Found a chameleon - need advice!

[wendysjungle]

Well, I had an interesting experience yesterday! I went to my local pet store to get food for my parrots, and as I was outside looking at their fish pond, I see what I thought was a little chameleon statue...until she moved! I picked her up and took her into the pet store, thinking she had escaped from them, but nope, they say "Not ours." Obviously someone deliberately abandoned her, as the odds of her wandering off and ending up outside a pet store are ridiculous. The pet store nicely gave me a canvas bag to get her home safely, and sold me some crickets for her, and now it seems I am the proud owner of a veiled chameleon.

I am an experienced herp owner, had a pair of green iguanas for nearly 17 years, and currently own a ball python, a gold dust day gecko and three red eye tree frogs. This is my first chameleon, however, and I want to do right by her. I had a very large ferret cage on hand, and encased it with screen I bought from Lowe's. Searching my storage unit, I found I had plenty of light fixtures, and I have ordered a Reptisun 5.0 for the fluorescent fixture and an infrared heat bulb for the incandescent fixture. I put a live plant in the bottom of the cage, and lots of silk greenery and branches for her to climb on. I put her crickets in a clear plastic cup they can't climb out of and affixed the cup to the branches with a twist-tie. My cricket gut-load is at my office (where all my other herps live) but I will bring some home tomorrow, and they are eating grated carrots for now until she finishes eating them. I have a dripper water system hooked up as well.

She is very sweet, definitely a female (no spurs on the back feet), and seems to already be getting comfortable. So far, my questions are: I hear females will lay eggs regularly, so do I need anything special (sand, dirt?) in the cage for her to lay her eggs in? I'm assuming she needs calcium supplementation, should it be with D3 or without? I'm attaching a pic of her, is she full grown or will she get larger? I'm also attaching pics of her cage, and as you can see, it's plenty big enough (the white arrow in the one pic pointing to that tiny green lump is actually pointing to her in her huge cage), but you can also see I had to rig a weird opening in the screen for the door, which is mainly silver strapping tape and velcro. Any ideas on how to make this look better? Is there anything else I should do for her that I am not doing? Normally I religiously research care before getting any new pet, but obviously wasn't able to here. Happily I had a lot of stuff on hand from previous herps.

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated. I've named her Joyce.

 

[Dylan Dutz]

Hi and welcome to chameleon forums First of all your cham looks very nice and healthy! Oh and its definitely female! And to answer your questions:

1. When shes about 5-6 months old I would put in a laying spot for her, and use sand.

2. Im not a big expert on supplementation, but am guessing without D3, but not entirely sure

3. She will get a lot bigger! A little longer than a foot from snout to tip of tail when fully grown

Sorry I dont know how to make the cage opening look better though. It seems like your doing everything correctly, good job Oh and do you know the basking temp, humidity etc?

 

[wendysjungle]

No, the cage thermometer is on my list of supplies to pick up. Right now she is just basking under an incandescent 100w bulb, until the infrared basking bulb I ordered arrives (should be here Tuesday, along with the Reptisun 5.0 fluorescent). I'm glad to hear I'm doing right by her, I've been playing catch-up learning on the net all day, but it seems there are a lot of different opinions out there! I was glad to find this site, with people who actually own chams.

She is really sweet, and ate several of her crickets a little while ago. She will sit on my hand pretty willingly, dark for a few seconds and then back to her lighter color and pretty content. I've only held her once, as I want her to get adjusted and not stress her out. She did NOT appreciate having her picture taken, poofed out her flap and gave a good hiss!

Any idea how old she might be? I'm trying to find a site that shows approximate sizes by age for veilds, but no luck so far. If they get up to 12 inches, she must be pretty young??

Thanks for your reply!

 

[Kat77]

Hi! Congratulations on the new addition to your family! She is a gorgeous little girl! I would probably be sure that the plants you have in your enclosure are chameleon safe, as veileds have a tendancy to munch on their vegitation. Ficus, pothos and scheffelra (*pardon my spelling) are good choices, as well as hibiscus, which are a little less hearty. As for supplementation, I would get a supplement with D3 to be used once a week. Otherwise, I use Minerall 0 and herptivite. Twice a week for each of those. Everyone seems to have different supplement schedules for their chameleons, though. I would put a bucket with moistened play sand and organic soil in her enclosure once she reaches sexual maturity...probably around six months of age. It is tough to tell how old she is from the photo, but could you tell us how long she is from snout to vent?

It sounds like you have lots of experience with herps and a great start on your chameleon collection (you can't have just one!), good luck!

 

[ChrisnLisa]

Congrats on finding her...and thank goodness someone who cares enough to do research found her. For a laying site we use a big plastic tub full of 1/2 sand aand 1/2 orgainic potting soil. Mix enough water so that it is damp and can hold a tunnel...not real wet though. Your cage looks plenty big to put one in there. Also make sure it is at least 12" deep and wide enough for her to be able to turn around completely in.

Dripper is good...also a good idea to mist about 3x a day. No need for a special bulb. A regular household bulb works great (and is a lot cheaper too).

For supplements you will need calcium w/d3, calcium w/o, and a vitamin like herptivite. How much d3 will depend on how often you are able to take her into the sun for natural sunlight.

I suggest a digital temp/hum gauge. Temp guns are good if you have the extra money for one.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

 

[danielle609]

Right now she is just basking under an incandescent 100w bulb, until the infrared basking bulb I ordered arrives (should be here Tuesday, along with the Reptisun 5.0 fluorescent).
Thanks for your reply!

I believe that most will agree that you should continue to use the incandescent and not the infared. I believe infared is not recommended. I think that chameleons need to be able to "see" the light. I think it provides UVA which help to stimulate certain functions such as appetite. But I am sure the "pros" will be here soon to put in some more insight!

I just want to say that I am glad that you found her! Any one else would probably be clueless and just have stuck it in a 10 gallon and called it good. I give you props for not only taking her in, but knowing how to take care of her, and finding this website to help you with the things you haven't found out yet. She looks very nice! Congrats on your new girl!!

 

[wendysjungle]

Snout to vent I'm estimating she is around 3 to 3-1/2 inches (she is having NO part of that measuring tape! ) The plant is a peace lilly (Spathiphyllum sp.) which is listed on various sites as non-toxic, and is what I have used with my gecko for many years. Let me know if there are any known issues with this plant and chams, as I'll switch it out if needed. The rest is fake greenery, which she is loving to hide in when she isn't roaming the branches (it took me a few minutes to locate her this time!).

I'll get the tub and sand tomorrow. Can you get the sand at the petstore? I actually have both types of calcium and herpivite at my office for the critters there, so I'll bring some of each home.

The red bulb I ordered, I had planned to leave on for her at night to keep warm if she needs it, and locate it next to an incandescent one during the day so she has a good warm basking spot. The cage is so big and well ventilated, I'm worried the incandescent alone won't do it. As for natural sun, she'll get some now and then, but I work such long hours that sometimes I don't get home during the week until after dark (though now that it is summer, I usually have a couple hours or so of light left), but I'll take her out on my deck with me on weekends. And I forgot to add, I have been misting her cage a couple of times a day in addition to the drip system. I got one of those bottles you hand-pump, and then press the sprayer and a fine mist shoots out. I read several places that HabbaMist is NOT worth the money.

I'm so glad I found her! Seattle is having the weirdest start to June we have ever had, most days in the 40's or 50's and lots of rain, it's like October instead of June. I can't imagine she would have lasted very long out there! It's so cruel, why would anybody do that?? I mean, you could put up a flyer that said "Free Chameleon" and she would have found a home. Maybe a lousy one, but at least she wouldn't have been left outside to die!

 

[Justin Carl]

Lucky Joice!

Welcome to chameleon forums Wendy.
Congrats on the new find!
Joyce sure is lucky to find a fellow herp enthusiast like yourself, or is it the other way around?

Well, it would seem like you have most of the basics down.
Lighting is a huge issue with these animals or any sun worshiper.
You already know that they need UVB, so your on track with the Reptisun 5.0.
The infared heatbulb needs to go.
Which most of the other memebers have alreads said that.
Its not that they cant see the light, it's that they dont recognize it as a heat source.
Chameleons can actually see more light then we can.
Anyways, stick with the incadesent and you will be fine.
Also, you dont need a heat lamp for at night with these guys.
Maybe if it drops below 60 degrees, but my guys have been out when it was much colder then that.

Yes, in captivity, female Veileds will lay several clutches a year without mating.
Usually 3-4 and are short lived.
If you can control her food consumption, then their is a good chance that you can eliminate all egglaying or atleast keep the clutches small.
5-6 crickets everyother day will keep clutch size down.

Everyones advice has been good so far with an egglaying container.

Supplementation...
This is very important because the feeders that we use have a 1:2 or less calcium to phosphorous ratio.
It needs to be at 2:1 calcium to phosphorous, which can be accomplished with dusting.
You have a female, so she will be producing eggs and maybe sooner then you think.
She looks to be about the right size for laying eggs.
I would supplement most feedings with a phosporous free calcium without D3.
Two times per month with a phosphorous free calcium with D3
Two times per month with a multivitain like herptivite
You could also use Sticky Tounge Farms MinerAll(O), No D3 formula and a product like Sandfires T-Rex Chameleon Formula. Sandfires T-Rex Chameleon Formula, I think, is a great product when used once or twice per month. It dosent have as much D3 as RepCals product, so dont worry.
Be warned, your chameleon can overdose on D3.
So dont dust liberally with it.
They dont need to look like little ghost crickets.
All that is need is a small coat on 1/3-1/2 of the feeders that day.

As for you cage...
I only a couple of little problems.
Crickets can chew holes in porch screen, so it's not bug proof.
Do you have dirt at the bottom?
If you do, then it will turn into mud with heavy mistings and a dripper.
Make sure your plants are nontoxic aswell.

Hope i didnt miss anything.

 

[ken2414]

wow! that is a big cage! she should love it!! as for age i would guess no more than 4.5 months. my little girl is 6 months and is about 6.5 inches long. She bit me with gloves on which is good that i was wearing them. eventually she will probably hate you like mine have you picked out a name? i didnt see one.

 

[littlevillage]

What a great find! Congrats. Sounds like Joyce is going to be very happy in her new home.

 

[wendysjungle]

Thanks so much everyone for all your help!

Let's see, first I want to be sure I am describing the "infrared" bulb accurately, as it is labeled "infrared" but is really just a plain old incandescnet bulb with red glass instead of white (allowing them to charge 10 times as much for it!). Do I really need to get rid of it, or can't I just use it next to a regular incandescent for extra heat, with the white incandescent providing the recognizable light?

Yes to Ken, I named her Joyce.

Good to know no heat is needed at night, my place never drops below 60, so I'll make sure the timer shuts everything off at night.

The crickets won't be chewing any holes in the screen because I took the suggestion from another site and put them in a 24 oz clear platic cup which I affix to one of the branches. The crickets can't climb out of the cup, and Joyce just sits on her branch, leans her face into the cup, and aims. She got the hang of it very quickly, and has been chowing on crickets. I love it because there are no chirping little escapees roaming around my house!

Another question, how do you guys offer fruit and greens? Do you attach a dish to a branch so it's up high? She has explored the big plant on the bottom of the cage a little, but otherwise spends all her time on the high branches (and sleeps curled up behind a leaf at the VERY top of the cage!). Where should I put the greens and fruit?

I have the dripper situated so that it drips down to water the big plant at the bottom. The rest of the bottom of my cage has Zoo Med Eco Earth, which the petstore and everything I read assured me she will pass without harm if she happens to swallow any (It comes in a brick, and you soak it in water to expand it into substrate. Made from very finely ground coconut fiber, nontoxic, and herps can pass it. I used to use it with my iguanas and turtles.)

She's eating more crickets at the moment. Whoever came up with the plastic cup idea was a genius!

 

[BocaJan]

What a lovely way to adopt a pet. Sounds like she found you!. I have a little girl veiled chami 3 1/2" from nose to vent and she is 4 1/2 months old and still a sweetie. She will still crawl onto my hand when I put it into her cage and is pretty sweet. I am hoping that she stays that way. I have a 3 1/2 month old who has the personality of a mad dog. LOL

Good luck with your little lady. Sounds like she has a very caring "Mom".

 

[bluegoldfish]

Aww what a cutie! and very lucky cham to have been found by you. good luck with her care

 

[Brad Ramsey]

You're doing great!
How lucky for both of you that you discovered her ... how nice for you that she is a female ... you should never experience the frustration of a hunger strike with her (the girls are little piggies).
You must monitor her food though, as they will become fat and go into egg production too often.
I have some good info to offer here:

http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/

Of particular interest will be Lynda's article on keeping female veileds.

-Brad

 

[wendysjungle]

Thanks Brad, GREAT article!! I've printed it out to follow! I especially like that I may be able to keep her egg production down and extend her life. I can't believe how in love with her I am already. I'm very happy she found me!

 

[Kat77]

Hi again Wendy! I was just on another site looking at lists of chameleon safe plants (I need a ton of plants!) and I saw the Peace Lilly listed under toxic plants. I thought I had heard that before but wasn't sure. I just thought I would let you know, just in case. Wouldn't want her munching on toxic plants!

 

[wendysjungle]

Wow, can you tell me what site that is on? I must have seen it listed as safe on three different sites (though they are toxic to cats). I'll check out the site, and get the thing out of there if I need to. I'll have to take it to my office, as I can't have it anywhere else in the house where my cats might munch on it.

Thanks!!!!

 

[wendysjungle]

Thanks Kat77 for getting me that list, the peace lilly is gone and the schleffera is in place! Joyce turned dark and hissed at all the commotion, but she is happy and green again now. Whew!