pet store underfeeding veiled--advice?

[diananana]

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - male veiled chameleon, age unknown, 2 inches long NOT including his tail. pet store said 5+ months
Handling - haven't done so yet, but they handled him somewhat regularly at the store
Supplements - dusting him daily (is that right?) with "repashy superfoods calcium plus"
Watering - i have a dripper and also mist 4-5 times daily. haven't seen him drink yet, have no idea if he's doing so
Fecal Description - can't find any poop so far but i know he's eating, because i've seen him!

Cage Info:
Cage Type - reptibreeze 16x16x30
Lighting - 12 hour on/off cycle with a 50 watt heat lamp and UVB
Temperature - basking area/top of cage is AROUND 80--a bit hard to control because it's summer and i don't have AC. i have a crappy zoo med thermometer, i just ordered a much better temperature gun. drop at night maybe to 75, depending on the night
Humidity - i have no idea i'm not sure how to measure it.
Plants - no live plants
Placement - the cage is on top of a low bookshelf, so it's approx 2 feet off the ground. it's next to a window that never gets direct sunlight, but i do occasionally have a fan in it blowing on "low" (next to the cage, so not affecting airflow in the cham's habitat at all. i have to do this or the room will overheat!)
Location - boston area

Current Problem - i am a little concerned because the veiled i got 2 days ago was apparently grossly underfed at the store they have been giving him only 3 or 4 crickets a day since they got him this winter. i'm new to chameleons, but the correct number would be more in the 10+ range for guys of his age and size, right?

my question is, how should i bring him up to a correct diet? for the 2 days i've had him, i've cupfed 8-9 crickets a day and he's eaten all or almost all of them. are there other feeders i should be giving him? i was wondering if he was a bit small for his age (which at LEAST 5-6 months), so should i be trying to bulk him up or just start him on a normal diet? any advice is welcome! he seems relatively happy and healthy (bright green all day, clear eyes, etc) but i'm still worried about him when i see pictures of other veileds around his age, they basically look like adults; he looks more like a 3-month-old

 

[SaintJimmy]

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - male veiled chameleon, age unknown, 2 inches long NOT including his tail. pet store said 5+ months If he is two inches long body-wise, I think he is much younger than five months old. He may be around three or four months, but five seems like an overstatement. He may be five months old and small due to the underfeeding, but it's hard to tell. If you could post a picture of him, that would help us figure this age out.
Handling - haven't done so yet, but they handled him somewhat regularly at the store If you want to begin handling him, maybe offer him a cricket, dubia roach, super worm, meal worm, silk worm, et cetera in between your fingers, and he may come up to eat if out of your hand. Stay still, and make it a habit to hand-feed him. If he looks like he is not hiding from you or is not angry at you eventually, you can try to lure him onto your fingers using a bug.
Supplements - dusting him daily (is that right?) with "repashy superfoods calcium plus" Dust his crickets or other feeders with NON-D3 Calcium every day, lightly. If the feeders are stark white, you're putting too much dust. Then, twice a month (preferably every 2 weeks) dust his feeders with D3 Calcium. This ensures he gets enough of the vitamin D3 in his diet. The brand you are using is fine as long as it does NOT include Phosphorus.
Watering - i have a dripper and also mist 4-5 times daily. haven't seen him drink yet, have no idea if he's doing so Many chameleons don't like to be seen drinking. When you're misting, make sure to cover any leaves inside the cage with little droplets of water. Mist for up to a couple minutes. Sometimes you can mist for as long as you want, and they may begin to drink. If the misting does not stimulate him to drink, then just keep misting lightly throughout the day and he may drink from a dripper if you're not looking. Try to use warm water when you mist so that they do not develop an extreme hatred for water. Sometimes they hate water anyway, but will drink out of a dripper.
Fecal Description - can't find any poop so far but i know he's eating, because i've seen him! If you do find poop, check for a white and a brown part. If the poop is normal brown color or slimy looking, it's new. If the poop is dry and black, it's old. Either way is fine. If you cannot find poop in a week, there may be something wrong. The white part of his poop should be white and chalky. If it is orange, he needs more water.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - reptibreeze 16x16x30 This will be a fine cage until your chameleon grows older. You will want to save money for a 24x24x48" cage for when he grows up. That is the minimum size! Anyway, you can tell when they need a new cage. If he wants to come out of the cage a lot, it's probably time for a new one. I would buy the new cage when he is around 7-8 months old.
Lighting - 12 hour on/off cycle with a 50 watt heat lamp and UVB Should be fine. Maybe you could try a 60 watt. When they are adults they need 90-95 degrees. Buying a cheap light timer from a hardware store is a nice way to avoid turning on your chameleons lights every day! Also, never have a night light. You are doing well.
Temperature - basking area/top of cage is AROUND 80--a bit hard to control because it's summer and i don't have AC. i have a crappy zoo med thermometer, i just ordered a much better temperature gun. drop at night maybe to 75, depending on the night For his age, you don't want it to be very hot. If your house gets very hot, say, 80-90 degrees inside, TURN OFF the heat lamp. Just advice.
Humidity - i have no idea i'm not sure how to measure it. As long as you mist for a couple minutes a couple times a day and make drops on the leaves, you are fine. If you want, you can get a hygrometer and then you will want to make sure the humidity is around 70-80% when you mist. Make sure the cage dries out before you mist again!
Plants - no live plants Live plants help keep up humidity and hold water for your chameleon to drink. They also provide a good cover from heat and light, as well as provide climbing areas for your chameleon. I recommend going and buying a cheap baby plant, such as a ficus or an umbrella plant (known as schefflera) from a local store. It's usually not too good to have only fake plants.
Placement - the cage is on top of a low bookshelf, so it's approx 2 feet off the ground. it's next to a window that never gets direct sunlight, but i do occasionally have a fan in it blowing on "low" (next to the cage, so not affecting airflow in the cham's habitat at all. i have to do this or the room will overheat!) That should be fine.
Location - boston area

Current Problem - i am a little concerned because the veiled i got 2 days ago was apparently grossly underfed at the store they have been giving him only 3 or 4 crickets a day. i'm new to chameleons, but the correct number would be more in the 10+ range for guys of his age and size, right? Feed him however many crickets he can eat in around 5 minutes, is what I would do. Babies are known to eat up to 25 small crickets a day, so feed him generously.

my question is, how should i bring him up to a correct diet? for the 2 days i've had him, i've cupfed 8-9 crickets a day and he's eaten all or almost all of them. are there other feeders i should be giving him? i was wondering if he was a bit small for his age (which at LEAST 5-6 months), so should i be trying to bulk him up or just start him on a normal diet? Try to feed him until he stops eating or ignores the crickets in a bowl. Count how many he eats. Once he stops, now you know how many to feed! any advice is welcome! he seems relatively happy and healthy (bright green all day, clear eyes, etc) but i'm still worried about him when i see pictures of other veileds around his age, they basically look like adults; he looks more like a 3-month-old
You think he looks like a 3 month old because he probably IS around 3 months old.

I have put my opinions in red, I hope that helps you figure out what to do with your little one.

 

[xephyr17]

I have put my opinions in red, I hope that helps you figure out what to do with your little one.

I'm not too sure of the size difference between a 8 month and 3 month (Ender is 8) but I think you can get away with giving roaches, too. And probably small superworms every now and then. Most people don't like to give their chams too many supers...

 

[xephyr17]

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - male veiled chameleon, age unknown, 2 inches long NOT including his tail. pet store said 5+ months
Handling - haven't done so yet, but they handled him somewhat regularly at the store
Supplements - dusting him daily (is that right?) with "repashy superfoods calcium plus"
Watering - i have a dripper and also mist 4-5 times daily. haven't seen him drink yet, have no idea if he's doing so
Fecal Description - can't find any poop so far but i know he's eating, because i've seen him!

Cage Info:
Cage Type - reptibreeze 16x16x30
Lighting - 12 hour on/off cycle with a 50 watt heat lamp and UVB
Temperature - basking area/top of cage is AROUND 80--a bit hard to control because it's summer and i don't have AC. i have a crappy zoo med thermometer, i just ordered a much better temperature gun. drop at night maybe to 75, depending on the night
Humidity - i have no idea i'm not sure how to measure it.
Plants - no live plants
Placement - the cage is on top of a low bookshelf, so it's approx 2 feet off the ground. it's next to a window that never gets direct sunlight, but i do occasionally have a fan in it blowing on "low" (next to the cage, so not affecting airflow in the cham's habitat at all. i have to do this or the room will overheat!)
Location - boston area

Current Problem - i am a little concerned because the veiled i got 2 days ago was apparently grossly underfed at the store they have been giving him only 3 or 4 crickets a day since they got him this winter. i'm new to chameleons, but the correct number would be more in the 10+ range for guys of his age and size, right?

my question is, how should i bring him up to a correct diet? for the 2 days i've had him, i've cupfed 8-9 crickets a day and he's eaten all or almost all of them. are there other feeders i should be giving him? i was wondering if he was a bit small for his age (which at LEAST 5-6 months), so should i be trying to bulk him up or just start him on a normal diet? any advice is welcome! he seems relatively happy and healthy (bright green all day, clear eyes, etc) but i'm still worried about him when i see pictures of other veileds around his age, they basically look like adults; he looks more like a 3-month-old

I'm not too sure of the size difference between a 8 month and 3 month (Ender is 8) but I think you can get away with giving roaches, too. And probably small superworms every now and then. Most people don't like to give their chams too many supers...

 

[diananana]

The only reason im thinking he's 5-6 months+ is the pet store people said they got him right after the Massachusetts chameleon ban was lifted (in January), and have has him all this time. Other than that, I would definitely just assume he was younger, because he definitely just looks like a healthy baby!

I'll post a few pictures tomorrow to see what you guys think. And thaks for the feeding advice!

 

[diananana]

sorry for the delay in photos... he's very shy so i ended up having to just take one through the screen. the lighting's terrible because i didn't want to use flash hopefully it's helpful!

let me know what you think about age/feeding/whatever

 

[Psychobunny]

That little guy cant be more then 2 months old!!??

 

[Lpsouth1978]

I agree that he only looks a couple of months old, however, he does not look underfed in that photo to me. Most pet stores have very sub-par conditions for these guys. Any number of factors can lead to stunted growth (if that is the case). The first to come to mind is a lack of supplementation and proper UVB while in the store.

Feed him well gutloaded insects, as many as he wants, and give him lots of good UVB and he should put on weight quickly. Good luck with your little guy.

 

[Djturna4thakidz]

Yeah I would say 2-3 months old

 

[ridgebax1]

I agree, he looks very young but hard to say with nothing in the picture to use for scale. And I also agree he does not look underweight. Jimmy's advice is spot on. Just to be clear dust the feeders NOT the chameleon. Sandrachameleon's blog has excellent suggestions for gut loading feeders of all types. In addition to crickets, try silk, horn, phoenix, and butter worms. Avoid super and meal worms as a staple, OK for a treat (like McDonald's fries).

 

[diananana]

thanks everyone! I will be sure to expand the diet from crickets to other feeders. which site would you say is the best to ship them from? (Unless you know of a shop in the boston area that sells them)

and for those of you asking for a more exact size, he's 2 inches nose to butt, sorry there's no reference in the photo. with his tail i'd say... 4 inches (?) as a rough guess. glad to hear that his size is more likely due to a young age as opposed to stunting, although i'm a little confused as to why the pet shop implied they'd had him several months honestly, they have always been honest in the past, and I think maybe there was just a misunderstanding in a passing comment re: when they got him? who knows!

 

[ridgebax1]

For silks and horn worms, I use Mulberry Farms, by far the healthiest worms I have gotten; butters from Elliot's butter worms; phoenix worms from rainbowmealworms on e-bay. Ghann's have the healthiest crickets. I actually just bought some silks from rainbowmealworms on e-bay and they were quite healthy too. Rainbow has great customer service too. I was short in a cup of phoenix worms and they shipped another no questions.