What is the sex of my veiled chameleon?

[JiggyWalk]

The pet store says "most likely female" and I have heard different ways to tell online? Help..? The Nubs (spurs??) are new as in within 2 weeks, s/he is a 5 months old veiled. Oddly enough, s/he was very "friendly" right away. No problems coming out of cage onto my hand and will already request it with very little training after having s/he for 1 month. I hear they get moody like teenagers at some point so I am enjoying while it lasts . First time chameleon owner.

 

[Sherbertsmysunshine]

Hello and welcome to the forum! There are some amazing people on here!
Looks like you got a handsome boy! If you would like to make sure you have everything you need for your little fella, here is a care sheet to fill out


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?

 

[yungzerk]

The pet store says "most likely female" and I have heard different ways to tell online? Help..? The Nubs (spurs??) are new as in within 2 weeks, s/he is a 5 months old veiled. Oddly enough, s/he was very "friendly" right away. No problems coming out of cage onto my hand and will already request it with very little training after having s/he for 1 month. I hear they get moody like teenagers at some point so I am enjoying while it lasts . First time chameleon owner.
View attachment 355027View attachment 355028

They get veryyyyy moody when they reach the teen phase so it enjoy it while you can

 

[elizaann2]

You have a darling little boy! Congrats!

 

[Ghostbirb]

Welcome!! You have an awesome boy there! I would highly suggest to fill out the husbandry form above as sometimes overly friendliness and leaving the cage could mean something’s off with husbandry

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi and welcome. Another reason why we offer to review husbandry is you seem to be new to chameleons and there is such a tremendous amount of really bad info out there that too often people and their poor chameleons fall victim to it. Maybe you could start with posting a pic of his entire enclosure?

 

[JiggyWalk]

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Veiled Chameleon, Male(confirmed?), 5 months old. In my care for 1 month.
Handling - I handle usually every day or every other day. I feed early afternoon and then wait 1-2 hours to open the cage door to allow him to have the say-so on to come out or not. If he starts bolting for the door to crawl on it then I'll put my hand not in the cage but low and to where he can reach it to hop on if he wants to and he does 90% of the time so far. I am keeping handling to a minimum to train that my hand is not a threat but more of a bus ride. I place him somewhere either in an open window with a screen or around some cords and he thinks they are vines so he'll stay there and crawl around or find a spot to chill where I cant see him. I slyly check on him every 5-10 minutes or so because hes still young but seems to enjoy some direct sunlight sometimes. I realize I may not be able to keep this going every day in the future so I limit the time outside of the cage but it changes day-to-day from anywhere between not at all and several hours depending on my view of his mood based off of factors like darkening around the face and head, light colors start to mute, and in general when attempting to climb down from a spot after hes been there for an extended period of time. I am overly patient with him and when I go to stick my hand to collect the majestic creature he either hops on the bus or doesn't and I give him time to think about it and make a choice. If he doesn't come then I leave from the area and will attempt again after some time has passed, giving him the option to leave the spot and go back to the cage or a different spot.
Feeding - I feed him 10-15 crickets a day depending on the size of the crickets I snag up, most during early afternoon and a couple more later on if I dont see any or hear any chirps from the cage. 1-2 times a week I let him go ham on some romaine lettuce hearts after washing them. I also feed those hearts and collards with carrots to my crickets. Also 3-4 times a week he'll get mealworms or a superworm (I cut them into 2 if they are too large). He won't eat hornworms yet. No problems not eating with this one.
Supplements - I am supplementing Repti-Calcium without D3 5-6 times a week dusted on feeders and ReptiVite with D3 once every 2 weeks. I have been researching for other supplements on here and have seen stuff about vitamin A but this is why I am here, what else should I get and do I need to readjust my current schedule?
Watering - I run an automatic mister that goes off every 6 hours, placing 2 of the mists 10 minutes before lights on and 10 before lights off (Should I switch this to after lights on and after lights off?) running for 1 minutes at a time. Every day I put a bottle on top of the cage that drips for about 15 minutes, maybe longer, in late afternoon or about 30min to 1 hour after being out or "handled". I have a fogger but havn't had the need for it yet except for when I want to simulate fog rolling in before dark for dramatic effect for me and for him lol. Watering is all auto or on a timer so just the drip bottle on top and check other water levels. I set up a deep plastic bin underneath the cage with a huge square hole cut out on a long side and not overlapping the corners (for stability) with a perfect sized smaller plastic bin that is easily removable underneath to catch the water from a small square hole in the top of the bin that has a down slope towards it. All wiring has a drip loop.
Fecal Description He has had consistant healthy droppings (I researched that topic more than I would like to admit). Has never been tested for parasites to my knowledge.
History - Weirdly "friendly" from the start, thought it was a female so I will have to rename. I've changed his cage a lot over the past few weeks trying to get it perfect. I've used reptibark, vermiculite, and even tried coco-coir as a floor without very good success, just that green carpet is soooo much easier to clean and deal with. The 1 pothos I got is not big enough for him to climb on, any plant recommendations?

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Cage is a Zoo Med ReptiBreeze 16x16x30 kit. (I know its smallish but it's just a starter kit, I plan to build my own encloure soon)
Lighting - ReptiTrip reflective dual dome with a 65w BR30 flood and ReptiSun 5.0 compact fluorescent as well as a deep dome with ceramic socket and ceramic heat bulb for pointed heat and reduces humidity (good for me). All are on a stand that is above and not touching the cage. Basking bulb is 9-10inches from highest basking area. 12/12 lighting schedule from timers that roughly corresponds with normal daylight hours
Temperature - Basking area is 82 F and 50-55% humididty, bottom of the cage stays in high 60s with 60s humididty. 2 different brands of hygrometers and tested various locations around the cage giving 5 minutes in between readings. Lowest overnight temp would 65 F.
Humidity - ^^^ Hygrometer to measure, fogger if needed for more humidity. RH roughly aligns with what my research has told me is fine for veiled.
Plants - All plants inside cage are fake, I have 1 small golden pothos not in the cage at the moment, still researching good plants to go with for the next level up cage.
Placement - The cage is about 3 feet off the ground so top of cage is around mid to lower elevation in the room, it is located near an air vent but it does not blow towards the cage and helps with overall temp balance. The cage is in a low or no traffic area.
Location - DMV area, East Coast USA

This is no where close to my final set up and I know it's ghetto now but I want to treat him to the bestest life I can.

 

[JiggyWalk]

Welcome!! You have an awesome boy there! I would highly suggest to fill out the husbandry form above as sometimes overly friendliness and leaving the cage could mean something’s off with husbandry

Hopefully its not the cage . He likes to watch outside of the window and try to climb the blinds and his pothos is right under the cage, you should be able to see it in the picture. I filled out the form let me know what you think

 

[MissSkittles]

Give me a bit and I’ll go thru your husbandry.

 

[MissSkittles]

I’ll be putting my feedback in bold and breaking this into two parts.

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Veiled Chameleon, Male(confirmed?), 5 months old. In my care for 1 month. Yes, he is a he. Age looks to be right by my guesstimate.
Handling - I handle usually every day or every other day. I feed early afternoon and then wait 1-2 hours to open the cage door to allow him to have the say-so on to come out or not. If he starts bolting for the door to crawl on it then I'll put my hand not in the cage but low and to where he can reach it to hop on if he wants to and he does 90% of the time so far. I am keeping handling to a minimum to train that my hand is not a threat but more of a bus ride. It is very unusual for veileds to willingly walk onto our hands. Younger ones are a bit friendlier, so do know that this will eventually and likely change. It is always best to work on building trust and reinforcing it. This is a great blog on that. https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/building-trust-with-your-chameleon.2396/ My veiled girl is quite fierce, but she knows she can trust me and I’m reinforcing that all the time. I place him somewhere either in an open window with a screen or around some cords and he thinks they are vines so he'll stay there and crawl around or find a spot to chill where I cant see him. I slyly check on him every 5-10 minutes or so because hes still young but seems to enjoy some direct sunlight sometimes. If you have any other pets, this can be very dangerous. Also, many have lost their chameleons in the house for days by leaving them unattended. They are super fast when they want to be. Also, the sunlight coming thru the window is just light and heat. UVB doesn’t pass thru glass. I realize I may not be able to keep this going every day in the future so I limit the time outside of the cage but it changes day-to-day from anywhere between not at all and several hours depending on my view of his mood based off of factors like darkening around the face and head, light colors start to mute, and in general when attempting to climb down from a spot after hes been there for an extended period of time. I am overly patient with him and when I go to stick my hand to collect the majestic creature he either hops on the bus or doesn't and I give him time to think about it and make a choice. If he doesn't come then I leave from the area and will attempt again after some time has passed, giving him the option to leave the spot and go back to the cage or a different spot. You might want to think about creating a nice little free range area for him.
Feeding - I feed him 10-15 crickets a day depending on the size of the crickets I snag up, most during early afternoon and a couple more later on if I dont see any or hear any chirps from the cage. This is a decent amount for his age. I do recommend getting and using a feeding station to contain his food. Any crickets that he may have missed will come out at night and try to eat him. Also, it’s best to be able to monitor how much he is actually eating. I like and use the shooting gallery style. https://tkchameleons.com/products/shooting-gallery?variant=30018608595032 Some like the full throttle style https://www.fullthrottlefeeders.com/ and there’s several different variations on both available in different places like Etsy. 1-2 times a week I let him go ham on some romaine lettuce hearts after washing them. Even though veiled will eat plant matter, they have no need for it. Give the greens and veggies to your bugs only. I also feed those hearts and collards with carrots to my crickets. Romaine isn’t terribly nutritious, aside from hydrating. Collards and carrots are good but do add more. I feed my bugs mostly the same stuff I feed my beardie’s - varied greens such as turnip, dandelion, mustard, arugula, watercress along with different types of squashes, bell pepper, sweet potato and just a bit of fruit, like banana, apple or berries. It’s best to feed just once a day in the morning, so he has time to bask and digest properly. Also 3-4 times a week he'll get mealworms or a superworm (I cut them into 2 if they are too large). Mealworms aren’t great for staple feeders. Superworms are very fatty and are for treats only. But there are other great staples. Roaches and silkworms are my favorite and I was told by a chameleon vet that they are the most nutritious. Many here lately have been getting grasshoppers. https://feedmychameleon.com/ I’m attaching a couple of graphics below to help guide you. He won't eat hornworms yet. No problems not eating with this one.
Supplements - I am supplementing Repti-Calcium without D3 5-6 times a week dusted on feeders and ReptiVite with D3 once every 2 weeks. I have been researching for other supplements on here and have seen stuff about vitamin A but this is why I am here, what else should I get and do I need to readjust my current schedule? Good! Just use the calcium without D3 at every feeding and make sure to dust lightly…no little snowmen crickets. I won’t get into the details about vitamin A, but the short of it is it’s essential for eye health and there are two forms of it and ReptiVite and Repashy use the form that we know can be used by chameleons.
Watering - I run an automatic mister that goes off every 6 hours, placing 2 of the mists 10 minutes before lights on and 10 before lights off (Should I switch this to after lights on and after lights off?) running for 1 minutes at a time. Ok. Every 6 hours is a bit too much. Usually misting should be for two minutes, right before lights go on, off and if needed, one for mid day. I know some misting systems lack the ability to do that, so do your best to get as close to that as possible. I don’t know if your system could maybe be set up using a smart outlet plug that you can control on your phone. Every day I put a bottle on top of the cage that drips for about 15 minutes, maybe longer, in late afternoon or about 30min to 1 hour after being out or "handled". I’m not sure that the dripper is really needed with the additional mistings. You need to keep a close eye on humidity. I have a fogger but havn't had the need for it yet except for when I want to simulate fog rolling in before dark for dramatic effect for me and for him lol. If you can consistently achieve night time temps below at least 68, it would be awesome to have your fogger run for a few hours during the night. That simulates the hydration that chams get in the wild thru fog. Watering is all auto or on a timer so just the drip bottle on top and check other water levels. I set up a deep plastic bin underneath the cage with a huge square hole cut out on a long side and not overlapping the corners (for stability) with a perfect sized smaller plastic bin that is easily removable underneath to catch the water from a small square hole in the top of the bin that has a down slope towards it. All wiring has a drip loop. Good
Fecal Description He has had consistant healthy droppings (I researched that topic more than I would like to admit). Has never been tested for parasites to my knowledge. It’s always a good idea to get a fecal done.
History - Weirdly "friendly" from the start, thought it was a female so I will have to rename. I've changed his cage a lot over the past few weeks trying to get it perfect. I've used reptibark, vermiculite, and even tried coco-coir as a floor without very good success, just that green carpet is soooo much easier to clean and deal with. Unless you are setting up a true bioactive set up, keeping the floor bare is best and easiest to clean. Bioactive is cool to do, but is a bit of a next level of keeping for many. The 1 pothos I got is not big enough for him to climb on, any plant recommendations? More pothos. I like to place a taller plant in the center, like a schefflera or weeping fig tree. Then around it I add my pothos, tradescantia zebrina, nerve plants, and whatever else I find that is on the safe list that I like. I do have a brown thumb at times, so I always am starting new plants from clippings and have ‘back up’ plants. This is a great resource for plants. https://chameleonacademy.com/plants/ You do need to remove all of the artificial plants. Veileds do like to nibble their plants and it only takes one bite of a fake leaf to cause a potentially fatal bowel obstruction. I use my fake plants on the outside of my enclosures to give my chams more privacy. You could also use those to create a free range area in front of the window.
More to come….

 

[MissSkittles]

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Cage is a Zoo Med ReptiBreeze 16x16x30 kit. (I know it’s smallish but it's just a starter kit, I plan to build my own encloure soon) This is much too small. The minimum size is a 2x2x4’ or equivalent. If you have the ability to go even bigger, he will appreciate it. I’ve been putting my chams in double wides and even my girls are using all of the space. https://chameleonacademy.com/double-wide-chameleon-cage-project/
Lighting - ReptiTrip reflective dual dome with a 65w BR30 flood and ReptiSun 5.0 compact fluorescent as well as a deep dome with ceramic socket and ceramic heat bulb for pointed heat and reduces humidity (good for me). So the compact fluorescent uvb isn’t able to provide the levels your cham needs at any distance beyond 2-3”. You need to get a linear T5HO with either an ReptiSun 5.0 or Arcadia 6%. I much prefer Arcadia as the bulbs are good for a year, while ReptiSun is only 6 months. https://www.lightyourreptiles.com/arcadia-pro-t5-fixture-14-bulb-22-5-sale-now-only-69-99/ Also, Arcadia can daisy chain together if you have more than one. All are on a stand that is above and not touching the cage. Basking bulb is 9-10inches from highest basking area.Close. The distance between basking area and lights with using the uvb light I linked should be 8-9”. 12/12 lighting schedule from timers that roughly corresponds with normal daylight hours Good
Temperature - Basking area is 82 F and 50-55% humididty, bottom of the cage stays in high 60s with 60s humididty. 2 different brands of hygrometers and tested various locations around the cage giving 5 minutes in between readings. Lowest overnight temp would 65 F. Temps are good. You won’t want them to get above 85.
Humidity - ^^^ Hygrometer to measure, fogger if needed for more humidity. RH roughly aligns with what my research has told me is fine for veiled. Humidity is too high. The ideal for veileds during the day is between 30-50%. Any higher and you increase risks for respiratory infection. Also, being dry shedders, high humidity causes poor shedding.
Plants - All plants inside cage are fake, I have 1 small golden pothos not in the cage at the moment, still researching good plants to go with for the next level up cage. Addressed this in the first half.
Placement - The cage is about 3 feet off the ground so top of cage is around mid to lower elevation in the room, it is located near an air vent but it does not blow towards the cage and helps with overall temp balance. The cage is in a low or no traffic area. Just keep in mind as you are planning your upgrade that height is safety for chameleons. I have the tops of my enclosures just about a foot or so down from the ceiling. I’m short and can just barely reach the top latch of my enclosures.

Location - DMV area, East Coast USA

This is no where close to my final set up and I know it's ghetto now but I want to treat him to the bestest life I can. It’s a start and we all have to start somewhere. I have found it to be a process of learning, growing and improving all of the time. You will need to start with getting the correct uvb as this is absolutely essential and can’t wait. You will need it to be as long as the width of your enclosure. With the smaller enclosure, it will hang over and that’s ok.
I’ve given a lot of info, so you may want to bookmark this page or save in some other manner to refer to it easily. Never hesitate to ask questions and I guarantee none are ever ‘stupid’. I’m really glad you’re here.

 

[JiggyWalk]

This is an update and plans for my future self to look back on as well as a reply to MissSkittles.

Your Chameleon - His new name is Chester (liable to change) because it looks like he got into the cheeto puffs with the orange around the outside of his mouth
Handling - No possible cross-animalization. I am designing a bridge/ladder system to the window for a guided free-range for a couple hours , if he gets to far away or stuck he still uses my hand almost automatically when I put it near him and I just take him back to his golden pothos. The window is open so its is only a screen to keep bugs out, no glass in the way. There is no possibility of full on losing him here, everywhere he can get to is blocked or sealed.
Feeding - I dropped feeders down to 8 or 9 and only once in the morning/early afternoon. I use a clear cup in my hand and he is always ready to eat. I'll drop 5-6 at the bottom for hunting I let him eat the rest out of the cup in my hand. I give him some distance and watch him hunt a few and then let him be. I'll check a couple times throughout the day without trying to look at him. I stopped feeding him veggies because he eats the pothos in the afternoon anyway (I'll share a pic). Also I decided to add reptibark on top of the pothos as a last resort because he will try to eat everything else that I've tried as a top layer. I started feeding feeders more varied veggies and fruits and keep carrots a constant. Looking into different staple feeders, grasshoppers sound cool! I'll keep treats to 2x a week.
Supplements - Making sure I keep a balanced looking "snow" on the feeders every day. Reptivite with D3 and Vit A is on the way for a every 2 week supplement.
Watering - Changed misting schedule to before morning lights, afternoon, and before evening shutoff. I accomplished this by having 2 mechanical power strips, 1 for lights and 1 for the automatic misting timer set for 6 hours to start at 8am and used the mechanical timer to turn it off for the would be 4th spray (it keeps track of the time when off). Also 1 mechanical outlet timer for my fogger to go off for 15 minutes after each mist and 2, 2 hours periods spaced out overnight. I may change fogger schedule but that is what it is as of now.
Fecal - Yet to do a fecal but want to soon.
History - I'll be getting another plant or 2 with some height here soon. I have removed a lot of unnecessary fake leaves and configured the fake braches to be more like a jungle-gym play area. I have noticed no bites out of leaves or fraying to where one could assume he would be eating them but either way I will slowly be getting rid of the fake plants and replace with real.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Cage upgrade is soon to come, this is temporary.
Lighting - Arcadia Pro T5 UVB D3 14% Lamp kit is on the way and will replace my compact fluorescent 5.0. I have multiple domes so a basking light and placement should not be an issue.
Temp - I will have to retest the setup with the new light coming in but I have the basking bulb and 2 ceramic heat bulbs to get it right. Double checked that night humidity does stay at or go below 68F.
Humidity - Humidity during the day was lowered to aruond 40-45% and night stays high 70s-100%
Placement - No height change yet, my next cage will be basically floor to ceiling, this setup is temporary.
He usually comes out and takes a few bites then goes to the window
Basking through mesh in the window (blacked out for privacy)

 

[JiggyWalk]

This is an update and plans for my future self to look back on as well as a reply to MissSkittles.

Your Chameleon - His new name is Chester (liable to change) because it looks like he got into the cheeto puffs with the orange around the outside of his mouth
Handling - No possible cross-animalization. I am designing a bridge/ladder system to the window for a guided free-range for a couple hours , if he gets to far away or stuck he still uses my hand almost automatically when I put it near him and I just take him back to his golden pothos. The window is open so its is only a screen to keep bugs out, no glass in the way. There is no possibility of full on losing him here, everywhere he can get to is blocked or sealed.
Feeding - I dropped feeders down to 8 or 9 and only once in the morning/early afternoon. I use a clear cup in my hand and he is always ready to eat. I'll drop 5-6 at the bottom for hunting I let him eat the rest out of the cup in my hand. I give him some distance and watch him hunt a few and then let him be. I'll check a couple times throughout the day without trying to look at him. I stopped feeding him veggies because he eats the pothos in the afternoon anyway (I'll share a pic). Also I decided to add reptibark on top of the pothos as a last resort because he will try to eat everything else that I've tried as a top layer. I started feeding feeders more varied veggies and fruits and keep carrots a constant. Looking into different staple feeders, grasshoppers sound cool! I'll keep treats to 2x a week.
Supplements - Making sure I keep a balanced looking "snow" on the feeders every day. Reptivite with D3 and Vit A is on the way for a every 2 week supplement.
Watering - Changed misting schedule to before morning lights, afternoon, and before evening shutoff. I accomplished this by having 2 mechanical power strips, 1 for lights and 1 for the automatic misting timer set for 6 hours to start at 8am and used the mechanical timer to turn it off for the would be 4th spray (it keeps track of the time when off). Also 1 mechanical outlet timer for my fogger to go off for 15 minutes after each mist and 2, 2 hours periods spaced out overnight. I may change fogger schedule but that is what it is as of now.
Fecal - Yet to do a fecal but want to soon.
History - I'll be getting another plant or 2 with some height here soon. I have removed a lot of unnecessary fake leaves and configured the fake braches to be more like a jungle-gym play area. I have noticed no bites out of leaves or fraying to where one could assume he would be eating them but either way I will slowly be getting rid of the fake plants and replace with real.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Cage upgrade is soon to come, this is temporary.
Lighting - Arcadia Pro T5 UVB D3 14% Lamp kit is on the way and will replace my compact fluorescent 5.0. I have multiple domes so a basking light and placement should not be an issue.
Temp - I will have to retest the setup with the new light coming in but I have the basking bulb and 2 ceramic heat bulbs to get it right. Double checked that night humidity does stay at or go below 68F.
Humidity - Humidity during the day was lowered to aruond 40-45% and night stays high 70s-100%
Placement - No height change yet, my next cage will be basically floor to ceiling, this setup is temporary.
View attachment 355091 He usually comes out and takes a few bites then goes to the window
View attachment 355092 Basking through mesh in the window (blacked out for privacy)

Update: 6% forest not 15% Dragon

 

[Beman]

Just note the bark in the bottom of that plant needs to be removed and you want to replace it with the river rock you can get in the decorative isle at the craft store. You want the larger river rock 1 1/2 inch or bigger stones. These are round smooth stones. The bark is an impaction risk it will not break down should he eat a piece. Especially high risk if there a insects running around in it.

 

[JiggyWalk]

Just note the bark in the bottom of that plant needs to be removed and you want to replace it with the river rock you can get in the decorative isle at the craft store. You want the larger river rock 1 1/2 inch or bigger stones. These are round smooth stones. The bark is an impaction risk it will not break down should he eat a piece. Especially high risk if there a insects running around in it.

I went out and picked up 2 money plants and divided my pothos into 2 smaller pots today! I also removed all artifical leaves and there are only fake sticks/branches and live plants now. Base for plants is 50/50 coco-coir and vermiculite, should I put the river rocks on top of this? I really want to keep him safe! (retested top to bottom after the setup change and all is good for temp/humidity)

 

[Beman]

I went out and picked up 2 money plants and divided my pothos into 2 smaller pots today! I also removed all artifical leaves and there are only fake sticks/branches and live plants now. Base for plants is 50/50 coco-coir and vermiculite, should I put the river rocks on top of this? I really want to keep him safe! (retested top to bottom after the setup change and all is good for temp/humidity)

Yes, you would put the rocks over that. Veileds are like toddlers, everything goes in the mouth.

 

[JiggyWalk]

Yes, you would put the rocks over that. Veileds are like toddlers, everything goes in the mouth.

I got some rocks from the fish decor section labeled "Large Bag River Rocks - 100% Natrual River Rocks, Safe for fresh or salt water tanks", do you think these are large enough and are OK to use? I took out everything I thought he could fit in his mouth.

 

[Gloriawood]

I got some rocks from the fish decor section labeled "Large Bag River Rocks - 100% Natrual River Rocks, Safe for fresh or salt water tanks", do you think these are large enough and are OK to use? I took out everything I thought he could fit in his mouth.

They look ok. Good rule of thumb is to use the distance between their eyes. As long as it’s bigger than that, it should be fine.

 

[Beman]

I got some rocks from the fish decor section labeled "Large Bag River Rocks - 100% Natrual River Rocks, Safe for fresh or salt water tanks", do you think these are large enough and are OK to use? I took out everything I thought he could fit in his mouth.

Those are perfect. Great job.