Help New veiled chameleon owner

[Ccat1972]

I just got our boy on Sept 29,2025 from a cousin that bought him from a Petstore (PS) in March and they told her that he was a month or so old then. They sold her their Chameleon kit( shudder) and she had been feeding him crickets and Dudia’s on occasions. She wasn’t giving him vitamins or calcium. I started building him a custom build 2x2x4 enclosure, but that went south fast. So I opted to just buy a reptibreeze xl enclosure and customize it. I changed out the bottom to lexiplate and put in a bar sink drain in the center, and I put the window film on the top door, both sides and the back as to make it a hybrid enclosure. I was having a very hard time keeping the temp and humidity correct in the small glass enclosure so I’m hoping now I can get it to the correct temp and humidity with this. I just got him in this enclosure yesterday. So I’m keeping an eye on it. I have all of the recommended lights and a homemade dripper. I have been feeding him dubias , crickets and for treats hornworms, mealworms and wax worms. I also have been dusting his food with his vitamins once a week and on the other days calcium. His poops have been the was Neptune said they needed to be. I also have all live plants in his enclosure. Please let me know from the pictures if I have the proper amount/size branches? He’s not venturing very far( I son know if that is because he hasn’t realized that he can yet or if my plant placements have him cut off from moving much( note he had absolutely no room to roam in his old enclosure! He was stuck to just one branch that was the basking branch.) I have a few plants in the bottom that I need to put in bigger pots and put somewhere. I would love feedback on what or if I need to do anything different. Thank you in advance! Oh and Skittles has formed a bond with my 16 yr old autistic son and myself! He freely climbs on our hand and up our arms straight for our heads( so far I have gotten lucky and he hasn’t popped on me yet, maybe I should knock on some wood now, lol). Last picture is of his old enclosure!
Thank you in advance for all advice!
Casey, Nate and Skittles

 

[IrohtheVeiled]

Hi and welcome

I’m sure someone will drop the husbandry form soon! Once you fill that out the form can help you in more detail

You already made vast improvements. Once your plants grow in you seem to have a solid foundation for the rest of your cage.

To answer your question about branches, you certainly could add more.

Also your vitamin schedule should be 1x/14 days I usually just do the 1st and the 15th to make it easy to remember. Make sure the calcium you have does not have d3 in it.

 

[IrohtheVeiled]

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
• Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
• Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

--------------

Please Note:

1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
2. Photos can be very helpful.

 

[IrohtheVeiled]

https://chameleonacademy.com/choosing-and-arranging-branches/

 

[Beman]

Welcome to the forum. Copy and paste the husbandry review form into your reply and fill it out to ensure you have the right husbandry info.

Per your boy as already mentioned you have made wonderful improvements. But he has pretty significant MBD. I would recommend getting him in with a reptile vet. He may need liquid calcium supplementation that the vet will provide. Need to be able to stop the progression and strengthen the bones.

 

[Ccat1972]

Hi and welcome

I’m sure someone will drop the husbandry form soon! Once you fill that out the form can help you in more detail

You already made vast improvements. Once your plants grow in you seem to have a solid foundation for the rest of your cage.

To answer your question about branches, you certainly could add more.

Also your vitamin schedule should be 1x/14 days I usually just do the 1st and the 15th to make it easy to remember. Make sure the calcium you have does not have d3 in it.

His reptivit has D3, his calcium doesn’t have D3.
Thank you for your feedback! I do appreciate it!

 

[kinyonga]

Definitely has MBD.
If it hasn’t been addressed, it needs to be corrected asap.
Were his front legs bent like that when you got him?if so, you should talk to the store about it. They should not have been selling a chameleon with MBD, IMHO.

It’s mostly a matter of strengthening the bones again and then keeping them strong by correcting the husbandry.

What UVB bulb are you using? Is it the long linear fluorescent type tube light?

What specific calcium poster are you using? Does it contain phosphorus? (I know you said it has no D3). How often do you use it?

How often do you use the vitamins?

What do you feed/gut load the insects with…please be specific?
What insects do you feed to the chameleon?

 

[Ccat1972]

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
• Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
• Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - Veiled Chameleon, male, his estimated age is 9 to 10 months old, I have had him for almost a month.
• Handling - We handle him maybe once or twice a week if that. We handle him when he wants to come onto our hand when offered. No forcing him at all.
• Feeding - We feed him crickets, debia roaches, horn worms, meal worms and wax worms as treats. 3 to 4 sometimes 5 every other day. Treats maybe 1 to 2 times a week. I gut- load 12 to 24 hrs before feeding and that consist of a mixture of kale, collards, mustard, turnip greens, apple, orange, carrots, mango, bee pollen, gut loading supplement( I have this ground up all together and frozen) I give them a cube to eat before feeding them to him.
• Supplements - so meds reptivite reptile vitamin with D3 1x a week, zoo med repticalcium without D3 3x a week
• Watering - I have a homemade dripper. I mist in the morning with a spray mister, and once at night. I just got a mister machine installed in his enclosure last night, trying to work out some issues with it. I haven’t seen him drink.
• Fecal Description - His poop is brown with white and a creamy yellow stuff with it. I don’t know if the previous owner or the pet store ever had him treated or checked for parasites. I have set him up a vet appointment for this next Wednesday.
• History - My cousin bought him from a Petsmart in March of 2025, the store told them he was maybe a month or so old at the time of purchase. They sold her the glass enclosure kit. She didn’t give him vitamins or calcium, and she fed him crickets and dubia roaches gut- loaded on potatoes. She had a waterfall in the enclosure and had the heat lamp and white bulb that came with the kit. She had 2 live pothos in the enclosure and a fake plant. She didn’t mist, and there weren’t designated branches. He had only 1 branch he could really be on and was just there.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - The cage I just got him in is a reptibreeze XL that I covered the sides and back in window film and then covered that with white corroplast. The door is covered in window film only. Bottom door and top are screen. Size is 2x2x4. His previous cage was glass all but the top and that was screen. It was 12x12x17
• Lighting - vivarium electronics 24” LED day/night 4290 lumens 12hr during the day, zoo med T5 HO 5.0 bulb 12 hrs during the day, zoo med basking light 60w bulb for 3 hrs in the morning.
• Temperature - basking are 82 degrees, middle 78 degrees , bottom 76 degrees. I’m not sure about night time temp. I keep my thermostat at 70 degrees. Temperature gun.
• Humidity - 40-50% during the day, at night it has been not as high as it needed to be. I don’t know yet what it ran since the new enclosure. Misting and dripper during the day. An I misted at night right after his lights turned off. A hygrometer that has a sensor in the enclosure.
• Plants - alive plants, pothos (Golden and marble queen), Swiss cheese philodendron,pink polka dot,purple rose, rattlesnake plant,creeping fig, Petra croton
• Placement - It is in my son’s room, not near any fans or vents. Isolated just to him and myself, top of cage is 6’10” from the floor
• Location - Deep East Texas in a town called Lufkin

Current Problem - I just want to know if his enclosure is good as far as amount of branches? Why would he not venture around in his new enclosure? Are the plants placement keeping him from moving up and down his branches any info and suggestions are needed please.

 

[Ccat1972]

Definitely has MBD.
If it hasn’t been addressed, it needs to be corrected asap.
Were his front legs bent like that when you got him?if so, you should talk to the store about it. They should not have been selling a chameleon with MBD, IMHO.

It’s mostly a matter of strengthening the bones again and then keeping them strong by correcting the husbandry.

What UVB bulb are you using? Is it the long linear fluorescent type tube light?

What specific calcium poster are you using? Does it contain phosphorus? (I know you said it has no D3). How often do you use it?

How often do you use the vitamins?

What do you feed/gut load the insects with…please be specific?
What insects do you feed to the chameleon?

I just posted the filled out husbandry form with all of those answered, I don’t think the vitamins have phosphorus in them, they have phosphate. I give that to him 1 time a week the other 3 feedings I dust with calcium and that is just pure calcium. I didn’t buy him. I got him from a cousin that bought him from the store. His feet were like that when I got him. I have a vet appointment scheduled for this next Wednesday was the earliest they could get him in.

Definitely has MBD.
If it hasn’t been addressed, it needs to be corrected asap.
Were his front legs bent like that when you got him?if so, you should talk to the store about it. They should not have been selling a chameleon with MBD, IMHO.

It’s mostly a matter of strengthening the bones again and then keeping them strong by correcting the husbandry.

What UVB bulb are you using? Is it the long linear fluorescent type tube light?

What specific calcium poster are you using? Does it contain phosphorus? (I know you said it has no D3). How often do you use it?

How often do you use the vitamins?

What do you feed/gut load the insects with…please be specific?
What insects do you feed to the chameleon?

 

[Ccat1972]

Definitely has MBD.
If it hasn’t been addressed, it needs to be corrected asap.
Were his front legs bent like that when you got him?if so, you should talk to the store about it. They should not have been selling a chameleon with MBD, IMHO.

It’s mostly a matter of strengthening the bones again and then keeping them strong by correcting the husbandry.

What UVB bulb are you using? Is it the long linear fluorescent type tube light?

What specific calcium poster are you using? Does it contain phosphorus? (I know you said it has no D3). How often do you use it?

How often do you use the vitamins?

What do you feed/gut load the insects with…please be specific?
What insects do you feed to the chameleon?

Have you had a chance to read my answers on my husbandry form? I really want to do everything I can to help my boy! In the short time I’ve had him I have formed quite a an attachment to him. I want to give him everything he needs as best as I can. His early part of his life hasn’t been the best, so I want to make it better from here on out. After you and the other people told me that he does have MBD, I immediately started looking for a reptile veterinary here in my area. Luckily I found one and have in an appointment set up for this Wednesday. Can you please tell me if I’m doing things correctly per my form. Also how can you tell he has MBD by the pictures? What are the signs of MBD? I want my baby healthy.
Thank you in advance!

 

[MissSkittles]

Have you had a chance to read my answers on my husbandry form? I really want to do everything I can to help my boy! In the short time I’ve had him I have formed quite a an attachment to him. I want to give him everything he needs as best as I can. His early part of his life hasn’t been the best, so I want to make it better from here on out. After you and the other people told me that he does have MBD, I immediately started looking for a reptile veterinary here in my area. Luckily I found one and have in an appointment set up for this Wednesday. Can you please tell me if I’m doing things correctly per my form. Also how can you tell he has MBD by the pictures? What are the signs of MBD? I want my baby healthy.
Thank you in advance!

Hi. I haven’t done more than skim thru your post and saw that many have offered assistance. If you give me a bit of time, I’ll go thru it all more carefully and do your full husbandry review.

 

[Ccat1972]

Hi. I haven’t done more than skim thru your post and saw that many have offered assistance. If you give me a bit of time, I’ll go thru it all more carefully and do your full husbandry review.

Sure thing! I do appreciate it greatly!
Thank you!!!

 

[MissSkittles]

I’ll be putting my feedback in bold and since I tend to talk way too much, I’ll split this into two parts.
Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - Veiled Chameleon, male, his estimated age is 9 to 10 months old, I have had him for almost a month.
• Handling - We handle him maybe once or twice a week if that. We handle him when he wants to come onto our hand when offered. No forcing him at all. Very good. Veileds are well known for developing attitude once fully mature, so do be prepared for him to not want you near him except for food. Of course there are exceptions and you may have a sweetheart. I’ve only had 2 male veileds and found both to be more shy than anything. It’s my girls who are fierce. This is a great blog to build and continue to reinforce trust. https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/building-trust-with-your-chameleon.2396/
• Feeding - We feed him crickets, debia roaches, horn worms, meal worms and wax worms as treats. 3 to 4 sometimes 5 every other day. Treats maybe 1 to 2 times a week. The amount is good, but maybe go a bit more to 4-5 feeders. He’s still got a bit of growing to do, plus he’s likely a good sized fella. Do eliminate the mealworms though. Something like bsfl or silkworms are much much better. Grasshoppers are another fantastic feeder. Currently there are only two sources for them - Kai Phan on Facebook and https://dragonhoppers.com/ Chams really love the hoppers. I do caution against catching your own as wild bugs can be exposed to unknown toxins and such. I’ll attach some graphics for you. I gut- load 12 to 24 hrs before feeding and that consist of a mixture of kale, collards, mustard, turnip greens, apple, orange, carrots, mango, bee pollen, gut loading supplement( I have this ground up all together and frozen) I give them a cube to eat before feeding them to him. Okay. Maybe next time you make some, hold the kale. It’s one of the greens that is higher in oxalates which bind to calcium.
• Supplements - so meds reptivite reptile vitamin with D3 1x a week, zoo med repticalcium without D3 3x a week Right supplements, wrong schedule. You want to lightly dust every feeding with the calcium without D3, except one feeding every other week in which you’ll be using the ReptiVite with D3. The Zoo Med calcium can be sticky and clumpy, so I suggest putting a tiny pinch in a tall deli cup, add your feeders and let them move around in it and dust themselves, rather than shaking it on them. The vet may prescribe a special calcium for him. Also, just to give you a bit of fyi. The ReptiVite contains preformed vitamin A and this, like the D3 is a fat soluble vitamin. This means it isn’t so quickly processed and eliminated by the body and can build up to toxic levels. Due to this, we are careful not to give more than once every other week, or twice a month if preferred. There is another type of vitamin A, which is proformed that is water soluble. However, we aren’t sure of chameleons are able to fully or at all utilize it.
• Watering - I have a homemade dripper. I mist in the morning with a spray mister, and once at night. I just got a mister machine installed in his enclosure last night, trying to work out some issues with it. I haven’t seen him drink. Very good. Many chameleons are secret drinkers, so you may never see him drink, and that’s ok. Do look to his urate to determine his hydration status. All or mostly white or cream colored is well hydrated. A little yellow or orange on one end is ok, as long as less than half is dark.
• Fecal Description - His poop is brown with white and a creamy yellow stuff with it. The creamy yellow is the urate. I don’t know if the previous owner or the pet store ever had him treated or checked for parasites. I have set him up a vet appointment for this next Wednesday. Definitely take the freshest poo simple you can get. Anything older than 24 hrs is too old. You can store it in the fridge if needed.
• History - My cousin bought him from a Petsmart in March of 2025, the store told them he was maybe a month or so old at the time of purchase. They sold her the glass enclosure kit. She didn’t give him vitamins or calcium, and she fed him crickets and dubia roaches gut- loaded on potatoes. She had a waterfall in the enclosure and had the heat lamp and white bulb that came with the kit. She had 2 live pothos in the enclosure and a fake plant. She didn’t mist, and there weren’t designated branches. He had only 1 branch he could really be on and was just there. Very sad start for this handsome guy. We often realize too late that while the pet store employees may try and mean well, they often haven’t much of a clue on correct husbandry needs for exotics. I hope it has brought your cousin some peace knowing that you’re taking such amazing care of Skittles.
• 
  

 

[MissSkittles]

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - The cage I just got him in is a reptibreeze XL that I covered the sides and back in window film and then covered that with white corroplast. The door is covered in window film only. Bottom door and top are screen. Size is 2x2x4. Excellent and I’m so glad that you upgraded him so quickly. I also see that you have Dragon Ledges, so that tells me you’ve definitely done some ‘homework’. I do have to encourage everyone to further upgrade to larger or double wide size enclosures if at all possible. Obviously, not many are able to do that, but I have to put it out there just in case. His previous cage was glass all but the top and that was screen. It was 12x12x17
• Lighting - vivarium electronics 24” LED day/night 4290 lumens 12hr during the day, zoo med T5 HO 5.0 bulb Is this a linear bulb or screw in type? Hard to see from your pics. 12 hrs during the day, zoo med basking light 60w bulb for 3 hrs in the morning. Okay. What are the temps ranging throughout the day? Are they staying in the mid to high 70’s or above, or dropping below that?
• Temperature - basking are 82 degrees, since he’s a he, you could bump basking up to 85 if desired. 82 is perfectly fine though. middle 78 degrees , bottom 76 degrees. I’m not sure about night time temp. I keep my thermostat at 70 degrees. GoodTemperature gun. Do add a thermometer/hygrometer with a wired probe end too. The temp guns can only measure surface temps and not air temps.
• Humidity - 40-50% during the day, at night it has been not as high as it needed to be. Daytime numbers are good. While it is ideal to boost humidity at night, not everyone can or should. Your night temp of 70 is right on the line. Generally you don’t want to boost humidity at night unless temps are below 68-70 as it can increase the risks for respiratory infection. I would say it’s ok to do a slight humidity increase at night, but try to keep it below around 70-80%. I don’t know yet what it ran since the new enclosure. Misting and dripper during the day. An I misted at night right after his lights turned off. A hygrometer that has a sensor in the enclosure.
• Plants - alive plants, pothos (Golden and marble queen), Swiss cheese philodendron,pink polka dot,purple rose, rattlesnake plant,creeping fig, Petra croton not familiar with purple rose - is this a rose plant that has purple flowers? If so, I’d say to remove it. The rattlesnake plant is a calathea, which is on a safe plant list but not veiled-tested. Do be prepared for the high possibility that Skittles may eat some of his plants and try to have some back ups ready. I’m always starting new pothos from clippings, which is super easy. Tradescantia zebrina is a great plant to add a small pop of color and is also super easy to start new ones from clippings.
• Placement - It is in my son’s room, not near any fans or vents. Isolated just to him and myself, top of cage is 6’10” from the floor Excellent! Height is safety for chameleons.
• Location - Deep East Texas in a town called Lufkin

Current Problem - I just want to know if his enclosure is good as far as amount of branches? I would add some more branches, making sure that he can easily fit in between them. Another option is to use a bendy vine and have it provide almost like a circular ramp for him to easily reach lower levels if desired. Fluker’s thicker vines are great. Avoid the black Exo Terra ones - they can shed micro-particles that always end up in eyes. Why would he not venture around in his new enclosure? For the most part, chameleons don’t really utilize their lower levels very much and stick to the higher area. Males will often perform perimeter patrols once fully mature. Are the plants placement keeping him from moving up and down his branches any info and suggestions are needed please. I’d be more inclined to believe he just needs some time, not just to get fully comfortable and settled in, but also to reach optimal health and feel good, strong and healthy. You are definitely on the right track to that goal and just need a few tweaks to husbandry, along with the vet visit.
I mentioned already about upgrading his enclosure size, but another idea that you might want to think about if it’s possible is setting up a free range area where he can have some time outside of the enclosure. If you have cats or dogs, this might not be a good or safe idea.

 

[kinyonga]

You got an excellent husbandry from @MissSkittles …she does awesome reviews!

You said…”Also how can you tell he has MBD by the pictures? What are the signs of MBD?”….in the first photo you posted of him, see how just down the arm from the elbow towards the wrist there is a bump…that’s a indication of MBD. It’s likely broken there.

To correct MBD you need to make sure the supplements, gutloading, UVB and even other husbandry parameters are right as well as giving him extra calcium in a proper form to correct all the imbalances. Once that’s done, you need to continue to provide proper husbandry and you can drop the extra calcium you will be using. The been in the arm and any other damage won’t be fixed…but the chameleon should be able to live a long healthy life after.

A good reptile vet should be able to give you the calcium and test to see that the bones become strong again.

Usually, a liquid calcium is given because it absorbs better, along with the proper way of dusting and gutloading the insects…and getting the proper UVB and even real sunlight (not through glass), etc. vitamin A needs to be in a prEformed source as well.

More in a bit…my battery needs recharging.

 

[Ccat1972]

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - The cage I just got him in is a reptibreeze XL that I covered the sides and back in window film and then covered that with white corroplast. The door is covered in window film only. Bottom door and top are screen. Size is 2x2x4. Excellent and I’m so glad that you upgraded him so quickly. I also see that you have Dragon Ledges, so that tells me you’ve definitely done some ‘homework’. I do have to encourage everyone to further upgrade to larger or double wide size enclosures if at all possible. Obviously, not many are able to do that, but I have to put it out there just in case. His previous cage was glass all but the top and that was screen. It was 12x12x17
• Lighting - vivarium electronics 24” LED day/night 4290 lumens 12hr during the day, zoo med T5 HO 5.0 bulb Is this a linear bulb or screw in type? Hard to see from your pics. 12 hrs during the day, zoo med basking light 60w bulb for 3 hrs in the morning. Okay. What are the temps ranging throughout the day? Are they staying in the mid to high 70’s or above, or dropping below that?
• Temperature - basking are 82 degrees, since he’s a he, you could bump basking up to 85 if desired. 82 is perfectly fine though. middle 78 degrees , bottom 76 degrees. I’m not sure about night time temp. I keep my thermostat at 70 degrees. GoodTemperature gun. Do add a thermometer/hygrometer with a wired probe end too. The temp guns can only measure surface temps and not air temps.
• Humidity - 40-50% during the day, at night it has been not as high as it needed to be. Daytime numbers are good. While it is ideal to boost humidity at night, not everyone can or should. Your night temp of 70 is right on the line. Generally you don’t want to boost humidity at night unless temps are below 68-70 as it can increase the risks for respiratory infection. I would say it’s ok to do a slight humidity increase at night, but try to keep it below around 70-80%. I don’t know yet what it ran since the new enclosure. Misting and dripper during the day. An I misted at night right after his lights turned off. A hygrometer that has a sensor in the enclosure.
• Plants - alive plants, pothos (Golden and marble queen), Swiss cheese philodendron,pink polka dot,purple rose, rattlesnake plant,creeping fig, Petra croton not familiar with purple rose - is this a rose plant that has purple flowers? If so, I’d say to remove it. The rattlesnake plant is a calathea, which is on a safe plant list but not veiled-tested. Do be prepared for the high possibility that Skittles may eat some of his plants and try to have some back ups ready. I’m always starting new pothos from clippings, which is super easy. Tradescantia zebrina is a great plant to add a small pop of color and is also super easy to start new ones from clippings.
• Placement - It is in my son’s room, not near any fans or vents. Isolated just to him and myself, top of cage is 6’10” from the floor Excellent! Height is safety for chameleons.
• Location - Deep East Texas in a town called Lufkin

Current Problem - I just want to know if his enclosure is good as far as amount of branches? I would add some more branches, making sure that he can easily fit in between them. Another option is to use a bendy vine and have it provide almost like a circular ramp for him to easily reach lower levels if desired. Fluker’s thicker vines are great. Avoid the black Exo Terra ones - they can shed micro-particles that always end up in eyes. Why would he not venture around in his new enclosure? For the most part, chameleons don’t really utilize their lower levels very much and stick to the higher area. Males will often perform perimeter patrols once fully mature. Are the plants placement keeping him from moving up and down his branches any info and suggestions are needed please. I’d be more inclined to believe he just needs some time, not just to get fully comfortable and settled in, but also to reach optimal health and feel good, strong and healthy. You are definitely on the right track to that goal and just need a few tweaks to husbandry, along with the vet visit.
I mentioned already about upgrading his enclosure size, but another idea that you might want to think about if it’s possible is setting up a free range area where he can have some time outside of the enclosure. If you have cats or dogs, this might not be a good or safe idea.

Thank you for all of the input and information. The bulb’s I have are linear for the UVB and the plant light. The daytime temps are staying in the mid to high 70’s. I have a temperature/hygrometer with the wired probe in the enclosure, I’ll post pictures of the lights, and the probe to make sure these are correct. I got the lights that Neptune the Chameleon suggested and has with her kit, also been watching Bill Strand, got the idea for my drainage tray from him and James.(I’ve watched so many of all of their YouTube videos I feel like I know them personally),( if only I could ever meet any of them in person would be amazing) lol big fan!!!! I do plan on expanding his enclosure eventually. I was building him one and I kept hitting roadblocks and having issues and problems, so with the price of wood and the urgency of needing to get him in a larger enclosure, I went ahead and bought the Reptibreeze XL and Dragonledges and ordered some of the recommended plants that Bill Strand suggested ( that’s why so many of them are so small(Amazon) was the only place I could find most of them, my local HomeDepot and Lowe’s only had Pothos all the other recommended ones from Neptune the Chameleon were out of season. So I still will try and find some at some of my local nurseries. Oh and yes, he does eat them! I watched him take a chomp out of one of his pothos and took a bite out of his pink polka dot plant! I told him dude easy on the pink polka dot it’s still small and needs to grow before you go chowing down on that one! Lol I will also drop the mealworms, ( can I feed him the beetles that they turn into?) I will try and order some of the grasshoppers and silkworms. How do you grow the clippings?
Thank you again! I definitely want him to get healthy and be the best and live the best life he deserves. I do have cats and dogs so as of right now I don’t have a way to allow him to free roam. I will work on a solution to that to where he can come out of his cage if he wants too.
Oh and I posted a picture of the purple rose plant also. I removed it from his cage as soon as I read that.

 

[MissSkittles]

That plant is another type of calathea, so should be safe enough even though not veiled tested. The leaves are a bit tougher than say pothos, so he’ll probably leave it alone. To start new plants from clippings, snip a few inches off the end of the pothos vine and sit the cut end in a glass of water. Within about a week you’ll see new roots forming. I try to have a little bundle of at least 5-6 clippings together for a new plant. This is tradescantia that I started about 2+ weeks ago and is pretty much ready to be planted in soil.


You’re following the perfect people for the very best husbandry and advice. It can be challenging to figure out who to listen to as there’s so very much bad info out there, but you got it. James hasn’t been around lately afaik, but Bill S and Neptune pop in here every now and again. We’re kind of like some chameleon-obsessed chamily.
Mealworms aren’t a total and 100% no no, but they just don’t make a very good staple feeder. They are fine every once in a while. The worms would be better than the beetles…less chitin and easier on his mouth to crunch. Unless you have a crazy high number of them, you can give him one here and there along with his better feeders. Or, put them outside and the wild birds will appreciate the easy snacks. Many online feeder vendors offer variety packs, which are fantastic if you have just one or two insectivores. To cut some costs and have a fun but icky side project, you could start a small colony of dubia or discoid roaches. You could get something like maybe 6-10 females and 2 males and within a few months, you’ll have babies. It takes a little time for the colony to get established, but is worth it.
We all come from different backgrounds and walks of life here. If you want to try again building an enclosure, someone here certainly can probably help you thru the rough or tricky spots. I’m afraid of my circular saw so just combined 2 ReptiBreezes together. I love seeing how my chameleons use all of their space…even my girls do.

 

[Ccat1972]

That plant is another type of calathea, so should be safe enough even though not veiled tested. The leaves are a bit tougher than say pothos, so he’ll probably leave it alone. To start new plants from clippings, snip a few inches off the end of the pothos vine and sit the cut end in a glass of water. Within about a week you’ll see new roots forming. I try to have a little bundle of at least 5-6 clippings together for a new plant. This is tradescantia that I started about 2+ weeks ago and is pretty much ready to be planted in soil.
View attachment 367115

You’re following the perfect people for the very best husbandry and advice. It can be challenging to figure out who to listen to as there’s so very much bad info out there, but you got it. James hasn’t been around lately afaik, but Bill S and Neptune pop in here every now and again. We’re kind of like some chameleon-obsessed chamily.
Mealworms aren’t a total and 100% no no, but they just don’t make a very good staple feeder. They are fine every once in a while. The worms would be better than the beetles…less chitin and easier on his mouth to crunch. Unless you have a crazy high number of them, you can give him one here and there along with his better feeders. Or, put them outside and the wild birds will appreciate the easy snacks. Many online feeder vendors offer variety packs, which are fantastic if you have just one or two insectivores. To cut some costs and have a fun but icky side project, you could start a small colony of dubia or discoid roaches. You could get something like maybe 6-10 females and 2 males and within a few months, you’ll have babies. It takes a little time for the colony to get established, but is worth it.
We all come from different backgrounds and walks of life here. If you want to try again building an enclosure, someone here certainly can probably help you thru the rough or tricky spots. I’m afraid of my circular saw so just combined 2 ReptiBreezes together. I love seeing how my chameleons use all of their space…even my girls do.

Thank you!
I looked up the link for the grasshoppers and they are sold out. I couldn’t find the person on fb, do you have a picture of the Fluker’s bend vine? I don’t want to buy the wrong thing. Oh believe me!!! I’m totally new to wood working and the tools, but I’m jumping in there, because I like the idea of making my own and bringing new concepts into play. Thank you again! I will start rooting some more pothos, he seems to really like the “flavor” lol

 

[IrohtheVeiled]

https://www.amazon.com/Fluker-Labs-...74b3bcb94ac54b0bc47baa0&qid=1761532984&sr=8-1

 

[Ccat1972]

https://www.amazon.com/Fluker-Labs-...74b3bcb94ac54b0bc47baa0&qid=1761532984&sr=8-1

Thank you!!!