New Chameleon Owner! Baby Veiled! Help and Advice Needed!

rileykathrynmc

New Member
Chameleon Info:

Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Veiled Cham
Male
Juvie (2 to 3 months is my guess)
Has been in my care less than a week

Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Once a day for 30 ish minutes, Rambo (cham) will stay dark colors in his cage and seems happier sitting ontop of my head. He turns his relaxed colors when out. We go outside when the weather is warm enough and he will bask on my finger.

Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Small and large crickets that are fed flukers high calcium and quencher. He gets fed 5 large of 10 small in the morning around 8am and then the same amount around 6:45 before the sunset. He also gets meal worms as a treat but is not very interested in them. He wont eat collard greens, I am going to experiment with some fruit soon.

Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
I dust the meal worms with ZooMed repticalcium without D3, and use ZooMed Reptivite once a week on crickets

Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
I have a ExoTerra monsoon solo that goes for 90 seconds every hour. I have never seen him drink, but again I have had him for less than a week.

Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
His first poop was delayed as he was adjusting to his new environment, but was firm and dark brown with white urite. Currently, he poops every day but it is softer and the urite seems a bit more yellow than it should be, I will get a picture of the next movement. He has not been tested for parasites though I am strongly considering it right now.

History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
No real information but he did have a cage mate at the pet store.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
16”x16”x30” all screen. It is the reptibreeze chameleon kit.

Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? The lighting I’m using came with the chameleon kit and it is a reptisun 5.0 UVB and 60W daylight blue. Adding the infrared heater tomorrow.

Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? 82F degree e basking spot currently (adding an infrared warming bulb to heat that up a little more for him) 77F degree ambient and 72F degree bottom. Right now, I have a space heater warming the area around his cage while I wait for the extra bulb. Overnight the temp at the top, typically 82F, drops to 70F.

Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
30-60% I have a lot of difficulty keeping humidity and heat with the mesh and am waiting for a humidifier to come in.

Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? I am using a mix of live and fake plants. He has plants that are positioned under the mister so that they will accumulate water for him to drink, I have a live pothos plant.

Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? See picture, bottom of cage about 2 feet from floor, top of cage about 4 and a half feet from floor. He may be able to feel the breeze from the space heater, but again this is going away tomorrow.

Location - Where are you geographically located? Dallas, Texas

Current Problem – Dark coloration when in cage and odd coloration when neon green. See pictures. As well as soft but not runny poop and slight dehydration. Worried about the white developing around his mouth and the dark colors while in his cage!

Attachments
 
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Veiled Cham
Male
Juvie (2 to 3 months is my guess)
Has been in my care less than a week

Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Once a day for 30 ish minutes, Rambo (cham) will stay dark colors in his cage and seems happier sitting ontop of my head. He turns his relaxed colors when out. We go outside when the weather is warm enough and he will bask on my finger.

Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Small and large crickets that are fed flukers high calcium and quencher. He gets fed 5 large of 10 small in the morning around 8am and then the same amount around 6:45 before the sunset. He also gets meal worms as a treat but is not very interested in them. He wont eat collard greens, I am going to experiment with some fruit soon. I feed/gutload crickets, roaches, locusts, etc with dandelion greens, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, carrots, zucchini, squash, sweet red pepper, sweet potato, a bit of Apple, pear, melon, berries. I don't use commercial feeds/gutload a or cricket quencher.

Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
I dust the meal worms with ZooMed repticalcium without D3, and use ZooMed Reptivite once a week on crickets I dust the insects lightly with a phos free calcium powder at almost every feeding to help balance the phos to calcium ratio in most feeder insects. Twice a month I dust lightly with a phos free calcium/D3 powder and twice a month with a vitamin powder containing a beta carotene prOformed source of vitamin A. D3 from supplements and vitamin A in preformed sources can build up in the system and lead to health issues. This way the chameleon gets some D3 and leaves it to the chameleon to produce the rest of it from its exposure to the UVB you provide. Beta carotene is safe and if you feel that the chameleon needs some preformed vitamin A you can give it a little separately.

Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
I have a ExoTerra monsoon solo that goes for 90 seconds every hour. I have never seen him drink, but again I have had him for less than a week. You could add a dripper made from a deli up with a tiny hole in the bottom of it that drips at the rate of one or two drips per second.

Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
His first poop was delayed as he was adjusting to his new environment, but was firm and dark brown with white urite. Currently, he poops every day but it is softer and the urite seems a bit more yellow than it should be, I will get a picture of the next movement. He has not been tested for parasites though I am strongly considering it right now. if you're concerned, post a photo.

History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
No real information but he did have a cage mate at the pet store.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
16”x16”x30” all screen. It is the reptibreeze chameleon kit.

Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? The lighting I’m using came with the chameleon kit and it is a reptisun 5.0 UVB and 60W daylight blue. Adding the infrared heater tomorrow. you can use a regular household incandescent bulb for basking...wattage that produces the proper basking temperature. For UVB I recommend the long linear reptisun 5.0 tube light.

Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? 82F degree e basking spot currently (adding an infrared warming bulb to heat that up a little more for him) 77F degree ambient and 72F degree bottom. Right now, I have a space heater warming the area around his cage while I wait for the extra bulb. Overnight the temp at the top, typically 82F, drops to 70F. I wouldn't use the infrared bulb. Just use a regular incandescent like I described above instead.

Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
30-60% I have a lot of difficulty keeping humidity and heat with the mesh and am waiting for a humidifier to come in.

Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? I am using a mix of live and fake plants. He has plants that are positioned under the mister so that they will accumulate water for him to drink, I have a live pothos plant.

Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? See picture, bottom of cage about 2 feet from floor, top of cage about 4 and a half feet from floor. He may be able to feel the breeze from the space heater, but again this is going away tomorrow.

Location - Where are you geographically located? Dallas, Texas

Current Problem – Dark coloration when in cage and odd coloration when neon green. See pictures. As well as soft but not runny poop and slight dehydration. Worried about the white developing around his mouth and the dark colors while in his cage! the colors around his mouth at normal. The color changing is fine too. Why do you think your chameleon is dehydrated?

Hope this helps!
 
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Veiled Cham
Male
Juvie (2 to 3 months is my guess)
Has been in my care less than a week

Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Once a day for 30 ish minutes, Rambo (cham) will stay dark colors in his cage and seems happier sitting ontop of my head. He turns his relaxed colors when out. We go outside when the weather is warm enough and he will bask on my finger.

Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Small and large crickets that are fed flukers high calcium and quencher. He gets fed 5 large of 10 small in the morning around 8am and then the same amount around 6:45 before the sunset. He also gets meal worms as a treat but is not very interested in them. He wont eat collard greens, I am going to experiment with some fruit soon. I feed/gutload crickets, roaches, locusts, etc with dandelion greens, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, carrots, zucchini, squash, sweet red pepper, sweet potato, a bit of Apple, pear, melon, berries. I don't use commercial feeds/gutload a or cricket quencher.

Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
I dust the meal worms with ZooMed repticalcium without D3, and use ZooMed Reptivite once a week on crickets I dust the insects lightly with a phos free calcium powder at almost every feeding to help balance the phos to calcium ratio in most feeder insects. Twice a month I dust lightly with a phos free calcium/D3 powder and twice a month with a vitamin powder containing a beta carotene prOformed source of vitamin A. D3 from supplements and vitamin A in preformed sources can build up in the system and lead to health issues. This way the chameleon gets some D3 and leaves it to the chameleon to produce the rest of it from its exposure to the UVB you provide. Beta carotene is safe and if you feel that the chameleon needs some preformed vitamin A you can give it a little separately.

Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
I have a ExoTerra monsoon solo that goes for 90 seconds every hour. I have never seen him drink, but again I have had him for less than a week. You could add a dripper made from a deli up with a tiny hole in the bottom of it that drips at the rate of one or two drips per second.

Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
His first poop was delayed as he was adjusting to his new environment, but was firm and dark brown with white urite. Currently, he poops every day but it is softer and the urite seems a bit more yellow than it should be, I will get a picture of the next movement. He has not been tested for parasites though I am strongly considering it right now. if you're concerned, post a photo.

History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
No real information but he did have a cage mate at the pet store.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
16”x16”x30” all screen. It is the reptibreeze chameleon kit.

Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? The lighting I’m using came with the chameleon kit and it is a reptisun 5.0 UVB and 60W daylight blue. Adding the infrared heater tomorrow. you can use a regular household incandescent bulb for basking...wattage that produces the proper basking temperature. For UVB I recommend the long linear reptisun 5.0 tube light.

Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? 82F degree e basking spot currently (adding an infrared warming bulb to heat that up a little more for him) 77F degree ambient and 72F degree bottom. Right now, I have a space heater warming the area around his cage while I wait for the extra bulb. Overnight the temp at the top, typically 82F, drops to 70F. I wouldn't use the infrared bulb. Just use a regular incandescent like I described above instead.

Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
30-60% I have a lot of difficulty keeping humidity and heat with the mesh and am waiting for a humidifier to come in.

Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? I am using a mix of live and fake plants. He has plants that are positioned under the mister so that they will accumulate water for him to drink, I have a live pothos plant.

Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? See picture, bottom of cage about 2 feet from floor, top of cage about 4 and a half feet from floor. He may be able to feel the breeze from the space heater, but again this is going away tomorrow.

Location - Where are you geographically located? Dallas, Texas

Current Problem – Dark coloration when in cage and odd coloration when neon green. See pictures. As well as soft but not runny poop and slight dehydration. Worried about the white developing around his mouth and the dark colors while in his cage! the colors around his mouth at normal. The color changing is fine too. Why do you think your chameleon is dehydrated?

Hope this helps!
Thank you so much! And I think he is dehydrated because his ‘pee’ is yellow! He also just appears very dry right now.
 
I also STRONGLY recommend a linear tube light.
A T5 HO florescent lamp
The coiled/spiral type bulbs at best provide almost no UV at any distance through a screen. And at worse, they cause eye issues and blindness.
It looks like you let your Chameleon get some real sunlight?
I'd take that CFL coil out and just use actual sunlight until you get your T5 UV.
 
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