New to this, Need help making sure I am doing the right things.

Kktoledo

New Member
Hello all,
I just became a chameleon owner two weeks ago, I had no idea what I was diving into. The previous owner wasn't taking care of him like she supposed to so I decided that I could much better so here I am seeking more help to make sure that he is well taken care of.
His name is Danny Devito.
  • Your Chameleon - Veiled chameleon, male, and she said around 6 months. Two weeks.
  • Feeding - I am currently feeding him crickets, I tried waxworms as a treat but had no luck with Danny eating one. I put around 6-8 crickets in the morning. I feed the crickets Fluker's cricket diet and the flukers orange cubes.
  • Supplements - I have been using on the crickets repti calcium without d3.
  • Watering - I mist him three times a day around 2 minutes, I have seen him drink twice. I try to give him space after I mist him because he usually runs away so I never get to see him drink from the plants. I tried using a dripper that is a plant but he wouldn't go near it.
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? His fecal looks normal from other pictures I have seen. He hasn't been tested yet.
  • History - I have no history about him all I got from the owner was his easy and fun.

Cage Info:

  • Cage Type - It is a screen cage and I believe 16 x 16x 30
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule I have no idea what lighting he is getting which is a big concern but I wasn't sure what light to get him? I turn the light on in the morning around 7 and turn it off around 9.
  • Temperature - The temperature he is at in the cage floor ranges from 70 to 75 and the basking spot is around 86. In the night it is around 70 again. I use an infrared thermometer temperature gun.
  • Humidity - I was using moss to help the humidity but it was causing an issue with the crickets and I did not feel a difference. I am now looking for other ways to get the humidity levels up.
  • Plants - I have different vines and plants for him, they are all fake. He has a log in there too.
  • Placement - The cage is located on top of my dresser, he doesn't get a lot of traffic throughout the day. The fan is never on and he isn't close to the air vent. He is about mid-center so he isn't close to the ceiling or floor.
  • Location - Tempe, Arizona
I don't handle him very often maybe once a week. The first week I didn't handle him at all since I wanted him to get used to his new home.
His cage:
The picture with the cricket on him was taken on Thursday
The other one was on Wednesday also wondering if when he is looking like this he is okay, the lady at the pet store said that he might be feeling upset about his surroundings so I got him more green plants. But he was looking like that before I got close to him so I dont think it was the phone scaring him.

Please help, I know I can do better and any input will help.
 

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Welcome to the world of chameleons and the forum!

You said..."I feed the crickets Fluker's cricket diet and the flukers orange cubes"...I would ditch the orange cubes and feed the crickets greens such as dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, etc and veggies such as carrots, squash, zucchini, sweet potatoes, sweet red pepper, etc and a it of fruit such as berries, melon, apples, pears, etc.

Regarding supplements, I dust lightly with a phos free calcium powder at most feedings and twice a month with a phos free calcium/D3 powder and twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A. PrOformed sources of vitamin A will not build up in the system like preformed (palmitate, retinol. Retinyl, etc.) sources will so it's safe and leaves it up to you to decide if/when you need to use some preformed vitaminA. We only use the D3 twice a month because D3 from supplements can also build up in the system and cause health issues. We leave the chameleon to produce the rest of its D3 from its exposure to the UVB light.

Since veiled chameleons are known to eat leaves from the plants I recommend using real well washed (both sides of the leaves) instead of fake ones.

Re lights...the most often recommended UVB light is the reptisun 5.0 long linear tube light. A regular household incancescent bulb of a wattage that gives the right basking temperature can be used for basking.

I would use a dripper (that drips onto a leaf) as well as misting the cage to provide water.

The chameleon can be fed crickets, roaches, locusts, silkworms hornworms (not from your garden), etc and once in a while waxworms and superworms.

Hope this helps.
 
Congrats on the new family member! I would agree with everything Kinyonga said.

I'd also read this caresheet for Veileds as it is a great overview: https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/

P.S. I make informative YouTube videos about chameleons that cover a lot of the questions you have, such as supplements, gutloading, etc. Feel free to check them out and ask any questions you have after.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3n4S2GRkOGfk2U8-xhaw6Q?view_as=subscriber

You'll need to make a few changes to get this guy on track, but you're in good hands and there is a lot of great resources for you to learn from.
 
Looks like you need to provide him with some UVB lighting, asap. I only saw a dome lamp in your photos which would presumably be a basking lamp (unless it is a self-ballased mercury vapor bulb, which could come with its own set of separate issues).

Chameleons absolutely need UVB lighting in order to naturally synthesize D3. Without UVB chameleons cannot absorb calcium which leads to Metabolic Bone Disease, among other issues, and eventually death. My recommendation would be to go out ASAP and buy a T5 HO (high output) fixture along with ZooMed Reptisun 5.0 T5 HO or Arcadia D3 6% T5 bulb matching the size of the fixture. There are other types of bulbs and lighting that provide UVB but people here almost unanimously agree that T5 long bulbs are the best, for a variety of reasons (you can find more info on this by searching these forums).
 
Welcome to the world of chameleons and the forum!

You said..."I feed the crickets Fluker's cricket diet and the flukers orange cubes"...I would ditch the orange cubes and feed the crickets greens such as dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, etc and veggies such as carrots, squash, zucchini, sweet potatoes, sweet red pepper, etc and a it of fruit such as berries, melon, apples, pears, etc.

Regarding supplements, I dust lightly with a phos free calcium powder at most feedings and twice a month with a phos free calcium/D3 powder and twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A. PrOformed sources of vitamin A will not build up in the system like preformed (palmitate, retinol. Retinyl, etc.) sources will so it's safe and leaves it up to you to decide if/when you need to use some preformed vitaminA. We only use the D3 twice a month because D3 from supplements can also build up in the system and cause health issues. We leave the chameleon to produce the rest of its D3 from its exposure to the UVB light.

Since veiled chameleons are known to eat leaves from the plants I recommend using real well washed (both sides of the leaves) instead of fake ones.

Re lights...the most often recommended UVB light is the reptisun 5.0 long linear tube light. A regular household incancescent bulb of a wattage that gives the right basking temperature can be used for basking.

I would use a dripper (that drips onto a leaf) as well as misting the cage to provide water.

The chameleon can be fed crickets, roaches, locusts, silkworms hornworms (not from your garden), etc and once in a while waxworms and superworms.

Hope this helps.

Looks like you need to provide him with some UVB lighting, asap. I only saw a dome lamp in your photos which would presumably be a basking lamp (unless it is a self-ballased mercury vapor bulb, which could come with its own set of separate issues).

Chameleons absolutely need UVB lighting in order to naturally synthesize D3. Without UVB chameleons cannot absorb calcium which leads to Metabolic Bone Disease, among other issues, and eventually death. My recommendation would be to go out ASAP and buy a T5 HO (high output) fixture along with ZooMed Reptisun 5.0 T5 HO or Arcadia D3 6% T5 bulb matching the size of the fixture. There are other types of bulbs and lighting that provide UVB but people here almost unanimously agree that T5 long bulbs are the best, for a variety of reasons (you can find more info on this by searching these forums).
Congrats on the new family member! I would agree with everything Kinyonga said.

I'd also read this caresheet for Veileds as it is a great overview: https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/

P.S. I make informative YouTube videos about chameleons that cover a lot of the questions you have, such as supplements, gutloading, etc. Feel free to check them out and ask any questions you have after.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3n4S2GRkOGfk2U8-xhaw6Q?view_as=subscriber

You'll need to make a few changes to get this guy on track, but you're in good hands and there is a lot of great resources for you to learn from.

I appreciate all the help, I am currently looking into buying a UVB light for him. I will change the diet for the crickets, going to the grocery store after work. I am also looking into getting him the vitamins he needs, they are a bit confusing but I am working on it. For the lighting, I should just get him the 24" inches instead of the 12" right?
 
This video about supplements should help provide some clarity. I go over the different kinds, why we use them, and the supplement schedule that is recommended for panthers and veileds.


 
The UVB light you want is the liner UVB bulb. It should be long and skinny. The kind you want is a T5 Arcadia or Zoomed Reptisun.

You definitely want at least 24". I have a 36" UVB light fixture on my enclosure that is 2'x2'x4' and have it diagonal. This way my chameleon can pick a UVB gradient level that works for him in his enclosure.
 
The UVB light you want is the liner UVB bulb. It should be long and skinny. The kind you want is a T5 Arcadia or Zoomed Reptisun.

You definitely want at least 24". I have a 36" UVB light fixture on my enclosure that is 2'x2'x4' and have it diagonal. This way my chameleon can pick a UVB gradient level that works for him in his enclosure.
Okay, I was planning on getting that one so great! One more thing about how far should it be from him? He likes to hang out at the very top of the enclosure should I move the vine down so he doesn't get hurt? The video was very helpful just finished watching it now I will be getting those supplements. I just need to get the other three that I don't have.
 
Awesome. 6" away is the general rule of thumb for a UVB light. If you *really* want to get into it, you can purchase a solarmeter 6.5 which will tell you the UV index of your UVB bulb and tell you exactly where you need to place your branches.

If your chameleon hangs out at the top, I'd be more concerned about him getting burned from the heat bulb. Chameleons don't realize when their temps are too hot and it is very common (unfortunately) for chameleons to burn their backs as a result of being too close to their heat bulb. I'd see if you can add a horizontal branch across the top of your enclosure and move that one that is green and tall and all the way to the right, lower or bent at more of an angle.

Glad the video was helpful :)
 
So I would recommend Reptivite WITHOUT D3 instead of the Herptivite: https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Rept...4090&sprefix=reptivite+without,aps,218&sr=8-4

The calcium you have is fine.

But you'll also need calcium WITHOUT D3: https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Calc...128&sprefix=repti+calcium+with,aps,185&sr=8-3

And the fixture you have is good.

But make sure you're also getting a bulb to go with it: https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Rept...eywords=reptisun+t5+5.0&qid=1575324170&sr=8-2

I tried to pick ones with the cheapest prices, but double check.
 
I have the calcium without D3 at home already which I have been giving him, it is the same one you sent the link for. I was reading for the bulb and the questions on amazon said that it comes with the hood. So I am hoping that is true.
 
I was reading for the bulb and the questions on amazon said that it comes with the hood. So I am hoping that is true.

The bulb comes with the hood or the hood comes with the bulb?
Can you post a link to whatever bulb/hood you're planning on getting? In my experience, hoods usually come with a florescent bulb not a UVB bulb.
 
My 2 cents worth is this:

first, the light fixture you’ve shown above is the fixture only, so make sure the bulb is a uvb bulb rather than daylight. If you stick with zoomed you can use a 5.0, or 10.0. Personally I go higher uvb for my veileds, but 5.0 will work just fine. As for supplements, I would recommend an all-in-one for veileds. Repashy calcium plus LoD is one, Arcadia earthpro a is another. Using either for a few months or a year will be fine, and give you the time to read about and come to a supplement regime that works for you. A caveat: the two i posted differ significantly in important ways, and I’d say go for the repashy until you gain a better understanding of nutrition and uvb. Please feel free to pm me for some more detailed information. Additionally, there are a number of very experienced keepers here, and several have indicated an interest in mentorship. I wouldn’t qualify, as I’m relatively new to the hobby, but @absolutbill is a member of several forums and has veiled experience. @Brodybreaux25 is also an amazing resource. I think @JoXie411 also expressed interest in mentorship, and is a good resource too.
 
@Kaizen That is a great idea for a mentorship, I am so new to all this and even though I am reading as much as I can I am still getting a little lost on how to help him the best. Nobody I know owns a chameleon so that is why I came here for help.
 
My 2 cents worth is this:

first, the light fixture you’ve shown above is the fixture only, so make sure the bulb is a uvb bulb rather than daylight. If you stick with zoomed you can use a 5.0, or 10.0. Personally I go higher uvb for my veileds, but 5.0 will work just fine. As for supplements, I would recommend an all-in-one for veileds. Repashy calcium plus LoD is one, Arcadia earthpro a is another. Using either for a few months or a year will be fine, and give you the time to read about and come to a supplement regime that works for you. A caveat: the two i posted differ significantly in important ways, and I’d say go for the repashy until you gain a better understanding of nutrition and uvb. Please feel free to pm me for some more detailed information. Additionally, there are a number of very experienced keepers here, and several have indicated an interest in mentorship. I wouldn’t qualify, as I’m relatively new to the hobby, but @absolutbill is a member of several forums and has veiled experience. @Brodybreaux25 is also an amazing resource. I think @JoXie411 also expressed interest in mentorship, and is a good resource too.
Yes I love the idea of mentor ship still. Not going to lie I was very scared when I first started not knowing if I bought the right stuff and scared to ask. Finally had the courage to ask a few keepers for advise and helps. @dshuld as a huge help understanding the lights I needed so my plants would stop dying and @jamest0o0 helped me understand bioactive and the love of gutloading insects to the point that I’m not a little bug lord.

I’ve even been hit up I’m PMS for help on laying bins( whoever started I’m the female bin specialist we need to talk lol ) my Instagram isn’t safe from questions now as well. Made friends with a person who is about to get a pair of willsii and been sharing my notes on how I care for chong with them.
 
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