My veiled chameleon is dark most of the time, is it okay?

[Flick boy]

Hi so this this a quick mock up ( personally I find not only keeping track of the main things supplements amount of feeders, poop but also things no matter how insignificant. You can put your top labels to which bests suits you. I also keep track of my gutload in the beginning I used to chop fresh stuff every couple of days but now I get my fresh ingredients and blend them all freeze in cubes and then place them in bags in the freezer ( lol all labelled so as not to put them in any cocktails ) then defrost b4 provided to feeders . Sorry my hand writing is not the best

 

[JadeTheChameleon]

My chameleon: it’s a veiled chameleon, gender and age is unknown since i got it at petco, but it’s about 5 inches in body length so I assume it’s 3 months old

handling: I handle it about once a day for around 5 mins or when I clean its enclosure

Feeding: I feed it 5 mealworms twice a day, I hit load them with banana

supplements: I dust the mealworms I’m about to feed it with calcium once a day and dust them with vitamins twice a week

water: I use a waterfall with leaves that create humidity and dew,

fecal description: they are brown with white urates, I have not tested it for parasites

cage: I have a mesh enclosure that’s 16 inch wide and 30 inch high

lighting; I use UBV lights ( one white one and one blue one) I have the white one on for half of the day then I turn on the blue one for the rest of the day

Tempature: it’s basking spot usually ranges around 85-90°F and it’s floor tempature is around 73-78 , I measure it with a tempature and humidity gauge

humidity: it’s about 55-60%, in the tropical range the waterfall system I have combined with where I live maintains the humidity levels

plants: I use fake plants

placement: it’s not near any vents or fans, the top of the tank to my floor is about 6f 7.5in

location: I live in New York, United States

it doesn’t want to be held at the moment but no tarsal spurs are present yet

Just a few things that may help. You should not feed meal worms because they are high in fat and not a substantial diet. Instead I would try crickets and when she gets old enough Dubia roaches and super worms. If she is in fact a female you will want your basking spot to be at 80 degrees rather than 85 but don’t let it get hotter than 85. you also want to make sure the bottom of the cage is cool so she can thermo regulate. Her dad patterning is likely because she is stressed out in her new environment but I do reccomend scheduling a vet appointment to test her poop.

 

[Muedy]

Hi so this this a quick mock up ( personally I find not only keeping track of the main things supplements amount of feeders, poop but also things no matter how insignificant. You can put your top labels to which bests suits you. I also keep track of my gutload in the beginning I used to chop fresh stuff every couple of days but now I get my fresh ingredients and blend them all freeze in cubes and then place them in bags in the freezer ( lol all labelled so as not to put them in any cocktails ) then defrost b4 provided to feeders . Sorry my hand writing is not the best

Okay. Cool thank you. I just write down I. A journal lol

 

[ERKleRose]

Hello there, welcome to the forums! I'll put my feedback and any questions in red (sorry to @Alastair&Anna or @Flick boy for repeating any info y'all have already posted). I've posted helpful images and links below:

My chameleon: it’s a veiled chameleon, gender and age is unknown since i got it at petco, but it’s about 5 inches in body length so I assume it’s 3 months old It looks much older than 3 months. If you could post some pics of it with something to scale it with in the photos, along with some side-view pics of the back of its back feet, that'd be really helpful! This way we can help you age it and tell you the gender (since both of those factors change its husbandry).

handling: I handle it about once a day for around 5 mins or when I clean its enclosure Chameleons are more like fish, don't touch, especially with ones just gotten. Once it settles in (not dark or bright but normal), you can associate handling it with positive reinforcement, like outside time, free-range enclosure time, and hand-feeding. That'll also help get it out of its cage when taking it to the vet, too!

Feeding: I feed it 5 mealworms twice a day, I hit load them with banana Mealworms should be occasional treats only, not a staple. Pick at least 3-4+ items or more to rotate through from the healthy insects on the feeding chart as "staples" (though there should be no staples); variety is best! Gutloading is crucial as well, and the more variety of ingredients (all fresh and organic), the better! Make sure all of the categories are in the correct ratios, too (the gutload list is attached below). You can use a commercial gutload, as well, but the more things you add, the healthier your insects will be! How do you gutload? It also looks old enough to be fed once a day, in the morning, now.

supplements: I dust the mealworms I’m about to feed it with calcium once a day and dust them with vitamins twice a week The easiest schedule to use is a quality phosphorus-free calcium without D3 (like Repashy SuperCal NoD or Zoo Med ReptiCalcium Without D3) every feeding, except for once every two weeks, where you'll use a quality multivitamin with D3 (like Repashy CalciumPlus LoD or Zoo Med Reptivite With D3). What brand(s) of supplements do you have (not all are created equal)?

water: I use a waterfall with leaves that create humidity and dew, That needs to be taken out and tossed ASAP, they're breeding grounds for bacteria. You'll need to get a hand mister (and an automatic misting system, like CliMist or MiskKing, if you can afford it) to use at least two times a day, around lights on and around lights off, to mist down the entire enclosure for at least 2-5+ minutes each time. You can add a dripper for during the day, as well, so it can hydrate if it needs to during the day (not a recirculating one though). If the humidity is too high during the day, either shorten the morning misting session and/or move it to an earlier time. If the humidity is too low, you can add a 2 minute misting session during the day, preferably around late afternoon. You can also mist during the night, too, (and those sessions don't have to be as long, you can do 15 or 30 second sessions even). You can also fog during the night, but I would advise against it right now so you can master the basics (it can only happen during the coldest parts of the night with a cool-mist humidifier, but only if temps are at or below than 65*F- you can go up to 67*F, but it's pushing it- and if there's enough air circulation, too; it also has to be properly cleaned, including any tubing, at least once a week, along with having to replace the original tubing that came with it to either PVC pipe or vinyl tubing, too, if it came with crinkly tubing).

fecal description: they are brown with white urates, I have not tested it for parasites Since it's a new chameleon and from Petco, you need to find an experienced chameleon vet to take it to for x-rays, a fecal sample (bring a fresh one with you and your cham to the appointment), a general wellness check, and possibly bloodwork (if needed and if it's old/big enough). Make sure to drop off at least 2+ more fresh fecal samples after the original appointment to make sure no parasites were missed.

cage: I have a mesh enclosure that’s 16 inch wide and 30 inch high The bare minimum for a veiled male is 2'x2'x4' tall, a female's bare minimum is either that or 36"x18"x36" tall, but 4'x2'x4' tall or bigger is recommended. Bigger is always better! You need to take out all fake plants and the water fountain, and add in lots of branches (none from toxic or sap-producing trees, no moss sticks either), lots of veiled-tested live plants (properly cleaned beforehand, then repotted in organic soil without perlite or chemical fertilizers, then the soil covered with rocks too big for your chameleon to eat), and vines (no moss, Exo Terra, or vines with fake plants on them; preferably real vines only). I've linked two great cage set-up links and a safe plant list (choose from the veiled-tested ones only) below! You also need a drainage system that sits outside and under the cage, as well. If you have a female, then she will need a proper lay bin with lots of cover around it and a privacy cloth to cover the cage where the lay bin area is when it's time for her to lay.

lighting; I use UBV lights ( one white one and one blue one) I have the white one on for half of the day then I turn on the blue one for the rest of the day Both of those bulbs need to go. You need a T5 High Output linear UVB bulb and fixture (preferably at least the length that your chameleon's biggest cage will be). The bulb will need to be either an Arcadia 6% (replace yearly) or Zoo Med ReptiSun 5.0 (replace every 6-9 months/to a year) T5 HO linear UVB bulb of the matching size of the fixture. The UVB bulb needs to be 8-9" away from your chameleon's basking branch. Getting a Solarmeter 6.5 is best, it'll tell you if an UVB bulb is defective, when to actually replace the bulb, and where to actually place the basking branch, plus so much more! It's literally a life-saver, so get it as soon as you can afford to! For a heat bulb, you need a plain white light incandescent bulb. The wattage should be the lowest possible that gives you correct temps. The heat bulb needs to be at least 8-9"+ away from the basking branch, too.

Tempature: it’s basking spot usually ranges around 85-90°F and it’s floor tempature is around 73-78 , I measure it with a tempature and humidity gauge You need at least one digital thermometer with a probe, and place the probe where the top of your chameleon's back is when it's on its basking branch. It should be 80*F there. Try to keep the floor temp closer to 73*F. You also need at least 2+ more either digital thermometers or digital thermometer/hygrometer combos (probed or unprobed) to place in the middle and at/near the bottom of the enclosure. What are your nighttime temps? They need to be at least 67*F or lower, preferably 65*F or lower.

humidity: it’s about 55-60%, in the tropical range the waterfall system I have combined with where I live maintains the humidity levels That is too high for a veiled. Your daytime humidity levels need to be between 30-50%, preferably on the lower end of that range. Nighttime levels need to be higher. If you have the correct nighttime times and enough air circulation, they can go up to 80-100%. You need at least 2 digital hygrometers or digital thermometer/hygrometer combos (probed or unprobed) in the cage, one near the top/basking area and one near the bottom.

plants: I use fake plants All live, veiled-tested plants only. Veileds will try to eat anything, so a fake plant is an impaction risk, which can lead to death.

placement: it’s not near any vents or fans, the top of the tank to my floor is about 6f 7.5in

location: I live in New York, United States


Here's the links and images (read through every module and the veiled species profile, as well as listen to as many podcast episodes as possible, from The Chameleon Academy, as they have the most accurate and up-to-date husbandry available):

• 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/
• http://www.muchadoaboutchameleons.com/2012/04/how-to-set-up-proper-chameleon.html
• http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/2007/12/keeping-female-veiled.html (if female)
• https://www.chameleons.info/en/
• https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/external-resources/
• http://www.muchadoaboutchameleons.com/
• https://caskabove.com

 

[ERKleRose]

Sorry, here's the images!

 

[MelonTheCham]

I would fill out the form provided above by copy pasting it into your response. I believe you have a male but I can not see him well enough. If you can provide some closer pics I can confirm and some of the back of the hind feet.

The cham is stressed. Incorrect UVB lighting, water foutain, fake plants. These all need to be corrected. It would seem you were given very incorrect husbandry for him. So if you fill out the form we can give you detailed feedback.

just got a pic of one of its hind feet

 

[ERKleRose]

That looks to be a female. You need a lay bin in her cage ASAP, and you need to post a pic so we can age her so you can feed her the proper amount. High basking temps and too much food means she'll produce too many eggs and shorten her lifespan, too. You'll want her basking temp to be between 78-80*F, as well.

 

[Beman]

Female, so start getting ready.... Husbandry needs to be spot on to avoid complications with laying. They lay infertile eggs like chickens...

As she matures you will have to start cutting back her food. By about 6 months she should be getting about 5-8 small feeders each day. At about 7 months you want to slowly reduce by cutting down feeder amounts so that she is on a feeding schedule of 3 days a week with 3 feeders. You want them to be on this schedule by the time they are 9-10 months old.

You will not ever want basking to be over 78-80 for her. Very important for females because as she ages she needs this temp no higher at basking to help control the amount of eggs she produces.

A lay bin should be added as a permanent fixture by the time they are 6 months old so they get used to it and it does not cause stress.


https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/laying-bin-set-up-educational-video.77225/

I like the bins... Most of our keepers use all playsand rather than mixing it. See image below.

 

[Thatcher]

Ok so my feedback will be in red.

My chameleon: it’s a veiled chameleon, gender and age is unknown since i got it at petco, but it’s about 5 inches in body length so I assume it’s 3 months old
If the chameleon doesn't have spurs, it is a female, and by the looks of it, she doesn't seem to be 3m old, probably older.

handling: I handle it about once a day for around 5 mins or when I clean its enclosure
If you have just got her, I would recommend not holding her at all, this is very stressful for them.
Feeding: I feed it 5 mealworms twice a day, I hit load them with banana
Mealworms are not healthy for chameleons, try some crickets, dubia roaches, BSFL, etc.
supplements: I dust the mealworms I’m about to feed it with calcium once a day and dust them with vitamins twice a week
Make sure that the calcium you are feeding her everyday doesn't have D3. Once every other week you should give her D3.
water: I use a waterfall with leaves that create humidity and dew,
You shouldn't use a waterfall because it is a hazard for bacteria, try misting instead.
fecal description: they are brown with white urates, I have not tested it for parasites
Try to get her tested for parasites because you got her from petco, they are not the best at taking care of animals.
cage: I have a mesh enclosure that’s 16 inch wide and 30 inch high
This sizez is okay for now, but eventually you need to move her into 2ft x 2ft x 4ft as a adult enclosure.
lighting; I use UBV lights ( one white one and one blue one) I have the white one on for half of the day then I turn on the blue one for the rest of the day
Do not use the compact UVB bulb get a linear one asap, your chameleon could get MBD which is not a fun thing to deal with. Also refrain from using a blue heat bulb, you can get white light ones from homedepot/lowes.
Tempature: it’s basking spot usually ranges around 85-90°F and it’s floor tempature is around 73-78 , I measure it with a tempature and humidity gauge
This is a bit hot, try raising the bulb up to get it down to 80-85 degrees.
humidity: it’s about 55-60%, in the tropical range the waterfall system I have combined with where I live maintains the humidity levels
That is a good range, but the waterfall system should be removed.
plants: I use fake plants
Get some live plants, in fact, try to have them all be live. Veiled's are notorious for eating plants, and with fake ones, she could eat them and become impacted.
placement: it’s not near any vents or fans, the top of the tank to my floor is about 6f 7.5in
This is a pretty good height! Good job!
location: I live in New York, United States

Ik it is hard getting a new pet, but with some work, I think your chameleon will be just fine!

I'll second the mealworms they have too much chitin and it is hard for the chameleon to digest.