autumn.w16
New Member
this is my cham! i was wondering if these lines on the side of her were normal, or like maybe i’m just not feeding her enough? idk. i haven’t noticed them on her for too long, so i was just wondering what was up!!
heyy is my cham healthy?
- Thread starter autumn.w16
- Start date
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
Hi and welcome! 
The little lines are her ribs and it’s perfectly normal for them to be a bit visible at times. The best way to make sure your sweet little girl is getting all that she needs so that she stays healthy and happy is to do a husbandry review. If you answer the following and provide pics of your entire enclosure, including lights and floor, someone can look it over and make sure all is correct. With our little ladies having everything perfect is more important than ever so they won’t have any egg laying problems.
Chameleon Info:
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Please Note:
The little lines are her ribs and it’s perfectly normal for them to be a bit visible at times. The best way to make sure your sweet little girl is getting all that she needs so that she stays healthy and happy is to do a husbandry review. If you answer the following and provide pics of your entire enclosure, including lights and floor, someone can look it over and make sure all is correct. With our little ladies having everything perfect is more important than ever so they won’t have any egg laying problems.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 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?
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Please Note:
- The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
- Photos can be very helpful.
Welcome to the forum!
Pretty chameleon you have there!
How old is she?
Are you aware that they produce eggs without having been mated and that they need an egglaying bin in the cage as soon as they are nearing maturity? To prevent egg laying issues their diet, temperatures, etc need to be spot on!
Pretty chameleon you have there!
How old is she?
Are you aware that they produce eggs without having been mated and that they need an egglaying bin in the cage as soon as they are nearing maturity? To prevent egg laying issues their diet, temperatures, etc need to be spot on!
autumn.w16
New Member
Chameleon Info:
Cage Info:
- Your Chameleon - veiled cham, pretty sure it’s a girl from the research i’ve looked into, about 5- 5 1/2 months old. dads had her for 2 1/2 months, i just got her permanently moved to my house!
- Handling - i just brought her over a few days ago, so haven’t handled her yet. figured maybe i shouldn’t stress her out yet bc i’m still pretty much a stranger. so she’s never been handled.
- Feeding - I feed her giant mealworms, reg mealworms, wax worms, calci worms, crickets, and i think that’s abt it. when i feed her it varies, like sometimes i feed her 2 giant mealworms 3 calciworms & 1 small waxworm (only plan on giving her calci worms 2-3 times a week), or the other day i did 3 giant wax worms and 2 crickets. i feed her every night at 9pm. if you know how much i should feed her, let me know! not sure if what i’m doing rn is appropriate proportions for her.
- Supplements - as i said up there i do calci worms or a calcium dust i got from my pet store. i think i should do it 2-3 time a week, correct me if i’m wrong!
- Watering - i use a little dripper! i mist her 4 times a day. yes i see her drink!
- Fecal Description - her poop is like blackish (or dark brownish) and white, and it’s like dry little turds. never been tested for parasites i believe.
- History - i don’t really have any other info that’s probably useful abt her, she’s really calm and observant! she hissed at me once bc it was her first time after traveling to my house after my dads, and i was cleaning her cage. she was stressed (she turned darkish trying to match her stick in her enclosure) so i think it’s no biggie now, she’s all good & green!
Current Problem - i was concerned about her ribs showing (wondering if i’m starving her or if it’s a health issue) but if i have anything that sucks abt my setup or handling, please correct me in the replies! i’m new to this and want to do everything as best as possible for her.
- Cage Type - i honestly have no clue what brand it is. i’ll include pics. but yes it’s a screen cage. i clean her cage 1 time a week, and take all poop/ dead leaves and such out. then rearrange.
- Lighting - i have a red light, and a uvb light. i’m so sorry i can’t remember the brands. my dad said her other light fixture broke, so he’s put an actual heat lamp by her enclosure. is this okay, or is it too hot or not hot enough? she’s always sitting on the cage by the red light, so i haven’t thought it might be too hot. lmk! i’ll include pics so u can see. I turn both her lights on at around 7am and turn them off at 10:30pm
- Temperature - her cage is at 77 degrees fahrenheit. overnight i turn the lights off & my heaters at 71. she’s green in the mornings and not dark (i’ve heard when they’re dark that means they’re stressed or are trying to preserve heat bc they’re cold) but she’s asleep and bright green when i wakeup.
- Humidity - it stays around 60-65. i spray her cage w a spray bottle on mist, a few times a day. i have a digital temp & humidity reader hooked up to her cage.
- Plants - yes i’m using live plants (abt 4 of them) and one plastic one of the wall. she loves hiding in it!
- Placement - it’s in my room on the floor, i’m getting a table shipped to me rn for her cage to sit on! i try to let nobody into my room but me so she can have as little stress as possible.
- Location - Junction, TX.
Attachments
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
Give me a little bit and I’ll go over your husbandry.
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
Putting my feedback in red.
Chameleon Info:
Being dark doesn’t always signify stress, nor does being bright green always signify contentment. She’ll change her colors according not only by mood, but temps. A bright green veiled could also be showing stress. Check out the podcasts here along with all of the other info, which will explain everything you ever wanted to know and then some.
Chameleon Info:
- Your Chameleon - veiled cham, pretty sure it’s a girl from the research i’ve looked into, about 5- 5 1/2 months old. dads had her for 2 1/2 months, i just got her permanently moved to my house! Yes, she’s a pretty little girl and looks to be about that old.
- Handling - i just brought her over a few days ago, so haven’t handled her yet. figured maybe i shouldn’t stress her out yet bc i’m still pretty much a stranger. so she’s never been handled. Is good to become comfortable (both of you) with occasional handling, but you’re doing great letting her adjust to her new environment first. Great blog on building trust. https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/building-trust-with-your-chameleon.2396/
- Feeding - I feed her giant mealworms, reg mealworms, wax worms, calci worms, crickets, and i think that’s abt it. when i feed her it varies, like sometimes i feed her 2 giant mealworms 3 calciworms & 1 small waxworm (only plan on giving her calci worms 2-3 times a week), or the other day i did 3 giant wax worms and 2 crickets. i feed her every night at 9pm. if you know how much i should feed her, let me know! not sure if what i’m doing rn is appropriate proportions for her. Feeding needs definite change. Mealworms aren’t good for chams and wax worms are only for treats. Attaching feeder graphic which will show you great feeders. Also attaching what to feed your feeders so that they are healthy, and therefore more nutritious.
It’s best to feed in the morning so that your chameleon has time to bask and digest her food. As for quantity, 5 daily is ok...for now. Will add a separate post about that. - Supplements - as i said up there i do calci worms or a calcium dust i got from my pet store. i think i should do it 2-3 time a week, correct me if i’m wrong! You want to be dusting all feeders lightly with a phosphorus free calcium without D3...except for one feeding every other week you’ll want to use Reptivite with D3. That is a great supplement as it is a multivitamin and D3 combined and has preformed vitamin A which is good for eye health.
- Watering - i use a little dripper! i mist her 4 times a day. yes i see her drink! Wow! Consider yourself lucky! All of my chams have a conspiracy to only drink secretly.
- Fecal Description - her poop is like blackish (or dark brownish) and white, and it’s like dry little turds. never been tested for parasites i believe. Sounds pretty normal. I always think it’s a good idea to have a vet wellness visit and a fecal check.
- History - i don’t really have any other info that’s probably useful abt her, she’s really calm and observant! she hissed at me once bc it was her first time after traveling to my house after my dads, and i was cleaning her cage. she was stressed (she turned darkish trying to match her stick in her enclosure) so i think it’s no biggie now, she’s all good & green!
- Cage Type - i honestly have no clue what brand it is. i’ll include pics. but yes it’s a screen cage. i clean her cage 1 time a week, and take all poop/ dead leaves and such out. then rearrange. Looks to be a ReptiBreeze medium. You will need to upgrade to a larger enclosure. I keep my ladies in 2x2x4’ screen enclosures, which is the minimum.
- Lighting - i have a red light, and a uvb light. i’m so sorry i can’t remember the brands. my dad said her other light fixture broke, so he’s put an actual heat lamp by her enclosure. is this okay, or is it too hot or not hot enough? she’s always sitting on the cage by the red light, so i haven’t thought it might be too hot. lmk! i’ll include pics so u can see. I turn both her lights on at around 7am and turn them off at 10:30pm No colored lights. They aren’t good for sensitive cham eyes. I’m going to suggest that you get a dome light fixture to put the heat at the top. You can pick the fixture up pretty cheap at hardware stores and can use an old fashioned incandescent light bulb...start with a 60w. Halogen bulbs can also be used. LED produce little heat so aren’t any good.
What is the fixture type and bulb strength of your uvb? - Temperature - her cage is at 77 degrees fahrenheit. overnight i turn the lights off & my heaters at 71. she’s green in the mornings and not dark (i’ve heard when they’re dark that means they’re stressed or are trying to preserve heat bc they’re cold) but she’s asleep and bright green when i wakeup. Temp is great for daytime. Don’t worry about letting it get cooler at night. A temp drop is ideal and she can handle temps as low as the 50’s/60’s. A 12 hour schedule of off/on is ideal.
- Humidity - it stays around 60-65. i spray her cage w a spray bottle on mist, a few times a day. i have a digital temp & humidity reader hooked up to her cage. Humidity’s a bit too high. Ideal range is between 30-50% during the day. At night when it’s cooler it can go much higher and helps with hydration.
- Plants - yes i’m using live plants (abt 4 of them) and one plastic one of the wall. she loves hiding in it! Since veiled’s eat their plants, they need to be safe. Plastic isn’t safe. I hang my plastic plants on the outside of my enclosures to provide a little extra privacy.
- Placement - it’s in my room on the floor, i’m getting a table shipped to me rn for her cage to sit on! i try to let nobody into my room but me so she can have as little stress as possible. Yes! The higher the better! They feel safest when they are able to look down upon us.
- Location - Junction, TX.
Being dark doesn’t always signify stress, nor does being bright green always signify contentment. She’ll change her colors according not only by mood, but temps. A bright green veiled could also be showing stress. Check out the podcasts here along with all of the other info, which will explain everything you ever wanted to know and then some.
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
Now looping back to feeding, as it’s tied into egg laying and general health. Whether she even ever sees a male, your lady will lay eggs. It really takes a great deal out of them and is why our sweet ladies don’t live as long as males. Thru diet and temps we try to reduce the frequency that they lay as well as the number of eggs they produce. Your girl is still young and growing so you really don’t want to cut her back too much right now. In another month or two, you could cut her feedings back to every other day. Although each cham is different, generally around 5-6 months the girls start showing off their beautiful colors of teal and yellow/orange and usually become restless...pacing their enclosures almost endlessly. This is the time to get your lay bin ready and put it in her enclosure. Anytime a few weeks + after that ends, she’ll be looking plump, maybe lumpy and her appetite may decrease. She’ll still have her colors, but the patterns may change (mine’s dots get darker). One day she’ll start digging in her lay bin. It is essential not to disturb her or let her see you. I cover the visible sides with an old light sheet with little peek holes. She may dig a few test holes until she likes on. Once she’s dug her tunnel, she’ll scoot her butt into it and lay her eggs. When all done, she’ll cover her holes completely and you’ll find her sitting in her usual spot, looking a bit dirty and much thinner. The whole process from start to finish can take a couple of days and she may sleep in her hole. You’ll feed her well for a couple of days and then reduce her to 3-4 feeders 3 days a week (plus an occasional treat). Her basking temps should remain no higher than 80. It may take a couple of cycles to see results.
I have found my ladies like larger lay bins...12-14” long & wide. Depth isn’t as important as you’ll only want to fill to about 6-7”. This may help.
I have found my ladies like larger lay bins...12-14” long & wide. Depth isn’t as important as you’ll only want to fill to about 6-7”. This may help.
autumn.w16
New Member
tysmHi also keeping a diary /calendar/ monthly care sheet can be useful for you, your cham or you if you needed to go to a vet. The picture is just to give you an idea as you can adapt your own
autumn.w16
New Member
wow! okay i’ll definitely make those changes you suggested up there, and thank you so so much for all of this info! you’re great <3!!
Flick boy
Chameleon Enthusiast
❤ back to you . @autumn.w16 @MissSkittles is great on here along with other great members
