First time Veiled Chameleon owner... HELP?

[AndytheChameleon]

I got a chameleon from PetSmart yesterday, he was the bigger of the 2. I say HE based off of a couple things I found on the internet but the employees did not confirm it was a HE or SHE, thought it was to early to tell. They also were unsure of its age.... :/. I wanted him anyways.

I have never owned one, nor did I do a TON of homework prior, I am sadly learning as I go.

He has let me hold him with no issues, climbed up to the top of my head and hung out while I got his cage together.

One thing I have noticed is multiple answers to the same questions so I am at a loss on what to believe and what to go with.
I don't want him to die because I didn't know what I was doing.
I am willing to put in the time and work but need some pointers if anyone is willing?

Couple huge questions that the answers seem to range are,
How do I tell the sex? Age? and how many crickets are to many?

He ate 2 earlier today with some Kale. Later he ate like 5 more crickets and I think he would have kept eating but I don't see how they even fit in his stomach! So I cut him off.
The water issue, I have not seen him drink any. I spray the cage but within time the heat light dries it up. I looked into a mister system but they are so expensive... any other options?

How big of a deal is it once in a while to mess up their schedule? As in the 10-12hr light, no light pattern. Is it very important to give him longer light time if I had to feed him later in the day so he can digest it all? Or better to give him the dark time instead?

Sorry all the questions.
Thanks in advanced!
Shila

 

[Lizardguy1]

What species is your chameleon? Can you post a picture of the chameleon and your setup? That will help us answers.

 

[chameleons707]

i beleive its a veiled chameleon from what the title says lolol and male veiled chameleons will have a little spurr behind there back leg,like a little bump? if it doesnt have that it means its a female. why not post a few pics of its hind legs and pics of its body to see its gender and around how old it is!

 

[AndytheChameleon]

Thank you!

What species is your chameleon? Can you post a picture of the chameleon and your setup? That will help us answers.

Yes, he is a Veiled Chameleon.
I attached a photo of him and his cage. You cant see the lights in the photo but I got him the dual set up with day/night lighting.
Have not figured out a good water system just yet. Keep misting.
Today he drank the water as I misted it on him and even ate 2 of his crickets out of my hand.

Here is the video. I was proud of that....

https://scontent-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net...=56f9f413d6f6d0ec4b9ec7a9a581f434&oe=54588741

 

[AndytheChameleon]

Photos.

i beleive its a veiled chameleon from what the title says lolol and male veiled chameleons will have a little spurr behind there back leg,like a little bump? if it doesnt have that it means its a female. why not post a few pics of its hind legs and pics of its body to see its gender and around how old it is!

I am working on photos!!

 

[Lizardguy1]

Based on your photo, looks like a female, as I don't see a tarsal spur on the heel of the hind foot; could use a little better pic to make sure. Based on size, probably a 5-7 month old juvenile.

Your setup looks ok. A few comments-

Watering- a heavy spraying once or twice a day is good, but you need to let the cage dry out in between. If you don't observe her drinking at every spraying that is ok. A constant 70% humidity or higher is too much. especially with a substrate that will hold moisture and promote bacterial growth. I recommend a bare floor on the cage, it allows for easy observation and clean-up of droppings.

Feeding- it's ok for her to eat as many crickets as she can eat in a 10-15 minute period. If after an hour there are still crickets in the cage remove them and save them for the next feeding. I also recommend gut loading crickets on carrots and leafy greens, and adding a variety of insects- mealworms, wax worms, horned worms, dubia roaches. Dust insects with a calcium supplement once or twice a week. You don't need multiple insect types at every feeding, but vary it over the course of a few weeks.

Lighting- she needs UV light and a heat/spot light near the top of the cage to thermoregulate. Basking spot should be at least 85F, 90F+ for adults, with lower parts of the cage at lower temps- down to ambient temp in the house, in the 70's. She needs plenty if vines and branches so she can move up and down in the cage and find her desired temp. Also recommend you put the lights on a timer- 10 or 11 hours/day on this time of year, then you don't have to worry about them.

Also, if you are in southern arizona (Phoenix or Tucson) I recommend housing her outdoors if you can. I'm in Las Vegas and I have all of my chams outdoors right now- daytime highs are 78-80F and overnight lows in the 50's and they are doing great. They are in a location where they get direct sun all day, with plenty of shade plants in their cages so they can move to cooler areas-

 

[Carlton]

If you look at the top of this forum you'll see a button titled Resources. There is a very detailed and current description of basic cham husbandry and species needs. It should answer most of your questions. If something is confusing we can help answer specifics. Be aware that chams from the big box chain stores haven't necessarily gotten the best care. They are often dehydrated, overheated, stressed, have been fed pretty minimal nutrition, and may not have gotten good UVB exposure.