Veiled Chameleon closing eyes

[Flick boy]

My bro just built the frame for me.

 

[BCboom]

My bro just built the frame for me.

Sorry, I mean a uvb hood

 

[ERKleRose]

Sorry, I mean a uvb hood

Buying these two is cheaper than buying the Zoo Med bulb and fixture, and with Arcadia, you only have to change the bulb once a year if you don’t have a Solarmeter 6.5 (definitely get one if you can afford it!). With a T5 HO either Zoo Med 5.0 or Arcadia 6% linear UVB bulb, you’ll want the bulb to be 8-9” away from his basking branch. If he screen climbs, raise the bulb off of the top of the cage and the basking branch, too, so the 8-9” distance is still there.
https://www.reptilebasics.com/arcadia-forest-6-uvb/arcadia-d3-6-uvb-t5-bulb-22/
https://www.reptilebasics.com/t5-light-fixtures/t5-ho-single-bulb-light-strip-24/

 

[GrayMadder]

I have had my baby male veiled chameleon for 1 month now, and today he has been closing his eyes. I'm not sure what to do and help is appreciated.

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - Baby Male veiled chameleon, have had him for one month now
• Handling - Handle him every few days for about 5 minutes
• Feeding - I feed him 8-12 insects everyday, mix between crickets and mealworms
• Supplements - I use calcium without d3 every feeding and I use d3 once every two weeks
• Watering - I mist him 3 times a day for about 2 minutes
• Fecal Description - Feces seems normal, urine part is white
• History - had him for 1 month

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Screen Mesh 16" L X 16" W X 30" H
• Lighting - I use the dome fixture that came in the chameleon kit, I know the uvb is wrong and plan on getting a t5 as soon as I can
• Temperature - Cage temp is about 68-70 and basking spot is about 80-85
• Humidity - Misted 3 times a day, when lights are turned on and off and in between
• Plants - I use a golden pothos and a tropical plant
• Placement - The cage is in my room on a small bookshelf, basking spot is about eye level with me
• Location - New England USA

Current Problem - My chameleon closes his eyes every once in a while, whenever I come near his cage he reopens them


View attachment 293169

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - Male Veiled
• Handling - I handled him once so far, for about 5 minutes
• Feeding - I feed him crickets dusted in calcium without d3
• Supplements - Calcium without d3, plan on giving him d3 twice a month
• Watering - Misted 3 time a day, dripper used for 1-3 hrs a day
• Fecal Description - Feces seems normal, the urine part is white, it has not been tested for parasites
• History - Baby chameleon not sure the age, had him for 3 days

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Cage from reptibreeze kit, screened
• Lighting - Use the lighting from the kit, both are on 12 hrs a day
• Temperature - Basking temp is about 85
• Humidity - Not sure but it is misted 3 times a day
• Plants - 1 live plant, not fully grown
• Placement - the cage is on a sidetable
• Location - in my room

Current Problem - Worried about how much it eats (2 crickets a day, 4 crickets on the first day). And coloration seems kind of light

Not to sound mean, a month ago you were given some things to read and change for your cham 3 days after bringing him home.

Your form is the same as last time.... the same issues still apply from before. Now a month of neglecting the changes that needed to be made your cham now is in the intolerant zone of stress.

 

[GrayMadder]

Do you gutload your crickets? Gutloading your feeder insects are a very important part to feeding your chameleon, without gutloading them (esp bugs lower in nutrition such as crickets) it's similar to feeding your little guy potato chips. Also, chams prefer a varied diet so I would suggest getting a few other types of bugs such as dubia roaches, black soldier fly larvae, silkworms, locusts, etc.


I might reccomend getting him tested for parasites, esp since he's a brand new chameleon & showing signs that he may be unhealthy. Parasites are a pain to deal with, so it's better to be safe than sorry.


What are the dimensions of the enclosure?


It's extremely important to know the % of humidity in the enclosure as chameleons need high humidity levels, so you really should prioritize purchasing a hygrometer. & veileds specifically need 40-70% humidity.

Thanks and welcome to the forums! My feedback and any questions will be in red. @skywes13 has already posted the two care images; I’ve already posted helpful links above:

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - Male Veiled
• Handling - I handled him once so far, for about 5 minutes
• Feeding - I feed him crickets dusted in calcium without d3 What size are the crickets, and how do you gutload them? Variety is key for gutload and feeders!
• Supplements - Calcium without d3, plan on giving him d3 twice a month You also need a multivitamin without D3. If you use the two supplements that came in the Zoo Med Chameleon Kit, use those two only! The calcium without D3 every feeding and the multivitamin with D3 once every two weeks. What brands do you use?
• Watering - Misted 3 time a day, dripper used for 1-3 hrs a day How long do you mist for? It should be a minimum of 2-5+ minutes long each time for his daytime mistings. Try to only mist in the morning and late afternoon/night when his cage is cooler for his daytime mistings if your humidity allows it.
• Fecal Description - Feces seems normal, the urine part is white, it has not been tested for parasites Find an experienced chameleon vet to go to and do as I have suggested above for a general check-up and peace of mind.
• History - Baby chameleon not sure the age, had him for 3 days

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Cage from reptibreeze kit, screened He’ll need a minimum cage size of 2’ x 2’ x 4’ tall, but preferably 4’ x 2’ x 4’ tall or bigger soon, if not now. Bigger is always better! Your cage needs TONS more live plants, branches, and vines (real and fake without leaves- just no Exo Terra vines) ASAP so he can feel secure hiding in the foliage and being able to use the whole cage! I’ve posted two cage set-up links above.
• Lighting - Use the lighting from the kit, both are on 12 hrs a day You need a T5 High Output linear light fixture either the length of or a foot longer than what his biggest enclosure will be ASAP! You also need either an Arcadia 6% (replace yearly) or a Zoo Med 5.0 (replace every 6 months) linear UVB bulb of the matching size ASAP, as well! Get a Solarmeter 6.5 if you can afford it! It’ll give you precise UVI readings, tell you if an UVB bulb is defective, and tell you when to actually replace your UVB bulbs (when the readings are cut in half)! He needs a regular household white light incandescent bulb for his heat bulb instead of the blue light. Make sure both the linear UVB bulb and heat bulb are raised the appropriate distances away from his basking branch! Do you use anything at night?
• Temperature - Basking temp is about 85 Don’t go higher than that. Most keepers’ basking spots are between 80-85*F. Measure this with a digital thermometer with a probe placed where his casque/top of his back is when he’s on his basking branch. What are his ambient and nighttime temps?
• Humidity - Not sure but it is misted 3 times a day This is crucial! Get 3 thermometer-hygrometer combos and place one near the top of his cage, one in the middle, and one at the bottom to measure humidity levels and ambient temps. It should be between 30-50% during the day and up to 100% at night. Do you use a cool mist fogger or anything else?
• Plants - 1 live plant, not fully grown You need live plants only with veileds, no fake plants or fake vines with leaves on them! Veileds will try to eat anything, so fake plants are an impaction risk! You can hang his current fake plant outside of his cage to give him extra privacy. All plants need to be chameleon-safe (I posted a link for a list above) and properly cleaned beforehand, along with rocks too big for him to eat covering the soil in the pots.
• Placement - the cage is on a sidetable
• Location - in my room

Current Problem - Worried about how much it eats (2 crickets a day, 4 crickets on the first day). And coloration seems kind of light He is probably too uncomfortable in his cage to eat because he has no privacy or foliage to hide himself in. He is also still settling in his new environment. I would still take him in to an experienced chameleon vet to rule out anything else.

My main concern is his uvb, also please get a hygrometer asap to know the exact humidity levels

I would say your main biggest priorities to your husbandry that need to be fixed ASAP:
1. Proper Lighting
2. More foliage
3. The proper supplementation
4. Proper hydration /a way to measure your humidity (the foliage will help with the humidity too)

A light color is completely normal, though his eyes are kind of sunken in, which could be from stress, dehydration, or both

Don’t forget the gutload!

Here is your feedback from last time. A lot of this still applies to your cham now.