veiled girl or boy?

H

haleymht

Member
Hi everyone! New here :) I got my new friend about 3 weeks ago, and they said he(?) was about a month old at the time. In the beginning, I didn’t see any spurs on the back of the feet but now I’m starting to see things that may be spurs? I’m not too sure though, so I’m wondering if you guys can help me out :)
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haleymht said:
Awesome! Thank you all so much. And yeah I’d like to do a husbandry review, how do I go about that?
Click to expand...
Just copy and paste this form then fill it out with detail. Include pictures of the enclosure lights down so we can see the whole thing :)

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?
 
Beman said:
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?
Click to expand...

Chameleon Info:

  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care? Veiled, probably a boy, and I’ve had him for exactly 1 month.
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? I put my hand in there to act like an extra stepping spot when he’s trying to reach for far branches, and I hand feed in the mornings, so I put my hands in there everyday, and like every other day he crawls on my hand and I show him around my room. I let him guide where he wants to go, and I pay close attention to his coloring. I love that they change color based on their moods so I know how he’s feeling!
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? I hand feed a worm or some roaches in the morning depending on his mood and free range about 10 crickets a day. He loved hornworms when I had them, but right now super worms are the only worms I have. Each day he usually eats about one worm, 2 dubia roaches, and 2 crickets from what I see. Some days he’s not hungry enough for a worm and just eats dubias and crickets. I’ve been gutloading them with zucchini, dandelion greens, and mustard greens. I just ordered some repashy bug burger and plan on getting silk worms, phoenix worms, and green banana roaches. I really don’t like the crickets because they smell bad and attract a lot of ants, so would I be able to feed him a diet of super worms, horn worms, silk worms, phoenix worms, dubias, green banana roaches, and the occasional owlet moth? Or do they absolutely need crickets? I’m still giving him crickets right now and usually have about 3 different feeders at a time.
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? I started out with the zoo med repti calcium w d3 and the reptivite multivitamin w d3, but I read that too much d3 is bad so I got the herptivite multivitamin w beta carotene and it doesn’t have the d3, and I’ve been looking for calcium without d3 and will just order it online by the end of the week if I still don’t see it in pet stores. I’ve been giving the calcium w d3 about 1-2 times a week and I’ve given the herptivite multivitamin once so far. Going forward, I plan on using the calcium without d3 twice a week, and the herptivite multi and calcium w d3 once a month. I’m obviously still figuring out supplementation, so tips are very helpful!
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? I’ve been hand misting, and I’m waiting for the repti rain scheduled mister to come in the mail. I mist like 5+ times a day depending on the humidity and if he’s looking for water. I see him drink and give him extra little droplets on the leaf he’s drinking from.
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? He’s never been tested, but looks healthy to me. Main compacted brown part with a little white part.
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you. I got him from a pet store when I was planning on getting a fish. There were a bunch of tiny baby veileds and some were on the ground trying to get out, and my inexperienced self thought they wanted to come out and socialize haha so I got one because I thought they were friendly and cuddly lol and I got home and started doing tons of research and learned that it’s so much different than I thought haha, but he’s super nice and willingly comes out on my hand and stays a happy green color, and I think he’s so cool so I’m really glad I have him, all meant to be :) He’s really cool to just watch throughout the day. The pet store sucked though, they clearly didn’t know much about chameleons and didn’t tell me like anything I needed to know. Luckily I really care about animals and research a lot.

Cage Info:

  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? I have the 3’ exoterra glass cage with mesh top. I’m currently building a much larger mesh enclosure. I’m done with the frame and just have to add some mesh. It’s 19” x 31” x 65” so it’s almost as tall as me. Do you think I should put him in there right away because of the better ventilation or do you think I should wait until he gets a little bigger because of how big it is? It’s already hard to find him sometimes in this cage so I feel like trying to find him in a larger cage would be like those where’s waldo books haha but I just want whatever he’s happiest with. They gave me coconut husk substrate that I was planning on turning into a bio active set up if he ends up being female, but if he’s male then I’m just going to remove the substrate.
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? I use the long t5 ho uvb light and a 40 watt heat bulb. I was given a compact uvb bulb but switched out after 2 days of having him. I keep the lights on for 12 hours a day from 9am-9pm.
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? I have a temperature/humidity reader that I usually keep near his basking spot because that’s where he hangs out, but sometimes I move it around just to check on the other spots of the cage. The basking spot hangs around 90°F and the bottom is like 78-81°F. He basks almost all day when he’s not hunting for crickets and opens his mouth to release heat instead of moving lower. We keep the house temp at 72° so that’s what it drops to at night. He’s usually really active when I wake up and goes right to his basking spot when I turn on the light.
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? I try to keep it at exactly 50% humidity. Overnight when the light is off, it goes up to 70, and sometimes during the day in between mistings it drops down to just above 40. It’s almost always at 50 throughout the day though because I check often, mist when needed, and air out in the mornings.
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? I really want live plants! I only have fake plants right now, but I’m definitely going to put all live plants in the new cage once it’s fully built. I plan on getting a swiss cheese plant, pothos, ivy, little ferns, and maybe some jasmine. Right now, I only have the little plastic ones from the pet store.
  • 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? My cage is on top of my dresser in my room. It’s pretty much my exact height since it’s raised, so his basking spot is eye level with me at about 5’7”. I closed the air vent because it was facing it. I move pretty slowly and don’t make loud noises, so he usually seems super chill but sometimes my dog comes in and stares at him and he just watches her, he doesn’t get a pattern or anything but he definitely keeps an eye out when she’s in the room.
  • Location - Where are you geographically located? Southern California
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@haleymht I am going to give my feedback in red bold.

Chameleon Info:


  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care? Veiled, probably a boy, and I’ve had him for exactly 1 month.
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? I put my hand in there to act like an extra stepping spot when he’s trying to reach for far branches, and I hand feed in the mornings, so I put my hands in there everyday, and like every other day he crawls on my hand and I show him around my room. I let him guide where he wants to go, and I pay close attention to his coloring. I love that they change color based on their moods so I know how he’s feeling!
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? I hand feed a worm or some roaches in the morning depending on his mood and free range about 10 crickets a day. He loved hornworms when I had them, but right now super worms are the only worms I have. Each day he usually eats about one worm, 2 dubia roaches, and 2 crickets from what I see. Some days he’s not hungry enough for a worm and just eats dubias and crickets. I’ve been gutloading them with zucchini, dandelion greens, and mustard greens. I just ordered some repashy bug burger and plan on getting silk worms, phoenix worms, and green banana roaches. I really don’t like the crickets because they smell bad and attract a lot of ants, so would I be able to feed him a diet of super worms, horn worms, silk worms, phoenix worms, dubias, green banana roaches, and the occasional owlet moth? Or do they absolutely need crickets? I’m still giving him crickets right now and usually have about 3 different feeders at a time. So yes you can drop the crickets if your adding in other staple feeders... He looks like he is still young though I would say somewhere around 4-5 months old. I would expect him to be eating more then he is if he is in fact only eating 4-5 feeders a day. You might try cup feeding as this works well with feeders other then crickets typically.
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? I started out with the zoo med repti calcium w d3 and the reptivite multivitamin w d3, but I read that too much d3 is bad so I got the herptivite multivitamin w beta carotene and it doesn’t have the d3, and I’ve been looking for calcium without d3 and will just order it online by the end of the week if I still don’t see it in pet stores. I’ve been giving the calcium w d3 about 1-2 times a week and I’ve given the herptivite multivitamin once so far. Going forward, I plan on using the calcium without d3 twice a week, and the herptivite multi and calcium w d3 once a month. I’m obviously still figuring out supplementation, so tips are very helpful! So reptivite is actually a multivitamin and your version has D3. This would make it your calcium with D3 and your multivitamin. With this one specifically you would only use this 2 times a month on say the 1st and the 15th. THen you need a calcium without D3 for all other feedings. These would be the only two you would use. I would return the herptivite and repti calcium with D3.
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? I’ve been hand misting, and I’m waiting for the repti rain scheduled mister to come in the mail. I mist like 5+ times a day depending on the humidity and if he’s looking for water. I see him drink and give him extra little droplets on the leaf he’s drinking from. Be cautious about over misting. You have a glass enclosure so the heat is going to build up. This with misting creates hot moist air which they can develop an RI from. Adding live plants is going to hold moisture longer and create a natural area for him to drink from.
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? He’s never been tested, but looks healthy to me. Main compacted brown part with a little white part.

Cage Info:


  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? I have the 3’ exoterra glass cage with mesh top. I’m currently building a much larger mesh enclosure. I’m done with the frame and just have to add some mesh. It’s 19” x 31” x 65” so it’s almost as tall as me. Do you think I should put him in there right away because of the better ventilation or do you think I should wait until he gets a little bigger because of how big it is? It’s already hard to find him sometimes in this cage so I feel like trying to find him in a larger cage would be like those where’s waldo books haha but I just want whatever he’s happiest with. They gave me coconut husk substrate that I was planning on turning into a bio active set up if he ends up being female, but if he’s male then I’m just going to remove the substrate. As long as the large enclosure is set up correctly you can put him in it when you complete it. I prefer the control and airflow of screen over glass for new keepers. I would order a feeder run for it and attach it at the basking level so he has an eye line to it. www.tkchameleons.com is the one I like in the large size.
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? I use the long t5 ho uvb light and a 40 watt heat bulb. I was given a compact uvb bulb but switched out after 2 days of having him. I keep the lights on for 12 hours a day from 9am-9pm. What is the strength of the UVB bulb? THis will be important for knowing your basking distances. if it is a 10.0 bulb you want 12 inches to the closest branch below if it is a 5.0 bulb you want 9 inches to the closest branch below it.
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? I have a temperature/humidity reader that I usually keep near his basking spot because that’s where he hangs out, but sometimes I move it around just to check on the other spots of the cage. The basking spot hangs around 90°F and the bottom is like 78-81°F. He basks almost all day when he’s not hunting for crickets and opens his mouth to release heat instead of moving lower. We keep the house temp at 72° so that’s what it drops to at night. He’s usually really active when I wake up and goes right to his basking spot when I turn on the light. So this is really hot. It should be more like 80-85max at basking then you want the ambient temp in the low 70's. If you are not using a digital gauge with probe at basking you may not be getting accurate temps.
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? I try to keep it at exactly 50% humidity. Overnight when the light is off, it goes up to 70, and sometimes during the day in between mistings it drops down to just above 40. It’s almost always at 50 throughout the day though because I check often, mist when needed, and air out in the mornings. Ideally you want it to be 30-40% during the day 50% would be the very max. At night it can be up to 100% when the cage has cooled.
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? I really want live plants! I only have fake plants right now, but I’m definitely going to put all live plants in the new cage once it’s fully built. I plan on getting a swiss cheese plant, pothos, ivy, little ferns, and maybe some jasmine. Right now, I only have the little plastic ones from the pet store. This link has Veiled tested plants. https://chameleonacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Chameleon-Plants-122819.pdf cover the soil of the pots with 1 inch or larger rock so he stays out of it.
  • 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? My cage is on top of my dresser in my room. It’s pretty much my exact height since it’s raised, so his basking spot is eye level with me at about 5’7”. I closed the air vent because it was facing it. I move pretty slowly and don’t make loud noises, so he usually seems super chill but sometimes my dog comes in and stares at him and he just watches her, he doesn’t get a pattern or anything but he definitely keeps an eye out when she’s in the room.
  • Location - Where are you geographically located? Southern California

Accurate info and Product links for things I like:

https://chameleonacademy.com/

https://www.chameleonbreeder.com/

https://www.youtube.com/c/NeptunetheChameleon?sub_confirmation=1

www.dragonstrand.com

https://tkchameleons.com/collections/accessories/products/shooting-gallery

chameleon-food(1).jpg
chameleon-gutload.jpg
 
Beman said:
@haleymht I am going to give my feedback in red bold.
Click to expand...

Thank you SOO much!!! That was so helpful, especially about the UVB because I realized that it didn’t have a number like 5.0 or 10.0 so I looked it up and it said it’s to be used in accordance with a 5.0 or 10.0 UVB bulb! Thank god you helped me realize that! I just ordered the 5.0 bulb and the feeder run you mentioned. I fixed my supplement schedule, and I’ll try to get him to eat more. I’ll also adjust the humidity and temperature. How many times a day and for how long should I set the automatic mister to? Also I got him a month ago and they said he was a month old, so he should be 2 months old but who knows. I’ll add a picture of him from when I first got him a month ago and a picture from yesterday. He’s grown a lot!
7D13F95A-0732-41E3-8BEE-2F322C5F234E.jpeg
5ED58308-0F56-4079-9C88-AC6132382B67.jpeg
 
haleymht said:
Thank you SOO much!!! That was so helpful, especially about the UVB because I realized that it didn’t have a number like 5.0 or 10.0 so I looked it up and it said it’s to be used in accordance with a 5.0 or 10.0 UVB bulb! Thank god you helped me realize that! I just ordered the 5.0 bulb and the feeder run you mentioned. I fixed my supplement schedule, and I’ll try to get him to eat more. I’ll also adjust the humidity and temperature. How many times a day and for how long should I set the automatic mister to? Also I got him a month ago and they said he was a month old, so he should be 2 months old but who knows. I’ll add a picture of him from when I first got him a month ago and a picture from yesterday. He’s grown a lot!
Click to expand...
Awww what a cutie and your welcome. Looks to be right about 2-3 months. The feeder run will help you. Just remember to put it at the basking level so he can see into it while basking. Put a branch close to it so he can easily get to it. You can load the feeder with bugs so he sees the movement. After a few days IME he will understand that is where the food is.
So if you bulb did not say a number then it was a plain daylight bulb rather then a UVB bulb. So good thing we caught that.
Misting will depend on your environment. What I do for mine will not be what you do for yours. But here are links that will help you understand this better. https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-cage-set-up-naturalistic-hydration/
I recommend reading everything actually on that site. It is totally accurate and wonderful information with full explanations. Here is another link on a podcast he did on natural hydration. https://www.chameleonbreeder.com/podcast/ep-89-naturalistic-hydration-for-chameleons/
 
Beman said:
Awww what a cutie and your welcome. Looks to be right about 2-3 months. The feeder run will help you. Just remember to put it at the basking level so he can see into it while basking. Put a branch close to it so he can easily get to it. You can load the feeder with bugs so he sees the movement. After a few days IME he will understand that is where the food is.
So if you bulb did not say a number then it was a plain daylight bulb rather then a UVB bulb. So good thing we caught that.
Misting will depend on your environment. What I do for mine will not be what you do for yours. But here are links that will help you understand this better. https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-cage-set-up-naturalistic-hydration/
I recommend reading everything actually on that site. It is totally accurate and wonderful information with full explanations. Here is another link on a podcast he did on natural hydration. https://www.chameleonbreeder.com/podcast/ep-89-naturalistic-hydration-for-chameleons/
Click to expand...
Great thank you! I ordered the feeder run and have been reading that website :)
 
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