Baby veiled runs from me, won’t eat if I’m near.

KingLoki729

Member
I got a baby veiled chameleon about 4 days ago and it’s scared of me, obviously. However I’ve only seen it eat 2 crickets since I got it because she runs from me as soon as I get close and open the cage to put them in. I know it’s probably because she’s stressed but I’ve never had a baby so I don’t know if it’s okay or not. Does this sound normal to anyone and if not how can I get her to eat more? I don’t like just throwing crickets in the cage because there’s a lot of places for them to hide so I just don’t want them to run to the bottom or in a dark crevice somewhere in the cage.
 
How big are the crickets? A size that will fit in her mouth easily?

What's the basking temperature in the cage?

Put a dish/lid of greens/veggies in the cage for the insects to eat and they'll stay out more.
 
How big are the crickets? A size that will fit in her mouth easily?

What's the basking temperature in the cage?

Put a dish/lid of greens/veggies in the cage for the insects to eat and they'll stay out more.
They’re as small as I can get and I know she’ll eat them because that’s I what the store fed her. And the temperature is 9-95 on her branch where she basks. I do have a bowl in there for greens, and I put a Bowl for the crickets but I haven’t seen her eat out of it all day.
 
The place I got her from said to keep it in the 90s and have me a bulb, tomorrow I’ll raise the bulb up to where it’s reading 80s and see if it helps.
 
Welcome to the forums. I’m so glad that you joined so we can help you with your new baby. Pet stores almost always give out incorrect information. Your baby is scared and it’s going to take awhile for her to trust you. Please post a photo of her enclosure so we can give you suggestions to give her the kind of environment that she will feel safe in. I’m attacking a link to my blog for new keepers. This is the info that I provide to keepers that get one of my babies.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-with-young-veiled-or-panther-chameleons.325/

One way to know if she’s eating is to look for poop in the enclosure. If there’s poop, then she’s eating.
 
I’ll send a picture when I get home, I’ve kept panthers for years but never a veiled so I decided to give it a try. I’ve also never had a baby before too so it’s a learning experience for me. On top of that it’s my first female😬
 
I’ll send a picture when I get home, I’ve kept panthers for years but never a veiled so I decided to give it a try. I’ve also never had a baby before too so it’s a learning experience for me. On top of that it’s my first female😬

We are all here to help you. I’ve had allot of females. ❤️
 

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I got a baby veiled chameleon about 4 days ago and it’s scared of me, obviously. However I’ve only seen it eat 2 crickets since I got it because she runs from me as soon as I get close and open the cage to put them in. I know it’s probably because she’s stressed but I’ve never had a baby so I don’t know if it’s okay or not. Does this sound normal to anyone and if not how can I get her to eat more? I don’t like just throwing crickets in the cage because there’s a lot of places for them to hide so I just don’t want them to run to the bottom or in a dark crevice somewhere in the cage.
It's quite normal. At this point, she sees you as a predator who wants to EAT her. It will take some time. Allow her to eat in solitude (at least for the time being). Then slowly go through the process of watching from afar, and gradually moving a little closer each day.

Care of Veileds isn't much different than panthers.

For crickets, I would suggest a feeder run cup. You can get one from various vendors or DIY.
Crickets may still occasionally jump off the plastic canvas in the back, but less often than a bowl, and your cham will both be able to find & hunt them easily, and know where to find food in the future when you try other feeders.
 
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