Newbie

[Haleymatheney]

Hi everybody! I am from a little town in Ohio and there’s really nobody around me that has a pet chameleon .. or knows anything about chameleons.. I have always been intrigued by them ever since a young age.. after a lot research, I decided to finally get one.
I now have a 5-6 month old male Veiled Chameleon named Arthur. I guess I just need some opinions on how he’s looking and if what I am doing is okay... I have put so much into the little fella and I just want the best for him always.
- Arthur has a 5ft by 2ft hand built enclosure and he also has a free range enclosure right above that by my window sill. Lately, (probably the past 2 months) he has been spending 100% of his time free ranging. It has made him a lot less aggressive .. He stays in the same general area and a seems to really enjoy it. I’ll post a picture below.
- Arthur has a small misting system that goes off every hour for 60 seconds. He also is hand misted about 2 -3 times a day.. he also has a dripper that I let run every couple of days.
- his basking area is anywhere from 75-80 degrees.
-diet :i mainly feed him around 10-15 crickets a day sometimesI throw in a few Dubai roaches, super worms, wax worms, or even a horn worm form time to time- and I try to consistently incorporate something different weekly. He also does eat bananas, strawberries, and blueberries from time to time.
- he has a uvb light as well and his food gets dusted with calcium - and I sprinkle on the calcium with the d3 1-2 times a month.
- this past week I felt as if my little guys eyes were sunken in.. he doesn’t act weird or anything ... his poop looks normal. I think I might be freaking out.. there’s no chameleon vets around here and I guess I just need some advice.. does he look okay? should I be doing something else !! Is he big enough for his age? Should I be feeding him more.. Thank you guys! Pictures: the first two pics are today.

 

[salty dog]

When my chams get angry their eyes sink In....it sounds like you are doing very well, your cham has access to fresh running water should be hydrated enough.. I'm sure a veiled expert will chime in..I don't keep veilds

 

[Haleymatheney]

When my chams get angry their eyes sink In....it sounds like you are doing very well, your cham has access to fresh running water should be hydrated enough.. I'm sure a veiled expert will chime in..I don't keep veilds

Ahhh thank you so much for the reply! I was scared nobody was going to answer me.. I’m all new to this.. I’ve always wanted to be a part of the forum but was too scared to sign up. Thank you again- I appreciate your advice dearly !

 

[Brodybreaux25]

Lets start by saying your doing fine. Minor notes below...

- Arthur has a small misting system that goes off every hour for 60 seconds. He also is hand misted about 2 -3 times a day.. he also has a dripper that I let run every couple of days.

Way too often for the misting, 2-3 2min sessions a day are plenty

- his basking area is anywhere from 75-80 degrees.

should be closer to 90f.

-diet :i mainly feed him around 10-15 crickets a day sometimesI throw in a few Dubai roaches, super worms, wax worms, or even a horn worm form time to time- and I try to consistently incorporate something different weekly. He also does eat bananas, strawberries, and blueberries from time to time

Volume of food is fine for this age but im concerned about quality. What are they gutloaded with and do you use a multivitamin?

Id also like to see better pics of his actual viv and uvb set up.

 

[Brodybreaux25]

Im not sure how effective your current UVB configuration will be long term.

 

[Haleymatheney]

Lets start by saying your doing fine. Minor notes below...


Way too often for the misting, 2-3 2min sessions a day are plenty

should be closer to 90f.

Volume of food is fine for this age but im concerned about quality. What are they gutloaded with and do you use a multivitamin?

Id also like to see better pics of his actual viv and uvb set up.

Lets start by saying your doing fine. Minor notes below...


Way too often for the misting, 2-3 2min sessions a day are plenty

should be closer to 90f.

Volume of food is fine for this age but im concerned about quality. What are they gutloaded with and do you use a multivitamin?

Id also like to see better pics of his actual viv and uvb set up.

I attached some pictures of my lighting set up- I took those last night. Should I get another uvb light to add to this? Just so it covers the length of the free range enclosure ? He usually sticks around under it but sometimes he travels over to the left which is not hit by the UVB light. Thank you for all of the advice - I am noting and taking all of the corrections! I have only gotten him gut loaded crickets a few times ... from joshsfrogs. They don’t offer gutloaded at my pet store .. so I should probably start ordering them online from now on... I also posted a picture of him from last night below - he is around 6 months... I guess I just feel like he is not on track growth wise. Again, thank you for the advice I need every bit I can get!

 

[Haleymatheney]

I attached some pictures of my lighting set up- I took those last night. Should I get another uvb light to add to this? Just so it covers the length of the free range enclosure ? He usually sticks around under it but sometimes he travels over to the left which is not hit by the UVB light. Thank you for all of the advice - I am noting and taking all of the corrections! I have only gotten him gut loaded crickets a few times ... from joshsfrogs. They don’t offer gutloaded at my pet store .. so I should probably start ordering them online from now on... I also posted a picture of him from last night below - he is around 6 months... I guess I just feel like he is not on track growth wise. Again, thank you for the advice I need every bit I can get!

I do not use a multi vitamin ? I guess I have just always sprinkled the calcium on and then the calcium with d3 twice a month. Is there a certain kind of multivitamin that is recommended ?

 

[Brodybreaux25]

I attached some pictures of my lighting set up- I took those last night. Should I get another uvb light to add to this? Just so it covers the length of the free range enclosure ? He usually sticks around under it but sometimes he travels over to the left which is not hit by the UVB light. Thank you for all of the advice - I am noting and taking all of the corrections! I have only gotten him gut loaded crickets a few times ... from joshsfrogs. They don’t offer gutloaded at my pet store .. so I should probably start ordering them online from now on... I also posted a picture of him from last night below - he is around 6 months... I guess I just feel like he is not on track growth wise. Again, thank you for the advice I need every bit I can get!

If this were my setup, id ditch that uvb and buy a single 48" fixture and adjust his free range so he is forced to stay under it. Free range setups are difficult to tune, even for experienced keepers. You can not buy pre-gutloaded feeders, not possible. He may be marketing them that way but I assure you they are not. By the time you get them their guts have been emptied and the load lost. You must gutload them yourself, dust, and feed off quickly. preferably within an hour of loading them. Try Bug burger or Cricket crack both on amazon. Growth looks fine to me.

 

[Brodybreaux25]

I do not use a multi vitamin ? I guess I have just always sprinkled the calcium on and then the calcium with d3 twice a month. Is there a certain kind of multivitamin that is recommended ?

Switch to Repashy LoD, put it on every feeder. Throw out the two your currently using.

 

[Haleymatheney]

If this were my setup, id ditch that uvb and buy a single 48" fixture and adjust his free range so he is forced to stay under it. Free range setups are difficult to tune, even for experienced keepers. You can not buy pre-gutloaded feeders, not possible. He may be marketing them that way but I assure you they are not. By the time you get them their guts have been emptied and the load lost. You must gutload them yourself, dust, and feed off quickly. preferably within an hour of loading them. Try Bug burger or Cricket crack both on amazon. Growth looks fine to me.

Taking notes - thank you SO much for the advice. Will be switching some things out. I feel so much better now