Baby vieled Cham wierd colors maybe sick???

kated

New Member
Hi! I have a baby veiled that I’ve had for two months and I’m worried about him recently. He has Been more dark than usual sometimes brown but Usually on his branches so I can’t tell if he’s just blending. Also he’s been getting some green spots/yellow spots and I’m not sure what that means. I am worried ab his humidity level, we usually spray 3+ times a day and just bought him a humidifier we keep outside his cage pointed inward. also he stays by the top near his light a lot but usually moves down and turns green so I turn off the heat light in the evening and turn it back on in The morning. I keep his UV lamp on all day until he’s asleep. He doesn’t like eating in front of us but always eats his crickets (I sprinkle w calcium) and mealworms sometimes, but won’t eat any fruits/veggies we put in. He is kinda skinny but I can’t tell if he is supposed to be that size. He’s always green when we hold him and super happy and friendly, usually handle him around 4-5 times a week and sit him by open window on our plants. I don’t want him to die or be sick plz help!
 

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Soo a few things already are incorrect with his care just by what you have described. So you should really fill out this form in as much detail as possible ? this way other members can give feedback on what to improve so he will be healthy.

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:
The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
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?
-vieled chameleon, male, age 3 months, had for 2 months.
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
-4ish times a week
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
-3 crickets or 4 mealworms/day around afternoon/evening, veggies but doesn’t eat them
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
-dust crickets and mealworms w/ vitamin c supplement
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
-mist 3-4 times a day, humidifier on during day
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
-no and regular
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?
-screen
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
-UV light (all day) and red basking Lamp (late morning to evening)
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
-basking spot/top usually 83-93
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
-don’t have humidity gage, but humidifier helps
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
-one live plant
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?
-floor in living room, in front of large window
Location - Where are you geographically located?
-Columbia SC

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
-faded skin color, size/weight
 
Soooo just letting you know, you will have to pretty much trash almost everything you have there, and get new stuff. ASAP. Because you have already had him for 2 months... with improper care.
 
wait so what am I doing wrong and why do I hve to throw it out?
Both lights, all the fake plants, the substrate at the bottom... etc. and you will have to stop doing some things, like stop the humidifier IMMEDIATELY. Or you will deal with respiratory infections and yeah you don’t want to. so in total it’ll be like 500 bucks for the correct stuff? maybe more.
@MissSkittles can you do a husbandry review here? I don’t want to mess it up cause I’m not the most experienced at this.
 
Both lights, all the fake plants, the substrate at the bottom... etc. and you will have to stop doing some things, like stop the humidifier IMMEDIATELY. Or you will deal with respiratory infections and yeah you don’t want to. so in total it’ll be like 500 bucks for the correct stuff? maybe more.
@MissSkittles can you do a husbandry review here? I don’t want to mess it up cause I’m not the most experienced at this.
Sure will. Give me a few.
 
@kated You got lots of work to do....

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
-vieled chameleon, male, age 3 months, had for 2 months. Do you have pictures of when you first got him? He looks very small for a 3 month old cham...
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
-4ish times a week
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
-3 crickets or 4 mealworms/day around afternoon/evening, veggies but doesn’t eat them
This cham is improperly nourished and fed the wrong feeders... You need to:
a) Not buy a single more mealworm, they are useless to chams.
b) Feed an appropriate amount, ~10-15 crickets
c) Gutload said crickets. This means feeding the crickets many fruits and vegetables so the nutrients in the crickets from the vegetables are passed on to your cham. I will attach a form listing the most commonly used vegetables and fruits to gutload. Pick at least 2 fruits and 3 vegetables from the form.

Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
-dust crickets and mealworms w/ vitamin c supplement
Chams don't need to be supplemented with vitamin C... I'm not sure who told you that. You need to dust every feeder with calcium without d3 every day, except one day of the week. On that one day, use a calcium with d3. The next week on that one day, use a multivitamin without d3, and so on and so forth.
Another way is to get a multivitamin with d3 and just use that one every two weeks instead of rotating those supplements.

Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
-mist 3-4 times a day, humidifier on during day
Mist around lights on and around lights off.
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
-no and regular
What's regular? We need colors.
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?
-screen
Dimensions??
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
-UV light (all day) and red basking Lamp (late morning to evening)
You need a linear t5 ho 5.0 uvb bulb, or arcadia 6%
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
-basking spot/top usually 83-93
Basking should be 80-85, ambient should be ~70. 83-93 is a very broad range, why is that? Basking temps shouldn't fluctuate this much?
What's your lowest overnight temp? Yemens benefit from a temp drop at night.

Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
-don’t have humidity gage, but humidifier helps
What do you mean it "helps"? If you don't know how high or low the humidity is then what is the humidifier helping to achieve?
I just checked, and humidity in Columbia seems to be more then enough without a humidifer. Humidity should be 30-50% during the day and 80-100% at night.


Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
-one live plant
Get all live plants, fake plants are an impaction risk and leak chemicals into the water they drink off the fake leaves.
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?
-floor in living room, in front of large window
Chams like to be up high, put the enclosure on a shelf or something.
Location - Where are you geographically located?
-Columbia SC

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
-faded skin color-- Caused by no gutload.
-size/weight -- Underfed.
 
Last edited:
Putting my feedback in red. Oops! @PabloTheCham already got to you. I’ll just address a few other things.

-vieled chameleon, male, age 3 months, had for 2 months.
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
-4ish times a week Imo, this is a bit much for a little one. Handling is very stressful and the younger the chameleon, the more fragile they are.

Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
-mist 3-4 times a day, humidifier on during day No humidifier on during the day. Cool mist humidifier only at night when it’s cool for a few hours.


Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
-screen Your enclosure looks to be maybe a 16x16x30”? This is okay for a little one, but in a few mo this he’ll be needing a 2x2x4’ minimum.
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
-UV light (all day) and red basking Lamp (late morning to evening) Adding to what Pablo already said, the fixture needs to be long enough to span the width of your enclosure. Get rid of the red light. Colored lights are damaging to sensitive cham eyes. No light or heat at night. It’s ok and actually better for it to cool down at night.

Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
-one live plant Absolutely agree with Pablo! No fake plants! In addition to what he said, veileds nibble their plants...can eat a fake leaf and get impacted. Here is the safe plant list I use. https://chameleonacademy.com/plants/

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
-faded skin color, size/weight
Once you make the corrections to your husbandry, your chameleon will be doing much better. The changes need to happen ASAP. As I said, little ones are fragile and can’t tolerate improper husbandry for long.
In regards to your enclosure set up, you need many more branches and vines. Get rid of the repticarpet and keep the floor bare. Carpet and other substrates are one way or another not good (unless bioactive). You need to get a feeding dish/cup up higher. Chams don’t like going down to the floor...doesn’t feel safe for them. I and many others love these. https://tkchameleons.com/products/shooting-gallery?variant=30018608595032

198397C5-5ED7-432C-9037-F4463BB7F430.jpeg
 
Both lights, all the fake plants, the substrate at the bottom... etc. and you will have to stop doing some things, like stop the humidifier IMMEDIATELY. Or you will deal with respiratory infections and yeah you don’t want to. so in total it’ll be like 500 bucks for the correct stuff? maybe more.
@MissSkittles can you do a husbandry review here? I don’t want to mess it up cause I’m not the most experienced at this.

okay I understand where ur coming from but we are college students and can’t afford to pay $500 on chameleon stuff. Like any cheaper options?
 
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
-vieled chameleon, male, age 3 months, had for 2 months.
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
-4ish times a week
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
-3 crickets or 4 mealworms/day around afternoon/evening, veggies but doesn’t eat them
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
-dust crickets and mealworms w/ vitamin c supplement
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
-mist 3-4 times a day, humidifier on during day
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
-no and regular
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?
-screen
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
-UV light (all day) and red basking Lamp (late morning to evening)
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
-basking spot/top usually 83-93
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
-don’t have humidity gage, but humidifier helps
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
-one live plant
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?
-floor in living room, in front of large window
Location - Where are you geographically located?
-Columbia SC

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
-faded skin color, size/weight
 

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A couple more comments/questions...
How big are the crickets you are feeding him? They should be an appropriate size to fit in his mouth.
Feeding earlier in the day would be better too.
 
okay I understand where ur coming from but we are college students and can’t afford to pay $500 on chameleon stuff. Like any cheaper options?
Not trying to be an ass or anything but if you cant afford tge proper set up maybe you should think of giving it to someone who can. Because at this rate your cham will die quickly. Gotta think of the little tree dino's best intrest
 
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