Couple of newbee questions.

[quikksilver8]

Hello everyone I am new to the forums and also now an owner of a baby veiled chameleon. I just had a couple of questions and figured what better place to aske than here.

First of all I was wondering what the easiest and cheapest way to mist my chameleon automatically. (dripper, misting machine, etc...)

My second question to you is do chameleons ever like being handled or will they always freak out when you try to get them out. Mine doesn't bite or anything he is just rather skiddish.

Third, do all male veild chameleons end up looking the same or do their colors varry. Is there any way for me to tell if my is going to look cool when it's older.

And finally fourth what is best gut loading, dusting, or both. the reason I ask is because i noticed my chameleons have trouble catching the crickets when they are dusted. i currently use the flukers cricket feed and Calcium cricket quencher and as for the dust I use the pink one on this page http://www.repcal.com/supp.htm#Ultrafine Calcium . Would anyone suggest any other gut load products quenchers or dusts. Could i get away with just the gut loading or should i continue dusting.

Thanks in advance.

I am completely new to chameleons but done plenty of research on housing them and have had allot of experience with other reptiles, just wanted some advice from the pros. Chameleons are by far the most interesting reptiles I have kept.

 

[John33871]

ok to answer your first question, i just purchased a very nice mist system from pro mist for $129 here is the link www.pro-products.com

your second question is going to be a no, they dont like being handled. you should only handle them when you need to, like cleaning the cage and all that, just keep it to a minimum and you will be ok

your third question is that they will not look the same, colors can vary

your last question is that you should always dust, for gutloading i use wild eye reptiles gut load, but they dont make it anymore. i dont know why

anyways good luck if you have anymore questions just ask

 

[Brad Ramsey]

Can I suggest that you utilize the search option on this forum?
There is tons of info to answer all your questions and more and you'll
get the answers faster than waiting for a response.
I will offer this:
No two chameleons look the same ...all male veileds are (like fingerprints) unique. There is no way to know how he will look till he's fully grown.
and:
Yes they are the most interesting reptiles and the most difficult! Few slips in husbandry will be tolerated by this animal.
Research, research, research!!! None of us are done learning about them or
how best to care for them.

Conrats and good luck!

-Brad

 

[kinyonga]

Here are some sites with good information that you could read...
http://adcham.com/
http://www.chameleonnews.com/
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/skintests.htm#discussion
http://web.archive.org/web/20060502...rnals.com/vet/index.php?show=5.Vitamin.A.html

Re: supplements...I dust the insects with a phosphorous-free calcium powder at most feedings because most of the insects that are used as feeders have a poor ratio of calcium to phos.

I dust with a vitamin powder twice a month. I use one that has a beta carotene source of vitamin A. Preformed vitamin A can build up in the system, but beta carotene won't. However there is controversy as to whether chameleons can convert beta carotene to vitamin A...so some people give their chameleons a bit of preformed once in a while. Excess vitamin A can prevent the D3 from doing its job and lead to MBD....so caution is advised.

I also dust with a phos.-free cal./D3 powder twice a month since my chameleons don't usually get direct sunlight. D3 from supplements can be overdosed, so be careful not to overdo it.

Exposure to UVB (from sunlight or from UVN tube lights) allows the chameleon to produce D3 which allows it to use the calcium in its diet. The UVB must not pass through glass or plastic.

Appropriate temperatures will allow the chameleon to digest its food properly, thus absorb nutrients from its diet.

Hydration is important too.

Some of the above you may know already from keeping other reptiles...sorry if that's true.

 

[Hempa]

You can find basic info on this site as well: http://www.chameleonsdish.com

 

[quikksilver8]

Thank you all for your help. That last link that was posted was extremely helpfull.