My first veil comelion

[Nick5c5]

Hi there I’m new to this site and to raising reptiles in general so I was wondering if anyone had and tips or tricks that I should know. I have only have my comelion for about 5 days now and he like to come out of his cage and crawl around on me and my bed

 

[Lennoncham]

Hi. Welcome to the forums. Congrats on your new baby.

Can you please fill out the how to ask for help form so we can give you some tips on things you may need to change.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/

 

[GodricktheVeiled]

https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/

 

[Nick5c5]

He’s a veil comelion he has the spurs on the hind legs, I’ve had him for about 5 days once he got used to me he started to come out almost every day, I feed him crickets as he doesn’t like the super worms, I’m not shure what suplaments to get and was hopping that you guys could help me pick them, I use a spray bottle for the humidity and water 5 times a day, his fecese looks white and brown, and I got him from Petco I attached a photo of his cage I hope you guys and girls can help me with these few concerns I also need help on how to gut load and supplement picking

 

[Lennoncham]

Well off the bat I see a lot that need changing.

Chameleons should have a cage that is taller then wide. He will need a cage that is a minimum of 2’x2’x4’.

He will need lots of vines to climb around on and horizontal branches. Live plants will help maintain humidity and give him some places to hide.

I Can’t tell if you have a uvb light from your picture but he need a t5 or t8 linear 5.0 uvb bulb. As well as a basking bulb.

For supplements you will need 3 types.
A calcium WITHOUT phosphorus or d3 should be used with every feeding.
A calcium WITH d3. And a multivitamin. The d3 and multivitamin should be used twice a month.

For gutloading you should use

dandelion greens, kale, collards, endive, escarole, carrots, squash, zucchini, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, berries, apples, pears, melon etc.

Please read over the care sheet and health section.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/

https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/

 

[Nick5c5]

Well off the bat I see a lot that need changing.

Chameleons should have a cage that is taller then wide. He will need a cage that is a minimum of 2’x2’x4’.

He will need lots of vines to climb around on and horizontal branches. Live plants will help maintain humidity and give him some places to hide.

I Can’t tell if you have a uvb light from your picture but he need a t5 or t8 linear 5.0 uvb bulb. As well as a basking bulb.

For supplements you will need 3 types.
A calcium WITHOUT phosphorus or d3 should be used with every feeding.
A calcium WITH d3. And a multivitamin. The d3 and multivitamin should be used twice a month.

For gutloading you should use

dandelion greens, kale, collards, endive, escarole, carrots, squash, zucchini, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, berries, apples, pears, melon etc.

Please read over the care sheet and health section.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/

https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/

Thank you you have helped a lot

 

[GodricktheVeiled]

I posted a link to all the resources that would be helpful for you. It shows proper lighting, enclosures, supplements and gut loading all in a convenient area called resources.
Please check it out.

 

[Brodybreaux25]

All excellent advice given above^

You’ve got a lot of constructive criticism coming your way. We’re not trying to attack you, only help. From what I can tell your going to need to invest at least another $200 to get him setup properly. Cham keeping is an expensive hobby!

Welcome to the forum, hope the graphics below help.

 

[Graves923]

A little general rule of thumb for constructing a suitable enclosure... If you dont have trouble finding your chameleon, add more foliage and vines. You want to simulate their natural habitat. Chameleons definitely do not hide in plastic huts like you have there lol. You have a lot of changes to make but they are all crucial to your new chameleons health.

Learn everything you can and ask questions! There are no stupid questions and we are all here to help as you can see from the above posts.

Here is an example of my chameleons enclosure. What you cant see is a lot of vines I have weaving throughout the live plants which my Pothos plant is covering up. Bonus points if you can spot the angry chameleon...

 

[Calypratus]

You might also want to consider a misting or watering system, and live plants. Veiled chams occasionally munch on greens and other veggies

 

[Goose502]

I recommend returning him to Petco, then focus on purchasing a proper enclosure. Petco sells more suited enclosures, but is WAY overpriced. You need to do much more research based on the aquarium pic you posted. If you really are new to reptile keeping, I suggest starting with a simpler reptile. Your cage is more suited for a leopard gecko, I’d start there. And do not buy it from Petco.

 

[KamaKamaChameleon!]

I recommend returning him to Petco, then focus on purchasing a proper enclosure. Petco sells more suited enclosures, but is WAY overpriced. You need to do much more research based on the aquarium pic you posted. If you really are new to reptile keeping, I suggest starting with a simpler reptile. Your cage is more suited for a leopard gecko, I’d start there. And do not buy it from Petco.

agreed but if willing to take back and get everything set up we will help you!

 

[JoshD49]

All excellent advice given above^

You’ve got a lot of constructive criticism coming your way. We’re not trying to attack you, only help. From what I can tell your going to need to invest at least another $200 to get him setup properly. Cham keeping is an expensive hobby!

Welcome to the forum, hope the graphics below help.View attachment 224267View attachment 224268View attachment 224269View attachment 224270View attachment 224271View attachment 224272View attachment 224273

I was thinking to myself @Brodybreaux25 will be all over this haha.

To the OP, please understand that the advice you will get based on your setup may not be what you want to hear but if you don't change things you could be in for some costly vet bills. A proper CHAMELEON setup will cost much more then the chameleon itself.

 

[CamoChameleonsHuman]

I'm just going to assume OP is not of age. Chameleons aren't really a pet for kids.

 

[JoshD49]

I'm just going to assume OP is not of age. Chameleons aren't really a pet for kids.

I agree but with a parent that wants to be involved it can be a great learning experience. My daughter loves helping me and learning about them so I think by the time she hits her teens she would be fine with them.

 

[GodricktheVeiled]

I agree but with a parent that wants to be involved it can be a great learning experience. My daughter loves helping me and learning about them so I think by the time she hits her teens she would be fine with them.

My daughter loves helping me, too. But ultimately, Godrick is my boy. I would never have considered getting a chameleon for my child to be the primary care giver. She has a betta fish.

 

[CamoChameleonsHuman]

My kids help me as well and love to watch him eat. My stepson has his own Leopard Gecko that I help him take care of. I'm suggesting this young fella return the chameleon and buy a Leopard Gecko and a heat map. He already has the setup for it!

 

[Brodybreaux25]

My daughter loves helping me, too. But ultimately, Godrick is my boy. I would never have considered getting a chameleon for my child to be the primary care giver. She has a betta fish.

Good call! Lol

 

[JoshD49]

I agree with that and my daughter has a bearded dragon that is just hers but I still want her to learn about chameleons since she likes them so much.

 

[Brodybreaux25]

I was thinking to myself @Brodybreaux25 will be all over this haha.

To the OP, please understand that the advice you will get based on your setup may not be what you want to hear but if you don't change things you could be in for some costly vet bills. A proper CHAMELEON setup will cost much more then the chameleon itself.

You know me too well, actually starting to get kinda creepy! Lol but you have to admit that I’ve come along way over the last year as far as doing it politely!