Woo Hoo...I got a veiled chameleon

Big Mike · 10-06-03, 12:09 PM

Well I finally gave in to my girlfriend's pleas and got her a baby veiled cham. It was kind of an impulse purchase but we had done a fair bit of research on them in the past. Also, the breeder was selling a home made display enclosure that is perfect for a single cham.

Does anyone have any tips that may not show up on care sheets?

I put some small crickets in a shallow tub on the bottom of the enclosure and a few of them are running around on the floor. I have seen her go down and catch a few of them...so I know she is eating...but how do I know if she is getting enough? We also hung up some romaine in a few spots within the enclosure. I don't have a drip system set up just yet but we have been spraying the leaves around here a few times a day and have seen her drink from them.

J-Man · 10-06-03, 12:49 PM

Sounds pretty good to me. But I am by no means an expert so I'd wait for some other replies. Also, I put my dishes on branches and things like that... not on the floor. But if it works then it works. In fact I think I'll put an extra dish on the floor to see if she goes for it.

J-man

By the way... in case you're wondering, I put the dishes onthe branches with those black metal binder clips. Which you can get from any store that sells office supplies.

casacrow · 10-06-03, 01:08 PM

One thing I do with babys is to head outside and find some trees with green stems, they are usually covered in aphids and the babys love to eat these things. They are nice and small and digest real easily and they are free as well.

drewlowe · 10-06-03, 01:22 PM

Congrats on the new addition. I just got one last week sorry can't help you out. Becareful when getting insects from outside they could contain parasites or be sprayed with chemicals.

Collide · 10-06-03, 01:32 PM

WOW congrats how old is he/she? little ones never seem to have an issue eating, gotta love that. u got any plants in there, ohhh and check out

adcham.com
chameleonjournals.com lots of info there

I dont have any links off hand

congrats and welcome to our world lol

meow_mix450 · 10-06-03, 02:49 PM

lol(collide)
i bet you will have lots of fun with this little guy....hmmm i dont have any sites on my fav, i do but my comp is being werid, but go to google, and type in some words, youll find lots of info.....
keep us posted and get some pics, lso if you got any questions, this is the place you would ask

Trace · 10-06-03, 04:11 PM

Congratulations Big Mike and girlfriend!

Sounds like you've got a little female there. Certainly for the first 6 months of her life or so, feed her what she wants. They DO NOT stop eating at this age I swear! Give her a wide variety of different bugs (crix, silkies, mealworms, waxies) and offer her some veggies too. She may not eat the veggies right off, I believe it's a taste they acquire as they get older, but offer them anyways. Make sure the plants in her cage are non-toxic in case she nibbles on them. At about 6 months of age, start to cut back on the amount she gets fed on a daily basis. Most of the time females will produce eggs whether they have been mated or not. Obviously there are exceptions to this rule. Large, heavy, well-fed females will consistently produce large clutches of eggs and Veileds can do this up to 3 times a year, and this is very taxing on the girls. By lowering the amount she eats, her body will produce these eggs in smaller quantities and thus be healthier for her and possibly extend her lifespan.

Speaking of feeding, make sure you dust the feeder insects with a good reptile multivitamin/calcium supplement at every feeding at this age. As she gets older you can drop this down to every other day, then two times a week etc. Once she is an adult (1 year old) once weekly dustings are fine.

And just in case... click here for a good caresheet on Veiled's.

Cheers! Post some pics when you've got a chance.

Trace

P.S. The chameleon owners are slowly growing in numbers on this site. It's cool. I think one day we will take over.

choriona · 10-07-03, 10:11 AM

You could also try browsing all the articles in the cham forum. There have been many interesting things discussed here.
Congrats on the new cham.
When her colors change (bright yellow or orange verticle stripes and baby blue/robin egg blue spotting)...thats when you heading into egg time. Keep an eye out for that so you can provide her what she needs at this criticle point in her life! Its always so scarry the first time. The earliest time this can happen is around 6 months, but may not happen until she is a year old.