stand 2-3 feet off the ground. its ok my room and not high traffic but its about 2 feet adjacent to a window
  • Location - Where are you geographically located? north east/new england (usa)
 
PoseidonTheChameleon said:
If you want, we can go over your husbandry since you are a new member. Feel free to fill this out. 🙂

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.

--------------

Please Note:
  1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
  2. Photos can be very helpful.
Click to expand...
oops i replied to my post and not your reply, still a bit new at this lol but thank you!
 
@uzivur Welcome to the forum. Please see my feedback in bold and questions. If you could post a few pics of your cage that would be helpful as well.

  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care? male veiled chameleon guessing 4 months old, has been home for 2 months.
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? handled every day/every other day, depending on his mood but handfed daily.
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? he was fed gutloaded crickets the first month he was home but i switched over to bsfl, dubias, and the occasional small superworms and waxworms How many feeders are you giving each day?
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? feeders other than bsfl are lightly dusted with calcium without d3 daily, with calcium with d3 every other sunday. What brand are you using for your calcium with D3, is it a multivitamin?
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? i mist the enclosure 2x daily with warm water, i spray the screen because he likes to drink the droplets from there. So you will change this to room temp water. Warm water can be hot to them. Also warm water is not good to add to a hot enclosure because your creating hot moist air.
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? poop is always consistent and urates are always white/cream. i havent gotten a fecal before because hes never shown signs of illness. Parasites are internal. They hide their illness too so this is recommended because often they do not show signs until the parasite load is high and they become sick.
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you. he did survive a cross country (overnight of course) trip from his previous home to my home mid april but didnt seem to be affected by it

Cage Info:

  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? screen cage, the reptibreeze 16x16x30 (i plan to upgrade him to a 2x2x4 in a month or so)
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? using a 50w zoomed basking bulb for his heat source and an 18in t8 uvb tube light.. I need details on your T8 bulb. What bulb strength is it and what is the distance to the basking branch below it?
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? basking temps are usually low to high 90s with ambient cage temps sit at low 70s. overnight temps dont drop below 65 and its all measured with a probe thermometer So basking is too hot. Should be 80-85max. Temp drop at night is good. If it goes below 65 even better.
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? humidity levels usually sit between 60s-70s, but i add in a third misting daily when he sheds. You will not change anything during shedding. They are actually dry shedders. 60-70% is a bit too high. What type of gauge are you using for this. You want a daytime level of 30-50%. You can add a dripper mid day dripping on plants so he can drink when thirsty. A plastic cup with a pin hole in the bottom set on top away from lighting works great.
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? all plastic plants. All of these need to be changed out to live plants. This is very important because they eat their plants. Here is a link. You will use 1 inch or larger rocks to keep them out of the dirt of the plant as well. You can hang the fake plants on the outside of the cage to help him feel secure. https://chameleonacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Chameleon-Plants-122819.pdf
  • 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? the cage is on a stand 2-3 feet off the ground. its ok my room and not high traffic but its about 2 feet adjacent to a window. Make sure the cage does not get direct sun. This will raise ambient temps.
  • Location - Where are you geographically located? north east/new england (usa)
 
Beman said:
@uzivur Welcome to the forum. Please see my feedback in bold and questions. If you could post a few pics of your cage that would be helpful as well.

  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care? male veiled chameleon guessing 4 months old, has been home for 2 months.
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? handled every day/every other day, depending on his mood but handfed daily.
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? he was fed gutloaded crickets the first month he was home but i switched over to bsfl, dubias, and the occasional small superworms and waxworms How many feeders are you giving each day?
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? feeders other than bsfl are lightly dusted with calcium without d3 daily, with calcium with d3 every other sunday. What brand are you using for your calcium with D3, is it a multivitamin?
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? i mist the enclosure 2x daily with warm water, i spray the screen because he likes to drink the droplets from there. So you will change this to room temp water. Warm water can be hot to them. Also warm water is not good to add to a hot enclosure because your creating hot moist air.
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? poop is always consistent and urates are always white/cream. i havent gotten a fecal before because hes never shown signs of illness. Parasites are internal. They hide their illness too so this is recommended because often they do not show signs until the parasite load is high and they become sick.
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you. he did survive a cross country (overnight of course) trip from his previous home to my home mid april but didnt seem to be affected by it

Cage Info:

  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? screen cage, the reptibreeze 16x16x30 (i plan to upgrade him to a 2x2x4 in a month or so)
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? using a 50w zoomed basking bulb for his heat source and an 18in t8 uvb tube light.. I need details on your T8 bulb. What bulb strength is it and what is the distance to the basking branch below it?
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? basking temps are usually low to high 90s with ambient cage temps sit at low 70s. overnight temps dont drop below 65 and its all measured with a probe thermometer So basking is too hot. Should be 80-85max. Temp drop at night is good. If it goes below 65 even better.
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? humidity levels usually sit between 60s-70s, but i add in a third misting daily when he sheds. You will not change anything during shedding. They are actually dry shedders. 60-70% is a bit too high. What type of gauge are you using for this. You want a daytime level of 30-50%. You can add a dripper mid day dripping on plants so he can drink when thirsty. A plastic cup with a pin hole in the bottom set on top away from lighting works great.
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? all plastic plants. All of these need to be changed out to live plants. This is very important because they eat their plants. Here is a link. You will use 1 inch or larger rocks to keep them out of the dirt of the plant as well. You can hang the fake plants on the outside of the cage to help him feel secure. https://chameleonacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Chameleon-Plants-122819.pdf
  • 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? the cage is on a stand 2-3 feet off the ground. its ok my room and not high traffic but its about 2 feet adjacent to a window. Make sure the cage does not get direct sun. This will raise ambient temps.
  • Location - Where are you geographically located? north east/new england (usa)
Click to expand...
- i feed twice daily, with usually 10-15 large bsfl per feeding (he eats all of them but i'll give him a few more if he is still lingering around his feeder). i also give him a small superworm in between feedings every once in a while
- im using the reptivite with d3 when not using regular calcium without d3
- i'll get an appointment set up with my herp vet for a fecal test asap thank you!
- he has a zilla desert series brand t8 10.0 uvb tube light, 18inches. its set diagonally ontop of the screen cage and the basking branch is 6-7 inches away from the bulb
- should i invest in a basking bulb with lower wattage or lower the basking branch so the temps are lower?
- im using a digital thermometer/hygrometer combo (small square ones from amazon) to measure humidity. i also have cocofiber lining the bottom of the cage for added humidity but i can remove it to decrease levels. he also hated the dripper i had for him at first and would not move from the corner of the cage lol so i opted to mist instead, but i can try again!
- ive been working on gathering live plants for an upgraded setup for him so i'll definitely do that and toss the fake ones
- his cage is on the same wall as the window but does not get any direct sunlight from it

i'll definitely rearrange his setup and use these tips, thank you so much!
 
As far as age, I would give him closer to 7 or 8 months. I have 5 babies I am raising still and the are about 7 to 8 months and are that size.
 
Ok so see additional feedback in bold.

- i feed twice daily, with usually 10-15 large bsfl per feeding (he eats all of them but i'll give him a few more if he is still lingering around his feeder). i also give him a small superworm in between feedings every once in a while So you need more then BSFL. This can not be the main staple you want a variety.
- im using the reptivite with d3 when not using regular calcium without d3 So then this one would be used two times a month every other week at one feeding. Say the 1st and the 15th. Then all other feedings would be the plain calcium without D3.
- i'll get an appointment set up with my herp vet for a fecal test asap thank you! Perfect. They may let you just bring in a fresh sample first to be tested. Then if it were to come back positive they would need to see the baby.
- he has a zilla desert series brand t8 10.0 uvb tube light, 18inches. its set diagonally ontop of the screen cage and the basking branch is 6-7 inches away from the bulb ok with this one... Your wanting to make sure that branch below is that measured distance no farther or the UVI level will be too low.
- should i invest in a basking bulb with lower wattage or lower the basking branch so the temps are lower? You can lift the fixture which tends to be better. But I am curious because that bulb for a 50watt puts out a ton of heat. Do you know which one exactly you bought? Using a regular incandescent bulb 60watt should give you the temps you need.
- im using a digital thermometer/hygrometer combo (small square ones from amazon) to measure humidity. i also have cocofiber lining the bottom of the cage for added humidity but i can remove it to decrease levels. he also hated the dripper i had for him at first and would not move from the corner of the cage lol so i opted to mist instead, but i can try again! So unless your cage is fully bioactive with drainage layer and CUC bugs for cleaning you do not want to have anything on the bottom. I would pull this. Just having coco fiber is a bacteria breeding ground and impaction risk should he choose to eat it.
- ive been working on gathering live plants for an upgraded setup for him so i'll definitely do that and toss the fake ones... Great.
- his cage is on the same wall as the window but does not get any direct sunlight from it this is perfect then.

i'll definitely rearrange his setup and use these tips, thank you so much! Your welcome! I also love this site and its husbandry program. Will teach you in depth correct info. https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/
 
CasqueAbove said:
As far as age, I would give him closer to 7 or 8 months. I have 5 babies I am raising still and the are about 7 to 8 months and are that size.
Click to expand...

Beman said:
Really... It is so hard to know without hatch date. I was guessing more like 5-6 month range based on mine.
Click to expand...
Yes, I was thinking 6-7 months too.
He is much larger than a 4 month old....the first picture looks like a 4 month old, or maybe even older.
 
PoseidonTheChameleon said:
I think that's too old based on his size when they got him.
Click to expand...
The size when they got him looks like mine at 4-5 months. As @Beman mentioned size can be difficult to evaluate. For one our mind distorts things. It is only because I am looking at babies now. It still throws me because I feel like they are small for their age until I look a picks of the parents at that age. So more than size, it is their colors, I don't believe they start showing any pattern really until about 5 months.
 
AmandaS said:
Yes, I was thinking 6-7 months too.
He is much larger than a 4 month old....the first picture looks like a 4 month old, or maybe even older.
Click to expand...
so would 7 months be a good estimate? ive added pictures taken now for a better look at his size (he wasnt very happy at first so i put him back and he turned soft green right away lol)
31504996-D07B-4325-98C1-C852A674CEE6.jpeg
2F973771-67A2-4DA3-9BFF-D4E9B2879DC1.jpeg
31504996-D07B-4325-98C1-C852A674CEE6.jpeg
04A99EEE-EAE2-46D0-A4CD-02355D8F4509.jpeg
 
Beman said:
Does he normally have the extended area between his front legs?
Click to expand...
near his throat area ? he had eaten a few silkworms a few minutes prior to this and right before the pictures, he puffed up at me before climbing onto my hands. he usually chills out after a minute or once hes back in and the "pouch" goes back to normal
 
uzivur said:
near his throat area ? he had eaten a few silkworms a few minutes prior to this and right before the pictures, he puffed up at me before climbing onto my hands. he usually chills out after a minute or once hes back in and the "pouch" goes back to normal
Click to expand...
Ok as long as it is anger and does not stay that way then your good. :)
 
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