Approximate Age?

[k8shm8]

Hey All!
I got this baby veiled from a local pet store on Saturday. I was just curious about an approximate age for him so I know how much / often I should feed him. Right now I have been doing 8 small crickets / day (he looks skinny to me).
Thanks!

 

[Beman]

Does it have a tarsal spur on the back of its back feet? Looks to be about 4 months roughly... You would be feeding as much as it wants in the first half of the day. So easily 24 feeders a day at this cage. Quite the pissed off color display in that last pic.

You will want to make some changes to your enclosure. The lighting on top you need the correct UVB. T5HO fixture with a 5.0 UVB bulb and distance to the closest branch would be 8-9 inches.

You also want to pull all the moss vines they are dangerous for chams. If they chew the moss off it can be an impaction risk and they can hold bacteria. Flukers makes the only fake vines that I would use with a chameleon.

 

[k8shm8]

Does it have a tarsal spur on the back of its back feet? Looks to be about 4 months roughly... You would be feeding as much as it wants in the first half of the day. So easily 24 feeders a day at this cage. Quite the pissed off color display in that last pic.

You will want to make some changes to your enclosure. The lighting on top you need the correct UVB. T5HO fixture with a 5.0 UVB bulb and distance to the closest branch would be 8-9 inches.

You also want to pull all the moss vines they are dangerous for chams. If they chew the moss off it can be an impaction risk and they can hold bacteria. Flukers makes the only fake vines that I would use with a chameleon.

He def was pissed in the one picture because I took him out to make changes to his set up. Thank you so much for the advice- I will change out the vines in his cage tonight (and adjust the branches). I already fixed the lights. I havent noticed a tarsal spur (but he is getting a vet check Thursday).

Thank you again!

 

[bbyoda]

Wow those stress colors are very striking!

 

[Beman]

He def was pissed in the one picture because I took him out to make changes to his set up. Thank you so much for the advice- I will change out the vines in his cage tonight (and adjust the branches). I already fixed the lights. I havent noticed a tarsal spur (but he is getting a vet check Thursday).

Thank you again!

Can you take a picture of the back of the back feet? A tarsal spur would be very evident at this age. I just want to confirm gender for you as females have different care needs.

Make sure you take a fresh fecal in to the vet to be screened for parasites.

 

[k8shm8]

Wow those stress colors are very striking!

I know and I felt so bad stressing him out but I had to make some adjustments to the inside of the cage

Can you take a picture of the back of the back feet? A tarsal spur would be very evident at this age. I just want to confirm gender for you as females have different care needs.

Make sure you take a fresh fecal in to the vet to be screened for parasites.

Yes! When I get home from work I will try to take pictures (might take a bit because I dont want to stress him out too much and he is pretty shy).

 

[k8shm8]

Wow those stress colors are very striking!

I felt so bad because I removed him to make some adjustments to branches / vines in the cage and he got stressed but he looked so interesting I wanted to snap a quick picture.

 

[Beman]

I know and I felt so bad stressing him out but I had to make some adjustments to the inside of the cage

Yes! When I get home from work I will try to take pictures (might take a bit because I dont want to stress him out too much and he is pretty shy).

You just need to zoom in on the back of the back feet from the side. Something like this on the branch. At this angle we can see if there is a spur for a male or no spur indicating female.

 

[k8shm8]

You just need to zoom in on the back of the back feet from the side. Something like this on the branch. At this angle we can see if there is a spur for a male or no spur indicating female.

Alright, he (or she?) was feeling social and came right out to me. I have a few more pictures if needed. Also are these the vines you were talking about?

 

[Beman]

View attachment 322165View attachment 322166
Alright, he (or she?) was feeling social and came right out to me. I have a few more pictures if needed. Also are these the vines you were talking about?

You have a little girl. And yes those are the vines I was talking about.

@MissSkittles can go over certain aspects you will need to do for your little girl.

 

[k8shm8]

Thank you so so much for the help! I havent had a chameleon in about 3 years so I feel super rusty on everything so literally any advice is appreciated. I plan on making big changes and getting started on her XLarge reptibreeze soon but for now she is in a medium sized reptibreeze.

 

[Beman]

Thank you so so much for the help! I havent had a chameleon in about 3 years so I feel super rusty on everything so literally any advice is appreciated. I plan on making big changes and getting started on her XLarge reptibreeze soon but for now she is in a medium sized reptibreeze.

Your welcome. If you want to do a husbandry review it is a good way for us to assist with any areas that need to be corrected. Copy paste the form below into your reply and fill out with detail.

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.

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi. So hopefully you already are aware that chameleons will lay eggs even if they haven’t been mated. This does shorten the lives of our girls considerably so we try to reduce egg production with diet and temps. Right now it’s nothing you’ll need to be concerned about…just let her eat and grow. However, veileds grow super quick and she could be sexually mature as young as 5-6 months old. You’ll know as she’ll start developing some beautiful colors and patterns and become restless…all prettied up and looking for a boy. This is the receptive period and it’s at this time you need to get a lay bin ready. My girls always prefer a bin that is at least 12” long and wide. Drill a few tiny holes in the bottom for excess water to drain and fill to around 5-6” with washed play sand. Keep it moist enough to hold a tunnel without collapsing and when she needs it, she’ll find it. Laying can occur as soon as a few weeks after her receptive period ends. She’ll start getting plump, her colors may change or darken and she may start taking little trips down to the lower parts of her enclosure.As she’s getting closer to laying, her appetite may decrease. Once she enters her lay bin and starts digging, she’ll need total privacy. Cover just the lower half of her enclosure with a light sheet. You can make some small holes to peek, but if she sees you she may stop digging and become eggbound. She may dig a few holes until she likes one. Once she’s happy with her hole, she’ll turn around and lay her eggs. Then she’ll carefully cover all traces that there were any holes and return to her basking branch, looking dirty and much thinner. The whole process may take a couple of days and she may sleep in her tunnel. Keep your lights at their normal schedule. For hydration, if you don’t have an automatic mister, you can set up a plastic cup with a pinhole in the bottom to act as a dripper…just not over the bin. You’ll want to feed her well for a couple of days. Hornworms and silkworms are excellent at this time for additional hydration. Remove and count the eggs and then they can be tossed. Then you’ll start her on 3-4 feeders, 3 days a week (plus treats) and make sure to keep her basking temp no higher than 80. It may take a cycle or two, but it should help greatly to reduce her egg production.

 

[k8shm8]

Hi. So hopefully you already are aware that chameleons will lay eggs even if they haven’t been mated. This does shorten the lives of our girls considerably so we try to reduce egg production with diet and temps. Right now it’s nothing you’ll need to be concerned about…just let her eat and grow. However, veileds grow super quick and she could be sexually mature as young as 5-6 months old. You’ll know as she’ll start developing some beautiful colors and patterns and become restless…all prettied up and looking for a boy. This is the receptive period and it’s at this time you need to get a lay bin ready. My girls always prefer a bin that is at least 12” long and wide. Drill a few tiny holes in the bottom for excess water to drain and fill to around 5-6” with washed play sand. Keep it moist enough to hold a tunnel without collapsing and when she needs it, she’ll find it. Laying can occur as soon as a few weeks after her receptive period ends. She’ll start getting plump, her colors may change or darken and she may start taking little trips down to the lower parts of her enclosure.As she’s getting closer to laying, her appetite may decrease. Once she enters her lay bin and starts digging, she’ll need total privacy. Cover just the lower half of her enclosure with a light sheet. You can make some small holes to peek, but if she sees you she may stop digging and become eggbound. She may dig a few holes until she likes one. Once she’s happy with her hole, she’ll turn around and lay her eggs. Then she’ll carefully cover all traces that there were any holes and return to her basking branch, looking dirty and much thinner. The whole process may take a couple of days and she may sleep in her tunnel. Keep your lights at their normal schedule. For hydration, if you don’t have an automatic mister, you can set up a plastic cup with a pinhole in the bottom to act as a dripper…just not over the bin. You’ll want to feed her well for a couple of days. Hornworms and silkworms are excellent at this time for additional hydration. Remove and count the eggs and then they can be tossed. Then you’ll start her on 3-4 feeders, 3 days a week (plus treats) and make sure to keep her basking temp no higher than 80. It may take a cycle or two, but it should help greatly to reduce her egg production.

Thank you so so much. Do you have any pictures of your setup posted on the forums? I would love to read more about female veiled's. My previous chameleon was a male panther so this is all new to me.

 

[MissSkittles]

Thank you so so much. Do you have any pictures of your setup posted on the forums? I would love to read more about female veiled's. My previous chameleon was a male panther so this is all new to me.

Currently I have all of my chameleons (except one) in bioactive enclosures so their entire ‘floor’ is the lay bin. The one that is not bioactive does have a bin, but I don’t have a current pic and lights are out.
I was just starting out in the hobby and still was using fake plants. Once I learned better, I moved all of the fake plants to the outside door to provide my chams more privacy. I tried to keep the bin towards the back with plants in front for both cham privacy and aesthetics.

This is one I set up recently for one of my girls. I did have to remove all of the soil though and she has a lay bin instead for now. No current pics of that and all my chams are now asleep.