My new Bud!

Ares05

Chameleon Enthusiast
He doesn't have a name yet, I got him two days ago. Im actually having some trouble with him but im going to post that on another thread. Overall, he's doing pretty good! He's a male Veiled chameleon from Flchams, Driskel bloodline.
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Chameleon Info:

  • Your Chameleon - Veiled Chameleon (Driskel bloodline from flchams) labeled as 3-4 months, I got him Nov 6. My first chameleon, but Not my first reptile.
  • Handling - Never currently, though I handled him once to get him out of his shipping box, and once when he was in his cage and I thought he’d gotten stuck, that may have stressed him out.
  • Feeding - Currently crickets, I put 6 in his bowl and let 3-4 roam around. Small-ish crickets, I put them in after his first misting at 9:30am.
  • Supplements - Repti calcium, herptivite. Im currently using without d3 because I’ve run out of with d3, but I get in today so it shouldn’t be a problem. My schedule is going to be calcium with d3 2-4 times per week, with d3 the rest of the days, then herptivite 2-3 times per month.
  • Watering - I mist him every 2 hours for 3 minutes each time, I do not use drippers or auto misters, though I will probably get an auto mister when he’s older.
  • Fecal Description - I have yet to find his poop, though I’m scared to look deeply in his tank for some as I don’t want to stress him out, and make him be even more afraid of me. He has never been to the vet, and I don’t plan on taking him until he’s settled.
  • History -Nothing other than he comes from flchams and his father is a driskel bloodline chameleon, and that he probably wasn’t handled much.

Cage Info:

  • Cage Type - Screen, 2x2x4, currently sides are covered with a thin blanket.
  • Lighting - Repti bulb by zoo med for basking spot, not quite sure of wattage as it was a leftover bulb from my leftover supplies, but it does the job. Then a tube fluorescent t5ho fixture with a 10.0 bulb inside, so the rays would reach more of the cage.
  • Temperature - Basking spot ranges from 82-92 degrees, middle is 75-80, bottom 70-75. I use a digital thermometer
  • Humidity - My humidity is around 50-70 percent, 50 between misting 70 right after. I measure with a digital thing, kind of similar to my basking spot one but for humidity. Hard to explain. I have a few drainage holes in the bottom and a tub underneath.
  • Plants - I use live and fake plants. For live I’ve got a bush sunset hibiscus, and 1 large Pothos plant, and then 2 small clippings from the Pothos on either side of the cage. Then the rest are fake. (Some of them are silk. Yes, I’m aware silk isn’t always recommended but I keep them very clean)
  • Placement - The cage is next to my reptile shelf, but the chameleon inside cannot see any other animal. The very top of the cage is probably 6 - ish feet from the ground. I have an AC in my room and it turns on at night, but without it my room would be mid 80 degrees, no thanks. (Having lots of heat pads and lamps in my room is the cause of this)
  • Location - Florida ( towards Alabama, not central fl)



Current Problem - The little guy is always grey, mainly when he’s under his light in the open, and he’s a bit more green when he’s hiding. He’s very unsure of me and my family. As far as I can tell, he’s eaten very little or none, and I vet seen him drinking at all. Im not able to get a great look at him, but upon unboxing he looks healthy. In the photos he looks bigger than he really is, I think.

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Please Note:

  1. He shares a room with 2 beardies, 2 leopard geckos, 2 aquatic frogs, a fish tank, his feeders, and myself. Its normally not noisy in this room at all.
  2. Im also very afraid I blew it with taming him, as whenever I come near he always hides and rushes away to the bottom of the cage or deep in the foliage. I really hope this isn’t the case, as I hope to eventually get him to hand feed even if he doesn’t let me hold him. In fact, I just misted his cage and he ran off to the very bottom of the cage, very very dark. When I misted he was on his basking branch right out in the open, I was hoping he was feeling more confident. He has to at the VERY LEAST get used to people in the room, as though I’m not up there often, maybe a couple times per day, I want him to enjoy being in my care. I am willing to put lots of time into him, even if it doesn't work out! I will love him from a distance :)



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Heres what he looks like all the time now., aside from when he turns his normal colour from time to time. (Picture below)



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He navigates his cage very well, and shows a little interest in food, but as stated, I don’t think he’s ever eaten any. If he has, not very much.
 
See my notes in red


Chameleon Info:

  • Your Chameleon - Veiled Chameleon (Driskel bloodline from flchams) labeled as 3-4 months, I got him Nov 6. My first chameleon, but Not my first reptile.
  • Handling - Never currently, though I handled him once to get him out of his shipping box, and once when he was in his cage and I thought he’d gotten stuck, that may have stressed him out.
  • Feeding - Currently crickets, I put 6 in his bowl and let 3-4 roam around. Small-ish crickets, I put them in after his first misting at 9:30am.
You'll want to feed him more then this. Young Veilds have an appetite and for good reason. They grow extremely fast within first 6 months of age. I understand he's not eating right now and we will get to that. What are you gutloading with?
  • Supplements - Repti calcium, herptivite. Im currently using without d3 because I’ve run out of with d3, but I get in today so it shouldn’t be a problem. My schedule is going to be calcium with d3 2-4 times per week, with d3 the rest of the days, then herptivite 2-3 times per month.
Calcium everyday, once every 2 weeks calcium + D3, once every 2 weeks multivitamin.
  • Watering - I mist him every 2 hours for 3 minutes each time, I do not use drippers or auto misters, though I will probably get an auto mister when he’s older.
I couldn't imagine keeping chameleons without mine.
  • Fecal Description - I have yet to find his poop, though I’m scared to look deeply in his tank for some as I don’t want to stress him out, and make him be even more afraid of me. He has never been to the vet, and I don’t plan on taking him until he’s settled.
  • History -Nothing other than he comes from flchams and his father is a driskel bloodline chameleon, and that he probably wasn’t handled much.

Cage Info:

  • Cage Type - Screen, 2x2x4, currently sides are covered with a thin blanket.
  • Lighting - Repti bulb by zoo med for basking spot, not quite sure of wattage as it was a leftover bulb from my leftover supplies, but it does the job. Then a tube fluorescent t5ho fixture with a 10.0 bulb inside, so the rays would reach more of the cage.
How far from the UVB bulb is his basking spot? What type of T5HO fixture are you using?
  • Temperature - Basking spot ranges from 82-92 degrees, middle is 75-80, bottom 70-75. I use a digital thermometer
That's a huge range. And 92* is way too hot for a baby. Bring him down to a max of 82* at basking this is also why you're seeing him go Grey when he's basking. He's trying to reflect the light.
  • Humidity - My humidity is around 50-70 percent, 50 between misting 70 right after. I measure with a digital thing, kind of similar to my basking spot one but for humidity. Hard to explain. I have a few drainage holes in the bottom and a tub underneath.
Veileds don't need high humidity at day. 30-40% during the day but around 90-100% at night when he's asleep and the lights are off.
  • Plants - I use live and fake plants. For live I’ve got a bush sunset hibiscus, and 1 large Pothos plant, and then 2 small clippings from the Pothos on either side of the cage. Then the rest are fake. (Some of them are silk. Yes, I’m aware silk isn’t always recommended but I keep them very clean)
Not about cleanliness when it comes to fake plants and veileds. They're notorious for eating vegetation. Live or fake. Just be aware and careful. If he decides the silk plant looks tasty your in for some problems.
  • Placement - The cage is next to my reptile shelf, but the chameleon inside cannot see any other animal. The very top of the cage is probably 6 - ish feet from the ground. I have an AC in my room and it turns on at night, but without it my room would be mid 80 degrees, no thanks. (Having lots of heat pads and lamps in my room is the cause of this)
  • Location - Florida ( towards Alabama, not central fl)



Current Problem - The little guy is always grey, mainly when he’s under his light in the open, and he’s a bit more green when he’s hiding. He’s very unsure of me and my family. As far as I can tell, he’s eaten very little or none, and I vet seen him drinking at all. Im not able to get a great look at him, but upon unboxing he looks healthy. In the photos he looks bigger than he really is, I think.

He needs time to settle in. I rarely ever get to see my chams drink. They can be very shy about these things.

--------------



Please Note:

  1. He shares a room with 2 beardies, 2 leopard geckos, 2 aquatic frogs, a fish tank, his feeders, and myself. Its normally not noisy in this room at all.
  2. Im also very afraid I blew it with taming him, as whenever I come near he always hides and rushes away to the bottom of the cage or deep in the foliage. I really hope this isn’t the case, as I hope to eventually get him to hand feed even if he doesn’t let me hold him. In fact, I just misted his cage and he ran off to the very bottom of the cage, very very dark. When I misted he was on his basking branch right out in the open, I was hoping he was feeling more confident. He has to at the VERY LEAST get used to people in the room, as though I’m not up there often, maybe a couple times per day, I want him to enjoy being in my care. I am willing to put lots of time into him, even if it doesn't work out! I will love him from a distance :)
One does not simply tame a chameleon... Especially overnight. You can go his entire life trying and he may never ever ever want to be held, touched, or even looked at by you. Welcome to the joys of owning a chameleon! There are things you can do to try but I'll leave @Beman to plug her blog for you.
 
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I just changed the basking spot to 82-83 degrees, and ill put in more crickets. when it comes Time for him to have his breakfast. His cricket are gut loaded with collard greens and red bell peppers. His uvb is by reptisun, and the fixture is the t5ho reflector 24'', the bulb is by the same company and is the 10.0 tube bulb for the fixture. he is about 10-12 inches away from his basking spot and uvb light at the closest, unless he climbs on the screen (he does this every now nd then, not often) I check as best I can each day all f the fake plants to see if he any any. (and will do so more thoroughly once he doesn't nearly jump out of his skin when he sees me) If I think there might be a problem I will remove the leaves and get him a umbrella plant instead, to make up for lost foliage. And I will mist him less, or just for less time to keep the humidity down. And I think you misunderstood, he's grey under his basking spot, and almost everywhere else now. I wrote this up yesterday while I was waiting for my account to be accepted. The only time ive seen him get a tiny bit green was when I misted him, but it hasn't really happened again. Could he be getting grey because of stress?
 
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I plan on giving him more variety as he gets older, though I plan on getting some back soldier fly larvae for him, as they are small and high in calcium. I normally have 2-3 different feeders on hand, sometimes four. Currently I have only crickets, supers and a handful of hornworms but ill get some different ones that he can eat. I do not feed him the supers or hornworms as they are too big for him. next time I get some hornworms, ill feed him the ones that are still tiny.
 
Would you recommend a dripper? I can get one today or tomorrow, but im home almost all the time, so I don't know if its be necessary? And I have to open the cage door to mist him, is there any other way I could do that without stressing him as much? ( I can't get an auto mister quite yet) And when should I take the thin blankets off his cage?
 
I just changed the basking spot to 82-83 degrees, and ill put in more crickets. when it comes Time for him to have his breakfast. His cricket are gut loaded with collard greens and red bell peppers. His uvb is by reptisun, and the fixture is the t5ho reflector 24'', the bulb is by the same company and is the 10.0 tube bulb for the fixture. he is about 10-12 inches away from his basking spot and uvb light at the closest, unless he climbs on the screen (he does this every now nd then, not often) I check as best I can each day all f the fake plants to see if he any any. (and will do so more thoroughly once he doesn't nearly jump out of his skin when he sees me) If I think there might be a problem I will remove the leaves and get him a umbrella plant instead, to make up for lost foliage. And I will mist him less, or just for less time to keep the humidity down. And I think you misunderstood, he's grey under his basking spot, and almost everywhere else now. I wrote this up yesterday while I was waiting for my account to be accepted. The only time ive seen him get a tiny bit green was when I misted him, but it hasn't really happened again. Could he be getting grey because of stress?
Yes it's most likely stress. Stress from new environment, stress from shipping, stress from being to warm probably too. I'd suggest picking up a commercial gutload like Repashy Bug Burger and buying some Bee Pollen as well. You can gutload and dust with the bee pollen. Every chameleon is different but my make veiled loved crickets, supers, and hornworms. Just go easy on the hornworms there good for hydration but not much else
 
Thank you! And what about drippers? Should I get one, or is misting enough while he's young? Or at least for nighttime, since my last misting for him is at 6, as his basking lights are off at 8. Just to keep the humidity up? And I will get some Of the Bug burger, and ill see if I can get some bee pollen. And if I get the bug burger, should I still continue with the collards and bell pepper? And also, I will change my calcium schedule according to the guide. (sorry, lots of talking. Ive owned and still do own a couple reptiles but I feel like a newby in the chameleon world! )
 
Thank you! And what about drippers? Should I get one, or is misting enough while he's young? Or at least for nighttime, since my last misting for him is at 6, as his basking lights are off at 8. Just to keep the humidity up? And I will get some Of the Bug burger, and ill see if I can get some pee pollen. And if I get the bug burger, should I still continue with the collards and bell pepper? And also, I will change my calcium schedule according to the guide. (sorry, lots of talking. Ive owned and still do own a couple reptiles but I feel like a newby in the chameleon world! )
Drippers are never a bad idea. I would never tell anyone not to use one. However I only use my auto mister. Continue with your gutload but add in some bug burger and bee pollen too.
 
Okay, great! And also, should I hold back on spot cleaning for now? I haven't seen him poop yet (as said before, im afraid to go looking for it in case I scare him) and I can't find any dead crickets that were let loose in the cage. And all, what should I do about him not eating? I don't want him to starve. Could he have eaten those crickets I can't find? I just misted him and put in some cricket (about 15, I don't want to put to many in until I know he's eating. I don't want to waste them) And could he not be pooping because he's not eating?
 
And would silkworms be too big for him at this age? small ones? what about waxies? (waxworms)
 
Okay, great! And also, should I hold back on spot cleaning for now? I haven't seen him poop yet (as said before, im afraid to go looking for it in case I scare him) and I can't find any dead crickets that were let loose in the cage. And all, what should I do about him not eating? I don't want him to starve. Could he have eaten those crickets I can't find? I just misted him and put in some cricket (about 15, I don't want to put to many in until I know he's eating. I don't want to waste them) And could he not be pooping because he's not eating?
Keep spot cleaning every other day. If he's not eating he's not pooping. If he's stressed he's not going to be hungry. Act like you don't care that he's there hang out in the room and just don't look at him.
 
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