My first cham! So many surprises...

[chamnub]

Wow! All I can say is that I am beyond surprised with my veiled. He's 9 months old; I rescued him from a very chaotic home (loud dogs, small children in a very small space). We have him in a 4'x16"x16" wire enclosure. He has his UVB strip, heat light and a red night bulb, is this really necessary? The room he's in gets down to high 60's at lowest. I'm feeding crickets until I establish some dubias.

Maybe I just got lucky. About half the time I open the habitat, he will crawl up onto my arm and perch on my head, I don't need to force anything. I also had him eating a cricket out of my hand in less than 24 hours in his new home (he was previsouly not hand or cup fed). I was expecting much more work, hissing, and acclimation. He munched 8 free range crickets and was hunting for more! Just like every other pet, personality seems to go a very long way. Is this accurate or would he be super stressed without me knowing it? His color is almost always bright.

 

[Bubby]

If the room gets to high 60's there is no need for a night heat bulb

 

[jbrough42]

Hey there and congrats on your new cham! I would recommend ditching the red bulb. If you are able to you may want to try getting him into something just a little bit bigger on the width and depth. For a full grown veiled the minimum recommended is 24"x24"x48". What are your temp and humidit in the cage? If he is actively climbing out when you open it, you may have just gotten lucky and have a personable cham but frequently when they do that it is to avoid some condition in the cage that is not to their liking. By "bright" do you mean bright green or is he turning reds and yellows and such?

 

[kplatvoet]

No light at night- even a red one- pets stores must have an over stock - they aren't good for chameleons they are fine with lower temps at night.

 

[Carlton]

Maybe I just got lucky. About half the time I open the habitat, he will crawl up onto my arm and perch on my head, I don't need to force anything.

Well, I don't mean to burst your bubble, but most chams will climb as high as they can when let out of a cage...and your head may be the highest spot he can reach at the moment. It isn't really a sign of friendship, just opportunity. They usually like getting out of a cage especially if its on the small side.

Individiual chams vary a lot in how much they tolerate handling. He may be a mellow guy. Also, as he gets settled in he may show more territoriality and actually get a little LESS tolerant. Either way, keep offering him treats by hand and he'll learn that you are not a threat but a source of good things.

 

[chamnub]

What are your temp and humidit in the cage? If he is actively climbing out when you open it, you may have just gotten lucky and have a personable cham but frequently when they do that it is to avoid some condition in the cage that is not to their liking. By "bright" do you mean bright green or is he turning reds and yellows and such?

I'm buying another thermo today that measures humidity. My best guess is 50-60% given that he has a dripper, & the cage is misted 3x per day, but the room is on the dry side naturally. Temp is gradient w ~95f at the top and 75-70 throughout. They're from Yemen so idt they're too picky with humidity. Also, its not every single time I open the cage, I would say roughly 40-50% of time he tries to climb out. As for colors, bright green with bright yellow, sometimes red.

 

[chamnub]

Well, I don't mean to burst your bubble, but most chams will climb as high as they can when let out of a cage...and your head may be the highest spot he can reach at the moment. It isn't really a sign of friendship, just opportunity. They usually like getting out of a cage especially if its on the small side. /QUOTE]

Yeah, except the cage is on a stand so at the top of his cage he's like 6'3" off the ground and I'm 5'10". If it's environmental, my guess would be its the cage size that makes him want to get out. Lol I never expected to have a "friendship" like a dog - its a reptile, that's why I'm so surprised at his human tolerance.

 

[IvoryBolt]

He's probably used to all the noise and 'stress', so having you around is no biggy...