I have a few questions...

[ktaylor89]

Hey everyone! My brother took in a veiled cham that he can't take care of so I took her. I have many cresteds but I don't have experience with chams. I wasn't expecting to ever get a cham because I know they can be difficult to care for so I'm trying frantically to learn all I can in a short period of time. I just want to make sure I'm doing everything right so I'm going to make a long story short and try to outline some of my main concerns.

1. The guy my brother got her from had her housed with a male who dies because he wasn't caring for them. I have her in a different room from my cresties.
2. She is "under 2 years old" but has never been offered a laybox. I have given her one with playsand. Is that ok?
3. She has major stuck shed which indicates to me that his humidity has been off for a while. They had a dripper I'm the cage but it was broken so it leaked bad. With cresties I'd make a "sauna," how should I help her?
4. The heat bulb was broken (I have no idea for how long) but the uvb bulb is working so I don't know how long she went without heat. I have since added a 60 watt house bulb for heat. It's not making it hot enough so I will be getting a high watt bulb tomorrow. Is this ok?
5. She has very little foliage so I want to get her a ficus tree as soon as my home depot gets more. I'm concerned about the fertilizer they use, do I need to repot it in organic, chemical free soil or baby soil?
6. I can only get her to eat 2 small crickets a day but she looks thin. He did have a small thing of calcium so I'm hoping he at least dusted the crickets. Is she stressed maybe or sivk? She has been pooping.
7. I was told that when he fed her, he just threw a lot of crickets in the cage and left them until they were gone.

I'm worried about her. Any advice will help.

 

[jajeanpierre]

That's wonderful that you are taking in this poor neglected little girl.

I don't know why she has a stuck shed, but there is a lot more to shedding skin than just humidity. The thyroid gland is involved so a poorly functioning thyroid will cause shedding problems. To shed, the skin actually separates and the gap between the new skin and the old, outer layer fills with lymph fluid from the blood that contains enzymes. The fluid is reabsorbed (or does it just dry?) and the skin can be shed in sheets.

Can you send a picture of the excess skin you are worried about?

What temperatures are you trying to keep her at? A 60w or 100w in the summer sounds like over kill to me. I don't have any heat bulbs on my veileds at the moment--the heat from the banks of lights provide them with enough heat. You probably want to keep a female veiled much cooler to slow/stop her reproductive cycle. I hope Jann chimes in and gives you the link she always has a the tip of her fingers about caring for a female veiled.

Although the UVB light might work, it might also not produce a single ray of UVB. UVB lights start to decrease their output from the first time you turn them on. Most bulbs need to be replaced by six months if not sooner unless you have the higher quality Arcadia bulbs.

I like to keep veileds with hibiscus plants because they do like to graze. A ficus has an irritant in the sap, I believe. Hibiscus is just a nicer plant and they like it. I also like the branches better.

She's not eating enough and you say she is thin, so probably a fecal check is in order and the sooner the better. Something killed that male and it is possible she picked it up.

Good luck. Once you get a veiled right, they are a very tough little lizard. They are the most forgiving of their environment and your mistakes. They come from an area of the Arabian Peninsula that can be 120F in the summer but freezing in the winter, and where rain my come only once a year. They live in an incredibly inhospitable part of the world.

 

[ktaylor89]

Her cage has been about 88 in the basking spot, which isn't hot enough from what I've read? Its about 74 in the bottom.I also have her by the window so she can get some natural light hut I'm also aware that most windows block out uv rays so I'm not sure how much she actually gets from that. I will buy her a new uvb light asap. I will also check to see if they have hibiscus at home depot but do I need to replant it?

Also, I just weighed her and unless my scale is WAY off, which I just bought it and have used it for all my cresties, it says she only weighs 16 grams?!? Shouldn't she be about 80-100+?

I did get her to eat 2 dusted crickets and I hand fed her 4 dusted wax worms. I also plan to get her some greens tomorrow after work.

I will try to add a pic in a second.

 

[ktaylor89]

Hopefully these work...

 

[jannb]

You received some good information above. I keep veileds and just wanted to add a few blogs. A recent photo of her would be helpful. I just saw the pictures. She does look small but not to bad. Does she keep the right eye closed? I would recommend a fecal to check for parasites. Parasites can keep them from growing especially cociddia.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/2007/12/keeping-female-veiled.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/jannb/345-egg-laying-laying-bin.html#comment2073
https://www.chameleonforums.com/laying-bin-set-up-educational-video-77225/

 

[ktaylor89]

Thank you for the links, I will check them out. The 2 pictures that I added are from today. I've only had her for 3 days so this is all I have.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Hopefully these work...

I don't see any stuck shed. She looks a lot better than I expected.

You will not get any UVB through glass and you might over heat her. They do need warmth on their skin to be able to utilize UVB, but 88F seems on the hot side for a female. Just the size of your bulbs suggests to me she is getting too much heat. Veileds do love their heat, but you probably want to keep a female at lower temps.

Veileds can be deceptive on their condition. One minute you look at them and they look in great condition and the next moment they look like they are starving.

Good luck. Jann's got some great information--she's the best.

 

[absolutbill]

Kudos to you for taking in a cham in need from your brother! You are on the right path, and I can't stress enough how important it is to listen to Jann - she's the best with veileds.

As for your question about the plants, what you will want to do is to get some organic potting soil without perculite (the little white balls). When you get the plant home take it outside and wash all the leaves with warm soapy water (I use Dawn), and rinse them off. Then, add a thick layer of your organic potting soil on top of what is already there. I personally don't completely re-pot the plant, the reason you are doing this is in case your new little girl shoots for a cricket that's in the dirt and gets some in her mouth.

Then, on top of the new soil, I place river rocks (you can get them at any craft section of any department store, Michaels, Joanne's, Wal-Mart, etc.). Again, the reason is that if she shoots a cricket she can't get one of these in her mouth. Now your plant is ready to go! Pothos are another great option because they like to climb, so you always have vines to string around your cage for pathways for her.

I didn't see any stuck shed, except for maybe on her back left foot. However, one method for helping sheds, and any dehydration issues is to give them a shower. There are plenty of threads about this on here, but essentially you place the cham securely on something in your shower (I just hold them), and aim the shower head to hit the shower wall, not the cham directly. They will get the mist, but not the direct spray.

As for her eating habits I'd get her fecal done asap, to rule out any parasites. Also, she's been through A LOT the past few days, so she is probably stressed which will make a cham stop eating.

You are on the right track and I wish you luck with this little girl!