veiled chameleon

[thestat123]

Hi all im after a bit of advice if possible! I recently took charge of what im told is a female veiled approx 6 month old from someone who had lost interest in her and couldnt be bothered with her! i believe i can give her a good life but am a bit unsure on certain aspects of her maintenance, she is in a glass fronted wooden home she has a uvb bulb and a heat lamp ! is this ok ?? i spray the vegetation 3-4 times a day until water droplets form so she can drink and at the moment she is feeding on large locusts which ive been told to feed her 2-3 a week is this correct i dont want her starving any help or advice would be greatly appreciated thanks

 

[Olimpia]

Hi and welcome to the forum!

If you could share photos of her we will determine for sure whether you have a little girl or a boy, because their care will be a tad different.

Here is an excellent blog on everything Veiled, with a phenomenal section on how to care for females differently so that they will not lay eggs (At least as often) because girls will lay eggs like chickens, regardless of whether they mated with anyone: http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/

Then here is an excellent video on how to make a laying bin for her, so that she will lay eggs if and when she's due: https://www.chameleonforums.com/laying-bin-set-up-educational-video-77225/

As far as your set-up, do you know the brands of the lights you are using? How old are they? Does the viv she's in have any screen anywhere for airflow or is it just open on the top?

 

[thestat123]

pictures as requested

here are some pics of boo

 

[MollyT]

Hello and welcome to the forum! I don't understand how someone could get bored with a chameleon. They are fascinating! I could watch mine all day! I'm so glad that you stepped up for her and decided to give her a good home. Did her previous owner supplement her food with calcium or multivitamins? I am not 100% sure on the supplements needed for an adult female, hopefully someone else will chime in here, but I can tell you that you will need plain calcium without D3, and calcium with D3, and also a multivitamin. These will need to be dusted on her feeders. I would also recommend some more live plants for her. Ficus or umbrella plants work well. This is all I can think of for now. This is a great place for advice and to share pictures and stories of your new friend! Good luck to you and Boo!

 

[DavidBuchan]

Hello and welcome She looks very sweet, and must have been quite well looked after up until now, congrats........
I agree that it looks a bit bare in there, some more plants and branches would be better.
Here is a great all-round caresheet I always recommend to new people with Veileds (it gives feeding quantity advice on page 2) - https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/chameleonsinmyhouse/395-veiled-chameleon-care-sheet.html
Some variety in the feeders would probably be appreciated as well - https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/74-feeders.html
Glass-fronted wooden vivs can be used if you get the right temps and humidity, making sure there is still a lot of ventilation to prevent any stale air. It looks like you would do well to stick at least a couple more vents in there (and don't bother with the waterfall unless you want to clean it everyday.........).

 

[thestat123]

Thanks guys

Thank you all for your help and I've just read the care sheet it was very helpful , I am still confused regarding misting and feeding quantities if I can push my luck further lol the locusts I'm feeding her are about just under an inch long it says large on the tub how many and how often should I feed her as she is eating them straight away is she starving ? I'm feeding her 1 every other day as she shows no interest in the bits of apple I putting in ! I think I read earlier they like bits of lettuce or cabbage is this correct ? And as for the misting should I drown the foliage with water and for how long? At the moment I'm using a spray bottle and spraying until the leaves have beads of water on them 3-4 times a day . I will get some more branches and stuff for her if it looks a bit bare inside! The water feature doesn't work but she does sit on it so ill leave it in for her
Once again thankyou all for your kind help

 

[CaliChameleon]

If she is 6 months old then you feed her everyday but only 6 to 8 feeders till she gets a year old then you switch to 6 to 8 feeders every other day so she needs food everyday I am no expert but hopefully a expert can say my info is correct

 

[Kate]

I have an adult panther. The care is similar. I feed him 6-8 locusts every second day. I choose to feed large hoppers as the wingers bite. As well as locusts I feed med/ large crickets. I've tried roaches but he is not keen. Same with silkworms but I will keep trying. 2-3 locusts do not seem enough to me. Are you dusting them? Plain calcium daily and calcium with d3 once every two weeks and a multivit every two weeks.

 

[thestat123]

Ventilation

Ill put some vents in aswel ASAP cheers ! Bloomin hell boo's getting nearly as high maintenance as my mrs big boo lol

 

[DavidBuchan]

1 locust every other day? Yes, you can feed her up to 8 times that amount.....my Veileds aren't really interested in much fruit or veg, but there are some that will like a munch. Lots of things you can offer that are leafy and high calcium like dandelion or rocket. Hibiscus is one that my girl likes, she has one in her cage and eats a bit sometimes. Pothos is also good for an in cage salad bar.
Lettuce and cabbage aren't particularly nutritious for chams, mostly just water really.

 

[DavidBuchan]

If she is 6 months old then you feed her everyday but only 6 to 8 feeders till she gets a year old then you switch to 6 to 8 feeders every other day so she needs food everyday I am no expert but hopefully a expert can say my info is correct

Actually, I think most on here will start to cut down at more like six months, but do it a bit gradually......depending on type/size of feeders offered....

 

[ChameleonMom]

She looks like a sweetheart and seems to be doing well. Glad to hear you are willing to take on her care and give her the love she deserves!

There are a few things to note: she does need more foliage (Walmart has some really cheap, live plants that do well in a reptile enclosure; ficus, pothos, schefflera, hibiscus etc. and she requires vines to travel on and for exercise. Also, your cage is not the best setup as it seems with the glass front and wooden walls there would be no airflow, which is important for chameleon health. I would also get rid of the sand at the bottom as she is not a desert dwelling creature, but more arboreal (hence the need for more foliage) While the sand won't cause a problem related to her species, she may end up ingesting some of it and that can cause a huge problem to her health. A board member lost a cham last week when the cham ingested some deadfall off a stick, it got stuck in the intestines and eventually pushed through the skin at the leg. These things do happen and are preventable. The best thing for the bottom of her cage is nothing.

The general rule of thumb for feeding is as much as she'll eat within 5 minutes. I feed my little girl about 8 - 9 crickets and 2 -3 superworms daily. When they are young and growing she needs to be fed every day. Also, you will need to supplement her food which means you 'dust' the live food you are giving her IN ADDITION to gutloading. Gutloading means feeding the food you will give your cham. The best way to gutload would be to provide a shallow bowl of fruit (orange sections, apple, melon, strawberries etc.) and veggies (carrot, kale, dandelion greens, romaine lettuce, cucumber) in your feeder container. This will make her food very nutritious and provide her with some much needed vitamins.

Another thing, I'm not sure if your 'not working' water feature is filled with water or not but standing water in a cham cage is never a good thing. It is a breeding ground for bacteria and your cham won't benefit from it. Chams like running water and it is rare that one will drink from a water dish.

I cannot stress to you how important supplementing your feeders is for the general health of your chameleon. If you don't supplement, your cham will not have enough calcium in her bones to sustain her. Since you have a female she will develop eggs and during that development calcium will be 'pulled' from her bones for the formation of the eggs. Due to this, and to combat a well known and dreaded disease, Metabolic Bone Disorder or MBD, without calcium and the necessary supp's, your chams bones will be bend, be extremely weak and brittle - and eventually when she walks her legs will break and she'll end up dying a very painful and unnecessary death.

 

[CaliChameleon]

Actually, I think most on here will start to cut down at more like six months, but do it a bit gradually......depending on type/size of feeders offered....

Well of course you cut back by then but isn't that from 20 feeders to 6 to 8 feeders a day till they are a year old? then you start feeding every other day Cause when they are young they need a lot of food everyday 20+ feeders then at 5 months you cut it back to 6-8 feeders a day then a year it's every other day at 6 months they are still growing but a female could be different I never own a female before

 

[ChameleonMom]

There is so much to tell you and for you to learn...however if you are seriously interested in keeping your girl healthy and happy, you will do your research. I cannot stress to you how important research is to ensure a happy cham. Coming to this forum is a good step in the right direction.

Please read the blogs from: Sandrachameleon, jannb and ferretinmyshoes. These ladies are dedicated to keeping healthy, happy chameleons and are a wealth of information. There are other blogs that are also helpful but these are my 'go to' members blogs that I reference quite often.

You have taken on quite a responsibility with this girl, but I will tell you keeping a happy chameleon is one of the most rewarding things I have ever done and after 6 years of keeping chams, I still learn every day and never take them for granted. They are fascinating and so very interesting. Please give your girl a chance and do some reading and then do what you can to help her. She'll appreciate it and love you in return, I promise!

Good luck!

 

[DavidBuchan]

Well of course you cut back by then but isn't that from 20 feeders to 6 to 8 feeders a day till they are a year old? then you start feeding every other day Cause when they are young they need a lot of food everyday 20+ feeders then at 5 months you cut it back to 6-8 feeders a day then a year it's every other day at 6 months they are still growing but a female could be different I never own a female before

For females then feeding every other day by just a bit after 6 months is what I go by. I think my girl was about 7 months when I started her on every other day (but my girl still gets one or two insects a week on her non-food days. She's spoiled....)
This is to keep the metabolism slower than for males, to try to keep egg-cycling to a minimum and prolong the life .

 

[CaliChameleon]

For females then feeding every other day by just a bit after 6 months is what I go by. I think my girl was about 7 months when I started her on every other day (but my girl still gets one or two insects a week on her non-food days. She's spoiled....)
This is to keep the metabolism slower than for males, to try to keep egg-cycling to a minimum and prolong the life .

Well I stand corrected thank you David for the helpful info