Healthy Veiled Chameleon?

[GabeCastro]

Hey Chameleon Forums!

New to the site, not sure where i'm suppose to post these type of questions at. So sorry if it's in the wrong thread. I've never owned a cham, i've had a few iguanas, beardies, dozens of snakes, tortoises, water turtles, etc. I understand what it takes to care for a cham and i've done some research about them. I plan on having a cham within this next week so please, any advice, links to care sheets, etc will help.

I plan on getting a veiled chameleon on Monday from a local seller. I wanted to have a few people look at the chameleon and see if he's healthy or not. I'm interested in getting him so before i make the commitment i want to make sure he looks healthy. I've never really seen a veiled chameleon with his color, so this is why i wanted to reach out to you guys.

What i want is positive feedback, and to make sure he looks fine in the pics. Also to get alittle info on what to look at when handeling the cham when i meet up on Monday.

A little info about the cham:
Male Veiled Chameleon
Age: About a year old
Color: Seller stated "Green, yellow, purple...I'm not sure but his comfortable colors are brown."

Attached are a few pictures of him, not the best but please let me know if you see anything wrong with him.

 

[reptilover]

The pics do make it hard to determin for sure but he appears well.. the colors are interesting on this one.
Things to look for. strong grip and straight limbs. No mouth defects make sure his "lips" look straight and sealed. Eye turrets nice and full moving around. Make sure he's not sleeping during the day. Adult veileds tend to be awfully lazy so activity is hard to judge unless ur there for misting and feeding times when activity is most promenent.

 

[GabeCastro]

Thank you so much for the info!

I was just worried by his skin color, like i said i've never seen anything like him. He was kept in a 24x24x36 full mesh enclosure w/ UVA/UVB light, Basking light, dripper, and a MistKing all set on a timer. So from the sound of the owner he seemed like he would be healthy. Also just got done shedding, so maybe that has to do with his color being unique?

 

[reptilover]

Thank you so much for the info!

I was just worried by his skin color, like i said i've never seen anything like him. He was kept in a 24x24x36 full mesh enclosure w/ UVA/UVB light, Basking light, dripper, and a MistKing all set on a timer. So from the sound of the owner he seemed like he would be healthy. Also just got done shedding, so maybe that has to do with his color being unique?

That very well could be the case. and does sound like hes in an adiquate set up. Though 48" tall is usually considered a minimum for male veileds.
Find out what hes been feeding and what his supplementig schedual is like.. and maybe some better pics. ive never seen a veiled with such orange and red as those pics appear.

 

[GabeCastro]

Alright, i'll see if i can get more pics tonight. I'll also look around for a 4ft enclosure around my area. Maybe i can find a good deal on one.

I asked about if i would need to purchase any supplements such as calcium w/ no D3, and Multivitamins and the seller said he has all of that. Forgot to ask if he gut loads the crickets for the cham aswell, figured i would get into that type of detail when we meet up on Monday evening.

I'll be sure to update this thread with his conditions and when i set up his new home. Been really excited to get one! Thanks again retilover!

 

[reptilover]

Not a problem bud that's wat were here for.
U may find deals on cages in our classified section. Or i personally recommend the 4ft tall by 2ft by 2ft cage from LLLREPTILE.com its 100 bucks and i love it. Or build ur own is very popular.

 

[Alexl]

Taking a look at this chameleon, I would definitely worry lot more about his weight. His casque already looks very bulged and plump. And he has this - I call it "chubby cheeks" - I often see in obese chameleons. Could be he's beeing overfed for a while now, which could cause damaged organs. Unfortunately, most pet stores (and even a lot of owners) overvalue a chameleon's nutritional requirement. Mammals use about 70% of their energy to keep temperature at the same level. Reptiles need not to do so, therefore they need a lot less food. They digestion follows the environmental temperatures and they can easily have a week or more without any food at all. I would advice you to ask the seller about feeding 'til now (which feeders and how much) to see if this was quite too much. Maybe you want to take a look at this posting, too. It's about casque size and experiences I've made with bulged casques in chameleons.

 

[GabeCastro]

thanks for the advice Alexl. I ended up not getting him, he didn't seem too healthy to me, and a bit aggressive. I ended up going to a local pet store and picking up a Panther Chameleon.