Chameleon questions ?!

TaylorPets

New Member
Hey everyone, about 2 months ago I purchased a Veiled Chameleon from PetSmart (I know not the best decision) but they were keeping it in a very small horizontal glass enclosure with nothing to climb on, no ventilation, it was really dry in there and I was told that they don’t know the age and “In their professional opinion” it was a female Veiled Chameleon. From that quote I think we can all tell PetSmart employees are no experts ! After getting the little one home I did a few minutes of research and found out some clear signs between male and female, the main one being the extra appendage or spur the males develop on their hind feet for mating. Right away I changed the enclosure to be more fit for a male rather than a female and started doing much more research and learning some amazing new facts about these mind blowing creatures ! I was very thrilled to find out I had a male rather than a female because at the time I knew males were easier and got larger and have nicer colours and the only real reason I wanted the Chameleon was to give it a healthy and happy life so this news was thrilling. As I’ve cared for the little guy the last bit I’ve purchased lots of live plants for him to climb on and snack on if desired and I got a 150 watt basking light to make sure his basking spot is 95-100° and the rest of the enclosure is usually around 70° give or take, I have a mistking system that sprays 4 times a day, light on at 8am, sprayer on at 8:40 for 10 minutes, another mist at 12:40 for 8 minutes then another mist at 3:15 for 2 minutes then another at 6:15 then lights out at 8pm. I found this was a decent schedule for the mistings but if anyone has any suggestions for that please let me know as I’m still tweaking it ! I’ve attached a couple pictures for you to get a good look at him, I’m still new to the Chameleon keeping and so far I’m really enjoying it I just want to make sure he’s enjoying the time as much as I am ! I was looking to see if anyone could give me an idea of his age, I know there’s little things that make a big difference but just for an idea, also I feed him mainly banded crickets with a varied diet of silkworms and hornworms occasionally, he’s also had 2-3 waxworms overtime, I’d love to give him Dubia’s but they’re banned in Canada or at least where I am. He has a golden Pothos and a normal Pothos and a Money Tree that he likes to munch on, he doesn’t eat it at an alarming rate but he does eat enough of it, that’s another thing i wasn’t sure about, should I only have them in there sometimes or is it ok for him to eat them? Also when it comes to supplements what’s recommended, should I get Calcium without D3 or with D3 ? Also for the calcium and vitamins when/how often should I powder the insects with them ? I’ve attached pictur of him, his enclosure and the two types of Pothos if anyone could tell me if the plants I’m using are safe and good for him to eat ! Thanks for your time and I look forward to hearing from you, sorry for the long post, this forum is by far my favourite place to come for information on Chams so thank you ! View attachment 255835
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Hi there and welcome. Please fill out the form below with as much detail as possible for thorough feedback. I will tell you basking is way to hot for a youngen and mistings are too long. But lets start with the form so we know what exactly you are doing and then we can correct point by point for you. :)


Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.


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.
 
Hey, thanks for the reply and sorry for the long response time, yea I did some research and found that Veiled Males need roughly 90-100° for basking so I got it to that but I’m now realizing that he’s still too little for that much heat but he does have lots of room to cool down if he need to and different levels under his basking spot so he has options but my biggest problem was keeping the whole enclosure warm enough while keeping the basking spot not too hot, any ideas for that ? Also for the misting I read that they will do best with 8-12 minute mistings 2-3 times a day because I was having trouble with him moving away from the mist and then not being able to come back and really take it in before it stops so I put it up to 8-10 minutes and he will gladly soak it up every time so I’m not sure what to do about that ?! He is a Veiled Chameleon, I was told it was a female when I got it and I found out it was most likely a male, not sure about the age, if I had to guess I’d say around 6 months, I’ve had him for about a month and a half. I rarely handle him, if he looks eager to explore and he’s climbing around on the door I’ll open it and put my hand near him to see if he wants to climb on but most of them time he just climbs back to his vines. He is eating mainly banded crickets about 3/8” and about 10-12 every day and he could eat more but I don’t want to over feed, he also eats 2-3 silkworms as a treat and a hornworm, he has had 1-2 waxworms but I’m not a fan of them for any of my reptiles unless needed. I feed him around 12-3 every day and the crickets are gutloaded with mainly collard greens and the occasional bell pepper. Zoo Med Repti Calcium and Rep-Cal Herptivite Multivitamins, I try to do once a week with the Calcium and once a month with the vitamins. I use a mistking system and it’s scheduled for three 8-10 minute mistings about 4.5 hours from each other, he will hang from the branches with his head down so the water will go to his mouth and drink some up, he’s not a fan of drinking off the leaves but he will eat them ! His droppings have always looked the same and from what I can tell look healthy but he’s never had any exams done, the vet we use does house calls so I was planning on getting them to come and do a check up on all my creatures soon. He was purchased from Petsmart and was kept in an extremely small enclosure with a few small ventilation holes and insufficient lighting for who knows how long, he didn’t seem to be unhealthy in any way on the outside besides a little bit of stuck shed, so for the most part I’m unaware of what this little guys life was like but I’m sure he’s much happier now in a 24/24/48 screen reptibreeze enclosure ! I have a linear UVB light and its 18” length I honestly can’t remember the specs but I believe it was a thrive uvb bulb 10.0, the basking bulb is a Flukers 150 watt. The lights come on at 8am and turn off at 8pm for a full 12 hour cycle, if I notice he’s tucked in a bit early I’ll turn off the heat light. His Basking spot is always around 98° and the overall enclosure is about 70° with the ground being Closer to 60°. The temp at night will drop to higher 60s to low 70s because it’s winter here in Canada ! I have a temperature/hygrometer with two prongs that I placed around the middle of the enclosure and another temp/hygro reader next to his basking perch and I just purchased a temp/hygro handheld reader but I haven’t found one that I really trust and like so any suggestions are appreciated ! The humidity is around 60 at any time during the day besides after he gets misted then it spikes up to around 70-80, I use the mistking system to create humidity and I will use a drip system every couple nights but he doesn’t really utilize it. I use the Hygrometers mentioned before to monitor humidity levels. Yes he has a couple live plants including 2 species of Pothos, A Golden Pothos and a Silver Pothos and a Money Tree. His enclosure is setup on a homemade stand in the far corner of my room, it touches the ceiling, I have a fan but it’s pointed the opposite way so the air in the room is always moving. I am located in Ontario Canada so the weather is always changing, half the year it’s cold and the other half is warm and humid. I overall don’t have an concerns or problems I just really wanted to get some good advice and tips from people who have kept chameleons (Veiled Specifically) for years with great success, my overall goal is to keep my creatures as happy and healthy as they could be in captivity so the more good I can do for them the better ! This forum is my favourite place to go for information on my new friend so I’d like to thank everyone on here for all the great advice and links I’ve received, thanks for your time and I tried to include all the information I had ! Please let me know if you have any other question and suggestions are always welcomed :)
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Ok I am going to need a bit of time to go through all this since it is not done in the format of the above form. I will be breaking it apart for you :)
 
@TaylorPets ok hun I just pulled all your feedback on the form out and put it into the form format so that it will be easier for everyone to give feedback. I will put my questions and feedback in red. Please let us know what questions you have.



Chameleon Info:

  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care? He is a Veiled Chameleon, I was told it was a female when I got it and I found out it was most likely a male, not sure about the age, if I had to guess I’d say around 6 months, I’ve had him for about a month and a half. Looks male to me as well.
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? I rarely handle him, if he looks eager to explore and he’s climbing around on the door I’ll open it and put my hand near him to see if he wants to climb on but most of them time he just climbs back to his vines.
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? He is eating mainly banded crickets about 3/8” and about 10-12 every day and he could eat more but I don’t want to over feed, he also eats 2-3 silkworms as a treat and a hornworm, he has had 1-2 waxworms but I’m not a fan of them for any of my reptiles unless needed. I feed him around 12-3 every day and the crickets are gutloaded with mainly collard greens and the occasional bell pepper. Variety of feeders is great. waxworms are like feeding cake so just feed very few like you already are. You will want to add diversity to your gutload see image at the bottom or purchase a commercial products like Bug burger. Feeding should be done in the first part of the day to give them all day to digest and bask.
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? Zoo Med Repti Calcium and Rep-Cal Herptivite Multivitamins, I try to do once a week with the Calcium and once a month with the vitamins. With the repti calcium is it with D3? You will want to give calcium WITHOUT D3 at every feeding, then 2 times a month give calcium WITH D3 and on the opposite weeks two times a month give a multivitamin. I am not fond of Herptivite because it does not have preformed vitamin A which is needed for eye health. So you might consider changing to Reptivite. They have this with and without D3. IF you get the one with D3 then you only use this 2 times a month and then all other feedings get calcium without D3.
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? I use a mistking system and it’s scheduled for three 8-10 minute mistings about 4.5 hours from each other, he will hang from the branches with his head down so the water will go to his mouth and drink some up, he’s not a fan of drinking off the leaves but he will eat them ! Ok so this is really extreme for mistings. You will find most people will run a 2-3 minute session in the morning and another in the evening. Most do this in rotation prior and after the basking light has kicked off so that the temps are lower reducing the risk of a respiratory infection. Heat plus moisture is not good for them. Also with such long mistings your not giving the cage time to dry out totally. This opens them up to foot issues being on damp branches all the time. I will post links on natural hydration methods.
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? His droppings have always looked the same and from what I can tell look healthy but he’s never had any exams done, the vet we use does house calls so I was planning on getting them to come and do a check up on all my creatures soon. I do recommend a fecal to insure he does not have parasites since he is from a big box store. :)
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you. He was purchased from Petsmart and was kept in an extremely small enclosure with a few small ventilation holes and insufficient lighting for who knows how long, he didn’t seem to be unhealthy in any way on the outside besides a little bit of stuck shed, so for the most part I’m unaware of what this little guys life was like but I’m

Cage Info:

  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? 24/24/48 screen reptibreeze enclosure This is good.
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? I have a linear UVB light and its 18” length I honestly can’t remember the specs but I believe it was a thrive uvb bulb 10.0, the basking bulb is a Flukers 150 watt. You will want to make sure this is a T5HO fixture and if it is the UVB for a single bulb fixture should be dropped back to a 5.0 bulb with basking no closer then about 10 inches for proper UVI level. Run the fixture so that it goes across the center of the cage for maximum spread of UVB lighting. The basking bulb is much too strong. puts him at a higher risk of thermal burns.
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? The lights come on at 8am and turn off at 8pm for a full 12 hour cycle, if I notice he’s tucked in a bit early I’ll turn off the heat light. His Basking spot is always around 98° and the overall enclosure is about 70° with the ground being Closer to 60°. The temp at night will drop to higher 60s to low 70s because it’s winter here in Canada ! I have a temperature/hygrometer with two prongs that I placed around the middle of the enclosure and another temp/hygro reader next to his basking perch and I just purchased a temp/hygro handheld reader but I haven’t found one that I really trust and like so any suggestions are appreciated ! So basking temp is way to high. You want this at 85 degrees for his age. You can use a thermal gun to read the temp on the branches and even your cham. But even adult Male veileds should not be hotter then 95. You can run your heat light from say 10am-5pm that way you can have a misting come on 30 minutes after the UVB light comes on in the morning and 30 minutes after the heat lamp kicks off at 5pm. This drops the temps when misting. And naturally heats up and cools down the cage preping for evening. So the ambient temp of the cage you do want lower 70 -80. Honestly if your home is cooler then that is what your ambient is going to follow. So adjusting the room temp is better then putting a hotter heat bulb on. Temps at night can get as low as 50 degrees and honestly they need the temp drop at night. So if it is 60 in the house that is fine. It is only if it drops below 50 that it becomes too cold for them.
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? The humidity is around 60 at any time during the day besides after he gets misted then it spikes up to around 70-80, I use the mistking system to create humidity and I will use a drip system every couple nights but he doesn’t really utilize it. I use the Hygrometers mentioned before to monitor humidity levels. So these are a bit too high. Veileds need a 30-50% max humidity level. this is where cutting back your misting time is going to also help. At night is when we shoot for 80-100% levels. Most do this with a cool mist humidifier or fogger at night when the house is its coolest. You never want to fog if it is warmer then 70 degrees. So cool and moist is good at night for them. The natural hydration links will help you understand this process.
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? Yes he has a couple live plants including 2 species of Pothos, A Golden Pothos and a Silver Pothos and a Money Tree. These are good. Just make sure you have 1 inch or larger river rock on the top of the soil in the plants to keep him from going after the soil.
  • 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? His enclosure is setup on a homemade stand in the far corner of my room, it touches the ceiling, I have a fan but it’s pointed the opposite way so the air in the room is always moving. that is fine.
  • Location - Where are you geographically located? I am located in Ontario Canada so the weather is always changing, half the year it’s cold and the other half is warm and humid.


Ok so I already added some good links for you. Here are some more. Let us know what questions you have.

https://www.chameleonbreeder.com/podcast/ep-89-naturalistic-hydration-for-chameleons/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/basic-info-on-misting-and-fogging.2325/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...s-through-the-fog-without-dispelling-it.2400/

chameleon-gutload.jpg
 
Welcome to the world of chameleons!
What else do you keep?

Regarding supplements...since most feeder insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phos. it's important to dust the insects just before feeding them to you chameleon at almost all feedings lightly with a phos free calcium powder. (I use RepCal) to ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdosing it, I dust lightly twice a month with a phos free calcium/ D3 powder. D3 from supplements can build up in the system and lead to health issues...so I let the chameleons produce the rest of thenD3 they need from their exposure to the UVB provided for them. I dust twice a month witty Herptivite which contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A. PrOformed sources won't build up like prEformed sources (retinol, retinyl, palmitate) will so it's safe but leaves it up to you to decide when/if your chameleon needs some preformed.

I feed/gutload crickets, locusts, roaches, superworms with dandelion greens, kale, collards, endive, escarole, etc and carrots, squash, zucchini, sweet red pepper, sweet potato, etc and a little bit of fruit such as apples, pears, melon, berries.

With veileds I recommend only using real non toxic well washed plants (both sides of the leaves) because they tend to eat them.

I only run a dripper during the daytime and mist at least twice a day.

Because I live in Ontario I don't use screen cages...I use the glass ones with the screen lids and the vents in the front. It's too hard to keep the humidity up without causing health issues when using screen cages IMHO. (I've done this for years now after trying everything else.)

Regarding feeding...for males...up to 6-8 months of age I feed them as much as they want every feeding...at 6-8 months I switch them to every second day. You can feed them as much as they will eat every second day as long as they don't get fat.

If it's a female, you have to cut her back just as she reaches maturity so she won't produce huge clutches...female veileds can produce eggs without having mated. If she gets fat and produces large clutches she will also likely develop MBD and may prolapse and develop other issues too.

You said you have a vet who makes house calls?? Wow! I hope it's a good vet cause that's amazing!
Hope this helps!
 
@TaylorPets ok hun I just pulled all your feedback on the form out and put it into the form format so that it will be easier for everyone to give feedback. I will put my questions and feedback in red. Please let us know what questions you have.



Chameleon Info:

  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care? He is a Veiled Chameleon, I was told it was a female when I got it and I found out it was most likely a male, not sure about the age, if I had to guess I’d say around 6 months, I’ve had him for about a month and a half. Looks male to me as well.
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? I rarely handle him, if he looks eager to explore and he’s climbing around on the door I’ll open it and put my hand near him to see if he wants to climb on but most of them time he just climbs back to his vines.
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? He is eating mainly banded crickets about 3/8” and about 10-12 every day and he could eat more but I don’t want to over feed, he also eats 2-3 silkworms as a treat and a hornworm, he has had 1-2 waxworms but I’m not a fan of them for any of my reptiles unless needed. I feed him around 12-3 every day and the crickets are gutloaded with mainly collard greens and the occasional bell pepper. Variety of feeders is great. waxworms are like feeding cake so just feed very few like you already are. You will want to add diversity to your gutload see image at the bottom or purchase a commercial products like Bug burger. Feeding should be done in the first part of the day to give them all day to digest and bask.
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? Zoo Med Repti Calcium and Rep-Cal Herptivite Multivitamins, I try to do once a week with the Calcium and once a month with the vitamins. With the repti calcium is it with D3? You will want to give calcium WITHOUT D3 at every feeding, then 2 times a month give calcium WITH D3 and on the opposite weeks two times a month give a multivitamin. I am not fond of Herptivite because it does not have preformed vitamin A which is needed for eye health. So you might consider changing to Reptivite. They have this with and without D3. IF you get the one with D3 then you only use this 2 times a month and then all other feedings get calcium without D3.
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? I use a mistking system and it’s scheduled for three 8-10 minute mistings about 4.5 hours from each other, he will hang from the branches with his head down so the water will go to his mouth and drink some up, he’s not a fan of drinking off the leaves but he will eat them ! Ok so this is really extreme for mistings. You will find most people will run a 2-3 minute session in the morning and another in the evening. Most do this in rotation prior and after the basking light has kicked off so that the temps are lower reducing the risk of a respiratory infection. Heat plus moisture is not good for them. Also with such long mistings your not giving the cage time to dry out totally. This opens them up to foot issues being on damp branches all the time. I will post links on natural hydration methods.
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? His droppings have always looked the same and from what I can tell look healthy but he’s never had any exams done, the vet we use does house calls so I was planning on getting them to come and do a check up on all my creatures soon. I do recommend a fecal to insure he does not have parasites since he is from a big box store. :)
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you. He was purchased from Petsmart and was kept in an extremely small enclosure with a few small ventilation holes and insufficient lighting for who knows how long, he didn’t seem to be unhealthy in any way on the outside besides a little bit of stuck shed, so for the most part I’m unaware of what this little guys life was like but I’m

Cage Info:

  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? 24/24/48 screen reptibreeze enclosure This is good.
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? I have a linear UVB light and its 18” length I honestly can’t remember the specs but I believe it was a thrive uvb bulb 10.0, the basking bulb is a Flukers 150 watt. You will want to make sure this is a T5HO fixture and if it is the UVB for a single bulb fixture should be dropped back to a 5.0 bulb with basking no closer then about 10 inches for proper UVI level. Run the fixture so that it goes across the center of the cage for maximum spread of UVB lighting. The basking bulb is much too strong. puts him at a higher risk of thermal burns.
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? The lights come on at 8am and turn off at 8pm for a full 12 hour cycle, if I notice he’s tucked in a bit early I’ll turn off the heat light. His Basking spot is always around 98° and the overall enclosure is about 70° with the ground being Closer to 60°. The temp at night will drop to higher 60s to low 70s because it’s winter here in Canada ! I have a temperature/hygrometer with two prongs that I placed around the middle of the enclosure and another temp/hygro reader next to his basking perch and I just purchased a temp/hygro handheld reader but I haven’t found one that I really trust and like so any suggestions are appreciated ! So basking temp is way to high. You want this at 85 degrees for his age. You can use a thermal gun to read the temp on the branches and even your cham. But even adult Male veileds should not be hotter then 95. You can run your heat light from say 10am-5pm that way you can have a misting come on 30 minutes after the UVB light comes on in the morning and 30 minutes after the heat lamp kicks off at 5pm. This drops the temps when misting. And naturally heats up and cools down the cage preping for evening. So the ambient temp of the cage you do want lower 70 -80. Honestly if your home is cooler then that is what your ambient is going to follow. So adjusting the room temp is better then putting a hotter heat bulb on. Temps at night can get as low as 50 degrees and honestly they need the temp drop at night. So if it is 60 in the house that is fine. It is only if it drops below 50 that it becomes too cold for them.
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? The humidity is around 60 at any time during the day besides after he gets misted then it spikes up to around 70-80, I use the mistking system to create humidity and I will use a drip system every couple nights but he doesn’t really utilize it. I use the Hygrometers mentioned before to monitor humidity levels. So these are a bit too high. Veileds need a 30-50% max humidity level. this is where cutting back your misting time is going to also help. At night is when we shoot for 80-100% levels. Most do this with a cool mist humidifier or fogger at night when the house is its coolest. You never want to fog if it is warmer then 70 degrees. So cool and moist is good at night for them. The natural hydration links will help you understand this process.
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? Yes he has a couple live plants including 2 species of Pothos, A Golden Pothos and a Silver Pothos and a Money Tree. These are good. Just make sure you have 1 inch or larger river rock on the top of the soil in the plants to keep him from going after the soil.
  • 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? His enclosure is setup on a homemade stand in the far corner of my room, it touches the ceiling, I have a fan but it’s pointed the opposite way so the air in the room is always moving. that is fine.
  • Location - Where are you geographically located? I am located in Ontario Canada so the weather is always changing, half the year it’s cold and the other half is warm and humid.


Ok so I already added some good links for you. Here are some more. Let us know what questions you have.

https://www.chameleonbreeder.com/podcast/ep-89-naturalistic-hydration-for-chameleons/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/basic-info-on-misting-and-fogging.2325/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...s-through-the-fog-without-dispelling-it.2400/

View attachment 256084

[/QUOTE

Thank you so much for all the info I’ve been reading and implementing the things you’ve told me and I’m trying to find the time to really analyze your reply and get all the questions I have together ! I’ll be back soon with more :) Thanks a bunch !!!
 
Welcome to the world of chameleons!
What else do you keep?

Regarding supplements...since most feeder insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phos. it's important to dust the insects just before feeding them to you chameleon at almost all feedings lightly with a phos free calcium powder. (I use RepCal) to ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdosing it, I dust lightly twice a month with a phos free calcium/ D3 powder. D3 from supplements can build up in the system and lead to health issues...so I let the chameleons produce the rest of thenD3 they need from their exposure to the UVB provided for them. I dust twice a month witty Herptivite which contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A. PrOformed sources won't build up like prEformed sources (retinol, retinyl, palmitate) will so it's safe but leaves it up to you to decide when/if your chameleon needs some preformed.

I feed/gutload crickets, locusts, roaches, superworms with dandelion greens, kale, collards, endive, escarole, etc and carrots, squash, zucchini, sweet red pepper, sweet potato, etc and a little bit of fruit such as apples, pears, melon, berries.

With veileds I recommend only using real non toxic well washed plants (both sides of the leaves) because they tend to eat them.

I only run a dripper during the daytime and mist at least twice a day.

Because I live in Ontario I don't use screen cages...I use the glass ones with the screen lids and the vents in the front. It's too hard to keep the humidity up without causing health issues when using screen cages IMHO. (I've done this for years now after trying everything else.)

Regarding feeding...for males...up to 6-8 months of age I feed them as much as they want every feeding...at 6-8 months I switch them to every second day. You can feed them as much as they will eat every second day as long as they don't get fat.

If it's a female, you have to cut her back just as she reaches maturity so she won't produce huge clutches...female veileds can produce eggs without having mated. If she gets fat and produces large clutches she will also likely develop MBD and may prolapse and develop other issues too.

You said you have a vet who makes house calls?? Wow! I hope it's a good vet cause that's amazing!
Hope this helps!

Thank you so much for all the great info and I really appreciate it ! I currently care for a Bearded Dragon, Hedgehog, Corn Snake, a planted community freshwater aquarium and my two brothers are also huge into creatures so they have a Red Tail Boa, Ball Python, Leopard Gecko, Phantom Leopard Gecko, Fire Bellied Toads, African Clawed frog, Skinny Pig, Mexican Red Rump Tarantula, Red Belly Piranhas, Red Claw Crabs, Betta, Ghost Shrimp, Australian Blue Crayfish and another large Planted Community tank ! I’m located in Ontario too so I’ll for sure have to look into the different types of enclosure, right now he’s in a screen one but 3 of the sides are blocked off with a plastic liner for now it works. Yea the vet we go to is 15 minutes from our place but they told us last time we took the Red Tail there that it’s too much stress on the animals and they are willing the drive up to 40 minutes for a house call !!
 
Thank you so much for all the great info and I really appreciate it ! I currently care for a Bearded Dragon, Hedgehog, Corn Snake, a planted community freshwater aquarium and my two brothers are also huge into creatures so they have a Red Tail Boa, Ball Python, Leopard Gecko, Phantom Leopard Gecko, Fire Bellied Toads, African Clawed frog, Skinny Pig, Mexican Red Rump Tarantula, Red Belly Piranhas, Red Claw Crabs, Betta, Ghost Shrimp, Australian Blue Crayfish and another large Planted Community tank ! I’m located in Ontario too so I’ll for sure have to look into the different types of enclosure, right now he’s in a screen one but 3 of the sides are blocked off with a plastic liner for now it works. Yea the vet we go to is 15 minutes from our place but they told us last time we took the Red Tail there that it’s too much stress on the animals and they are willing the drive up to 40 minutes for a house call !!
That's a plus on the vet!!
 
Hey, thanks for the reply and sorry for the long response time, yea I did some research and found that Veiled Males need roughly 90-100° for basking so I got it to that but I’m now realizing that he’s still too little for that much heat but he does have lots of room to cool down if he need to and different levels under his basking spot so he has options but my biggest problem was keeping the whole enclosure warm enough while keeping the basking spot not too hot, any ideas for that ? Also for the misting I read that they will do best with 8-12 minute mistings 2-3 times a day because I was having trouble with him moving away from the mist and then not being able to come back and really take it in before it stops so I put it up to 8-10 minutes and he will gladly soak it up every time so I’m not sure what to do about that ?! He is a Veiled Chameleon, I was told it was a female when I got it and I found out it was most likely a male, not sure about the age, if I had to guess I’d say around 6 months, I’ve had him for about a month and a half. I rarely handle him, if he looks eager to explore and he’s climbing around on the door I’ll open it and put my hand near him to see if he wants to climb on but most of them time he just climbs back to his vines. He is eating mainly banded crickets about 3/8” and about 10-12 every day and he could eat more but I don’t want to over feed, he also eats 2-3 silkworms as a treat and a hornworm, he has had 1-2 waxworms but I’m not a fan of them for any of my reptiles unless needed. I feed him around 12-3 every day and the crickets are gutloaded with mainly collard greens and the occasional bell pepper. Zoo Med Repti Calcium and Rep-Cal Herptivite Multivitamins, I try to do once a week with the Calcium and once a month with the vitamins. I use a mistking system and it’s scheduled for three 8-10 minute mistings about 4.5 hours from each other, he will hang from the branches with his head down so the water will go to his mouth and drink some up, he’s not a fan of drinking off the leaves but he will eat them ! His droppings have always looked the same and from what I can tell look healthy but he’s never had any exams done, the vet we use does house calls so I was planning on getting them to come and do a check up on all my creatures soon. He was purchased from Petsmart and was kept in an extremely small enclosure with a few small ventilation holes and insufficient lighting for who knows how long, he didn’t seem to be unhealthy in any way on the outside besides a little bit of stuck shed, so for the most part I’m unaware of what this little guys life was like but I’m sure he’s much happier now in a 24/24/48 screen reptibreeze enclosure ! I have a linear UVB light and its 18” length I honestly can’t remember the specs but I believe it was a thrive uvb bulb 10.0, the basking bulb is a Flukers 150 watt. The lights come on at 8am and turn off at 8pm for a full 12 hour cycle, if I notice he’s tucked in a bit early I’ll turn off the heat light. His Basking spot is always around 98° and the overall enclosure is about 70° with the ground being Closer to 60°. The temp at night will drop to higher 60s to low 70s because it’s winter here in Canada ! I have a temperature/hygrometer with two prongs that I placed around the middle of the enclosure and another temp/hygro reader next to his basking perch and I just purchased a temp/hygro handheld reader but I haven’t found one that I really trust and like so any suggestions are appreciated ! The humidity is around 60 at any time during the day besides after he gets misted then it spikes up to around 70-80, I use the mistking system to create humidity and I will use a drip system every couple nights but he doesn’t really utilize it. I use the Hygrometers mentioned before to monitor humidity levels. Yes he has a couple live plants including 2 species of Pothos, A Golden Pothos and a Silver Pothos and a Money Tree. His enclosure is setup on a homemade stand in the far corner of my room, it touches the ceiling, I have a fan but it’s pointed the opposite way so the air in the room is always moving. I am located in Ontario Canada so the weather is always changing, half the year it’s cold and the other half is warm and humid. I overall don’t have an concerns or problems I just really wanted to get some good advice and tips from people who have kept chameleons (Veiled Specifically) for years with great success, my overall goal is to keep my creatures as happy and healthy as they could be in captivity so the more good I can do for them the better ! This forum is my favourite place to go for information on my new friend so I’d like to thank everyone on here for all the great advice and links I’ve received, thanks for your time and I tried to include all the information I had ! Please let me know if you have any other question and suggestions are always welcomed :) View attachment 256034View attachment 256035View attachment 256036

WOT

Just as a later thing, you should work on breaking up your thoughts.

Alot of people myself included (Majorly) can not read walls of text like that. Break Paragraphs, I am pretty sure most find it hard to read, and alot wont as well. I flat out cant read it, I try and it makes my brain hurt. Not trying to be mean at all, just some friendly advice :).
 
Wow! @TaylorPets ...that's a lot of critters...and a lot of different types. I've stuck to a few insects, the odd frog, lots of lizards and turtles/tortoises for the most part. My son had a couple of corn snakes and some tree crabs and coloured mice and my daughter had an iguana and some bunnies and Guinea pigs ..but she had to give away the furry things due to allergies (which she is now over and is happy to be able to have furry pets again).

The liner on the outside of the screen cage is an option that works in Ontario...except that water from misting can run out/down the liners and make a mess.

It is stressful for most critters to go to the vets...so you're lucky to have one that comes to you. They are few and far between.
 
WOT

Just as a later thing, you should work on breaking up your thoughts.

Alot of people myself included (Majorly) can not read walls of text like that. Break Paragraphs, I am pretty sure most find it hard to read, and alot wont as well. I flat out cant read it, I try and it makes my brain hurt. Not trying to be mean at all, just some friendly advice :).

Sorry about that ! You’re 100% right & I didn’t even consider the fact that everyone reads differently. This was my first post on the Chameleon Forum so thanks for the future advice :)
 
@Beman broke it up for everyone so that it’s easier to read, it’s up there ^^ if you wanted to check it out, I’d love to get as many tips and advice as possible !

All good, Beman Got ya, she is a good vessel of info, Id likely say the same stuff :). Plus pretty sure she knows a whole lot more about Veilieds then me, my focus is more on Panthers and Montanes :).
 
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