First Time Veiled Chameleon Owner

[KhanChemelon]

Hello this is my first time owning a chameleon, I have always wanted one and a few days before christmas. I have been looking up all sorts of things about my Veiled and now i know that she is a female but i have a few questions that i can't seem to find the specific answer to. These are them and also a pic of my chameleon for some of the questions.

1. How can you tell the age of a Veiled chameleon?
2. How much should i feed her as well as what insects i should provide? (Now i feed mainly mealworms and crickets sometimes she has a hard time with the crickets)
3. Do females lay unfertilized eggs or do they only lay when they are mated?
4. If i want to breed my Veiled how would be a simple way of doing that and what age is appropriate to do so?

Thanks for reading my post

 

[Remkon]

1. Cant give an exact age, more like an educated guess made by the size, coloration and look of the animal.
2. Better stop feeding mealworms, they have very poor nutritional value and a hard shell that can cause constipation. Feed, crickets, dubia roaches, superworms (as a treat), phoenixworms/bsf, hornworms, silkworms, grasshoppers, stickinsects... The more variety the better.
3. Yes, they do and if they dont get a good spot to lay then they can become egg bound which is deadly.
4. I would wait until the female is 1year... Then again I would not breed veilds since there are plenty of them on the market.

You should take a good look at the resources section of this wonderful site, it will offer you a caresheet on veilds and valuable information on feeders, supplementation, egg laying etc.... Really everything you need to know.

 

[KhanChemelon]

1. Cant give an exact age, more like an educated guess made by the size, coloration and look of the animal.
2. Better stop feeding mealworms, they have very poor nutritional value and a hard shell that can cause constipation. Feed, crickets, dubia roaches, superworms (as a treat), phoenixworms/bsf, hornworms, silkworms, grasshoppers, stickinsects... The more variety the better.
3. Yes, they do and if they dont get a good spot to lay then they can become egg bound which is deadly.
4. I would wait until the female is 1year... Then again I would not breed veilds since there are plenty of them on the market.

You should take a good look at the resources section of this wonderful site, it will offer you a caresheet on veilds and valuable information on feeders, supplementation, egg laying etc.... Really everything you need to know.

Also one more question, what if it's hard for her to look around for the crickets. Should I feed her from a container or place them in a obvious place??

 

[JacksJill]

It's easier to monitor their appetite if you use a feeder but it is also nice to give them something to hunt. So I recommend some in a feeder and a couple loose for sport.

 

[Graves923]

It's easier to monitor their appetite if you use a feeder but it is also nice to give them something to hunt. So I recommend some in a feeder and a couple loose for sport.

This is my method as well. My little guy is usually always wondering about his cage when hes not basking or sleeping looking for prey.

With the cup I can monitor food intake and make sure he is getting his supplements.