Hey just got my lizard

[Bazzle]

I'm a marine who has no more deployments ahead of me till I get out. I live in eastern NC and just got Beavis from the local petsfart, got his enclosure, his cal powder, crickets, and lights from there too. He has mulch in the bottom of his living area too, should he?
I thought this would be a great place for information on how to keep him as healthy as possible with the lowest amount of money spent (my wife is very angry with the cost of him).
So I'll be milling around here gathering as much information as possible, and hopefully giving my own input from time to time in the future.
Nice to see so many other chameleon lovers.
Happy Halloween!

Here's my little lizard


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[sandrachameleon]

Welcome to the forum!
It is indeed a great place to get information.

Beavis is a cutie.

Generally, mulch is not recommended. Most people on this forum tend not to use any substrate on the bottom at all. Just a bare floor or papertowels for easy poop clean-up.

Here are some links to information helpful to new owners:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/ryan-jarosek/119-new-arrival-bringing-home.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs...questions.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/74-feeders.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/92-hydration-importance.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/65-supplements.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/75-feeder-nutrition-gutloading.html
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/general-care-true-chameleons-5943/

 

[ChameleonRave]

It seems to be in an Exo Terra Glass Terrarium? I do not recommend using that for an enclosure for a Veiled. Get a Screen Cage. I started out with one and it went down hill faster than I knew it.

 

[jr andrade]

Good luck with it, and id have to agree the glass cages provide inadequate airflow so switch that out

 

[kinyonga]

I've been using glass cages with screen lids for years...and the chameleons do well in them as long as you set up the lights so they create a chimney affect and as long as you don't leave water laying stagnant on the floor of the cage....and as long as you don't live in a hot area without airconditioning.

Exposure to UVB from either direct sunlight or a proper UVB light allows the chameleon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system to make/keep the bones strong and be used in other systems in the chameleon as well. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic no matter whether its from the sun or the UVB light.

Since many of the feeder insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in them, its important to dust the insects before you feed them to the chameleon with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it.

If you dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. It leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of what it needs through its exposure to the UVB light. (Some UVB lights have been known to cause health issues, so the most often recommended one is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light.) D3 from supplements can build up in the system but D3 produced from exposure to UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it.

Dusting twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while.

Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs....so its important too. I gutload/feed crickets, superworms, etc. a wide assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper. zucchini, etc.).

Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon (muscles, etc.) and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.

Here are some good sites for you to read...
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200605020...Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200604210...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/

 

[carol5208]

Welcome to the forums Bazzle! And more importantly, thank you for your service to this great country or ours!!!! P.S. Hopefully, your wife will get over it, and you might be surprised how these "lizards" lol as you call them, can win your heart and maybe hers too!!!