New veiled chameleon

BlusMom

Member
Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - Veiled, unknown sex, petco said they didn't know also don't know how old but he's fairly small. I just got him today.
  • Handling - I only plan on handling him if he comes to me willingly while I'm doing something in his cage.
  • Feeding - Small crickets, small meal worms dusted with calcium. There were quite a few crickets in the terrarium at petco so he's eaten today already. I put 2 crickets in the cage just to see and he ate 1. Also put mealworms and small pieces of collard greens in his bowl.
  • Supplements - zoo med repti calcium with d3
  • Watering - currently using a big dripper, I bought a reptirain but it doesn't work
  • Fecal Description - He literally just pooped, urate was almost white,poop was solid with a long string (he had coconut substrate at petco I'm thinking he ate some on accident.
  • History - About 30 minutes after he was in his enclosure he had white stuff around his nose, looked that up it said it was salt. I'm saying he but I don't know. He's staying kind of blue.
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Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - Veiled, unknown sex, petco said they didn't know also don't know how old but he's fairly small. I just got him today.
  • Handling - I only plan on handling him if he comes to me willingly while I'm doing something in his cage.
  • Feeding - Small crickets, small meal worms dusted with calcium. There were quite a few crickets in the terrarium at petco so he's eaten today already. I put 2 crickets in the cage just to see and he ate 1. Also put mealworms and small pieces of collard greens in his bowl.
  • Supplements - zoo med repti calcium with d3
  • Watering - currently using a big dripper, I bought a reptirain but it doesn't work
  • Fecal Description - He literally just pooped, urate was almost white,poop was solid with a long string (he had coconut substrate at petco I'm thinking he ate some on accident.
  • History - About 30 minutes after he was in his enclosure he had white stuff around his nose, looked that up it said it was salt. I'm saying he but I don't know. He's staying kind of blue. View attachment 289345View attachment 289346View attachment 289347View attachment 289348
Also I plan on removing the hammock and putting a hibiscuz.
 
Hi there, and welcome to the forums! Sadly, there is a lot that needs to be changed with your husbandry (actually almost all of it). My feedback and any questions will be in red.

Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - Veiled, unknown sex, petco said they didn't know also don't know how old but he's fairly small. I just got him today. Could you post some clearer pictures of the back of your cham’s back feet please? It’ll help us sex him/her. I suck at guessing chameleon ages, so someone else will have to help you with that.
  • Handling - I only plan on handling him if he comes to me willingly while I'm doing something in his cage. Good!
  • Feeding - Small crickets, small meal worms dusted with calcium. There were quite a few crickets in the terrarium at petco so he's eaten today already. I put 2 crickets in the cage just to see and he ate 1. Also put mealworms and small pieces of collard greens in his bowl. Mealworms should only be used as treats, and rare at that. I’ll attach feeder and gutload charts at the end, as well as helpful links. Veileds do not need vegetation in their diet, just bugs. What do you gutload with?
  • Supplements - zoo med repti calcium with d3 That should only be used once every two weeks. You need a phosphorus-free and D3-free calcium supplement (like Zoo Med ReptiCalcium without D3), and use it every feeding except for when you use the calcium with D3 and multivitamin. You also need a multivitamin (like Zoo Med Reptivite without D3), and use it once every two weeks as well.
  • Watering - currently using a big dripper, I bought a reptirain but it doesn't work You’ll need a better misting system, so return the ReptiRain. MistKing or Climist misting systems are recommended, but an Exo Terra Monsoon can be used to make due as well. In the meantime, hand mist for at least a minimum of 2-5+ minutes two or more times a day (try to do only in the morning and late afternoon/night when the cage is cooler for during the day if your humidity allows it). I’d also look in to getting a fogger/cool mist or ultrasonic humidifier. If you get a humidifier, only use it at night and properly clean it and all its tubes and other accessories used thoroughly and often. Is the dripper located to go over leaves or does it drip straight to the bottom?
  • Fecal Description - He literally just pooped, urate was almost white,poop was solid with a long string (he had coconut substrate at petco I'm thinking he ate some on accident. Since you got your cham from Petco, definitely take a fresh fecal sample to an experienced chameleon vet to do a fecal float. And bring more fresh fecals (at least 2-3+) to drop off to make sure no parasites were missed with just one fecal check done. I’d also recommend to get x-rays and bloodwork done there as well.
  • History - About 30 minutes after he was in his enclosure he had white stuff around his nose, looked that up it said it was salt. I'm saying he but I don't know. He's staying kind of blue. Could you post some pics of that, please?
Could you fill out these categories, too, please? That aquarium is not suitable for chameleons! Neither are the fake plants for veileds! Replace all fake plants with properly cleaned off live ones that are chameleon safe with rocks too big for your chameleon to eat covering the soil. Your cham needs TONS more live plants, vines, and branches in a proper cage!

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
  • 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?
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

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Please Note:
  1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
  2. Photos can be very helpful.
Here are helpful links (read through every care module on The Chameleon Academy and listen to as many of their podcasts you can, too!):
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/external-resources/
https://chameleonacademy.com/veiled-chameleon-care/
https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-basics/
https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/
http://www.muchadoaboutchameleons.com/
http://www.muchadoaboutchameleons.com/2012/04/how-to-set-up-proper-chameleon.html
https://flchams.com/chameleon-safe-plant-list/




 
Here’s the gutload and feeder charts, sorry!
 

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  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? glass with screen top - 2ft long 1 ft wide 17inches tall
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? Zilla slimline tropical fixture 25 uvb bulb, zilla basking lamp 20watt daylight - 12 on 12 off
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? The cage floor is always between 70 and 75 his basking spot is 82. I have a temperature gauge on the right side of the cage toward the bottom and a sticky temperature gauge next to the basking lamp.
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? I have a humidity guage, it stays around 75. I was just misting with a hand mister but I went back to the storm and exchanged my sprayer and it's going for 15 seconds every 3 hours.
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? The plants in the pot are live, the ones wrapped around the vine are silk.
  • 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? The cage is in my room, so low traffic, and it's on top of my dresser. There is a ceiling fan in here that's always on, the air vent is on the other side of the room compared to the cage. Top of the cage is about 5 1/2 feet.
  • Location - Where are you geographically located? Houston, Tx
 
My main concern is I want to keep her alive, so far she ate the 1 cricket here but like I said there were a lot of crickets in the cage at petco, she may be full?
 
Can you post a photo of her on something so we can tell her size please and also...how big are the crickets...will they fit into her mouth comfortably?
 
Yes I'll try, she doesn't really like me yet. The cricket I saw her eat did go right into her mouth, she didn't seem to have any trouble. They are size small.
 
Again, my feedback and any questions will be in red. Also, she is definitely a female, congrats! Gutload looks good but variety is key! Refer to the gutload chart I posted earlier. I’m going to post another link that is specific to female veiled care at the end, too. Please look at earlier links and care images, too.
  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? glass with screen top - 2ft long 1 ft wide 17inches tall She needs a minimum sized cage of either 36” x 18” x 36” tall or 2’ x 2’ x 4’ tall, but preferably 4’ x 2’ x 4’ tall or bigger though. Bigger is always better! It either needs to be a screen cage, glass terrarium, or hybrid cage. She‘ll need an appropriate lay bin in her enclosure, too, once she sexually matures!
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? Zilla slimline tropical fixture 25 uvb bulb, zilla basking lamp 20watt daylight - 12 on 12 off She needs a T5 High Output linear light fixture (either the length of her new cage-place it directly over the middle of the cage straight across on top, or a foot longer-place it diagonal) and an Arcadia 6% matching length UVB bulb. Don’t use the T5 HO fixture or bulb until she’s in an upgraded and chameleon-appropiate enclosure with the correct height required, though! Definitely invest in a Solarmeter 6.5 UVI to check when to replace your UVB bulbs. For Arcadia bulbs, it’s recommended to replace them once a year or sooner.
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? The cage floor is always between 70 and 75 his basking spot is 82. I have a temperature gauge on the right side of the cage toward the bottom and a sticky temperature gauge next to the basking lamp. Her basking spot should be between 78-80*F as the max. It’ll help keep her from having bigger egg clutches once she sexually matures (usually happens between 4-6 months but can happen sooner or layer than that). Reduced feeding once she gets older will help with that as well. Making sure her heat bulb and basking branch are far enough away is important so she doesn’t get burned, as well. What are your overnight temps? Chameleons need a temp drop at night. You’ll need at least one digital thermometer with a probe, if not more than one, an infrared digital temperature gun, and some digital thermometer-hygrometer combos, too (last one is optional, and the second one is recommended).
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? I have a humidity guage, it stays around 75. I was just misting with a hand mister but I went back to the storm and exchanged my sprayer and it's going for 15 seconds every 3 hours. You’ll need at least one (but preferably more) digital hygrometer, too. For during the day, veileds need 30-50% humidity levels and up to 100% at night.
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? The plants in the pot are live, the ones wrapped around the vine are silk. Get rid of all fake plants ASAP! Veileds can only have live plants because they’ll try to eat the fake ones which could lead to impaction. Make sure all live plants are properly cleaned off beforehand and have rocks too big for your chameleon to eat covering the soil.
  • 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? The cage is in my room, so low traffic, and it's on top of my dresser. There is a ceiling fan in here that's always on, the air vent is on the other side of the room compared to the cage. Top of the cage is about 5 1/2 feet. What strength do you have your fan on. It either needs to be at it’s lowest setting or off if that is too powerful. Drafts aren’t good for chameleons.
  • Location - Where are you geographically located? Houston, Tx Same!
Here’s that link:
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/2007/12/keeping-female-veiled.html
 
Again, my feedback and any questions will be in red. Also, she is definitely a female, congrats! Gutload looks good but variety is key! Refer to the gutload chart I posted earlier. I’m going to post another link that is specific to female veiled care at the end, too. Please look at earlier links and care images, too.
  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? glass with screen top - 2ft long 1 ft wide 17inches tall She needs a minimum sized cage of either 36” x 18” x 36” tall or 2’ x 2’ x 4’ tall, but preferably 4’ x 2’ x 4’ tall or bigger though. Bigger is always better! It either needs to be a screen cage, glass terrarium, or hybrid cage. She‘ll need an appropriate lay bin in her enclosure, too, once she sexually matures!
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? Zilla slimline tropical fixture 25 uvb bulb, zilla basking lamp 20watt daylight - 12 on 12 off She needs a T5 High Output linear light fixture (either the length of her new cage-place it directly over the middle of the cage straight across on top, or a foot longer-place it diagonal) and an Arcadia 6% matching length UVB bulb. Don’t use the T5 HO fixture or bulb until she’s in an upgraded and chameleon-appropiate enclosure with the correct height required, though! Definitely invest in a Solarmeter 6.5 UVI to check when to replace your UVB bulbs. For Arcadia bulbs, it’s recommended to replace them once a year or sooner.
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? The cage floor is always between 70 and 75 his basking spot is 82. I have a temperature gauge on the right side of the cage toward the bottom and a sticky temperature gauge next to the basking lamp. Her basking spot should be between 78-80*F as the max. It’ll help keep her from having bigger egg clutches once she sexually matures (usually happens between 4-6 months but can happen sooner or layer than that). Reduced feeding once she gets older will help with that as well. Making sure her heat bulb and basking branch are far enough away is important so she doesn’t get burned, as well. What are your overnight temps? Chameleons need a temp drop at night. You’ll need at least one digital thermometer with a probe, if not more than one, an infrared digital temperature gun, and some digital thermometer-hygrometer combos, too (last one is optional, and the second one is recommended).
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? I have a humidity guage, it stays around 75. I was just misting with a hand mister but I went back to the storm and exchanged my sprayer and it's going for 15 seconds every 3 hours. You’ll need at least one (but preferably more) digital hygrometer, too. For during the day, veileds need 30-50% humidity levels and up to 100% at night.
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? The plants in the pot are live, the ones wrapped around the vine are silk. Get rid of all fake plants ASAP! Veileds can only have live plants because they’ll try to eat the fake ones which could lead to impaction. Make sure all live plants are properly cleaned off beforehand and have rocks too big for your chameleon to eat covering the soil.
  • 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? The cage is in my room, so low traffic, and it's on top of my dresser. There is a ceiling fan in here that's always on, the air vent is on the other side of the room compared to the cage. Top of the cage is about 5 1/2 feet. What strength do you have your fan on. It either needs to be at it’s lowest setting or off if that is too powerful. Drafts aren’t good for chameleons.
  • Location - Where are you geographically located? Houston, Tx Same!
Here’s that link:
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/2007/12/keeping-female-veiled.html

I will get a new cage as soon as I can, no problem with the fan, when I woke up the cage temp was around 68, and the humidity was 85.
 
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