Two new Chameleons! (Are they okay though..?)

[MJosaphine]

Ever since I was a little girl I've always wanted a chameleon. I started working at pet store about 7 months ago, and just recently a couple came in asking if anyone wanted to take in some Chameleons. I said I would as I have been doing some basic research and had the tips of my manager to help me. Little did I know that when I finally got them he kept the two in their own 2 ft wide by 2ft tall tanks. ( One is completely screen and the other is glass ) I'm concerned about they're health because they are both a year and a half and have lived in them their whole life. The lights he always gave me were years old and he only had one heat lap that he shared between the two of them. I am currently making their own new cages but they are going to be in these old crappy ones for about another week. I cleaned them both up because in the screen one, it smells like his cat also peed on it. My manager said they look fine and since they both easily come on me they should be fine, but under all the circumstances I'm honestly really surprised they lived this long. Does anyone have any tips/suggestions or thoughts on what I can do? I want these two to have a safe, happy life from here on out!

 

[Virgil1972]

Can you post a picture of them? What kind of cham are they? What size cage are going to be putting each one in?

 

[Dirtydominican77]

Yes as the last poster posted, need info on your chams plz.

 

[MJosaphine]

They are both Veiled chameleons, but one is a translucent one. They are both a year an a half old ( according to the guy ) but the regular one is a bit smaller than the translucent one. I'm stilling trying to figure out the forum and how to upload photos, I'm sorry! ( I'm also on an iPhone ) As soon as I get it to work I'll try and post a picture of them

 

[MJosaphine]

The cage I'm currently trying to build them was going to be at least 4 feet tall, but 6 feet wide and 2 feet in depth.

 

[Virgil1972]

The cage I'm currently trying to build them was going to be at least 4 feet tall, but 6 feet wide and 2 feet in depth.

They can not be housed together that will stress them out. To post a picture press the Upload a file button right next to the post reply button.

 

[MJosaphine]

There we go! Anyway I was going to make a big enough structure ( I will adjust if I need too ) and then divide in down the middle so they can see each other. The guy told me he kept them in the same room with each other and the regular veiled chameleon would just crawl everywhere. I'm not sure how he managed that because they clearly aren't fond of each other. Everyone is telling me I'm probably over reacting but just under the circumstances and how delicate I read chameleons can be I'm very concerned

 

[Dirtydominican77]

They look dehydrated and underweight. Your enclosure for both should be 24x24x48. Good luck. Oh... Get them to a good vet when they're ready, them most likely have parasites.

 

[Virgil1972]

If they can see each other they will not like that. It looks like you have two males there. I can see the spurs on the first pic. Can you post more pics of the first one, he does not look to be in good shap. Post pics from different angles and some close ups of his legs. The second one looks to be in pretty good shape. Have you seen there poop and urates yet? If so what did they look like?

 

[MJosaphine]

That's what I kinda though, Konan is the regular veiled chameleon and he is noticeable smaller than Pip the translucent one. I haven't seen their poop yet, just dried old ones that the guy left in the cage for lord knows how long. They kinda looked like breaded dragon poop though if that helps. I'm in a small town and no ver around here is comfortable with reptiles/birds or extoic small animals. I take my ferrets to a vet in a big city about 6 hours from my small city, but I'm not sure how they are with reptiles. I am taking my ferrets in the beginning of May, so its probably a good idea I phone and ask about my chameleons too? I will take more pictures just as soon as I finish cleaning Pip's tank.

 

[Virgil1972]

What color were there urates? Are they white, do they have any yellow or orange?

 

[MJosaphine]

They're both white, but I will keep an eye out

 

[Virgil1972]

Are they 100% bright white?

 

[MJosaphine]

Wait, after I sent that and I went to go wipe out Pip's cage I found yellow pieces as well

 

[MJosaphine]

Here's a picture of Pip's ( the translucent one)

 

[Virgil1972]

Pip is dehydrated. A good way to hydrate them is to shower them. Put a plant in the shower and point the shower at the wall. The mist off the wall should be going on the plant and he should also be in the plant. Use luke warm water or at least room temp water.

 

[Virgil1972]

I would shower both of them but not at the same time.

 

[MJosaphine]

Okay I will do that! Thank you so much for helping guys, I knew my gut feeling was right so I googled some tips and I found this forums!

 

[Virgil1972]

Follow this care sheet https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/. Also read through the other resource pages they have lots of good information.

 

[MJosaphine]

Okay the first two are of Konan ( the one I'm more concerned for because he's noticeably smaller) and the last two are of Pip