Need help new chameleon owner

C

Cham1st101

New Member
He’s a male veiled chameleon I never got the age of the chameleon but he’s a baby for sure
I feed small crickets about 12 spreaded our two times a day one around 10am a few hours after the lights turn on and 6 around 6 about 2 hours before his lights turn off I handle him maybe 10-30 min a day I heard handling early on in life for them helps create a bond so they will tolerate being handled when they get older
I spray his cage two or three times a day for watering I let him drink from the leaves I have live plants in his cage nothing artificial hasn’t been tested for any diseases that I’m aware of the worker never told me
My cage is screen
Dimensions 2x3x2.5 right now because he’s a baby
I don’t know the brand of lighting but I have a ubv long lamp and a 60watt heat lamp
My temperature range is 68-79 degrees F
I have live plants I have a small tree some flowers and some little grass plants I can take pictures the cage is placed in my room and is higher than any object in my room
Is not next to anything except my school books and some picture
Have questions about humidity feeding and handling
Like..why won’t he hand feed he only hunts
How do I know if my humidity levels are ok I can’t find a humidity level machine to tell me
Are paper towels really ok for substrate
Is handling him 10-30 min a day ok he seems to be fine most of the time he’s a lime green and he’s never puffed out on me I’ll put my hand in the cage and he’ll slowly climb on my hand almost every time I’ve only had him for about a week and a half how often do I have to clean the cage is my cage big enough for him how do I confirm around his age if that’s possible I can post pictures if anyone wants more info
 
This is the set up from
Top to bottom
 

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Chameleons aren't really social animals. Your baby could be friendly for the first 9-10 months of its life, but once they hit maturity some/most will become territorial and aggressive.

More closeup pictures of your chameleon. Take some pictures of the back feet as well. This can help determine if you have a boy or girl.

Where id you get him/her?

Your setup doesn't look too bad, actually. Are the plants you've got on a safe plant list? (though most chameleon plants lists are just a modified dog and cat list) I would also cover the soil of your plant with large rocks. They may try to eat the soil.

When you got your plants.. did you change out the soil with organic soil/topsoil?

I would feed as much as he/she will eat, only one time a day. Sometime in the morning. I would also cup feed. Secure a cup, tall enough so the feeders cannot get out easily but shallow enough so the baby can get its food, to a branch slightly lower than the basking branch. This is so the chameleon can look down into the cup to easily get its food.

What is your supplement schedule, and what supplements are you using?

How strong is your uvb light? Is it a t5 or a t8? What brand is it? How can you not know what it is if i'm assuming you/a family member bought it?

Raise the heat light a few inches off the screen. What is the distance from your highest branch/plant to your lights?

Basking spot should be around 82-84 degrees, ambient should be mid 70's. Nighttime temps should be mid 60's, no lower than 55-60.

Go on amazon.. there is loads of hygrometers on there. Hygrometers by Govee are good.

He/she may not hand feed because they are still new.

Great blog on bonding by @Beman .. https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/building-trust-with-your-chameleon.2396/#ubs-comment-3828
 
Thank you I can some of the chameleon right now
I don’t know for sure if they’re on a safe plant list I just bought plants and did the soil
I don’t know the brand because I bought it set it up and then threw out the box I’m going to PetSmart (where I bought it) and I can get the brand and see if it’s a t5 or t8
The temps are usually 75-79 through out the day and 68-67 in the night no lower then 66
 
Pics of him
 

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I got him from
PetSmart
Distance from highest branch it probably 3 inches
I still need to go but calcium without d3 can’t find it at stores so I’m looking online
Guy loading with carrots Mostly
 
Yikes 3 inches? you will want your highest branch/plant at around 10-12 inches away from your lights. You could do that by raising your lights up off the screen or moving your plants and branches down.

What other supplements are you using? What is your current schedule?
 
I feed him around ~10am and then again at ~5pm
Lights turn on at 8 and off at 8pm
Supplements as in? I don’t use really anything still figuring out what I need to get dont want to waste money another reason I came here
 
The leaves on the tree look like hibiscus to me. The lily is toxic for cats and dogs and I would play it safe and not trust it for a cham. No idea about the grassy thing unless it is one with little tiny serrations.
 
Okay so just feed him all at once at 10am. I would cup feed as I said before.

Okay so you will need calcium with d3, calcium without d3, and then a multivitamin without d3 ( I use reptivite with d3)

Calcium without d3 every day, calcium with d3 ONCE every other week, multivitamin ONCE every other week. Alternate the weeks.

(Depending on how strong your UVB is and the distance from your uvb light, you may or may not have to supplement d3.)

For when you get your hygrometer, humidity levels should be 30-40 during the day, and then 80-100 at night. This can be achieved by using a fogger at night.

You will mist about 2-3 times a day. 2-4 minutes in the morning, and then 2-4 minutes in the evening. You can do a short midday misting if you would like. You can also run a dripper throughout the day. (be sure you have a plant or a bowl to catch the water dripping so you dont have a big ol' puddle)

You will want to mist after the UVB comes on, but before the basking light comes on. and then in the evening after your basking light goes off, but before your UVB does. (And if you do a midday misting, you will want to shut off the basking light 15 minutes before, mist for about 30 seconds, and then keep it off for 15 minutes after.)

For example my uvb comes on at 7am, I mist at 7:30 for 4 minutes, and then my basking light is on at 8am. For my short misting during the day, my basking light goes off again at 12pm, mist for 30 seconds at 12:15, and then my basking light is back on at 12:30. In the evening same sort of thing.. basking light is off at 6pm, mist at 6:30pm, UVB light off at 7. Does this make sense? I control everything with automatic misters and timers.

If you are only getting 79 at basking you need a stronger light. Especially if its 3 inches away and still not getting up to mid 80's (your lights need to be about 10-12 inches away from your highest branch/plant, as I said before)

Papertowel is fine as substrate.. though it may get soggy from misting. I just use bare bottom. I spot clean every day with soap and water. I dont really do 'deep cleans' not necessary unless you are dealing with a parasite, or you haven't kept up with spot cleaning.

I would get a fecal on your baby as soon as you can.. you said he came from Petco. Take a fresh sample into a local reptile vet within 24 hours (doesn't necessarily have to be experienced with chameleons to do a good fecal).

The tree might be okay. take a look at this https://chameleonacademy.com/basics-plants-chameleons/

And then this.. https://chameleonacademy.com/plants/

And then a chameleon learning course.. https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/
 
Thank you guys and also why does he just sit on the basking branch he doesn’t move sometimes he’ll just sit on the basking branch for hours is that normal too?
 
He is alert and holding himself up while doing so, correct? Not sleeping or squinting or anything?

As far as I know that is not concerning behavior.
 
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