Post by LadyViper on Nov 10, 2006 11:15:34 GMT -6
Veiled Chameleons Care Sheet
Caging
Type: Because of the moisture that Chameleons require, they need to be kept in screen cages to allow plenty of ventilation. This ventilation helps prevent bacterial as well as fungal infections.
Size: Veileds hatchling to 2 in (snout to vent): 24"x 16" x 16”
Veileds 2 in to 4 in 24"x 16" x 16”
Veileds 4 in to adult 36” x 18” x 18” or larger
Lighting and Temperatures
Daytime Lighting/Heating: Full spectrum light (UVA bulb) wattage will depend on the size cage you have. At the basking spot the temperature should be about 95 F and the rest of the enclosure should be around 75 F (air temp). To help regulate temperatures you can buy a thermometer. You will need to have a good thermometer to accurately measure these temperatures.
Your chameleon will also need to have exposure to UVB. This is a wavelength of light that stimulates the body to produce vitamin D3. Vitamin D3 is essential for the absorption of calcium. There are a couple different UVB sources. Exposure to direct sunlight is the best whenever possible. The reason it has to be direct is that UVB will not travel through glass or plastic. If you are going to use an artificial UVB source, we recommend you use either a Zoo Med brand Reptisun 5.0 or a good Mercury Vapor bulb. The Reptisun should run the length of the enclosure and should not be obstructed by glass or plastic and should be situated in such a manor that it is no more than 12 inches away from your chameleon.
Nighttime Lighting: Lights should be turned off at night for about 8 – 10 hours to allow your chameleon to sleep and to cool down. Most people do not allow their house temperatures to drop low enough to require any nighttime heating. If your ambient house temperatures drop below 65 F then you may consider a low wattage night bulb.
Substrate:
We do not use a substrate with Chameleons as they are arboreal (tree dwellers) and rarely spend time on the ground. We find that any substrate just gives the crickets and other feeders a place to hide as well as sticks to the chameleons tongue when they strike. We do provide them with small trees (usually ficus) and vines and plants to climb and perch on
Accessories:
We use a lot of ficus trees, umbrella plants, pothos and ivy. Hibiscus plants are very good as well. We also use sand blasted grape vine and manzanita for them to climb and perch on.
Feeding
When feeding Veiled Chameleons, it is important to make sure their food items are not too large for them. If the prey is too large the animal could choke.
Babies need to be fed often. Feed wingless fruit flies and pinhead crickets 3 times a day to hatchlings
Juveniles can be fed crickets twice a day
Sub-Adults and Adults can be fed crickets once a day
We do believe in a varied diet so here are some items that can make that up:
Live Insects:
Crickets
Small meal/super worms
Medium meal/super worms
Large meal/super worms
Wax worms
Butter worms
Silk worms
Horn worms
Roaches
House flies
Some Chameleons will eat Vegetation so here is a short list:
Collard Greens
Mustard Greens
Endive
Feeding Your Feeders:
You remember that old adage “You are what you eat”? Well, your Chameleons are what your feeders eat. No matter which feeder insect you choose, it should be fed a good diet at least 24 hours prior to being fed to your dragon. This is called “gut loading”. There are plenty of commercial gut loads on the market today that are all high in nutrients. You can also use a combination of things around the house. Here are some examples:
Dry dog food (name brand, puppy formula is highest in calcium and protein)
Powdered milk
Unsweetened breakfast cereal
Rolled oats
Corn muffin mix
Granola
Bread
Carrots
A damp sponge or cotton balls for moisture
Supplements:
Calcium: We recommend “Miner-All (I)” with Vit. D3 for indoor use or “Miner-All (O) without D3 for outdoor use.
Multivitamin: We use “Rep-Cal Heptivite with Beta Carotene”.
These supplements come in a powder form that you use to coat or “dust” the crickets (or other insects) before you feed them to your dragon. This is usually done by placing some of the powder in a small container like a deli cup or plastic bag, then add the crickets and shake gently until you can see a light “dust” on the crickets.
For babies and juveniles, we dust crickets once a day. For sub-adults to adults we dust once every couple days.
Water:
Veiled Chameleons need to have a relatively high humidity and daily watering is a must. Chameleons do not drink from a dish like other reptiles will. In fact, chameleons cannot swim so putting a dish of water in your chameleon’s cage puts it at risk of drowning.
Chameleons drink by licking water droplets off of leafs so misting is a common form of watering. Mist the leaves and sides of the enclosure and they will lick the droplets if thirsty. This should be done twice a day, once in the morning and once in the late afternoon. You may need to mist more often in hot weather.
Drippers also work very well for watering. They can be positioned over your live plant so that the water drips onto the leaves. This will water your chameleon and the plant at the same time.
For chameleons kept outdoors, we set up a misting system that is set on a timer to go off throughout the day. This can be set to not only water them, but to keep them from overheating as well.
Dehydration:
Dehydration can occur very quickly so here are some subtle signs to look for. The first thing to check is their fecal material. Fecal material should consist of a firm brown fecal with whitish semi-solid urates. In the early stages of dehydration the urates will appear yellow. The more yellow, the more dehydrated. You will also notice that as they become more dehydrated, your chameleon’s eyes will become dark and sunken. This is an indicator that your chameleon is fairly dehydrated and needs fluids right away.
Health Care:
There are many responsibilities that come with being a new reptile owner. Providing a clean safe environment and proper nutrition are very important to the health of your chameleon. Perhaps the most important and most overlooked is regular Veterinary care.
Finding A Good Reptile Vet:
Since Reptile Vets are difficult to find, it is best to seek them out before you actually need one. In many cases, you may need to drive some distance to get to one. There are a several sources online that can give you names of Reptile Vets in your area, the most popular is: Herp Vet Connection
www.herpvetconnection.com/.
You may also consult your local Yellow Pages. Reptile Vets are often listed with Avian (bird) Vets or Exotic Animal Vets.
Your regular Vet may be able to recommend one or you can ask other reptile owners in your area what vet they use.
When To Take Your Reptile To The Vet:
Routine Check Ups: In general, just like your cat or dog, your Chameleon needs to be taken into the Vet for a regular check-up on a yearly basis. During this routine check-up, it is standard for the Vet to do a fecal exam to check for parasites.
Non Routine Visits: You should call your Vet regarding any abnormal behavior, such as listless or lethargic behavior, sudden weight loss, sudden not eating, regurgitating, abnormal bowel movements, lameness, unusual lumps, swelling or skin blotches, coughing, mucous in the eyes, muscles twitches and anything else that would seem unusual or abnormal.
Emergency Situations: These are situations where you need to pack up your Chameleon and go directly to the vet. Do not call or e-mail anyone for advice because the time you waste could cost your Chameleon it’s life. Emergency situations include (but are not limited to):
Broken appendages/bones
Uncontrolled bleeding
Anything sticking out of your Dragon that should be in (ie Rectal Prolapse)
Anything sticking in your dragon that should not be.
Loss of consciousness
Uncontrolled regurgitation/diarrhea
Burns
Egg bound
Please keep in mind that these are the things WE do and they work for us. In no way are we saying that it is the only way. Other breeders may do things differently and it works for them (obviously, or they wouldn't be breeding). We encourage you to seek out and read other care sheets and get as much information as possible. In the end, do what works for you.
Caging
Type: Because of the moisture that Chameleons require, they need to be kept in screen cages to allow plenty of ventilation. This ventilation helps prevent bacterial as well as fungal infections.
Size: Veileds hatchling to 2 in (snout to vent): 24"x 16" x 16”
Veileds 2 in to 4 in 24"x 16" x 16”
Veileds 4 in to adult 36” x 18” x 18” or larger
Lighting and Temperatures
Daytime Lighting/Heating: Full spectrum light (UVA bulb) wattage will depend on the size cage you have. At the basking spot the temperature should be about 95 F and the rest of the enclosure should be around 75 F (air temp). To help regulate temperatures you can buy a thermometer. You will need to have a good thermometer to accurately measure these temperatures.
Your chameleon will also need to have exposure to UVB. This is a wavelength of light that stimulates the body to produce vitamin D3. Vitamin D3 is essential for the absorption of calcium. There are a couple different UVB sources. Exposure to direct sunlight is the best whenever possible. The reason it has to be direct is that UVB will not travel through glass or plastic. If you are going to use an artificial UVB source, we recommend you use either a Zoo Med brand Reptisun 5.0 or a good Mercury Vapor bulb. The Reptisun should run the length of the enclosure and should not be obstructed by glass or plastic and should be situated in such a manor that it is no more than 12 inches away from your chameleon.
Nighttime Lighting: Lights should be turned off at night for about 8 – 10 hours to allow your chameleon to sleep and to cool down. Most people do not allow their house temperatures to drop low enough to require any nighttime heating. If your ambient house temperatures drop below 65 F then you may consider a low wattage night bulb.
Substrate:
We do not use a substrate with Chameleons as they are arboreal (tree dwellers) and rarely spend time on the ground. We find that any substrate just gives the crickets and other feeders a place to hide as well as sticks to the chameleons tongue when they strike. We do provide them with small trees (usually ficus) and vines and plants to climb and perch on
Accessories:
We use a lot of ficus trees, umbrella plants, pothos and ivy. Hibiscus plants are very good as well. We also use sand blasted grape vine and manzanita for them to climb and perch on.
Feeding
When feeding Veiled Chameleons, it is important to make sure their food items are not too large for them. If the prey is too large the animal could choke.
Babies need to be fed often. Feed wingless fruit flies and pinhead crickets 3 times a day to hatchlings
Juveniles can be fed crickets twice a day
Sub-Adults and Adults can be fed crickets once a day
We do believe in a varied diet so here are some items that can make that up:
Live Insects:
Crickets
Small meal/super worms
Medium meal/super worms
Large meal/super worms
Wax worms
Butter worms
Silk worms
Horn worms
Roaches
House flies
Some Chameleons will eat Vegetation so here is a short list:
Collard Greens
Mustard Greens
Endive
Feeding Your Feeders:
You remember that old adage “You are what you eat”? Well, your Chameleons are what your feeders eat. No matter which feeder insect you choose, it should be fed a good diet at least 24 hours prior to being fed to your dragon. This is called “gut loading”. There are plenty of commercial gut loads on the market today that are all high in nutrients. You can also use a combination of things around the house. Here are some examples:
Dry dog food (name brand, puppy formula is highest in calcium and protein)
Powdered milk
Unsweetened breakfast cereal
Rolled oats
Corn muffin mix
Granola
Bread
Carrots
A damp sponge or cotton balls for moisture
Supplements:
Calcium: We recommend “Miner-All (I)” with Vit. D3 for indoor use or “Miner-All (O) without D3 for outdoor use.
Multivitamin: We use “Rep-Cal Heptivite with Beta Carotene”.
These supplements come in a powder form that you use to coat or “dust” the crickets (or other insects) before you feed them to your dragon. This is usually done by placing some of the powder in a small container like a deli cup or plastic bag, then add the crickets and shake gently until you can see a light “dust” on the crickets.
For babies and juveniles, we dust crickets once a day. For sub-adults to adults we dust once every couple days.
Water:
Veiled Chameleons need to have a relatively high humidity and daily watering is a must. Chameleons do not drink from a dish like other reptiles will. In fact, chameleons cannot swim so putting a dish of water in your chameleon’s cage puts it at risk of drowning.
Chameleons drink by licking water droplets off of leafs so misting is a common form of watering. Mist the leaves and sides of the enclosure and they will lick the droplets if thirsty. This should be done twice a day, once in the morning and once in the late afternoon. You may need to mist more often in hot weather.
Drippers also work very well for watering. They can be positioned over your live plant so that the water drips onto the leaves. This will water your chameleon and the plant at the same time.
For chameleons kept outdoors, we set up a misting system that is set on a timer to go off throughout the day. This can be set to not only water them, but to keep them from overheating as well.
Dehydration:
Dehydration can occur very quickly so here are some subtle signs to look for. The first thing to check is their fecal material. Fecal material should consist of a firm brown fecal with whitish semi-solid urates. In the early stages of dehydration the urates will appear yellow. The more yellow, the more dehydrated. You will also notice that as they become more dehydrated, your chameleon’s eyes will become dark and sunken. This is an indicator that your chameleon is fairly dehydrated and needs fluids right away.
Health Care:
There are many responsibilities that come with being a new reptile owner. Providing a clean safe environment and proper nutrition are very important to the health of your chameleon. Perhaps the most important and most overlooked is regular Veterinary care.
Finding A Good Reptile Vet:
Since Reptile Vets are difficult to find, it is best to seek them out before you actually need one. In many cases, you may need to drive some distance to get to one. There are a several sources online that can give you names of Reptile Vets in your area, the most popular is: Herp Vet Connection
www.herpvetconnection.com/.
You may also consult your local Yellow Pages. Reptile Vets are often listed with Avian (bird) Vets or Exotic Animal Vets.
Your regular Vet may be able to recommend one or you can ask other reptile owners in your area what vet they use.
When To Take Your Reptile To The Vet:
Routine Check Ups: In general, just like your cat or dog, your Chameleon needs to be taken into the Vet for a regular check-up on a yearly basis. During this routine check-up, it is standard for the Vet to do a fecal exam to check for parasites.
Non Routine Visits: You should call your Vet regarding any abnormal behavior, such as listless or lethargic behavior, sudden weight loss, sudden not eating, regurgitating, abnormal bowel movements, lameness, unusual lumps, swelling or skin blotches, coughing, mucous in the eyes, muscles twitches and anything else that would seem unusual or abnormal.
Emergency Situations: These are situations where you need to pack up your Chameleon and go directly to the vet. Do not call or e-mail anyone for advice because the time you waste could cost your Chameleon it’s life. Emergency situations include (but are not limited to):
Broken appendages/bones
Uncontrolled bleeding
Anything sticking out of your Dragon that should be in (ie Rectal Prolapse)
Anything sticking in your dragon that should not be.
Loss of consciousness
Uncontrolled regurgitation/diarrhea
Burns
Egg bound
Please keep in mind that these are the things WE do and they work for us. In no way are we saying that it is the only way. Other breeders may do things differently and it works for them (obviously, or they wouldn't be breeding). We encourage you to seek out and read other care sheets and get as much information as possible. In the end, do what works for you.