My New Little Guy

Zenyatta The Chameleon

Zenyatta The Chameleon

Member
So about 2-3 days ago I went to a reptile convention here in Atlanta and got myself a chameleon and all his necessities and I'm curious how big will he get within a month or 2? hes a Veiled Chameleon named after my favorite Overwatch character.
 
image.jpg
 
Zenyatta The Chameleon said:
I can still do it
Click to expand...
  • Your Chameleon - Veiled, Male, 2 days
  • Handling - been trying to feed him while I Hold him (No luck so far)
  • Feeding - Crickets both live and freezedried
  • Supplements - repticalcium without D3 everyday and Reptivite with D3 once every month
  • Watering - I use an auto mister and a spray bottle and I do watch him drink as I watch droplets on the bottle and him lick it off and also provide some on leaves and spray/mist 2-3 times a day
  • Fecal Description - Normal colors and has not been tested for parasites yet.
  • History - Bought him from a reptile convention

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Mesh/metal 15 by 30 I believe? (I might build him a bigger one later)
  • Lighting - Zoo Med mini combo deep dome dual lamp fixture and light hours are from: 9:00Am to 9:00Pm
  • Temperature - 85-90-95 and Thermometer
  • Humidity - 45-50, Hygrometer, and here its naturally humid so it helps if I leave the window open during the summer only
  • Plants - None yet
  • Placement - Next to my dresser, I have a tall room with a ceiling fan and vent nearby
  • Location - Georgia, Atlanta
here ya go :)
 
Congrats on your new baby! I've seen some things in your notes that need addressing:
1. No freeze-dried feeders, chameleons only eat live prey. Also he will need a variety of different feeders, not just crickets.
2. You will need a bigger cage and fairly soon. I'm guessing by what you posted that you mean 15"x30", and that's simply not large enough. You need to be able to create a temperature gradient for your chameleon, and with one the size that you have currently that will be quite difficult.
3. Do you have a UVB bulb in your fixture? If it's the duel bulb, that indicates that if you have a UVB bulb it's a coil one, not a linear one. You will want to change that to a linear UVB bulb as the coil ones tend to damage chamleons' eyes.
4. Don't try to feed him while handling him yet. He's still super-new to your care, so give him some time to settle in (about 2 weeks) before trying to handle him.
5. You'll want to change him over to live plants. Veiled chameleons have a habit of eating their plants, which is not a situation you want to deal with when you have fake plants in his enclosure.
6. You said that his cage is next to your dresser. Is it on top of anything, or sitting on the floor? You'll want to place it on something so that when your chameleon is basking that it is above your head when you are standing in front of the cage.

I don't want to discourage you, but we've all been there as new keepers. I just want to help you get set on the path to success so you don't end up with health issues for your chameleon down the road. I'd encourage you to read the care sheets that are linked on the home page for more information. Best of luck!
 
absolutbill said:
Congrats on your new baby! I've seen some things in your notes that need addressing:
1. No freeze-dried feeders, chameleons only eat live prey. Also he will need a variety of different feeders, not just crickets.
2. You will need a bigger cage and fairly soon. I'm guessing by what you posted that you mean 15"x30", and that's simply not large enough. You need to be able to create a temperature gradient for your chameleon, and with one the size that you have currently that will be quite difficult.
3. Do you have a UVB bulb in your fixture? If it's the duel bulb, that indicates that if you have a UVB bulb it's a coil one, not a linear one. You will want to change that to a linear UVB bulb as the coil ones tend to damage chamleons' eyes.
4. Don't try to feed him while handling him yet. He's still super-new to your care, so give him some time to settle in (about 2 weeks) before trying to handle him.
5. You'll want to change him over to live plants. Veiled chameleons have a habit of eating their plants, which is not a situation you want to deal with when you have fake plants in his enclosure.
6. You said that his cage is next to your dresser. Is it on top of anything, or sitting on the floor? You'll want to place it on something so that when your chameleon is basking that it is above your head when you are standing in front of the cage.

I don't want to discourage you, but we've all been there as new keepers. I just want to help you get set on the path to success so you don't end up with health issues for your chameleon down the road. I'd encourage you to read the care sheets that are linked on the home page for more information. Best of luck!
Click to expand...
Jezz Bill! I was trying to do it gently but you just busted right in there and started mowing shit down! I like your style...
 
absolutbill said:
Congrats on your new baby! I've seen some things in your notes that need addressing:
1. No freeze-dried feeders, chameleons only eat live prey. Also he will need a variety of different feeders, not just crickets.
2. You will need a bigger cage and fairly soon. I'm guessing by what you posted that you mean 15"x30", and that's simply not large enough. You need to be able to create a temperature gradient for your chameleon, and with one the size that you have currently that will be quite difficult.
3. Do you have a UVB bulb in your fixture? If it's the duel bulb, that indicates that if you have a UVB bulb it's a coil one, not a linear one. You will want to change that to a linear UVB bulb as the coil ones tend to damage chamleons' eyes.
4. Don't try to feed him while handling him yet. He's still super-new to your care, so give him some time to settle in (about 2 weeks) before trying to handle him.
5. You'll want to change him over to live plants. Veiled chameleons have a habit of eating their plants, which is not a situation you want to deal with when you have fake plants in his enclosure.
6. You said that his cage is next to your dresser. Is it on top of anything, or sitting on the floor? You'll want to place it on something so that when your chameleon is basking that it is above your head when you are standing in front of the cage.

I don't want to discourage you, but we've all been there as new keepers. I just want to help you get set on the path to success so you don't end up with health issues for your chameleon down the road. I'd encourage you to read the care sheets that are linked on the home page for more information. Best of luck!
Click to expand...

Alright I took out the tray of freeze dried crickets, the live ones are still in there and ill eventually get live mealworms if thats healthy for them? and i wasnt 100% right about the cage size because its hard to tell but i will build him a bigger cage eventually when he gets a little bigger. I know ive been handling him a little because ive been paranoid but ill stop that now. With the live plants ill have to wait because my mother is already stressed with the cost of everything he came with (maybe a couple of days from now) but i have bought collard greens so i I can place them in the cage. The bottom came with wood so i covered it with paper to keep him from getting to the wood until I can clean the cage by next saturday as a deep clean. He is also on a table and not on the ground and ill send a picture of what it looks like to help. But anyways thank you for the tips! Im just paranoid.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

r.a.n.g.o
chameleon hiding
Replies
4
Views
163
Lindasjackson
L
J
NEW Chameleon hiding on the bottom of enclosure.
2
Replies
30
Views
1K
TheMotherChameleon
TheMotherChameleon
R
New Keeper Introduction
Replies
17
Views
472
regal81455
R
Raymond1412
Meet Daffodil! (Daffie) Also need some advice for an egg-laying bin!
2
Replies
35
Views
1K
Raymond1412
Raymond1412
chamdy
New Chameleon Mom
Replies
17
Views
534
BleuSaphir
BleuSaphir
Back
Top Bottom