Hi, again! My feedback and any questions will be in red. I’ll also post informative and helpful links and care images at the end.
Chameleon Info:
- Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Female, veiled chameleon, about 8 months old. I've had her about 6 months.
- Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Not often, only if she's interested in coming out of her enclosure (which isn't often).
Perfect!
- Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
8 mealworms daily, calcium worms, crickets every other day, gut-loading fluckers orange calcium blocks.
Mealworms should be used as rare treats only. Her feeding schedule needs to change because she is older and sexually mature now (which is probably why she’s restless, besides her cage husbandry). Do you have a proper lay bin set up? The gutload you use isn’t nutritional, so that needs to be changed, too. Please refer to the links and care images at the end for extra info.
- Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
Everything is coated in the zoomed repti-calcium.
Is it with or without D3? She needs Zoo Med ReptiCalcium without D3 on every feeding except for when using the other supplements. Zoo Med ReptiCalcium with D3 once every two weeks, and Zoo Med Reptivite without D3 once every two weeks. Or you can combine the last two and just use Zoo Med Reptivite with D3 once every two weeks, with the Zoo Med ReptiCalcium without D3 every feeding besides then.
- Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
I use a dripper, I have an automatic mister that goes off every 6 hours, and I hand mist when it looks too dry. She has water and she has been drinking.
How long does the mister go off for? What brand is the mister?
- Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
She hasn't been tested recently, (im taking her to the vet on friday), and her poop looks normal.
Good! Make sure the vet has good, knowledgeable chameleon experience, too! Make sure to bring a fresh fecal sample with you, and drop off at least 2-3+ more after that to make sure no parasites were missed in the first one. Do bloodwork and x-rays, etc, too.
- History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
Cage Info:
- Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
16 in x 16 in screen cage
She needs a minimum cage size of either 36” x 18” x 36” tall or 2’ x 2’ x 4’ tall, but preferably 4‘ x 2’ x 4’ tall or bigger. Bigger is always better! What ever you choose needs a proper and permanent lay bin in it.
- Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
Dual lights, with 60 w blue bulb. They're on 12 hours a day, from 8 am to 8 pm.
The light schedule is perfect, but both lights need to be replaced ASAP! She needs a T5 High Output linear light fixture (either the length of her cage or a foot longer- same length goes straight across the middle, foot longer goes diagonal across the middle), The linear UVB bulb needs to be a matching size for the fixture and the strength and brand of either a Zoo Med 5.0 (replace every 6 months or sooner) or Arcadia 6% (replace every year or sooner). The linear UVB bulb needs to be around 8-9” away from her basking branch. Either way, invest in a Solarmeter 6.5 to check the UVI levels for yourself. Get a regular household white light incandescent bulb for her heat bulb. You’ll have to play with the wattages to get the correct temp. It should be a minimum of 7” away from where her casque/top of her back is when she is on her basking branch. Reptile heating bulbs are usually more expensive, burn out quicker, and usually focus too much heat in one tight area, causing burns if not careful.
- Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
she has a ceramic heater and a basking spot. The low end is lower 70s the higher end is upper 80s. I have a digital thermometer in the cage.
Get rid of the ceramic heat emitter ASAP, unless your nighttime temps are lower than 55-60*F. Don’t use for during the day and don’t use at night if you can help it. If you have to use one, get the minimum wattage available! What are your nighttime temps? Chameleons need a temp drop at night. Where her casque/top of her back is should be no hotter than 80*F at its max for basking! Does your thermometer have a probe?
- Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
I mist when humidity is low. I keep the lay bin moist too.
Humidity levels are crucial! During the day it should be between 30-50% and up to 100% at night. Get at least one digital hygrometer to measure this.
- Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
I was but she ate it. I used ivy and removed it today.
Veileds need live plants only! Take out and replace all fake plants, fake leaves, and fake vines with leaves (fake vines without leaves are okay) ASAP! They are an impaction risk for veileds. Get rid of the Exo Terra and moss vines ASAP, too! Make sure you properly prepare and clean off beforehand all of the chameleon-safe plants you get to put in her enclosure. Also cover the soil with rocks too big for her to eat! Real plants provide necessary foliage for hiding, drinking, and raising and maintaining humidity levels and more! Her cage needs tons more branches, vines, and live plants, too!
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?
it not near air vents, in the corner of the room, away from where I work. Its about 5.5 feet off the ground.
- Location - Where are you geographically located?
We're in Texas.
Where? I’m just west of Houston!
Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
She's sitting at the top of her cage and acting like she wants out, she's also turned kind of gray-ish. I know this means the cage is inadequate, what worries me is that this behavior just started today and happened quickly.
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Here are the links and images! @Gingero just posted a very informative video about egg laying on her YouTube channel Neptune the Chameleon! Make sure to read through and listen to as much of this information as possible!
https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/
https://chameleonacademy.com/veiled-chameleon-care/
https://chameleonacademy.com/setting-up-a-chameleon-cage/
https://chameleonacademy.com/plants/
https://flchams.com/chameleon-safe-plant-list/
(link no longer valid)
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/2007/12/keeping-female-veiled.html
https://www.chameleons.info/en/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/external-resources/
