My baby veiled came in today!

[lnsomnia]

Hey guys! This is my first ever cham! I ordered him online from FLchams and he arrived looking healthy! He means the world to me already and I just want the best for him.

He's in his cage and has been basking for a while now; occasionally moving around. I just put about 20 baby crickets dusted in calcium in a little bowl and was assuming that he would eat out of the bowl. Looks like they can jump out of the bowl, but the majority are staying in. He did eat one that had climbed up to the top of his cage so that made me happy.

I gut loaded the crickets with Fluckers calcium gut loader, as well as orange slices and cilantro.

How would you guys recommend that I feed him for the first week or two?

Am I have to the right track? I just want the best for him. I'm leaving for work right now and I really hope he is going to be able to eat the crickets I put in there for him. I misted his cage a few minutes ago, and my Mom said she would mist him while I'm gone at work.

 

[Djturna4thakidz]

I always start by free ranging the crickets, just toss them in the enclosure and let him at them. You can give cup feeding a try down the road if you want too. Young chams have a lot of energy and they will have no prob hunting down those crickets. Just make sure they are the right size, not too big. He may still be stressed from shipping, so seeing him eat one is a big plus. give him space and water and I am sure he will grow up to be an awesome animal.

 

[Saldarya]

Glad you are excited about him!!

The Flukers gutload is not a very good product. Search here on Gut load options as well as blogs by Sandrachmeleon. You will quickly learn that the level of detail that you provide to ensure that your feeders are very healthy will impact the long term health of your animal.

Also, as tempting as it is to want to stick your nose in his cage every few minutes to watch him, give him a couple of days to adjust. He will thank you.

Enjoy!!

 

[CLP]

Yes, read the gutload blogs by sandrachameleon, but also the info she has on feeder variety. You will want him to have lots of variety in his diet. A bit harder when the're young, since everything has to be so small, but baby silkworms, fruit flies, baby roaches, etc. should all work. Also, this article https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/jannb/325-info-new-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html is a great starting point.

Welcome to the obsession!

 

[lnsomnia]

Thank you everyone for your help!

He seems to be doing great so far! I was actually able to hand feed him a mealworm last night and he ate it out of my finger tips. I tried to hand feed him one more, but I guess I got a bit too close and he ended up turning black and walking away. So I just left him alone at that point.