Rescued female veiled chameleon! Need advice!

Shoki

New Member
I recently rescued a female veiled cham, & she has a few things I’ve never seen before. I’ve had a male veiled for 2 years, and he’s doing well. With the female, she goes dark but isn’t one full color. She usually has green spots & I don’t often see her fully neon. She gets green when she sleeps though. I recently bought her a new uvb bulb, it’s T5 5.0. She has a 75watt heat bulb. There is this “water fountain tree” in her enclosure, I’m worried about it getting mold bc it was filled with water & was never cleaned bc she was neglected. She eats rlly well, & drinks well. I see her drink.

I was wanting to know how I could make her enclosure more accessible since she is blind in one eye. If she gets startled and tries to run, she slips & falls because she can’t find something to grab. Anyone have any plant suggestions for her enclosure since she is partially blind?

Also she is really skittish, idrk how to gain her trust, since I haven’t been her caregiver for long. Her enclosure needs cleaned but I’m not sure if I should do it yet, since she just got here. Should I even tho she’s stressed out?
 

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Welcome to the forums and thank you for rescuing that little girl. When you get a chance please post some more pictures of her and the eye she’s having problems with. Girls need to be kept cooler, around 80 to 82. How do you check your temps? You want to make sure she doesn’t over eat or she will lay a large clutch of eggs. They lay eggs without a male even being around. Do you have a laying bin for her? Can she see your male? Here is some links below that you should find helpful.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-with-young-veiled-or-panther-chameleons.325/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/egg-laying-and-the-laying-bin.345/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/laying-bin-set-up-educational-video.77225/
 
Thank you for this information!! I don’t know much about how the females are different than males!! She doesn’t have a laying box. What kind of “box” does she need? Does it need substrate, if so, what kind would be appropriate? I judge temp/humidity w a little thermometer on the side. How much should I feed her as to prevent a clutch? What do I do if she lays a clutch? My males enclosure is right next to hers. He kept freaking her out so I put some paper over it so he can’t see. Should I move my male?

Also, her eye is fully healed. She had gotten attacked by a cat, and we took her to the vet & the vet gave me some meds to give her by mouth & some ointment for her eye. It’s been a few months since that & her eye looks very intact. Her eyelid is well, but she has definitely lost most of her sight. I can’t get any pics bc she won’t turn towards me. I was just wondering what I should do to make her enclosure more accessible. Like what type of sticks, and plants and such. So it’s easier for her to move around but not fall or get stuck
 

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Thank you for this information!! I don’t know much about how the females are different than males!! She doesn’t have a laying box. What kind of “box” does she need? Does it need substrate, if so, what kind would be appropriate? I judge temp/humidity w a little thermometer on the side. How much should I feed her as to prevent a clutch? What do I do if she lays a clutch? My males enclosure is right next to hers. He kept freaking her out so I put some paper over it so he can’t see. Should I move my male?

Also, her eye is fully healed. She had gotten attacked by a cat, and we took her to the vet & the vet gave me some meds to give her by mouth & some ointment for her eye. It’s been a few months since that & her eye looks very intact. Her eyelid is well, but she has definitely lost most of her sight. I can’t get any pics bc she won’t turn towards me. I was just wondering what I should do to make her enclosure more accessible. Like what type of sticks, and plants and such. So it’s easier for her to move around but not fall or get stuck
Sorry, I forgot to include that I keep her around 70-85, since I live in a hot climate the temp tends to change. I try to keep the humidity at least 50% during the day, and 75%+ at night.
 
Thank you for this information!! I don’t know much about how the females are different than males!! She doesn’t have a laying box. What kind of “box” does she need? Does it need substrate, if so, what kind would be appropriate? I judge temp/humidity w a little thermometer on the side. How much should I feed her as to prevent a clutch? What do I do if she lays a clutch? My males enclosure is right next to hers. He kept freaking her out so I put some paper over it so he can’t see. Should I move my male?

Also, her eye is fully healed. She had gotten attacked by a cat, and we took her to the vet & the vet gave me some meds to give her by mouth & some ointment for her eye. It’s been a few months since that & her eye looks very intact. Her eyelid is well, but she has definitely lost most of her sight. I can’t get any pics bc she won’t turn towards me. I was just wondering what I should do to make her enclosure more accessible. Like what type of sticks, and plants and such. So it’s easier for her to move around but not fall or get stuck

Check out the three links I have you above about females. This is one of the links, a video about making a laying bin.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/laying-bin-set-up-educational-video.77225/
 
Sorry, I forgot to include that I keep her around 70-85, since I live in a hot climate the temp tends to change. I try to keep the humidity at least 50% during the day, and 75%+ at night.
Welcome on here! For a veiled cham, daytime humidity should be between 30-50%. The moss, Exo Terra vines, fake plants, and waterfountain all need to go, as they're all dangerous. What's the distance from basking branch to the UVB bulb, and what brand is the UVB bulb? Also, a digital thermometer with a probe is best to measure basking temps, with the probe placed where the top of her back is when she's on her basking branch. A few digital thermometer-hygrometer combos placed throughout her cage will give more accurate readings, too. If you could fill out this form in as much detail as possible, it'd be greatly appreciated! That way we can help you help you cham better! I also added more helpful links and charts below!


Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.


Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
  • Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

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Please Note:
  1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
  2. Photos can be very helpful.
 

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You said...."My males enclosure is right next to hers. He kept freaking her out so I put some paper over it so he can’t see. Should I move my male?"...it's thought that the females might be able to detect the nearby presence of a male either from vibrations or possibly even pheromones.

You said..."How much should I feed her as to prevent a clutch?"...it's recommended to feed her no more than 4 or 5 crickets every 2 or 3 days...or equal caloric value in other insects.
Also, it's recommended to keep the basking temperature at 80F.

You said.."What do I do if she lays a clutch?"...
After she's completely done...hole filled in and tamped down... and has returned to the branches, dig up the hole and count the number of eggs. It will tell you whether she needs her diet controlled better or not.

If your female starts digging...post in this thread again and let us know and we can guide you through the egglaying process.
 
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