Any husbandry tips on Vieled chameleons?

[Shoki]

I have around a year old vieled, his name is Rango. Can't hurt to ask for tips.

• Your Chameleon - Vieled chameleon, hes around a year old, I've had him for 8 months.
• Handling - whenever he comes out or has a stuck shed
• 
  
• Feeding - super worms, hornworms, crickets, wax worms and calci worms. I feed him every 2-3 days. I dont gut load often, but when I do, its usually with kale and oranges.
• Supplements - I use a repti-cal multivitamin once or twice a month, it has no vitamin A. I use zoo-med for my calcium, I have calcium with d3 and without d3. I dust feeders with the d3 calcium twice a month, use the regular stuff for the rest of the feedings.
• Watering - I hand mist him once or twice a day for maybe like 10 minutes, and he has a dripper going on one of his favorite plants. I do see him drinking often.
• Fecal Description - urine is usually pale, rarely yellowish. His fecal isnt bad, just looks normal. Hes never been tested for parasites
• History - I got him from a pet store

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Enclosure is 2x2x5', idk the depth but my arm doesn't reach to the back fully extended. It's full wooden frame w screen on all sides.
• Lighting - I use Zoo-med reptisun 24" hood, the bulb is a 22", T5 HO 10.0. Idk the model. I dont know what kind of light fixture I have for heat, but it's from some reptile brand. I have a 75watt daylight bulb. His lights are on 12hrs a day, and off 12hrs at night.
• Temperature - At the top I think it's like 85°f, 90° at highest basking point. and the bottom is 65°-75°. At night, the lowest the temp drops is 55.
• Humidity - 30-50% during the day, and 80+ at night. I use a fogger at night, sometimes it the morning. I use the misting and such during the day to help w humidity. I have a humidity gauge
• Plants - golden pothos and corn plants.
• Placement - his cage is next to my bedroom door. Theres no fans or vents near him. His enclosure is just on the floor but we're building him a desk thing.
• Location - Tennessee, so like, central southeastern.

Current Problem - dark colors

 

[Fchamel]

Hi! Give me a bit and I will go through your form!

 

[Fchamel]

I have around a year old vieled, his name is Rango. Can't hurt to ask for tips.

• Your Chameleon - Vieled chameleon, hes around a year old, I've had him for 8 months.
• Handling - whenever he comes out or has a stuck shed When chameleons are shedding, the best thing to do is leave them be. When you say, "whenever he comes out" are you leaviing your enclosure door open, or are you holding him when he wants to come out.
• 
  
• Feeding - super worms, hornworms, crickets, wax worms and calci worms. I feed him every 2-3 days. I dont gut load often, but when I do, its usually with kale and oranges. The food you are feeding is good! I am not expereiencec in male feeding, so ill tagg someone for that @Beman. Kale and citrus are not reccomended for gutload. Check out the chart I have attached below
• Supplements - I use a repti-cal multivitamin once or twice a month, it has no vitamin A. I use zoo-med for my calcium, I have calcium with d3 and without d3. I dust feeders with the d3 calcium twice a month, use the regular stuff for the rest of the feedings. I believe that your vittiman should have vitiman A in it. Are you using the repitvite? Also, does it have d3? D3 should only be used twice a month. Once I know this we can move further.
• Watering - I hand mist him once or twice a day for maybe like 10 minutes, and he has a dripper going on one of his favorite plants. I do see him drinking often. 10 minites is a bit long. try 2-3 times a day for 4-5 mins. Chameleons are shy drinkers, so totally normal.
• Fecal Description - urine is usually pale, rarely yellowish. His fecal isnt bad, just looks normal. Hes never been tested for parasites Okay, I would definitley reccomend getting him tested sometime.
• History - I got him from a pet store

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Enclosure is 2x2x5', idk the depth but my arm doesn't reach to the back fully extended. It's full wooden frame w screen on all sides. By looking at the photo. It looks like a custom build, I think this is good.
• Lighting - I use Zoo-med reptisun 24" hood, the bulb is a 22", T5 HO 10.0. Idk the model. I dont know what kind of light fixture I have for heat, but it's from some reptile brand. I have a 75watt daylight bulb. His lights are on 12hrs a day, and off 12hrs at night. Is it a reptisun or arcadia UVB? 5.0 is the reccomended type because it isn't too strong. What color is the bulb? if it is the blue one, then colored lights are not reccomended for chameleons.
• Temperature - At the top I think it's like 85°f, 90° at highest basking point. and the bottom is 65°-75°. At night, the lowest the temp drops is 55. For basking, the maximum temp is 85F. Good temperature drop for the night. I believe that 85F is a bit too warm. 80F is good. At the bottom of the enclosure, it is going to be cooler.
• Humidity - 30-50% during the day, and 80+ at night. I use a fogger at night, sometimes it the morning. I use the misting and such during the day to help w humidity. I have a humidity gauge Good humidity, it can reach 100% during the night, does it?
• Plants - golden pothos and corn plants. Good!
• Placement - his cage is next to my bedroom door. Theres no fans or vents near him. His enclosure is just on the floor but we're building him a desk thing. Chamelons do best when high, because they live in trees.
• Location - Tennessee, so like, central southeastern.

Current Problem - dark colors -Not very expereinced with male veileds.But @Beman can help!

 

[Fchamel]

This is going to be my last husbandry review for a while. I apologize for my lack of knowledge in this review. I realized how much I still need to learn. Will be studying for a while until I get back to reviews.

 

[ERKleRose]

Do you mind if I clarify some stuff @Fchamel ?

 

[Fchamel]

@ERKleRose Of course not!

 

[ERKleRose]

Thanks! I commend you for knowing your limits and that you’ll be doing more research so you can help others more! @Shoki my feedback and any questions will be in red. I’ll also post helpful care images and links the end:

I have around a year old vieled, his name is Rango. Can't hurt to ask for tips.

• Your Chameleon - Vieled chameleon, hes around a year old, I've had him for 8 months.
• Handling - whenever he comes out or has a stuck shed When chameleons are shedding, the best thing to do is leave them be. When you say, "whenever he comes out" are you leaviing your enclosure door open, or are you holding him when he wants to come out. Are you removing his stuck shed yourself? If so, how, and are the areas cutting off circulation or anything?
• 
  
• Feeding - super worms, hornworms, crickets, wax worms and calci worms. I feed him every 2-3 days. I dont gut load often, but when I do, its usually with kale and oranges. The food you are feeding is good! I am not expereiencec in male feeding, so ill tagg someone for that @Beman. Kale and citrus are not reccomended for gutload. Check out the chart I have attached below Waxworms and superworms should be treats only and as added variety, not staples. Get some species of roaches and pupate the fly larvae and waxworms into moths and flies, plus more to add more variety! Variety is key for feeders! You ABSOLUTELY need to be gutloading every bug fed! The gutload needs much more variety and better ingredients as well! I’ve attached the gutload and feeder charts at the end.
• Supplements - I use a repti-cal multivitamin once or twice a month, it has no vitamin A. I use zoo-med for my calcium, I have calcium with d3 and without d3. I dust feeders with the d3 calcium twice a month, use the regular stuff for the rest of the feedings. I believe that your vittiman should have vitiman A in it. Are you using the repitvite? Also, does it have d3? D3 should only be used twice a month. Once I know this we can move further. What type of Vitamin A is in your multivitamin? Your schedule should be calcium without D3 every feeding and either a quality multivitamin without D3 (and with preformed Vitamin A) once every two weeks and a calcium with D3 once every two weeks or a quality multivitamin with D3 (and preformed Vitamin A) once every two weeks with no calcium with D3 needed (both schedules still with calcium without D3 used every feeding).
• Watering - I hand mist him once or twice a day for maybe like 10 minutes, and he has a dripper going on one of his favorite plants. I do see him drinking often. 10 minites is a bit long. try 2-3 times a day for 4-5 mins. Chameleons are shy drinkers, so totally normal. Why are his mistings that long, and what times of day do you mist?
• Fecal Description - urine is usually pale, rarely yellowish. His fecal isnt bad, just looks normal. Hes never been tested for parasites Okay, I would definitley reccomend getting him tested sometime. Yup, it’s always recommended to check fecals for parasites from an experienced chameleon vet. When you go the vet, make sure to bring a fresh fecal sample with you, as well as doing bloodwork (if it’s safe and if the vet recommends it) because of his supplement schedule not being exact and x-rays to make sure everything is good. Make sure to drop off at least 2 more fresh fecal samples afterwards to make sure no parasites were missed.
• History - I got him from a pet store Big box store, Mom & Pop shop, or something else?

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Enclosure is 2x2x5', idk the depth but my arm doesn't reach to the back fully extended. It's full wooden frame w screen on all sides. By looking at the photo. It looks like a custom build, I think this is good. The rope bridge/hammock thing needs to get taken out, as it can rip your cham’s nails off. Could you post a full pic of his enclosure (lights to bottom) with the door opened, please? Are those Exo Terra vines in his cage? If so, take them out ASAP as they can cause health issues, and replace them with live vines (Fluker’s fake vines if needed, as well).
• Lighting - I use Zoo-med reptisun 24" hood, the bulb is a 22", T5 HO 10.0. Idk the model. I dont know what kind of light fixture I have for heat, but it's from some reptile brand. I have a 75watt daylight bulb. His lights are on 12hrs a day, and off 12hrs at night. Is it a reptisun or arcadia UVB? 5.0 is the reccomended type because it isn't too strong. What color is the bulb? if it is the blue one, then colored lights are not reccomended for chameleons. Since you built your own cage, it crucial to get and use a Solarmeter 6.5! Especially with the T5 HO 10.0 UVB bulb! How old is his UVB bulb, and how far away is it from his basking branch, along with what did you use for the screen on the top of his cage?
• Temperature - At the top I think it's like 85°f, 90° at highest basking point. and the bottom is 65°-75°. At night, the lowest the temp drops is 55. For basking, the maximum temp is 85F. Good temperature drop for the night. I believe that 85F is a bit too warm. 80F is good. At the bottom of the enclosure, it is going to be cooler. Knowing exact temps, especially basking, is crucial, too! It should be between 80-85*F (85*F at the MAX!) for his basking temp, measured with a digital thermometer with a probe, with the probe placed where his casque/top of his back is when he’s on his basking branch for how to measure his basking temp. What are you using to measure temps? Other temps are great!
• Humidity - 30-50% during the day, and 80+ at night. I use a fogger at night, sometimes it the morning. I use the misting and such during the day to help w humidity. I have a humidity gauge Good humidity, it can reach 100% during the night, does it? The fogger needs to be used only at night and when it’s colder than 68*F! Adding more live plants and wrapping the cage back and sides with shower curtain, marine vinyl, PVC boards, window sealing wrap, and more can be used to help raise and stabilize humidity levels. If your levels are still struggling after those, you can use a cool-mist whole room humidifier in the room where his cage is as the last resort. Is your fogger cool-mist and does it have any tubes? How often and how do you clean the fogger?
• Plants - golden pothos and corn plants. Good! Veiled need live veiled-tested chameleon-safe plants only, so take out his fake ones ASAP! They will try to eat fake plants, which can lead to impaction. I’ve attached two great veiled-safe plant charts and a plant link at the bottom!
• Placement - his cage is next to my bedroom door. Theres no fans or vents near him. His enclosure is just on the floor but we're building him a desk thing. Chamelons do best when high, because they live in trees. Yes, his cage needs to be higher up preferably so he feels more safe and secure higher up than you.
• Location - Tennessee, so like, central southeastern.

Current Problem - dark colors -Not very expereinced with male veileds.But @Beman can help!

Here are the links and images (make sure to read through every module and the veiled species profile, as well as listen to as many podcasts as possible, from The Chameleon Academy if you haven’t already, as they have the most accurate and up-to-date info!):
ttps://www.chameleons.info/en/
http://www.muchadoaboutchameleons.com/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/external-resources/
https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/
https://chameleonacademy.com/veiled-chameleon-care/
https://chameleonacademy.com/plants/

 

[Beman]

How many feeders are you feeding at each feeding?

 

[Fchamel]

@ERKleRose Thank you so much!