New baby veiled! have questions.

[MichelleAndrea]

So my boyfriend got me a baby veiled chameleon for christmas and everything seems to be going pretty well but i still have some questions:

1. how do i know how old my veiled is? the lady at the pet store said he was two months old but i think that wrong because i noticed that 2 month old chameleons have some yellow spots and mine still only turn light and dark green.

2. yesterday he started shedding and is already done with it, i read that was normal but i also read that it could be caused by the basking light? because he got burned or something? the cage is usually between 75 and no more than 85 degrees and at night its around 65 and 75, and during the night i only leave the basking light on. so how can i tell the difference?

3. also, when i first got him he ate normally. around 10-15 tiny (dusted) crickets and now hes eats barely 10. what could be the cause of this?

and uhm yeah thats it answers please? thanks.

~Michelle.

 

[Miss Lily]

Firstly, congrats on your new little green friend! Chams don't require any light at night - they need darkness to sleep and a drop in temps is good for them. If you need to provide heat at night then it's best to use a ceramic heat bulb, but unless your house gets really cold then it's generally not needed. With regard to shedding - that is normal and the basking lights don't cause it - they may, however cause burns if your chameleon can get too close. Babies up to 6 months (and adult females) should be kept in the very low 80's as baby chams are not able to thermoregulate like adults can. If your cham sits with it's mouth open for a while, then it is likely too hot.

 

[Itwas]

Shedding is normal as they grow. Dont leave your basking light on all night. 12 - 14 hours max. they need darkness to sleep which may explain his loss of appetite. What is your lighting setup? please can you post some pics of your set up and chameleon and also fill in the form in this link https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/

 

[jannb]

Welcome to the forums and congrats on your new baby veiled. I have three veileds Luie, Camille and their baby Elly. I'm attaching my blog on everything that you will need to keep your baby healthy. My blog has links with pictures and where you can buy.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html

 

[MichelleAndrea]

oh ok i was worried. and yeah last night i turned it off ill take a picture and post it later. heres the info:

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - veiled chameleon, male, i've had for 5 days
Handling - rarely, and if i do hold him its only for like 3 minutes
Feeding - i feed him dusted crickets. 10-15 a day. and in the morning and when i come back from school.
Supplements - flukers calcium with d3
Watering - i mist and its like 5-10 times a day. its hard to keep the humidity levels above 50. i almost never see him drink water but im pretty sure he does..
Fecal Description - its white? i think to be honest i dont even know what it looks like.
History - none
Cage Info:
Cage Type - its glass. ill post a picture
Lighting - i use uvb light and leave it on until i come back home from school which is at like 2:30 and i leave the basking light on until like 4 pm. on from the time i wake up. and thats it.
Temperature - 75 -85 during the day and 70-75 at night
Humidity - above fifty percent. i measure using the hygrometer i think its called.
Plants - the fake ones that came with the exo terra
Placement - its practically on the floor, in my room which is really quiet and calm
Location - nc

i also was wondering if when i spray the cage is it ok if he gets wet or am i sepposed to avoid that?

 

[bradley]

oh ok i was worried. and yeah last night i turned it off ill take a picture and post it later. heres the info:

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - veiled chameleon, male, i've had for 5 days
Handling - rarely, and if i do hold him its only for like 3 minutes
Feeding - i feed him dusted crickets. 10-15 a day. and in the morning and when i come back from school.
Supplements - flukers calcium with d3
Watering - i mist and its like 5-10 times a day. its hard to keep the humidity levels above 50. i almost never see him drink water but im pretty sure he does..
Fecal Description - its white? i think to be honest i dont even know what it looks like.
History - none
Cage Info:
Cage Type - its glass. ill post a picture
Lighting - i use uvb light and leave it on until i come back home from school which is at like 2:30 and i leave the basking light on until like 4 pm. on from the time i wake up. and thats it.
Temperature - 75 -85 during the day and 70-75 at night
Humidity - above fifty percent. i measure using the hygrometer i think its called.
Plants - the fake ones that came with the exo terra
Placement - its practically on the floor, in my room which is really quiet and calm
Location - nc

i also was wondering if when i spray the cage is it ok if he gets wet or am i sepposed to avoid that?

Ok seems you have the basics. With supplementation i use pure calcium 5 times a week and a multivitimin with d3 twice per month.

I would mist 3 times a day once in the morning once when you get in from school and once an hour beofre lights out. The humidity doesnt have to be above 50 all the time it needs to dry out.

With the cage you really need a screen cage as it provides better airflow than glass tanks.

The uv light should be a long tube and should be on for 12 hours per day as with the basking bulb. So say turn them on at 7 in the morning and turn off at 7 at night.

I would also reccommend a live plant to go with the fakes. things like ficus and umbrella plant are really good and will hold humidity.

I would also try to raise the cage as the chameleon will feel safer when higher

 

[MichelleAndrea]

the lady at the pet store told me that a glass cage is fine for now; that i should change it when he's 6 months. the uvb should be on for one hour? i think you meant 12. and ok, i'll raise the cage.

 

[kinyonga]

Here is some information that you might find helpful..........
Exposure to proper UVB, appropriate temperatures, supplements, a supply of well-fed/gutloaded insects, water and an appropriate cage set-up are all important for the well-being of your chameleon.

Appropriate cage temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part indirectly in nutrient absorption.

Exposure to UVB from either direct sunlight or a proper UVB light allows the chameleon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system to make/keep the bones strong and be used in other systems in the chameleon as well. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic no matter whether its from the sun or the UVB light. The most often recommended UVB light is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light. Some of the compacts, spirals and tube lights have caused health issues, but so far there have been no bad reports against this one.

Since many of the feeder insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in them, its important to dust the insects before you feed them to the chameleon with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it. (I use Rep-cal phosphorus-free calcium).

If you dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. It leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of what it needs through its exposure to the UVB light. (Some UVB lights have been known to cause health issues, so the most often recommended one is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light.) D3 from supplements can build up in the system but D3 produced from exposure to UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it. (I use Rep-cal phos.-free calcium/D3).

Dusting twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while. (I use herptivite.)

Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs. I gutload crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms, etc. with an assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.)

Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon (muscles, etc.) and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.

Here are some good sites for you to read....
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200605020...Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200604210...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/
http://web.archive.org/web/200601140...ww.adcham.com/