New Veiled Chameleon

allencg101 said:
let me recorrect myself uvb artifical light no nutrients from it so hence the dusting of the crickets and worms. sun natural light getting their vitamin D naturally and once a week outside is enough. kind of like a fake and bake tan from a salon in the winter you might be tan but we all know that its not real plus your not getting your vitamin d like you would out in the sun!!!
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so wait a minute, what about all the people who live in the freezing cold climates and cannot get their chameleons out in the sun for 6 plus months. How do their chameleons survive then with the artificial uvb lights everyone uses? Can you show me the research or proof that says one hour of (natural)UVB light a week is sufficient?. UVB helps them to produce Vit D which aids in the their absorption of calcium. The dusting of the insects provides the calcium but the light helps them to absorb it.
 
unless you plan getting a vent for your terrarium, it is best that you remove the front door and replace with a screen. chameleon need lots of air and glass terrariums do not provide that. Also, it is very important that you get your heat lamp.

the tempatures and ubv are very important aspect to their nutrition. with out a certain tempature or the right about of uvb the your chameleon may not digest his food properly.

and baby veils can eat up to 10-15 crickets per day. If you go to pet co (most pet co have gut loaded crickets) it is very affordable for your mother. they are like .10 or .15 cents each. You will end a cricket keep in which you hold your crickets in. when you bring your crickets home, you will have to continue to feed them so that your chameleon get the added benifits it will need. You can feed the crickets ground up dog food, carrots, potatoes, dry bread, non acid fruits. the friut and carrots will give the cricket that moisture it need and the ground dog food has enough fat in as while a vitamins that will keep you cham happy

Also, for such a young chameleon, it is easier to put the food in a larger open container, rather then having the crickets jump freely in the terrarium. What you can do is, cut a large soda bottle in half. the cricets can't escape and you chameleon can climb onto a branch or plant and get how much he would to eat. and you only feed them once per day.

hope this helps you
 
SarahChamlove said:
unless you plan getting a vent for your terrarium, it is best that you remove the front door and replace with a screen. chameleon need lots of air and glass terrariums do not provide that. Also, it is very important that you get your heat lamp.

the tempatures and ubv are very important aspect to their nutrition. with out a certain tempature or the right about of uvb the your chameleon may not digest his food properly.

and baby veils can eat up to 10-15 crickets per day. If you go to pet co (most pet co have gut loaded crickets) it is very affordable for your mother. they are like .10 or .15 cents each. You will end a cricket keep in which you hold your crickets in. when you bring your crickets home, you will have to continue to feed them so that your chameleon get the added benifits it will need. You can feed the crickets ground up dog food, carrots, potatoes, dry bread, non acid fruits. the friut and carrots will give the cricket that moisture it need and the ground dog food has enough fat in as while a vitamins that will keep you cham happy

Also, for such a young chameleon, it is easier to put the food in a larger open container, rather then having the crickets jump freely in the terrarium. What you can do is, cut a large soda bottle in half. the cricets can't escape and you chameleon can climb onto a branch or plant and get how much he would to eat. and you only feed them once per day.

hope this helps you
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Sarah, being in that small glass enclosure he has to be very careful about adding heat. Being as young and small as he is, he may not need a basking light at all if the overall cage temp is around 80 degrees.
 
To sex your chameleon...look at the heels on the back feet...if there is a tarsal spur there its a male...see post #3 in this thread...
https://www.chameleonforums.com/male-spurs-56074/

Some of the following has already been suggested to you...but I think its worth repeating...

A chameleon of that size should be eating as much as it can eat in a couple of minutes at each feeding...and it should be a lot more than 2 crickets (of the appropriate size).

You said you use calcium once a month....IMHO that is not nearly enough...see below for supplementing.

It also needs to have UVB light either from a proper UVB light or direct sunlight (that does not pass through glass or plastic).

Here is some information that I hope will help....
Appropriate cage temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part indirectly in nutrient absorption. Temperatures needed can vary with the species and age. For hatchling panthers and veileds I keep the temperature in the warmest area in the low 80's. For older panthers and veileds I keep it in the mid to high 80's for the most part.

Exposure to UVB from either direct sunlight or a proper UVB light allows the chameleon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system to make/keep the bones strong and be used in other systems in the chameleon as well. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic no matter whether its from the sun or the UVB light. The most often recommended UVB light is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light. Some of the compacts, spirals and tube lights have caused health issues, but so far there have been no bad reports against this one.

Since many of the feeder insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in them, its important to dust the insects just before you feed them to the chameleon at most feedings with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it. (I use Rep-cal phosphorus-free calcium).

If you also dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. It leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of what it needs through its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system but D3 produced from exposure to UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it. (I use Rep-cal phos.-free calcium/D3).

Dusting twice a month as well with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while. (I use herptivite which has beta carotene.)

Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs. I gutload crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms, etc. with an assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.)

Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon (muscles, etc.) and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.

Here are some good sites for you to read...
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200605020...Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200406080...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/
http://web.archive.org/web/200601140...ww.adcham.com/
http://chameleonnews.com/02NovHorgan.html
If you can't access the sites above that have the word "archive" in you can do it through the WayBackMachine.

Hope this helps!

allencg101 said..."when i was stationed in hawaii i never had to have a lamp they did fine just sitting by the window and having 80 degree temps year round"...if your chameleon never got any UVB and/or DIRECT sunlight I would likely have developed MBD which might be why you also said..."be careful with him at that age when handling him their legs are really fragile and can break easily and their balance isn't that good or built up".
 
SarahChamlove said:
and baby veils can eat up to 10-15 crickets per day. If you go to pet co (most pet co have gut loaded crickets) it is very affordable for your mother. they are like .10 or .15 cents each. You will end a cricket keep in which you hold your crickets in. when you bring your crickets home, you will have to continue to feed them so that your chameleon get the added benifits it will need. You can feed the crickets ground up dog food, carrots, potatoes, dry bread, non acid fruits. the friut and carrots will give the cricket that moisture it need and the ground dog food has enough fat in as while a vitamins that will keep you cham happy.
Click to expand...

You cannot gutload with dog or cat food - the protein content is way too high, and you WILL have problems if that is what you use to gutload. Petco and Petsmart do not gutload properly, so it's best to gutload your crickets for 24 hours with fruits and veggies before you feed them to your cham. No dog food whatsoever.
 
yes Andrew a 5.0 tube light. Reptisun preferred or a Reptiglo if you cannot find the reptisun. Zoo med makes the reptisun. I believe Exoterra makes the reptiglo. If your cham has little spikes or spurs they are called in the middle of the back of his feet then it is a boy. Like where his heal would be.
 
carol5208 said:
he knows, we're working on getting that changed!! ;)
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I've read ALL the posts here, and you guys have told him everything but he still seems lost.

May be you should take your pet more seriously, sounds like your a kid and wouldn't really suggest a cham as a pet for a kid just to jump in to. But you have it now so take the advice given to you(actually read the posts) and make the best of it, so that you can enjoy him/her and so it's life doesn't suck.

Also, screen or mesh is fine, just get circulation in the cage, no reflection, the ability to regulate temp effectively and enable uvb to reach you cham...
 
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i agree with carol on the uvb requirements..my chams have a uvb light that is on for the whole day dawn to dusk..i also have branches from my free range to the window where the window is facing the sun, with the screen open so there is full sun going through just screen, they bask a lil bit at a time throughout the day, however i still supplement them twice a month with a couple d3 calcium dusted crix....:D
 
Maybe let your mom see this thread and some of the other ones here as well, if you haven't already. I'm sure she's well meaning and just doesn't understand the importance of it. I can totally understand her not wanting to shell out tons of $$ on feeders and changes in everything or not want to drive you constantly but she needs to understand that this is necessary and since she's allowed you to keep this pet in the home she needs to ensure he's well taken care of.

If my mother was in charge of my chameleons they'd be dead in a week because she seems to view them as if they're goldfish. ("He doesn't NEED that big cage does he!? Can't he just sit infront of the window for light!? Hey just calling to let you know I opened your window for fresh air. NO they'll be fine. It's only 30 degrees out. OKAY FINE I'll close it. But you're being silly about it.")... However, I'm 22 and other than the one or two times I've had to remind her not to mess around with things when I'm not home, I can get myself to the petstore and pay for my own supplies.
 
i know my mom thinks she can mess with him and change his habitat also ya she gets paid alot of money but she has to pay the bills which only leaves her like 50 dollors
 
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