New owner with a few Questions

[estrada.j]

Hi everyone,
I'm New to the forum and also just purchased a baby veiled chameleon. I'm not sure how old my little guy Enzo is but he seems to be doing okay in his 16×16×30 open air enclosure. I am trying to start him in small crickets. This is where I need a little help. How do I feed him. I cover them with calcium and just toss them in and let Enzo find them or do I keep them in some sort of container and let Enzo feed from there.

Second question... I work 12 hour shifts so is spraying his cage once in the morning before work and once in the evening when I get off of work enough or do I need to invest in an automatic mister?

Any help is greatly appreciated and if anyone has any extra advice please feel free to help this newbie out.

 

[Fiona's Mom]

You can turn the crickets lose if you want (but they can hide...then you aren't sure what is actually getting eaten). I cup feed mine...which can be as easy as hanging a plastic cup from the side of your cage that they can't escape from. I found a clear cup sort of like a Solo cup so my chameleon can see them. I would recomend an aotomatic mister or fogger put on a timer then you don't have to worry. I really don't feel misting only twice a day is adequate. Good luck with your little guy.

 

[Dgood]

Hello and welcome to the forums. You can pretty much find all the info you will ever need here! Be sure you are using just plain calcium at most feedings, and a calcium with Vitamin D3 twice a month and a multivitamin twice a month. It is also a good idea to gut load your crickets with lots of fresh fruits and veggies and also a dry gut load to be sure that your crickets are healthy, and in turn your chameleon. There is a link somewhere on this site that has all kinds of fruits and veggies that are safe for your little guy.
I also cup feed my chameleons I tried to hide the cup somewhere around the enclosure where I know it won't fall over and my chameleon can shoot directly into it. I agree with Fiona on that 12 hours in between mistings is way too long I would invest in an automatic mister with a timer to mist at least five or 6 times while you're gone for 12 hours. It depends on what the humidity is in his cage which is why It's also important to have a temperature and humidity gauge so you can be sure that while being misted you achieve proper humidity. Also be sure that you're a basking spot isn't too hot or is it too cold, again this can be achieved with a thermometer or a temp gauge.
Just study this website very closely and you will do just fine there is a lot of good info on here, and also a lot of good chameleon owners as well! Please feel free to ask any more questions! Also pictures of his enclosure and of him are always great as well!

 

[Chameleon Mike]

I have the same situation. I'm out of the house for 12 hours at a time. I have a timer for my lights as well as cup feeding and automister that I have go off every hour for 30 seconds or so. I had a digital timer that didn't work out, get a mechanical one.

 

[estrada.j]

Thank you guys for all the feedback. It is very helpful. After reading the posts I actually took a solo cup and punched holes in it and took some fishing line and tied it off to the side of the cage directly under one of his vines. I'm hoping he will like the way I have it set up. I'll post pictures soon.

 

[MSMorgan]

J.,

Welcome to the forums. If you haven't read over the care sheets, start here:

https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/

and go from there. There's a plethora of information on this site, so do your research and ask away. Pictures are always a plus and often times get a better response if we can "see" your question/problem. Hope to hear from you soon.