Piebald

[Nwarnecke33]

I recently bought a Piebald Veiled Chameleon from Petco. (I know it’s not the best idea but really wanted a pied and felt like I was rescuing him.) Everything seems to be going great but he does has brown markings around his stripes. Are these due to incorrect basking temp (currently at 80 F), stress and getting used to a new place, or are these his natural colorings? I’ve seen pictures of pies with darker colors around their stripes but not sure. Thanks in advance for any answers!!!

 

[Flick boy]

I recently bought a Piebald Veiled Chameleon from Petco. (I know it’s not the best idea but really wanted a pied and felt like I was rescuing him.) Everything seems to be going great but he does has brown markings around his stripes. Are these due to incorrect basking temp (currently at 80 F), stress and getting used to a new place, or are these his natural colorings? I’ve seen pictures of pies with darker colors around their stripes but not sure. Thanks in advance for any answers!!!

Hi and welcome to the forum, do you have pictures

 

[Nwarnecke33]

Hi and thank you! Yes I do.

 

[Beman]

That is just the way his markings are. Translucents are bred specifically for the morph so their colors are going to vary quite a bit along with if their barring is clean with multiple bars.

 

[JustinLyon]

This is the first time, I heard that they change their colors, if their are sad.

 

[Beman]

This is the first time, I heard that they change their colors, if their are sad.

A veiled will change colors in response to their surroundings and health. Not so much if they are sad. If something is wrong in husbandry it can cause them to show duller colors. If they get angry they will show very bright colors and go into defense mode. If they get scared and startled they can turn almost entirely black. Females have color changes to indicate if they are receptive to mating or gravid meaning about to lay eggs and no longer will tolerate a male.

 

[Nwarnecke33]

He pretty much remains the same colors as the previous picture I sent in the thread. The exception would be the few times I have tried to hand feed him and he’s gotten dark and spotty. So I will continue with cup feeding and letting him hunt his food until he is more comfortable.

 

[Nwarnecke33]

He does get a little more yellow when sleeping.

 

[Beman]

He pretty much remains the same colors as the previous picture I sent in the thread. The exception would be the few times I have tried to hand feed him and he’s gotten dark and spotty. So I will continue with cup feeding and letting him hunt his food until he is more comfortable.

Dark and spotty means he is reacting and not that happy with you being so close or in his space.

Can you post a picture of your enclosure including the lighting on top?

I want to add. When you see pics of Male veileds with tons of color more than likely they are fired up. This can happen when they see another male or a female. Most of the time Veileds are more muted resting colors.

 

[Nwarnecke33]

Here is him chilling in his basking spot. These colors are slightly darker than normal(absorbing heat I assume). And the next is his enclosure. Any suggestions or fixes is appreciated. His humidity and temp levels are fine (been monitoring pretty closely). I currently have something on the way to get his enclosure higher in the air because I know they do not like to be on the ground.

 

[Nwarnecke33]

 

[Beman]

View attachment 339585View attachment 339583
Here is him chilling in his basking spot. These colors are slightly darker than normal(absorbing heat I assume). And the next is his enclosure. Any suggestions or fixes is appreciated. His humidity and temp levels are fine (been monitoring pretty closely). I currently have something on the way to get his enclosure higher in the air because I know they do not like to be on the ground.

Perfect so on first glance that is the main thing sticking out that his cage is on the floor. I think you will find that he settles faster once he is higher in the room. Remember your temps and levels will fluctuate when you move the cage higher since heat rises.

Can you tell me more about your UVB type?

You can get corrugated plastic panels to hook to the side and back panel to help reduce overspray coming out of the cage. The other thing people use is Duct window film on the outside. I like the panels better because they can not see through them.

 

[Beman]

View attachment 339587

Perfection and this one came with the 5.0 bulb. So you want to measure 8-9 inches from the bottom of the fixture to the branches below. That is where they should start. If they are closer you can raise the fixture up a bit. But you want that distance to ensure proper UVI exposure.

You have done a great job providing the right items. How are you doing with supplements? Did you figure them out?

 

[Nwarnecke33]

Just wanted to say I Appreciate you very much. This website and Neptune the chameleon have been beyond helpful for making sure I give him a happy life.

For supplements I have reptivite without d3 that I have been dusting gutloaded crickets and super worms with for every feeding. I have not had him very long so I have not used my reptivite with d3 yet.

He also ate some finely shredded carrots from a cup and I’ve observed some bites taken from the hibiscus and ficus leaves in the enclosure.

 

[Beman]

Just wanted to say I Appreciate you very much. This website and Neptune the chameleon have been beyond helpful for making sure I give him a happy life.

For supplements I have reptivite without d3 that I have been dusting gutloaded crickets and super worms with for every feeding. I have not had him very long so I have not used my reptivite with d3 yet.

He also ate some finely shredded carrots from a cup and I’ve observed some bites taken from the hibiscus and ficus leaves in the enclosure.

Awww your welcome. Happy to help. Yes, @Gingero videos have been a game changer for new keepers being able to access correct info.

So I am going to recommend switching up your supplements. The reptivite is a multivitamin. Even without the D3 it has vitamin A in it. Both of these are fat soluble so they should not be used more than 2 times a month because they store in the tissues. So you want a phosphorus free calcium Without D3 for your supplement that is used almost all the time. Then you want a multivitamin with D3 and A to use only 2 times a month say the 1st and the 15th. You want to lightly dust your feeders right before you feed him. So no powdered donut bugs. You should barely see the supplement.

There are many supplements you can buy for this. I happen to use repashy NoD for my calcium without D3. And I use repashy Calcium Plus LoD version for my multivitamin with D3 and A. If you have questions on other combos just let me know.

I would not feed him veg directly. While they can eat it, it is not recommended within the hobby. They will much on their plants as they see fit. Most are more active with this while they are younger.

I am attaching a gutloading sheet for you. You can use the fresh items or go with a commercial item like repashy bug burger.

Since you have a hibiscus keep in mind these are high light plants meaning they will stop blooming when they do not get the light they need. They do typically die off as well. I use a jungle dawn led bar for my hibiscus and other plants. These work really well.

 

[Nwarnecke33]

I now have something to get his enclosure higher in the air. Any tips or tricks for moving him without stressing him out. He’s a male veiled but not really aggressive just super shy and doesn’t necessarily enjoy my presence all that much yet.

 

[Beman]

I now have something to get his enclosure higher in the air. Any tips or tricks for moving him without stressing him out. He’s a male veiled but not really aggressive just super shy and doesn’t necessarily enjoy my presence all that much yet.

I would take the lights off and anything that could fall off the top of the cage. Then carefully lift the cage up onto the table. I would not remove him for this especially if your are moving to a table in the same room.

 

[Nwarnecke33]

His basking spot is now about six and half feet off the ground so I am always under him now. Repashy is on the way. Thank you so much!

 

[Nwarnecke33]

One more question, he’s not huge into crickets but gets pretty excited for super worms. Wondering what the best worm staple feeder would be. I read it’s not recommended for super worms to be staples.

 

[Sherbertsmysunshine]

One more question, he’s not huge into crickets but gets pretty excited for super worms. Wondering what the best worm staple feeder would be. I read it’s not recommended for super worms to be staples.

super worms are high in fat and low in calcium, that's why they are used more for treats. if you chameleon is not fond of crickets, you can try other feeders such as Dubia roaches, moths, and black soldier flies. My chameleon didn't seem to care for crickets when I tried them, so I will often feed him these three feeders.