chameleonfan11
New Member
Chameleon Info:
• My Chameleon - Daryl is a male veiled chameleon who has been in my care for about a month now. He is an adult but his exact age is unknown
• Handling - I handle him once or twice a day, ONLY when he shows signs of wanting to be out or if I just need some cham emotional support. Whenever I come home he paws at his cage or comes out of hiding and I typically never have to grab him, he just tries to climb on my arms and head. Vet said theres no underlying illness, “he’s just weirdly friendly”
• Feeding - I feed him Dubia roaches, crickets, and occasionally super worms as treats. I usually rotate feeders every feeding, giving him 5-6 crickets per feeding, 3-4 roaches per feeding, and 1-2 superworms a week. I feed every other day and replace his water in his fountain every week (its filtered). I load them with reptical calcium without d3 everyday, and with d3 about once a month. My feeders are fed whenever the food runs out and are watered daily in a drown-proof container (feeder food is flukers high calcium roach/cricket diet)
• Supplements - I use reptical calcium supplements without d3 every feeding, with d3 once a month.
• Watering - I use a fountain that drips water, recycles it back through a pump and keeps dripping down. I mist about 3 times a day to keep the plants dripping wet but if the humidity is to high I’ll skip a mist every now and then. I used to use the dripper but it caused a massive flood and he would get VERY angry at it. While I’ve never seen him use the fountain, his urates look healthy so I’m not very concerned.
• Fecal Description - Very big doods, his recent urate was slightly yellow, mostly white. He hasn’t been tested for parasites in my care, he was by the rescue, but I will re-test soon.
• History - Daryl was rescued from a park, presumably an escapist but nobody claimed him. Was brought in to a reptile expert who rehabilitated him for about 3 months or more where I bought him from, his age and history is completely unknown.
Cage Info:
• Cage Type - I use a screen cage; 24x24x48 with a custom lining to keep about a foot of substrate and LECA for my plants.
• Lighting - For lighting I use a T5 5.0 UVB by zoomed, natural light, a white plant light, and an overhead room light. Lights on when the sun comes up, lights off at 9pm most nights, I try to keep a tight schedule but sometimes work needs me to stay late.
• Temperature - My cage floor sits at 70-75°, very top sits at 75-80° Lowest overnight temp is usually 65° and up. I have 2 digital thermometers to measure.
• Humidity - Cage floor sits at 50-55%, very top sits at 40-45%. I mist 3 times a day, and I use a hygrometer to measure.
• Plants - I use live plants such as Hibiscus, majesty palm, Ficus, and pothos.
• Placement - My cage is in the corner of my room on a window. There is a fan on the other side of the room, but it doesn’t affect the humidity/temperature of the cage. It is currently sitting on the floor but I’m working on building a table that has a drainage pan at the bottom so I can start using a dripper again.
• Location - I am located in Washington, very cold in the winter, very hot in the summer. Tons of rain.
Questions and Concerns:
⁃ Estimating my chameleons age
⁃ Is my husbandry fulfilling to him
⁃ How worried do i need to be about feeders getting lost in his cage
⁃ How do i know if hes staying hydrated if i never see him near his drinking fountain ⁃ What are better alternatives to the little dripper or a fountain (i do not have drainage and had a flooding issue in me previous cage)
⁃ Is it okay to have his feeders next to his cage and visible to him
⁃ Why is he so “clingy” to me? i know reptiles dont feel affection, but if i set him down anywhere he follows me like a dog and is almost always trying to be near me
⁃ How can I keep my plants alive longer with his rein of terror? (Eating and ripping off branches) Or should I just settle with repotting every now and then?
⁃ Should I be worried about aggression or stress towards my crested gecko/dogs (they are never out together, and are never housed together, i just worry about potential stress because him seeing the dogs is inevitable)
• My Chameleon - Daryl is a male veiled chameleon who has been in my care for about a month now. He is an adult but his exact age is unknown
• Handling - I handle him once or twice a day, ONLY when he shows signs of wanting to be out or if I just need some cham emotional support. Whenever I come home he paws at his cage or comes out of hiding and I typically never have to grab him, he just tries to climb on my arms and head. Vet said theres no underlying illness, “he’s just weirdly friendly”
• Feeding - I feed him Dubia roaches, crickets, and occasionally super worms as treats. I usually rotate feeders every feeding, giving him 5-6 crickets per feeding, 3-4 roaches per feeding, and 1-2 superworms a week. I feed every other day and replace his water in his fountain every week (its filtered). I load them with reptical calcium without d3 everyday, and with d3 about once a month. My feeders are fed whenever the food runs out and are watered daily in a drown-proof container (feeder food is flukers high calcium roach/cricket diet)
• Supplements - I use reptical calcium supplements without d3 every feeding, with d3 once a month.
• Watering - I use a fountain that drips water, recycles it back through a pump and keeps dripping down. I mist about 3 times a day to keep the plants dripping wet but if the humidity is to high I’ll skip a mist every now and then. I used to use the dripper but it caused a massive flood and he would get VERY angry at it. While I’ve never seen him use the fountain, his urates look healthy so I’m not very concerned.
• Fecal Description - Very big doods, his recent urate was slightly yellow, mostly white. He hasn’t been tested for parasites in my care, he was by the rescue, but I will re-test soon.
• History - Daryl was rescued from a park, presumably an escapist but nobody claimed him. Was brought in to a reptile expert who rehabilitated him for about 3 months or more where I bought him from, his age and history is completely unknown.
Cage Info:
• Cage Type - I use a screen cage; 24x24x48 with a custom lining to keep about a foot of substrate and LECA for my plants.
• Lighting - For lighting I use a T5 5.0 UVB by zoomed, natural light, a white plant light, and an overhead room light. Lights on when the sun comes up, lights off at 9pm most nights, I try to keep a tight schedule but sometimes work needs me to stay late.
• Temperature - My cage floor sits at 70-75°, very top sits at 75-80° Lowest overnight temp is usually 65° and up. I have 2 digital thermometers to measure.
• Humidity - Cage floor sits at 50-55%, very top sits at 40-45%. I mist 3 times a day, and I use a hygrometer to measure.
• Plants - I use live plants such as Hibiscus, majesty palm, Ficus, and pothos.
• Placement - My cage is in the corner of my room on a window. There is a fan on the other side of the room, but it doesn’t affect the humidity/temperature of the cage. It is currently sitting on the floor but I’m working on building a table that has a drainage pan at the bottom so I can start using a dripper again.
• Location - I am located in Washington, very cold in the winter, very hot in the summer. Tons of rain.
Questions and Concerns:

⁃ Estimating my chameleons age
⁃ Is my husbandry fulfilling to him
⁃ How worried do i need to be about feeders getting lost in his cage
⁃ How do i know if hes staying hydrated if i never see him near his drinking fountain ⁃ What are better alternatives to the little dripper or a fountain (i do not have drainage and had a flooding issue in me previous cage)
⁃ Is it okay to have his feeders next to his cage and visible to him
⁃ Why is he so “clingy” to me? i know reptiles dont feel affection, but if i set him down anywhere he follows me like a dog and is almost always trying to be near me
⁃ How can I keep my plants alive longer with his rein of terror? (Eating and ripping off branches) Or should I just settle with repotting every now and then?
⁃ Should I be worried about aggression or stress towards my crested gecko/dogs (they are never out together, and are never housed together, i just worry about potential stress because him seeing the dogs is inevitable)