New Reptile Owner

[XxLatinImpactxX]

I'm currently seeking some information about baby veiled chameleons. i just recently purchased one and she about 3-4 inches long...does anybody know how old she possible is? She's a female, how many crickets should i feed her and how many times a day do they eat? I'm concerned for her though, i recently discovered that she threw up a cricket possibly because it was to large for her, so she threw it up and ever since then she's been acting weird. Everytime i feed her she stand up on her hinde legs and lets herself sway back and forth and this terrifies me because it makes me think she's going to fall. And everytime she eats, she makes a slither like motion with her body and she puffs up her chin and and does this about 2-3 times then stops. She then goes and sits on a leaf and basks in the light and falls asleep....is this normal?, im concerned for her. The store told me she only gets 1 cricket a day ?? but i've been feeding her a max of 3 so far.. should i definatley feed her more or no? i'd like an answer as soon as possiple.. any suggested links to read?
Thanks for your time and help!

 

[qdude46]

Im no expert in veileds but she might be just adjusting to her new habit but look at the general chameleon care sheet at flchams and that might answer a few questions but congrats on your first reptile I get my first reptile (a Cham of course) on Sunday and I'm do excited I'm getting a Pygmy!

 

[DavidBuchan]

Hello, welcome to the forum Sleeping during the day is not a great sign, and she needs lots more food than 1 per day. You should basically forget everything the pet store told you. She needs lots of tiny crickets and fruit flies (up to 20 is fine). Here is a great all-round caresheet for Veileds - https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/chameleonsinmyhouse/395-veiled-chameleon-care-sheet.html
The general rule of thumb is not to feed her anything which is bigger than the space between her eyes.

 

[Djturna4thakidz]

Sleeping during the day is usually a sign of poor lighting or illness. If she is just closing her eyes briefly that is fine but prolonged time with eyes closed is bad. The other movements are all natural, nothing to worry about.

 

[DavidBuchan]

If you have other concerns you could fill out the form and you will get advice on every part of looking after her straight away - https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/

 

[carol5208]

if you are feeding her 1-3 crickets a day you are starving her. At that age, she should be eating anywhere from 20-25 small feeders a day.

 

[XxLatinImpactxX]

ty for all the help guys, and wow really i didnt even know :x i guess the pets store i got her from knows nothing about chameleons ...and i've been reading about the cricket bites..since they eat so many do u have any suggestions on how to feed her, and prevent the crickets from biting her? and do you know of what they first look like when they're bite?

 

[XxLatinImpactxX]

Im no expert in veileds but she might be just adjusting to her new habit but look at the general chameleon care sheet at flchams and that might answer a few questions but congrats on your first reptile I get my first reptile (a Cham of course) on Sunday and I'm do excited I'm getting a Pygmy!

Thanks, and really? they're so cute and tiny when they babies

 

[XxLatinImpactxX]

if you are feeding her 1-3 crickets a day you are starving her. At that age, she should be eating anywhere from 20-25 small feeders a day.

Thank you for the help, and wow really i didnt even know :x i guess the pets store i got her from knows nothing about chameleons ...and i've been reading about the cricket bites..since they eat so many do u have any suggestions on how to feed her, and prevent the crickets from biting her? and do you know of what they first look like when they're bite?

 

[XxLatinImpactxX]

Sleeping during the day is usually a sign of poor lighting or illness. If she is just closing her eyes briefly that is fine but prolonged time with eyes closed is bad. The other movements are all natural, nothing to worry about.

i dont think she sleeps but i think she closes her eyes like you say, but after she eat's shell just sit on a leaf under the light

 

[carol5208]

even if she is not sleeping, it is not normal behavior for them to close their eyes during daytime hours. This is usually an indication that something is wrong with your chameleon like an illness. You asked about crickets biting your chameleon...always remove all uneaten crickets because at night they may decide to take a nip out of your sleeping chameleon. If you suspect there are some hiding in the cage, you can always put what you are feeding your crickets at the bottom of the cage so they will eat that instead of bothering your chameleon.

 

[XxLatinImpactxX]

Crickets

even if she is not sleeping, it is not normal behavior for them to close their eyes during daytime hours. This is usually an indication that something is wrong with your chameleon like an illness. You asked about crickets biting your chameleon...always remove all uneaten crickets because at night they may decide to take a nip out of your sleeping chameleon. If you suspect there are some hiding in the cage, you can always put what you are feeding your crickets at the bottom of the cage so they will eat that instead of bothering your chameleon.

So should i take her to the vet? i thought she kind of looked a little sick when i bought her do u think its because she doesnt get enough food? Because the pet store only had like 2 baby veiled chameleons and im not quite sure what happened to the other chameleon but it stayed in the same spot for like 3 days when i went to go vist them before i purchased mine. but do you think it could be because of poor diet? the pet store only fed them 1 chricket a day.

 

[DavidBuchan]

So should i take her to the vet? i thought she kind of looked a little sick when i bought her do u think its because she doesnt get enough food? Because the pet store only had like 2 baby veiled chameleons and im not quite sure what happened to the other chameleon but it stayed in the same spot for like 3 days when i went to go vist them before i purchased mine. but do you think it could be because of poor diet? the pet store only fed them 1 chricket a day.

It doesn't sound good, but if she eats for you that is a good sign. Do you have Calcium powders for her? And a uvb bulb? Can you post pictures of her and her enclosure?

 

[XxLatinImpactxX]

:/

It doesn't sound good, but if she eats for you that is a good sign. Do you have Calcium powders for her? And a uvb bulb? Can you post pictures of her and her enclosure?

yes i did have calcium powder for her it was calcium d and yea i had a ubb bulb but nothing was working i even bought a higher watt bulb...but i suppose it doesnt matter now because she actually pass this evening :'(

 

[Tay And A]

Normal regular brownish green crickets don't bite! Please feed her about 20 crickets per day. It's a sad truth but she will die with out them.

 

[DavidBuchan]

yes i did have calcium powder for her it was calcium d and yea i had a ubb bulb but nothing was working i even bought a higher watt bulb...but i suppose it doesnt matter now because she actually pass this evening :'(

Oh, sorry to hear that ........obviously the pet shop you got her from kept her in pretty poor shape

 

[Decadancin]

Sorry to hear this. Chameleons can be somewhat difficult to care for, but with terrible advice from a supplier, you have little chance for success. If you are still interested in them, I would suggest surfing around this forum for a while so you can make a well educated decision next time. Good luck, and again, sorry you lost her .