I need some opinions and tips on veiled Chameleons...

[Dark_Angel_25]

I just fell in love today with a veiled chameleon. I spoke to BW Smith and he gave me some tips to follow, but I was wondering also from people here who own them, what tips do you have on keeping these beautiful guys?

Do you have a sex preference?
How different are the colorings from male to female?
I know about the supplementation of their diet, and the 2:1 calcium/phosphate levels supplementation, and that they need UVA and UVB light but is there anything else I should really know?

I am only getting one, as all the sites I've seen have said best to keep one per cage and where they cannot see the other, and the other thing I've seen is that they do not like to be handled (which saddens me slightly, should you not handle them at all??)

Anyway any tips or tricks would be appreciated, if you want you can e-mail me, (address is on my member page) just put Chameleon in the subject field cause it will go to my junk folder.

Anyhow, hope you guys can give me some tips and pointers. The one I want is still very much a baby, no bigger than my thumb to the first joint (not counting the tail) and I have a msall tank with screen cover for it (when I get it) so I can keep a close eye on it until it gets bigger, and I have a 35 gallon tank for it at that point.

My only other question is to reduce noise and stress, do you think it is a good idea to buy that aquarium background stuff to cover the 3 glass wall parts of the tank?

Oh yeah, and do they sell one lamp or bulb that gives off both UVA and UVB light that I can buy? do you know the brand name? I already figure I will have to have 2 lamps, one for heat and one for the UVA UVB,but if they make one bulb that does it all, I am so there... :D

So yeah, that's it for now, please post!!!

[Sunrunner]

Males are MUCH more colorful then females. Babies are pretty fragile I would go for an older one but with enough care a baby will be fine. As far as handling goes, I find vieleds to be one of the easier to handle lizards. They move slow, have a good grip (so no need to worry about them falling) and when raised from hatchlings by you won't be too stressed by occasional handling. I 've handle mine everyday for years now and he's probably the healthiest herp I own, albiet I don't always handle him for long periods usually just move him into the crawling vine plants in my dining room's bay window or something like that but he'll walk off his limb onto my hand and even take food from my fingers. Make sure you get a good spray bottle as you have to mist them alot.

BTW you'll probably get more responses if you post your inquiry in the lizard forums.

[eyespy]

Originally posted by Sunrunner
BTW you'll probably get more responses if you post your inquiry in the lizard forums.

Agreed, so I moved the thread to the chameleon forum.

You can get mercury vapor lamps that give off visible light, UVA and UVB. They are more expensive than using an incandescent with a fluorscent UVB tube but give off a lot more UV and last longer. Some of the popular brandnames are Powersun from ZooMed, ActiveUV from T-Rex and Capture the Sun from Big Apple Herps. The important thing to remember with these bulbs is they need to be a minimum distance away from the herps to avoid them absorbing excessive radiation. Depending on the wattage it needs to be anywhere from 6 inches to 2 feet away from the animal. You can't just rest them on the cage top.

[Trace]

Sounds like you've done a bit of reading/asking questions about chameleons before you bring one home. This is good! There are two things I'm going to disagree with in your post though.

1: Don't buy a baby that small! Judging by your description, he sounds like he's perhaps a week or two old at this point. They are TOO fragile right now and the possibility of him dying is great. While they are terribly cute at this point, their care level is HUGE. I've got a clutch of Veiled's that are about a month old now, and while a few people want to buy them, they aren't going anywhere until I feel they are happy and healthy enough for a first-time owner. Do yourself a favour and look for a well started chameleon that is about 3 months old. They are still babies, and thus cute, but they've gotten over that fragile stage.

2: Chameleons can not live in tanks! I do use tanks for my babies for the first month or so of their lives as the space is smaller and they can find their prey items just that much easier. The problem with tanks, is that they heat up very quickly and do not provide a decent thermal gradient for a chameleon. Also with the amount of water one needs to supply for a chameleon on a daily basis, a warm, wet tank is a breeding ground for molds, bacteria and other such nasties. They need a large, tall all-screen enclosure.

As for sex preference, I'd go with a male. They are larger and more colourful. The problem with the males (well Veiled's in general really) is they can be quite grumpy and aggressive sometimes. Avoid a female for your first chameleon, they can have reproductive problems that, if you aren't prepared for, can kill your chameleon.

You touched upon noise in your post... chameleons can't really hear. They don't have external ears, but they still have rudimentry ear canals inside their heads so they can hear low noises. They can see really well though, so it is recommended that you put a chameleon cage in a low traffic area of your house to avoid stress.

If you haven't read it already here is a good caresheet: http://www.adcham.com/html/taxonomy/species/chcalyptratus.html

Hope this helps.

Trace

[Dark_Angel_25]

Thanks eyespy for moving my post/.. shoulda thought of that!
Thanks Trace for the link, I've bookmarked it
so, I guess the first thif is to get a screen only cage, but my only concern is that I have cats... Can I use the green plastic mesh style screen instead fot eh screen door/window screening? This way my cats can't claw at it?

They usually leave my other herps alone, but I don't want to take any chances...and this will sound nuts, but what about comething like a birdcage? has this every been used? with screening put around it? That way I could hang it from the ceiling? (I could mount brackets so it doesn't sway)

What do you think?

[Trace]

Well you could always feed the cats to your snakes and that would solve the problem about them. :p I don't like cats, I'll admit it, so I've never tried my chameleons with them, so I can't speak from experience there. Some members here do have cats and report that they don't have problems with it and some members have said their cats have attacked and eaten their chameleons. Use your discretion there. You could always have an off-limits room for the cats that the chameleon goes in.

As for screen materials, you can use just about any kind of screen as long as it is not made from fibreglass. That tends to break down over time. PetScreen or aluminium screening are the recommended ones to look for.

I do know a few people who use birdcages for their chameleons, but moreso as an outside cage for them, not something permanent. I'm sure they will add their 2 cents to this thread anyways. Remember as an adult, he will need a cage that is 2x2x4, so a birdcage that size is going to be very expensive and I would think harder to suspend from a ceiling.

John (Charm Paradise) has written some marvelous articles on building your own cages. Permanent outdoor ones, inexpensive, temporary ones for babies, indoor ones for adults etc. Check out his site: http://groups.msn.com/ChameleonParadise

Again, I hope this helps.

Trace

[meow_mix450]

Errrrrr sorry i didnt get to read peoples post, cause im sorta in a rush here, but this in my opinion, if you are willing to spend up to $200, i would say go for a panther, but i have never had a veiled so i wouldnt know if its better to get the other one, male and female, males have much more colours then females, but if you change your mind and want to get a female you have to watch out for egg binding(spelling). When you get the chams, they will be very stressed at the beginning, but as weeks go by they will get use to you and will feel comfortable.
For cages i would make my own, but i would suggust that you get uhhh i forgot what there called repturrium(spelling)
Light i believe there is one light bulb that give both uvb uva im not sure. i would also suggest that you get a cham from a breeder or go to a show
Theres other stuff i would add but sorta i a rush

Meow

[Collide]

about the cats humm I have 3 well they are not mine but they still cause a muc around here. I have a room where no cats alowed. I have the cats soo scared of the room they dont go near it and creep around the door to pass it lol. but my cats can open dores (seperat storie) and there have been some ocasions where i go in and the cats are sitting there watching the chams and this is when im very happy i used aluminum screen. I have even found paw marks where they have tryed to get in.... So I guess im telling you this as a warning...

About temperment I find that babies and subadult veilds seem to be quite friendly and as soon as they his adulthood they goo quite grumpy, but there are exceptions out there. I think they are a great starter cham, and i wouldent get one that unger then 3 months either...

[Dark_Angel_25]

Thanks Collide, I was starting to loose hope. I pretty much decided, I am going to build an all screen (The green plastic type, so it can't be ripped) cage, about 5 feet high and 2-3 feet wide. The bottom 1/5 I think I will put up plexi glass just in case cats get to it, they can't get their claws through to hurt the cham, and once I have that built, as well as the UVA UVB bulb (The one that gives off heat also) Then I will go to bring my new baby home. I realised that yes I want one very badly, and also, that I should wait until they get older, I also however, realise that they will cost more too. I know they have juveniles there for sale now and are asking for like close to $100 ea. But at that point, it won't matter. I want everything to be perfect, and ready for it when it comes home.

I wanted to thank you all for your tips and insight.
:D

[Collide]

You might want to think about buying a 3month old which i would still concider a baby form a breeder and or someone on this site or at the show they seem to be better quality and cheaper that way just a sugestion veilds are the most common cham soo u can find one whenever u are ready.

[meow_mix450]

lol one thing that anyone here must agree(trace) CHAMS ARE ADDICTING!!!!! jsut to warn you, i got one and i want another but im keep control lol just a warning:p

Meow