Tips for newbies

[MollieandKiwi]

Hi! I've just got my first chameleon : a 7 month old female Yemen. She has been bought home today but isn't eating. She is currently shedding. I've been checking on her for weeks in the pet shop and every time she would eat loads! Do the lights and heat lamp need to be switched off at night?
Please give me any tips!

 

[CamrynTheCham22]

Fill this out and I think we can give you some good tips. Pictures are very beneficial. Also, if your chameleon is sexually mature she may lay infertile eggs. You may want to get a laybin ready in her cage since sometimes the signs that she is pregnant are very subtle.

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?

 

[jannb]

Welcome to the forums and congrats on your chameleon. Often they want eat their first or even second day in a new home.
Sometimes they don’t eat when they are shedding or getting ready to lay eggs. Females lay eggs without a male even being around and if not provided with the proper laying bin will become egg bound and die. They need total darkness at night.
Please fill out the form above and post some photos of your chameleon and her enclosure.

This is how I recommend keeping veiled. https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-with-young-veiled-or-panther-chameleons.325/

Egg laying: https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-with-young-veiled-or-panther-chameleons.325/

How to make a laying bin: https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/laying-bin-set-up-educational-video.77225/

 

[MollieandKiwi]

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care? Kiwi is a female Yemen (veiled) Chameleon. She is 7 months old. I have had her since 3 days.
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? I handle her once to twice daily for periods of 15 - 20 minutes.
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? I feed her a mixture of morio worms, wax worms, crickets and locusts. She usually eats 4-5 wax worms, 3-4 crickets or locusts and she doesn't eat the morio worms. I hand feed her once in the morning and once in the evening but always leave 2-3 wax worms in her bowl at all times. She will usually eat some of them in the night. I gut load the bugs with kale, and use Pro-rep bug grub and bug gel.
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? I dust her food with Zoomed Repti-Calcium powder.
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? I use a spray bottle with room temperature water and spray her whole viv for around 1 minute, 3 times a day.
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? Dark and moist logs. I've seen her poop twice since I brought her home. I don't think she's been tested for parasites but I couldn't see anything in her poop.
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you. She has been very well handled at the place I bought her from. When I used to visit her prior to me purchasing her she used to always eat outside her viv being hand fed.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? I think it's the Exo Terra glass cube, dimensions are 45x45x45.
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? I'm not sure of the brand of lights as it came as a full set up with the viv, but its a UVB light and red heat lamp. I turn them both on at around 6:30am and off at around 10:30pm. The heat lamp will turn off if its too hot and on if its too cold. Seller set it up for me for chameleon preferred temps.
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? Basking spot is directly under the lights, around 80F, floor around 5-10 degrees lower. Overnight temp around 60F.
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? I spray her cage and substrate (coco fibre blocks) to create humidity. I don't have anything to measure humidity. She seems to shed fine though.
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? I use plastic and silk plants.
• 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? She is on my table in my room, no fans or air vents, no traffic. The top of the cage to the bedroom floor is probably 1.5 meters.
• Location - Where are you geographically located? England! (South East)

 

[Paige21. Chameleon]

She might even be stressed out. I suggest you turn the lights off unless the temperature gets less than 50 degrees Fahrenheit. If your Cham is like mine then she will love to sleep,(and might turn turquoise)!

 

[Goose502]

Sounds like the seller had poor husbandry, and has passed it onto you. Your enclosure is far too small, 45x45x90 for a female veiled, minimum. You can probably drop the waxworms, they have poor nutritional value, and are high in fat. Your chameleon isn’t eating them at night, chameleons sleep through the night. You need to drop that red heat bulb immediately, chameleons need a period of complete darkness to properly sleep. Those red bulbs are very bright. The coco blocks should be replaced, or have organic soil mixed in. Mixing in soil can create the beginnings of a bioactive environment where you can plant regular live plants. This is great since your chameleon will eat plants. Read up in the care sheets, you’ve got a lot to learn. You’re asking the right questions which is why you’re gonna do fine, you just need to make a few key adjustments. Also, get a lay bin in there, she’s gonna be ready to lay eggs soon.

 

[Decadancin]

Good advice so far. Any pictures? We can possibly see if there are any issues that you may not know to look for. (Also, we just really like to see enclosures and chameleons .....)

 

[MollieandKiwi]

This is my beautiful Kiwi! I understand her viv is too small for her long term, I will be buying her a bigger viv very soon but this was the size she was in at the pet shop so I didn't want her to be too scared moving to a new home and a new viv all at once. Can anyone recommend the best viv for her?
I am also buying her a hygrometer and a cricket box. She has been eating more crickets since I found out waxworms have little nutritional value.
Do you think she needs a platform for basking, or is she happy clinging on to branches? I haven't seen her drink yet, but I mist her cage often. How often should she be drinking?
I went to an animal college and looked after the reptiles in the animal unit for 2 years, so I have some understanding of reptile care but am looking for chameleon specific tips and tricks from experienced chameleon experts! I have owned lagomorphs, rodents, birds and canines but this is my first reptile so I want to make sure I am doing everything I possibly can for her to live a happy life.

 

[Julia777]

Mine (who passed) used to love Repti hammocks. I hung some horizontally and had many on the sides of the glass cage for climbing. Note that they come in 2 different sizes:

https://www.chewy.com/zoo-med-repti...OHnHD3UlBHqkWPUkyVhoCc7AQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[carol5208]

Get a linear Uvb light. Ditch the coil uvb and red light as already advised . Make sure to have a sturdy branch or vine placed horizontally below your basking light . Read all the links Jannb gave you and make the necessary changes and she should do fine. Also get laybin in asap. She looks like she could have eggs developing already