Veiled Chameleon - brand new owner

Darla Marie Pelan

New Member
Hello everyone,

I have myself a little female veiled cham, she seems to be doing great.

Iv noticed she is doing "laps" and even before i got her she was doing rounds around the enclosure. I cant say ive seen her stop moving ..this will be my first night with her so maybe i just have not seen her get dosey around night time....

is this activity normal?? It sure is enjoyable to watch!

Darla
 
My baby male veiled does that too! for the first 2 weeks he didn't move much, but after his first shed, he hasnt stopped moving except to sleep!
 
Thank you for the replies, relieves the new owner jitters.

Just another quick question when time permits...when is good time to turn off the lights and hit the hay? She was from a pet store so im assuming that aroun 6 or 7 it closed and the lights were turned off, does anyone go any later???

I live in B.C. ..its quite cool still and the sun goes down around 7 or 8 this time of year.

thanks again.

Darla
 
hi darla,welcome! this is the best site you will ever find:D the help you will recieve from everyone on here is wonderful!! and congrats on your new baby:) i am assuming you are from british columbia..(bc) i have lived there on and off for years previous,i miss it because of the wonderful weather and also the ocean..i live in alberta not too far from edmonton..i have my lights and mister on a timer,"everything" turns on at 7 am and off at 7 pm..there is still light outside after lights go off, they just go find their comfy spot for the night and settle in,waiting for the darkness...a 12 hr cycle is what almost everyone uses...it was the advice i was given and has worked extremely well for me.enjoy your new baby and be sure to browse around this forum as there is sooo much helpful info on here..i am on everyday and spend at least 3 hrs on here lol,i can never learn enough to help care for my chams ..and its also a good thing to read up on everyones posts as i have learned alot of "what to watch out for" (signs of illness,what not to do,what must be done,some excellent housing/drainage ideas and what to do in case of...) so once again..welcome:)
 
Hello Darla, welcome to the chameleon world. The info you have been given is the same as what I do, 12 on 12 off. If you tell us all about your setup and post pictures we will tell you if we see any issues. You can't help but love a baby veiled, you are hooked and just don't know it yet.:)
 
Hello Tandra Lee & Laurie,

Thank you for the replies.

Yes, i can feel the hookiness alright, if i did not yesterday then watching her sleep and wake up would, CUTE!

Yeah, right now i just poked a hole in a plastic container that is currently making little droplets, the pet shop i got her at was all out of drippers. I am going on a trek today for one.

I am actually from Alberta myself, moved here about 3 or so years ago. The weather is nice forsure!

I am excited to be a part of this place and glad i found it. I am most def going to do my reading ..invaluable info and will look for what not to dos.

Darla
 
hi darla,ooooh you live in kelowna!! you lucky lucky woman,i have many friends in that area:)watching them wake up is sweet,mine are sooo slow in the mornings lol,just like me i guess lol...its pretty darn dry here in hinton too but i mist my chams(enclosure) heavily everyday at least 3-5 times(lightly misting my chams too) and once you get a dripper it will be better for them for sure,i purchased the" big" dripper(only have to fill it once every two days(cleaning it out on the third day) some time in the future it would be good for you to get a mistking or monsoon,that helps immensely with humidity and also will give them even more water to drink off of leaves etc..i have a monsoon and it is on a timer that runs every hr for 2 mins..mistkings have more time settings.."cham safe"live plants are an awesome bonus for chameleons too,there is a list of the "safe" ones on this forum just make sure to wash away all old soil and repot with organic soil,place "med" size rocks ontop of soil so cham wont get his tongue stuck to it when shooting for crix(soil and pieces of debris can cause impaction(no pooping,VERY bad) enjoy your wicked april weather there in kelowna:) (im jealous)lol...my friends in penticton are posting pics on facebook of their flowers in bloom already:rolleyes:our snow is gone now but still brown grass..oh hurry summer lol
 
Welcome to the world of chameleons!

Here is some information that I hope will help....
Appropriate cage temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part indirectly in nutrient absorption. Temperatures needed can vary with the species and age. For hatchling panthers I keep the temperature in the warmest area in the low 80's. For older panthers I keep it in the mid to high 80's for the most part.

Exposure to UVB from either direct sunlight or a proper UVB light allows the chameleon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system to make/keep the bones strong and be used in other systems in the chameleon as well. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic no matter whether its from the sun or the UVB light. The most often recommended UVB light is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light. Some of the compacts, spirals and tube lights have caused health issues, but so far there have been no bad reports against this one.

Since many of the feeder insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in them, its important to dust the insects just before you feed them to the chameleon at most feedings with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it. (I use Rep-cal phosphorus-free calcium).

If you also dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. It leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of what it needs through its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system but D3 produced from exposure to UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it. (I use Rep-cal phos.-free calcium/D3).

Dusting twice a month as well with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while. (I use herptivite which has beta carotene.)

Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs. I gutload crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms, etc. with an assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.)

Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon (muscles, etc.) and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.

Here are some good sites for you to read...
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200605020...Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200406080...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/
http://web.archive.org/web/200601140...ww.adcham.com/
If you can't access the sites above that have the word "archive" in you can do it through the WayBackMachine.

BTW..female veileds can produce eggs once sexually mature even without being mated....so, once she's sexually mature, its important to provide an appropriate place for her to dig to show you that she needs to lay eggs. Failure to do so can lead to eggbinding and eventually death.
 
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I have noticed today that my female veiled has been digging, it looks like she wants to get out as it has been in the corner bottom of the cage. (I just got her, second night tonight in her new home) Maybe she is just exploring?

If she preggers ..what kind of bed is suitable or at least attractive to lay eggs?

I would hate to know that she got ill / or died from not being able to lay!

Thanks,
Darla
 
I use an opaque container that is at least 12" deep x 12" x 8" filled almost full of moistened washed playsand inside the cage.
 
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