Hi everyone I am going to give you all some info about my veiled chameleon, I want to do right by her so I just want to make sure I am doing everything right! My past 2 chameleons have gotten sick and passed away and I did everything I could so I really want to do everything right this time around. @Beman@MissSkittles Chameleon Info: Name is Lumi
Your Chameleon - Lumi is a suspected female, most likely about 1.5 year old. She has been in my care since January of 2025 (we estimated she was a couple months old when I got her).
Handling -I handle her maybe 1-2 times per week. I used to use her for outreach events but have since stopped.
Feeding- She gets primarily Dubia roaches and crickets. 1-2 times per week 3-5 inverts per feeding. I would like to start adding more variety. I have seen the diet charts, I would like to start adding 1-2 new feeders per month, so like every other week ordering different types of other staple feeders, BSFL, locusts, silkworms, hornworms, flies, moths,etc. Do you have any idea on a weekly feeding schedule if I wanted to feed dubia/crickets + 1-2 other inverts on a weekly/biweekly rotation
Question, Dubia.com has different types of BSFL (calcigrubs, pheonix worms, nutrigrubs, reptiworms. Any idea what the difference is and which would be a better choice? Also do you have any thoughts on this new feeding tactic?)
Supplements - I use Zoo Med Repti Calcium no D3 on every feeding and then Repashy's LoD calcium plus about 2x per month dusted on feeders
Watering - I have an automated misting system that sprays the cage for 4 minutes about 30 minutes after the lights turn on, and then again, about 4 minutes right before the lights turn off and then again in the middle of the night for about 1 minute. The nozzles are deliberately pointed at leaves and places where water can pool easily. The mister shuts off at night. The cage is not in a place where I can observe it often but I have seen her drink from the drops of water on the leaves after misting. Should I include a dropper as well even though the nozzles drip for a few minutes after turning off.
Fecal Description- Droppings are normal for the most part maybe slightly more yellow
This chameleon has never been tested for parasites, should I? I have access to fecal float tests and microscopes at my university, should I look at it myself/ what should I be looking for?
History - This chameleon was surrendered to my vet clinic, where I work, after someone found her and her small enclosure in a dumpster behind their apartment complex in the middle of winter, in the snow. she had both eyes closed and could not eat on her own and is now thriving, when she first arrived at the clinic she was given a round of injectable ceftazidime and steroidal eye drops and has since bounced back remarkably well. The vet was astonished she made a recovery.
Cage Info:
Cage Type - My cage is all screen, it is 4ft tall by 2ft by 2ft with a planter underneath.
Lighting - UVB: Arcadia Reptile D3 T5 6% UVB First Reptile lamp bulb in a fixture made specifically for this bulb. This gets replaced every year. Heat: Heat lamp 25W UVA basking light, Cage is also next to a window. The bulbs are on from 7am to 7pm
Temperature- Bottom to top of tank ambient is 65-75F Basking spot is ~80F. Lowest overnight temp is about room temp ~ 60F the room is kept relatively warm. I have a thermometer at the top of the cage, non-basking side, and one at the bottom of the cage. I also use a temp gun every once and a while. I also have the heat lamp attached to a thermostat so that the basking temp never exceeds 85 F.
Should I change this setup at all?
Humidity - My humidity levels are around 60% at the top of the cage and about 80% at the bottom, I have an automatic sprayer and live plants in the tank to keep up humidity. I use a hygrometer at the top and bottom to measure this.
Plants - I have multiple live plants in this enclosure, I have multiple pathos,
Placement - My cage is located in a lab that specifically houses reptiles it has good airflow and not any cold air vents or fans, the floors are heated and it is always kept at a good nighttime temperature. It is not as high traffic as it used to be just the occasional person walking by to get to the fridge/sink.
Location Kirksville, Missouri USA
Current Problems/questions -
I think I need to get her a laying box, I have heard about it a few times.
I have seen people use some very large things for this, do you think that a 3 gallon bucket with sand and peat moss would be ok as a lying box? Is there anything else I should be doing to monitor egg laying? change in feed/ supplements while she has eggs or should I be weighing her more frequently?
Thank you to everyone on this website you have helped me so much in the past!
@MissSkittles I have been struggling to get the live plants to grow enough to cover the majority of the space so I have fake ones in there until I can find another solution.
I’ll have my replies in bold. I also will break this into two parts.
Chameleon Info: Name is Lumi
Your Chameleon - Lumi is a suspected female, most likely about 1.5 year old. She has been in my care since January of 2025 (we estimated she was a couple months old when I got her). Some pics will confirm gender.
Handling -I handle her maybe 1-2 times per week. I used to use her for outreach events but have since stopped. The latter sounds like it would have been stressful, so glad that has stopped.
Feeding- She gets primarily Dubia roaches and crickets. 1-2 times per week 3-5 inverts per feeding. I’d really like to see your girl and how she looks. This doesn’t sound like much food for her. I feed all of mine 3-4 feeders, 3 days per week with a small treat on one of the weekend days. Neither of my girls produce eggs.I would like to start adding more variety. I have seen the diet charts, I would like to start adding 1-2 new feeders per month, so like every other week ordering different types of other staple feeders, BSFL, locusts, silkworms, hornworms, flies, moths,etc. Do you have just the one insectivore? If so, check out the variety feeder packs on various on line vendor sites. Even though I have a good number of critters, it’s sometimes inevitable that at times their diets will be heavy in a particular feeder, like silkworms when I have them. I do try to rotate staple feeders and offer frequent variety. I try to always have some bsfl on hand and they do last for some time. If they get too old, they become flies, which my chameleons enjoy hunting down.Do you have any idea on a weekly feeding schedule if I wanted to feed dubia/crickets + 1-2 other inverts on a weekly/biweekly rotation I can only give examples of what I do. Friday, my chams all got 3 bsfl and 2 rather small roaches. Sunday treats were a baby superworm (I breed my own) and a wax worm. Today, everyone got 4 crickets. Wednesday might be a couple of crickets and either bsfl or roaches. It all depends on what feeders I have on hand. I do raise some of my own feeders, so it’s very simple to have them available.
Question, Dubia.com has different types of BSFL (calcigrubs, pheonix worms, nutrigrubs, reptiworms. Any idea what the difference is and which would be a better choice? I believe they are all the same, but just bred by different companies. Also do you have any thoughts on this new feeding tactic?) Aside from not having bugs everywhere and some growing too large or dying, I see no reason to delay introducing new feeders or to do so slowly. Unlike cats and dogs who get digestive problems from switching foods too fast, chameleons don’t seem to have that issue. A diet too heavy in silkworms or hornworms can cause runny poos, but that’s from the high water content of the bugs.
Supplements - I use Zoo Med Repti Calcium no D3 on every feeding and then Repashy's LoD calcium plus about 2x per month dusted on feeders Good, except I’m not sure when you say “about 2x per month”. I’m hoping you mean that maybe you use the LoD every other week and not that you might sometimes lose track and use the LoD just once per month.
Watering - I have an automated misting system that sprays the cage for 4 minutes about 30 minutes after the lights turn on, and then again, about 4 minutes right before the lights turn off and then again in the middle of the night for about 1 minute. The nozzles are deliberately pointed at leaves and places where water can pool easily. The mister shuts off at night. The cage is not in a place where I can observe it often but I have seen her drink from the drops of water on the leaves after misting. Should I include a dropper as well even though the nozzles drip for a few minutes after turning off. What do the urates look like? Are they all or mostly white or cream colored, maybe with a bit of yellow on the end? If so, she’s hydrated well enough as is. If the urate is mostly or all dark yellow or orange, yes, definitely she needs more hydration opportunity.
Fecal Description- Droppings are normal for the most part maybe slightly more yellow
This chameleon has never been tested for parasites, should I? Yes! I have access to fecal float tests and microscopes at my university, should I look at it myself/ what should I be looking for? I have no idea, but this can help. https://chameleonacademy.com/hunting-microscopic-chameleon-parasites/
History - This chameleon was surrendered to my vet clinic, where I work, after someone found her and her small enclosure in a dumpster behind their apartment complex in the middle of winter, in the snow. she had both eyes closed and could not eat on her own and is now thriving, when she first arrived at the clinic she was given a round of injectable ceftazidime and steroidal eye drops and has since bounced back remarkably well. The vet was astonished she made a recovery. OMG! What is wrong with some people?! Thank goodness for the person who found and saved her life, along with you and everyone else who gave her care, love and a chance.
Cage Type - My cage is all screen, it is 4ft tall by 2ft by 2ft with a planter underneath. Oh…do you mean like a regular planter that has soil and all in it? Does she have access to the soil? More questions about the planter - does it have drainage holes? Does it have anything on the bottom for drainage? Have you placed any isopods or other clean up crew in it?
Lighting - UVB: Arcadia Reptile D3 T5 6% UVB First Reptile lamp bulb in a fixture made specifically for this bulb. This gets replaced every year. Heat: Heat lamp 25W UVA basking light, Cage is also next to a window. Is it getting direct or indirect sunlight? UVB won’t pass thru the glass, but the from the sunlight can and will. You just want to make sure it won’t overheat your girl. The bulbs are on from 7am to 7pm
Temperature- Bottom to top of tank ambient is 65-75F Basking spot is ~80F. Lowest overnight temp is about room temp ~ 60F the room is kept relatively warm. I have a thermometer at the top of the cage, non-basking side, and one at the bottom of the cage. I also use a temp gun every once and a while. I also have the heat lamp attached to a thermostat so that the basking temp never exceeds 85 F. Sounds great
Should I change this setup at all? Why?
Humidity - My humidity levels are around 60% at the top of the cage and about 80% at the bottom, I have an automatic sprayer and live plants in the tank to keep up humidity. I use a hygrometer at the top and bottom to measure this. Your humidity is too high. It needs to be between 30-50%. It will be higher after misting and in live plants and that’s expected.
Plants - I have multiple live plants in this enclosure, I have multiple pathos, Pothos is the perfect plant for chameleons imho. If you’re having a problem keeping them alive, why do you suspect that might be? Overwatering, underwatering? Maybe the soil is poor and they need some food? Not enough drainage in their pots? Even though they don’t really need one, a plant light is appreciated by all plants.
Placement - My cage is located in a lab that specifically houses reptiles huh…interesting. Is she able to see any of the others? Are precautions followed to prevent any possible transmission of disease and parasites? it has good airflow and not any cold air vents or fans, the floors are heated and it is always kept at a good nighttime temperature. It is not as high traffic as it used to be just the occasional person walking by to get to the fridge/sink.
Location Kirksville, Missouri USA
Current Problems/questions -
I think I need to get her a laying box, I have heard about it a few times. My guide https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/veiled-chameleon-laying-101.2488/
I have seen people use some very large things for this, do you think that a 3 gallon bucket too deep imo. Stick with about 5-6” deep of washed play sand. No peat, coco coir or any other loose fluffy material. The substrate needs to be able to hold a form when she digs a tunnel with sand and peat moss would be ok as a lying box? Is there anything else I should be doing to monitor egg laying? change in feed/ supplements while she has eggs no, just continue what you’ve been doing or should I be weighing her more frequently? Has she ever laid eggs to your knowledge? She has her adult colors, so she is capable. Some weigh weekly, some monthly…it’s a personal preference I think.
Thank you to everyone on this website you have helped me so much in the past!
Thank you! She’s a pretty girl! You definitely need to figure out what fails with your plants and replace all the fake with real ones. While it’s awesome to have lots of interesting and colorful plants, they don’t always work out. I’ve wasted a lot of $$ and murdered too many plants on my way to figuring out what just doesn’t work for me. Even from enclosure to enclosure I have mixed success with pothos! In one enclosure it can grow crazy wild. In the enclosure next door, it clings to life. Even though I have plants in the direct path of the mist head, they don’t get enough water. Others that are on the fringes of the spray get too much. Make sure the pots have enough drainage holes to prevent root rot. Make sure to be using a quality organic soil. Every couple of months sprinkle some insect poos on the soils and then water it in. Regularly check that they are getting the correct amount of water all thru the soil and not just at the periphery as happens with soil getting compacted. I have a problem with this happening so just take the plants out and soak them overnight.
Ok, now it looks as though your basking branch needs to be higher. The distance between the basking branch and the lights should be about 8-9”. Any farther than that and she isn’t getting all the uvb she needs.
she had both eyes closed and could not eat on her own and is now thriving, when she first arrived at the clinic she was given a round of injectable ceftazidime and steroidal eye drops and has since bounced back remarkably well. The vet was astonished she made a recovery.
You definitely need to figure out what fails with your plants and replace all the fake with real ones. While it’s awesome to have lots of interesting and colorful plants, they don’t always work out. I’ve wasted a lot of $$ and murdered too many plants on my way to figuring out what just doesn’t work for me. Even from enclosure to enclosure I have mixed success with pothos! In one enclosure it can grow crazy wild. In the enclosure next door, it clings to life. Even though I have plants in the direct path of the mist head, they don’t get enough water. Others that are on the fringes of the spray get too much. 
Make sure the pots have enough drainage holes to prevent root rot. Make sure to be using a quality organic soil. Every couple of months sprinkle some insect poos on the soils and then water it in. Regularly check that they are getting the correct amount of water all thru the soil and not just at the periphery as happens with soil getting compacted. I have a problem with this happening so just take the plants out and soak them overnight.
