Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just purchased a hopefully female veiled chameleon yesterday, but I have some questions. First with her feet closed she has small spurs on her back feet, she is apx 4-5 inches in her body only. When her feet are open there are no spurs. Also She has a very well defined pattern of dark green with a lighter green bars. I am new to this and trying to get a pair of veils. Any help is great.
Thanks

Here is a picture of the heels of a male and a female to show you the difference...
http://adcham.com/html/husbandry/glossary/tarsalspur.html

This site contains pictures of males and females...
http://www.chameleonjournals.com/icham/icham.php

Just a few things to be aware of....veiled females can lay eggs without being mated, so its important to have a suitable egglaying site in her cage. Failure to provide a suitable site could lead to eggbinding and eventual death.

Once a female is of breeding age, IMHO its wise to control her diet to decrease the size of the clutches so that she will live longer.

Veileds are omnivores, so I recommend that all plants in the cage be real and that they be non-toxic and well-washed (both sides of the leaves) since they (especially females) will eat them. They can be given an assortment of greens(dandelion greens, kale, collards, endive, ROMAINE lettuce, etc.), veggies (sweet red peppers, squash, zucchini, diced carrots, sweet potato, etc.) flowers (non-toxic) and fruits (apples, pears, melon, berries, etc.).

MBD is IMHO the most common health issue that veileds can suffer from, so I recommend that you use a full spectrum light (including UVB) or take her out in the sunshine (either should be direct, not through glass or plastic), dust insects with calcium on a schedule and gutload your insects well before giving them to your chameleon.

Hope she does well for you!