Questions about getting a baby veiled?

[m1ndless]

Is there anything differnt I need to know about getting a cham that is only 2 months old compared to raising an adult?

What temp should the basking/ambient temps be?

How many crix should I expect him to eat that young? Should I use any feeders besides crix for babies?

Currently I have a ~16" tall schefflera abricola in there right now, is that okay for him while he is a baby or should I get something smaller? I also have a fake very leafy plant with vines going across to it on theother side of the cage.

Anything else I need to know about getting a cham that young? Thanks!

 

[Justin Carl]

Is there anything differnt I need to know about getting a cham that is only 2 months old compared to raising an adult?
yes
What temp should the basking/ambient temps be? 85 basking with a room temp at the bottom

How many crix should I expect him to eat that young? Should I use any feeders besides crix for babies? as many as he/she can eat. it is not odd for 20 plus to be eattin in a day. crickets are good b/c they are easy to dust and gutload. you can go with mealworms or phoenix worms as well

Currently I have a ~16" tall schefflera abricola in there right now, is that okay for him while he is a baby or should I get something smaller? I also have a fake very leafy plant with vines going across to it on theother side of the cage. that should be fine. make sure it is a screen cage!

Anything else I need to know about getting a cham that young? Thanks!

Lighting? supplements? water? humidity?what will you do here?

 

[m1ndless]

I have all that set up already, I just needed some specifics on raiding babies.

I am using a Reptisun 5.0 light, and a 65W Spotlight Bulb in a Clamp Light Fixture, I have a dripper system set up to drip on the plant and dispurse the water, as well as a bottle for misting.

With no watering or misting, the cage stays at about 35% humidity in my room, so I expect it should be fine when I get the veiled. I have a digi guuage for temp and humidity, as well as extra guages for accuracy.

As for supplements, I have not yet bought those yet, I know I need to dust the crix, but what is best for it? Can I get it at petsmart?

What size crix should I use for the babie? Pinheads or bigger?

 

[Justin Carl]

Rep Cal-calcium
Rep Cal-herptivite

babies- yea pinheads and 1/4"

 

[m1ndless]

So I just need a Calcium with D3 suppliment and a multivitamin? I will pick some up tonight, I am going to order the crix on monday, and once I get those and have EVERYTHING fully setup, I am going to order my cham on tuesday or wednesday,.

 

[Julirs]

Where are you getting your baby from? I would start out first by asking how the baby is currently getting watered and fed. This will make for an easier transition and put your mind at ease a bit. A year ago this month I got my 2 month old male Veiled. I stressed and worried, but Mike (FL Chams) walked me through everything (and told me to quit worrying so much!). My 2 month old ate 1/4" crickets with no problems. I kept basking temps at 8o-85 at first and increased as he got bigger. Sounds like you are all set to go!

 

[m1ndless]

I was going to order from either FLchams or ReptileDepot. I would prefer to order from RD because they are in Cali and I am in AZ so its a much much shorter distance for it to travel..

 

[Julirs]

I was going to order from either FLchams or ReptileDepot. I would prefer to order from RD because they are in Cali and I am in AZ so its a much much shorter distance for it to travel..

Ok-let me advise you 100% to go with FL Chams(he concentrates on chams, not all reptiles). His Veileds are amazing! I have seen some not so good reports on ReptileDepot-mainly because they get babies in large quantities from all over. There is no need to worry about shipping-beleive it or not even though I live 3 hours North of FL Chams-when he ships they go from there-to Louisville(UPS Hub), back to here. No matter where you live they will arrive the next morning. Mike packs them nice and safe and they don't know if they are flying accross the country or not. Let me show you what you get...

 

[SuperRad]

I got mine from reptile depot. Both are strong and healthy.

Here's my male. 4 months old.

He just started showing his colors a couple of days ago

 

[Brad Ramsey]

You'll also need a calcium with no D3 supplement.
Check out supplement article at my site:

http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/

-Brad

 

[m1ndless]

I am placing my order on tuesday, since I have wednesday, so ill have the whole day to keep an eye on him after I get it.

 

[Julirs]

It is very exciting-isn't it! Good luck! Post pics!

 

[kinyonga]

You said..."Is there anything differnt I need to know about getting a cham that is only 2 months old compared to raising an adult?"...when buying one that young there is always more of a risk than buying one a few months older.

You said..."What temp should the basking/ambient temps be?"...I usually keep the basking area for mine in the mid to high 80'sF and the ambient temperature slightly lower for baby veileds. Small bodies dehydrate and overheat faster than adult ones. Appropriate basking temperatures allow for proper digestion.

You asked..."How many crix should I expect him to eat that young? Should I use any feeders besides crix for babies?"...I usually feed them as many as they can eat in a couple of minutes. I don't like to grow my veileds too fast.

Regarding plants...they should be well washed (both sides of the leaves) and non-toxic.

Most feeder insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorous, so dusting them with a phosphorous-free calcium powder (before feeding them to the chameleon) at most feedings helps to make up for this.

Exposure to UVB allows the chameleon to produce vitamin D3 which allows it to use the calcium in its diet. If the chameleon only gets UVB from a tube light, then you may want to dust a couple of times a month, lightly with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder...but don't overdo this since D3 from supplements can build up in the system.

I also dust twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene source of vitamin A. Beta carotene will not build up in the system like preformed vitamin A will. Excess preformed vitamin A can prevent the D3 from doing its job and lead to MBD. There is controversy about whether all species of chameleon can convert the beta carotene to preformed or not...so some people give a little preformed once in a while.

Gutloading the insects and feeding them a nutritious diet is important too.

Phosphorous, calcium, D3 and vitamin A are four of the main players in bone health and need to be in balance. When balancing them, you need to look at what you feed your chameleon, what you feed the insects and the supplements you use.

Hope this helps!