Hello, I'm new to Chameleons ^^

[LianaLizard]

I got my Veiled about a week ago, I still don't know whether it's a boy or a girl. PetCo isn't very good at helping out with Chameleons..
How do I know?
I'm crossing my fingers it's a guy, and I call Iro "he" all the time.
I hear that girl Chameleons must lay eggs or they'll die, that's the last thing I want. I wish for Iro to live for at least 5 years, like "he" is supposed to.

 

[jamncristian]

check the back of his/her feet

if there is a little bump there is a boy
if there isnt its a girl

 

[jamncristian]

you should also read my blog to get a better understanding of the care required of a chameleon

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/jamncristian/256-chameleon-care.html

 

[LianaLizard]

check the back of his/her feet

if there is a little bump there is a boy
if there isnt its a girl

will it be really obvious if there's a bump?

 

[Carlton]

Sounds like you have a lot of research to do! Female veileds don't necessarily die from laying infertile eggs or without mating, but there are things you need to be prepared for. They can start producing infertile eggs even though they've never seen a male. You can provide them with a deep bin of damp soil/sand mix so they can dig and lay the eggs. Some females never produce eggs at all and there is some evidence if you don't overfeed them the clutches they will produce are smaller (much safer for her anyway).

Read the forum's sticky messages about basic cham care, and look for the article "Raising Kitty the Veiled Chameleon". It will get you on the right track.

 

[LianaLizard]

you should also read my blog to get a better understanding of the care required of a chameleon

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/jamncristian/256-chameleon-care.html

I know how to care for a Chameleon, I just don't know mine's gender.

 

[LianaLizard]

Sounds like you have a lot of research to do! Female veileds don't necessarily die from laying infertile eggs or without mating, but there are things you need to be prepared for. They can start producing infertile eggs even though they've never seen a male. You can provide them with a deep bin of damp soil/sand mix so they can dig and lay the eggs. Some females never produce eggs at all and there is some evidence if you don't overfeed them the clutches they will produce are smaller (much safer for her anyway).

Read the forum's sticky messages about basic cham care, and look for the article "Raising Kitty the Veiled Chameleon". It will get you on the right track.

thank you very much!

 

[cslinca]

Do you have pics of your new baby

 

[jamncristian]

will it be really obvious if there's a bump?

it will be somewhat obvious
it is small but big enough for you to notice

 

[LianaLizard]

Do you have pics of your new baby

I'm gonna try to get better ones up soon, but for now all I have is my camera phone, I'ma sneak my dad's cannon

 

[LianaLizard]

it will be somewhat obvious
it is small but big enough for you to notice

alright...
I think it's a girl :/
thank you.

 

[jamncristian]

its alright that she is a girl
because I have seen some gorgeous female chameleons

you will need to keep her temps lower and feed her less when she matures
so she will not produce large egg clutches and possibilly become eggbound

 

[LianaLizard]

its alright that she is a girl
because I have seen some gorgeous female chameleons

you will need to keep her temps lower and feed her less when she matures
so she will not produce large egg clutches and possibilly become eggbound

I'm definitely not mad that she's a female because of her looks, she's very cute and I know she'll be pretty when she's older. I'm just scared about the egg part. How would I keep the temperature down? She seems to always be trying to get close to the heat lamp.

 

[kinyonga]

I use a double fluorescent hood on baby veileds...I use a long linear Repti-sun 5.0 in one side and a regular fluorescent in the other side of it. This usually produces temperatures in the low 80's which is what I prefer for both male and female hatchling veileds. I continue this lighting into adulthood for the females (but provide the males with a basking light when they are adults.)

Once the females are sexually mature, I watch their diet too...not overfeeding them helps to stop them from producing large clutches and if the food is controlled "properly" (not starving them but not overfeeding them either) they will usually not produce any eggs.

In general, if your husbandry is good the females shouldn't have egglaying issues unless there is a physical reason (deformed/fused eggs, eggs that have grown too large to lay due to them being watched while digging or no proper place in the cage for them to dig to show you they are ready, uterine deformations, etc.).

 

[LianaLizard]

I use a double fluorescent hood on baby veileds...I use a long linear Repti-sun 5.0 in one side and a regular fluorescent in the other side of it. This usually produces temperatures in the low 80's which is what I prefer for both male and female hatchling veileds. I continue this lighting into adulthood for the females (but provide the males with a basking light when they are adults.)

Once the females are sexually mature, I watch their diet too...not overfeeding them helps to stop them from producing large clutches and if the food is controlled "properly" (not starving them but not overfeeding them either) they will usually not produce any eggs.

In general, if your husbandry is good the females shouldn't have egglaying issues unless there is a physical reason (deformed/fused eggs, eggs that have grown too large to lay due to them being watched while digging or no proper place in the cage for them to dig to show you they are ready, uterine deformations, etc.).

thank you, this helps me a lot.