I have a few questions about my new Veiled Chameleon. I have had him a week and he isn't looking so good. He is normally a pretty green color but right now he is pretty pale looking, almost transparent. The temps are where they should be and his humidity stays between 50%-80% (which I was told was ideal). He isn't lacking an appetite and he doesn't seem any less active (at least he hasn't up until I got home and he wasn't looking good). The only thing that is worrying me is that he violently shakes for a second or two. I only noticed it once and my boyfriend noticed him do it once the other day. I don't know if it is more frequent or not since we both work during the day and can't always monitor the behavior (though up until today he has seemed fine). Also, when we are a distance away (no reason for him to feel threatened), he flares up (his stomach looks swollen and his neck area is all proofed up) and he opens his mouth really really wide for a few seconds and somewhat shakes (but not violent like before) though it all happened within a few minutes. He kept doing this multiple times and it has me worried. Is this normal behavior or do you think something may be wrong and I should get him checked out? Please help!!
New Owner of a Veiled- May be sick, need help!!
- Thread starter Jerika
- Start date
carol5208
Chameleon Enthusiast
Sometimes when they are getting ready to shed, they will shake from side to side to try and break out of their skin. They will aslo open their mouth to do the same. The transparency you are talking about might just be his skin looking white and kinda ashy if he is indeed getting ready to shed. Post a pic and let us take a look at him.
D
DavidBuchan
Guest
Hello, welcome to the forum 
Has he shed skin with you before?
Here is a great basic caresheet I recommend to all new people with Veileds - https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/chameleonsinmyhouse/395-veiled-chameleon-care-sheet.html
If you post pics of him and his enclosure we can tell you if he looks ok and give some more advice.
Has he shed skin with you before? Here is a great basic caresheet I recommend to all new people with Veileds - https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/chameleonsinmyhouse/395-veiled-chameleon-care-sheet.html
If you post pics of him and his enclosure we can tell you if he looks ok and give some more advice.
He has never shed with me before since I have only had him a week. He doesn't look like he is shedding but he is my first so I guess I wouldn't know for sure... mama's going to worry haha i hope these attachments work! Sorry if they come out screwy. If needed, I can attach some pics i took a few days ago, maybe y'all can see the difference or maybe have some advise!
In these pics, he looks a bit better than he did when i first got home. He changes patterns too. He will gain black spots everywhere and some almost stripe like patterns. Right before he stared flaring up and violently shaking was when he looked really pale and ill, though he has gained some normal coloring back since then.
Mystic
New Member
Hi and welcome to ChameleonForums. He is a cutie. From the upside down picture of your little guy. It does look like he is about to shed. Chameleons try to work their body in wierd positions, yawn, puff up and shake to break free from the old and in with the new. If he is in shed he will be showing you is new outfit soon enough. Try warm misting him more often during the day if you can. It will help with the shedding. Or when you are home try to set a plant in the bath tub, make sure the water is warm, Have your little guy sit on the plant and get the shower hitting the wall so it mists on him for awhile. Looking at the enclosure picture I can see you have it setup nice, but in my and other opinions that will soon follow after my post would suggest a few changes to help make your new guy more safe and a healthier life. I myself would suggest removing the subtrate out of his enclosure due to possible inpaction. Veiled chameleons are very known for trying to eat everything including soil/subtrate. Blocking his intestens and can cause serious health issues for your little guy. I see two bowls in his enclosure. If you have one that has water, chameleons can't really see standing still water. It can lead to bacteria growth. I would remove this as well. There are a few things to discuss, But I would suggest to fill out this form. Copy and paste it to your thread to fill out. It would help everyone that has experiance to help you with your new guy. We are all here to help and give guidence. Good Luck with your cutie litte one. Again Welcome to the forums and glad you came to all of us. This site is a wonderful haven for chameleon owners to get to know each other and help out when we can on different species of chameleons.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/
ataraxia
Avid Member
Hi and welcome to the forums
Carol hit it right on the head. What you describe is a chameleon about to shed.
Mouth gaping: The gauge on the outside of the heat area is reading 90*. The heat directly under the bulb is probably over 100* and this would be the reason for the animal gaping. The best way to set up a basking spot is where you see your chameleon on the branch. Put your thermometer right where he would sit and let it warm up for 15 minutes. You will need to adjust either the height of your dome or change bulb wattage to get that spot at 90*
Chameleon keeping is a little different than keeping most reptiles and many get misinformed by sources that truly dont know how to care for these lizards successfully. A few things will need adjusting and you are in the right place to get it all lined out so you and your little one will enjoy life.
Please fill this out so we can see how things are and try to help you in any way we can. https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/
Carol hit it right on the head. What you describe is a chameleon about to shed.
Mouth gaping: The gauge on the outside of the heat area is reading 90*. The heat directly under the bulb is probably over 100* and this would be the reason for the animal gaping. The best way to set up a basking spot is where you see your chameleon on the branch. Put your thermometer right where he would sit and let it warm up for 15 minutes. You will need to adjust either the height of your dome or change bulb wattage to get that spot at 90*
Chameleon keeping is a little different than keeping most reptiles and many get misinformed by sources that truly dont know how to care for these lizards successfully. A few things will need adjusting and you are in the right place to get it all lined out so you and your little one will enjoy life.
Please fill this out so we can see how things are and try to help you in any way we can. https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/
That is definitely good to know. The people at the Pet Store in which I bought him all had different opinions on how to set up the enclosure, to which none of them told me to avoid substrate (probably just trying to get more money!). I basically kept the shallow water dish in there to help with moisture and more as a bath (which he has been in it a few times). I do change that every day. When I remove the substrate, is there anything i need to put in the bottom? I have a feeling it would build up with water after a bit.
Mystic
New Member
Majority of Pet Stores think they know everything about chameleons and what they need, but in fact most know very little to nothing about them. Most of us leave the bottom bare. Humidity would come from live safe plants and misting along with a dripper. A dripper can be made as a simple plastic cup with a pin hole. Setting it ontop of the screen and let it drop on plants. This is where your cham would drink off the leaves where water is built up. Once you figure out how the water drips down and where it falls. You can place a dish to catch the water. I too was told for subtrate, water dish, glass enclosure. Chameleons need ventalation. When possible I would get him a screen enclosure. Glass enclosures can lead to respitory infections and bacteria growth. Its alot for chameleon care that most pet stores fail to tell us when we purchase one. For the time being you can place a towel on the bottom to collect the water that builds up until his enclosure can be adjusted. Changing the towel out often so no bacteria can start to grow. Our chameleon is now in a custom build enclosure and we ditched the glass exo terra. All these changes can be over whelming but you are definatly not alone. We are here to help as much as we can. Please be sure to fill out the ask for help so we can get a better idea of your setup. Best of Luck
carol5208
Chameleon Enthusiast
good info you gave. The only thing I would like to add is if you are going to use a dripper and use a dish to catch the water, make sure it is a very shallow one so your chameleon cannot drown in it if he were to accidentally fall into it.
Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information, you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon -
The species: Veiled Chameleon,
sex: Male,
and age of your chameleon: About 2 months is what I was told.
How long has it been in your care: 1 week today
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon: I didn't handle hime for the first 4 days so he could adjust to his new environment. I held him Tuesday for about 5 minutes, my BF held him for a good 15 minutes while i cleaned out the enclosure on Wednesday, and I had to pull him out for another 5 min on Thursday to rearrange a few things. I have not touched him today (Friday).
Feeding -
What are you feeding your cham?: Crickets and mealworms (though only a few MW occasionally due to the exoskeleton)
What amount?: 5-8 a day depending on size
What is the schedule?: half in the morning, half in the afternoon
How are you gut-loading your feeders? supplying food to them before giving them to my cham
Supplements -
What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?: both are Zilla Food Spray. Vitamin Suppliment with Beta Carotene, & Calcium Suppliment. I separate the amount I am going to give him, spray them, wait the right amount of time listed in the directions, and then feed him
Watering -
What kind of watering technique do you use?: I have a timed Misting system How often and how long to you mist?: I have been struggling with maintaining the right humidity levels. Right now it is set to mist every hour for 30 second (and that keeps the humidity at 80-85% for the first 20 minutes then it starts decreasing. By the time it mists again, it get down between 30-50%) How do I fix this?
Do you see your chameleon drinking?: yes
Fecal Description -
Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings.: sold, brown, sometimes with a white tip to it. Not runny at all, decent size for the little guy
Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? I have not taken him, though the pet store i bought him from had a vet guarantee that he is healthy
History -
Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
-just whatever is listed in this thread
Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?):Combo (see picture above)
What are the dimensions? i believe it is 18x18x24.
Lighting -
What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? : i bought the Combo Deep Dome Duel Lamp Fixture with the ZooMed Basking Combo Pack (basking and infared 75W)
What is your daily lighting schedule? 12 hours with basking on, 12 hours with infared
Temperature -
What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Day cool area is between 75-80 degrees, day basking spot is between 90-100 degrees (I was going off of a care sheet I received from the pet store).
Lowest overnight temp? At night it says to keep it between 65-70 degrees which is about where mine stays.
How do you measure these temps?: I have 2 different thermometers, one high by the basking area, and one low in the cooler area.
Humidity -
What are your humidity levels?: I am struggling a bit with this: on average it stays between 50-80% humidity though it tends to reach as high as 90% and oddly somtimes gets down between 30-50% (advice??)
How are you creating and maintaining these levels? Auto Misting System on an hourly timer
What do you use to measure humidity? a humidity guage
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?: Small Umbrella plant
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? In the main sitting room tucked in a corner away from any vents and drafts.
At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? between 6-7ft
Location -
Where are you geographically located? Salt Lake City, Utah
Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
Discoloration- Very Pale Almost Teransparent, Violent Shaking, Odd Flaring, Wide Open Mouth.
Pictures are helpful: see thread
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon -
The species: Veiled Chameleon,
sex: Male,
and age of your chameleon: About 2 months is what I was told.
How long has it been in your care: 1 week today
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon: I didn't handle hime for the first 4 days so he could adjust to his new environment. I held him Tuesday for about 5 minutes, my BF held him for a good 15 minutes while i cleaned out the enclosure on Wednesday, and I had to pull him out for another 5 min on Thursday to rearrange a few things. I have not touched him today (Friday).
Feeding -
What are you feeding your cham?: Crickets and mealworms (though only a few MW occasionally due to the exoskeleton)
What amount?: 5-8 a day depending on size
What is the schedule?: half in the morning, half in the afternoon
How are you gut-loading your feeders? supplying food to them before giving them to my cham
Supplements -
What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?: both are Zilla Food Spray. Vitamin Suppliment with Beta Carotene, & Calcium Suppliment. I separate the amount I am going to give him, spray them, wait the right amount of time listed in the directions, and then feed him
Watering -
What kind of watering technique do you use?: I have a timed Misting system How often and how long to you mist?: I have been struggling with maintaining the right humidity levels. Right now it is set to mist every hour for 30 second (and that keeps the humidity at 80-85% for the first 20 minutes then it starts decreasing. By the time it mists again, it get down between 30-50%) How do I fix this?
Do you see your chameleon drinking?: yes
Fecal Description -
Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings.: sold, brown, sometimes with a white tip to it. Not runny at all, decent size for the little guy
Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? I have not taken him, though the pet store i bought him from had a vet guarantee that he is healthy
History -
Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
-just whatever is listed in this thread
Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?):Combo (see picture above)
What are the dimensions? i believe it is 18x18x24.
Lighting -
What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? : i bought the Combo Deep Dome Duel Lamp Fixture with the ZooMed Basking Combo Pack (basking and infared 75W)
What is your daily lighting schedule? 12 hours with basking on, 12 hours with infared
Temperature -
What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Day cool area is between 75-80 degrees, day basking spot is between 90-100 degrees (I was going off of a care sheet I received from the pet store).
Lowest overnight temp? At night it says to keep it between 65-70 degrees which is about where mine stays.
How do you measure these temps?: I have 2 different thermometers, one high by the basking area, and one low in the cooler area.
Humidity -
What are your humidity levels?: I am struggling a bit with this: on average it stays between 50-80% humidity though it tends to reach as high as 90% and oddly somtimes gets down between 30-50% (advice??)
How are you creating and maintaining these levels? Auto Misting System on an hourly timer
What do you use to measure humidity? a humidity guage
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?: Small Umbrella plant
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? In the main sitting room tucked in a corner away from any vents and drafts.
At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? between 6-7ft
Location -
Where are you geographically located? Salt Lake City, Utah
Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
Discoloration- Very Pale Almost Teransparent, Violent Shaking, Odd Flaring, Wide Open Mouth.
Pictures are helpful: see thread
D
DavidBuchan
Guest
He looks ok to me (very cute ), I would say the age you were told is accurate.
I don't see any mention of a uvb bulb....that is very important.
I am personally not a fan of spray vitamins, almost all people on here use powders.
The usual schedule is to have a plain calcium (no d3) for everyday use, and one with d3 twice per month. A reptile multivit. for once or twice a month too.
Veileds are quite forgiving when it comes to humidity, so what you have is fine.
The black spots and stripey patterns are stress colours, so when he shows them just leave him alone for a while
You do not need any light at night, they can see red lights and it could be disturbing his sleep. A nighttime drop in temps is good for him, as long as you don't go lower than 60F then you need no extra heating at night (adults can mangage as low as 40F in the wild quite easily). If temps do drop very low then a ceramic heater is much better.
Some more leaves and little branches would be nice, he'll feel more comfortable and have more room to explore.
Lastly, I bet he'd love a tub of fruit flies to hunt - and it'll be fun to watch too
), I would say the age you were told is accurate.I don't see any mention of a uvb bulb....that is very important.
I am personally not a fan of spray vitamins, almost all people on here use powders.
The usual schedule is to have a plain calcium (no d3) for everyday use, and one with d3 twice per month. A reptile multivit. for once or twice a month too.
Veileds are quite forgiving when it comes to humidity, so what you have is fine.
The black spots and stripey patterns are stress colours, so when he shows them just leave him alone for a while
You do not need any light at night, they can see red lights and it could be disturbing his sleep. A nighttime drop in temps is good for him, as long as you don't go lower than 60F then you need no extra heating at night (adults can mangage as low as 40F in the wild quite easily). If temps do drop very low then a ceramic heater is much better.
Some more leaves and little branches would be nice, he'll feel more comfortable and have more room to explore.
Lastly, I bet he'd love a tub of fruit flies to hunt - and it'll be fun to watch too
ZuggieTheCham
New Member
You've got some good info off people on here ! I agree get rid of the water dish and the substrate having the bottom bare is easier for cleaning ! and if you do use towels or paper towels to catch excess water at the bottom I would suggest taking them out a good couple of hours before lights out and drying the bottom of the cage so there isn't water sat in his cage at night as he can suffer from a repository infection in the long run and there not good !! Just make sure his cage is dry at night and u will be fine n I would suggest getting powdered supplements too
n I would suggest getting powdered supplements too
ZuggieTheCham
New Member
A 5.0 UVB tube will be fine don't know about the ceramic bulb tho...
D
DavidBuchan
Guest
As said, a 5.0 is good, most people recommend a Reptisun tube. Reptiglo does the same, but doesn't last as long. They both need replacing at least every 6 months. The new Arcadia 6% ones are good for up to a year.
You can get something like this for a ceramic heater - http://www.aquapet.co.uk/catalog/re...e-p-629.html?gclid=CL_x7cGD1LQCFW7HtAodtCcAJQ
