Hi there,
Yesterday I was looking at some Veiled Chameleons at a pet store. They were all from the same clutch about 7 months old. I was really interested in the females, because I already have a male. The person working in the reptile department is suppose to be one of the most knowledgeable people in the local herp pet industry. He told me stories about how he used to breed Veileds and how his male had lived 10years.
All 3 females were housed in a fairly large mesh cage. What bothered me was that they had one bulb the supposedly put out out heat AND uvb. Ive never heard of it but do know the dangers of coil uvb. Anyone know if these are safe?
Here is my second concern...I grilled him with questions and he said the females have a basking spot of 92...and they only get calcium one time a week. He was feeding them silkworms as well as crickets. I thought females are supposed to be basking at 80-82? And that is not nearly enough calcium for growing babies...
Another concern is that all three females had one or both eyes closed. They seemed to be continuously washing their eyes with the lid closed. When I asked the "expert" he said they all had "eye caps." Irritation from shedding and that ALL CHAMELEONS experience this...is that true? I thought only snakes had that problem...
Finally all three girls seemed plump....which at first I thought was a sign of health...but after getting home and researching this I found out that female Veileds can develop eggs as young as 4 months old if kept too hot and given too much food.
I ended up buying the biggest girl they had...in hopes that her eyes would clear up once I got her away from the pet store lights. She seems better, but still constantly closes her left eye and swishes it around as if there is something in there. I have been giving her really long warm misting showers to help clear the eyes...any other suggestions on what to do?
Long story short I am wondering if I made a really bad decision bringing her home. I plan to put down a lay box later today but would be pretty upset if she is egg bound at only 7months. She weighs 92 grams and is 5 inches snout to vent.
The reason I purchased her with my doubts is because she is a beautiful blue green (does not show in pics) and has VERY friendly temperament. I also refuse to buy from big chain stores...so other then paying a crazy amount to have a Cham shipped to me I thought I might be able to make her healthy through the help of the experts on this site!
Yesterday I was looking at some Veiled Chameleons at a pet store. They were all from the same clutch about 7 months old. I was really interested in the females, because I already have a male. The person working in the reptile department is suppose to be one of the most knowledgeable people in the local herp pet industry. He told me stories about how he used to breed Veileds and how his male had lived 10years.
All 3 females were housed in a fairly large mesh cage. What bothered me was that they had one bulb the supposedly put out out heat AND uvb. Ive never heard of it but do know the dangers of coil uvb. Anyone know if these are safe?
Here is my second concern...I grilled him with questions and he said the females have a basking spot of 92...and they only get calcium one time a week. He was feeding them silkworms as well as crickets. I thought females are supposed to be basking at 80-82? And that is not nearly enough calcium for growing babies...
Another concern is that all three females had one or both eyes closed. They seemed to be continuously washing their eyes with the lid closed. When I asked the "expert" he said they all had "eye caps." Irritation from shedding and that ALL CHAMELEONS experience this...is that true? I thought only snakes had that problem...
Finally all three girls seemed plump....which at first I thought was a sign of health...but after getting home and researching this I found out that female Veileds can develop eggs as young as 4 months old if kept too hot and given too much food.
I ended up buying the biggest girl they had...in hopes that her eyes would clear up once I got her away from the pet store lights. She seems better, but still constantly closes her left eye and swishes it around as if there is something in there. I have been giving her really long warm misting showers to help clear the eyes...any other suggestions on what to do?
Long story short I am wondering if I made a really bad decision bringing her home. I plan to put down a lay box later today but would be pretty upset if she is egg bound at only 7months. She weighs 92 grams and is 5 inches snout to vent.
The reason I purchased her with my doubts is because she is a beautiful blue green (does not show in pics) and has VERY friendly temperament. I also refuse to buy from big chain stores...so other then paying a crazy amount to have a Cham shipped to me I thought I might be able to make her healthy through the help of the experts on this site!
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