Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Up until now, my experience has been in turtles and tortoises. However, after a lifelong dream of owning a chameleon, I finally have one. He's a great little guy who seems to be extremely personable for a veiled. He doesn't mind human interaction and will readily climb onto my hand when it is offered to him. My guy is very relaxed when climbing on me and will go right to shoulder and has fallen asleep there. In my eyes, he seems pretty happy but I want to make sure he is. I have read the brighter the color, the happier the chameleon so long as there is no dark brown or black. If anyone has pictures as to what a good example of a happy/sad (for lack of better words) chameleon looks like, they would be greatly appreciated. I know what males look like when they are male-agressive as well as what a non-consenting female looks like. However, I would love to know what a veiled looks like when sick or unhappy in its environment. Also, I have read time and time again that their food should be offered in a bowl. I tried that to no avail, yet when I let the same crickets loose in the cage, he went bonkers over them. Is this common or strange?
He is 7 months old and cute as a button. I can spend hours just staring at him, even when he is sleeping (his colors are very bright when he sleeps.) I'm not quite sure how much food to give him. I have read every other day is acceptable, but yesterday he ate 24 small crickets. Today, we bought large and we only gave him 5 cause they were pretty big and I read that when feeding babies, not to give them food any larger than their heads. What is a proper amount of food for my man? He also did something funny when crawling on my arm today. He started taking a few steps up and down my arm, rubbing the bottom of his belly against my arm. My boyfriend thinks he was humping me but I think he wasn't because he was taking 3 or 4 steps up and then back down my arm. Any clue as to what this could be? Any info would be greatly appreciated...not only by me, but also by my new pet! Thanks!

You don't have to put the food into a bowl but it is easier for them to find it. But hand feeding him is great because he'll
stay familiar with you.

Chameleons will often take one or two steps and move back and forth to look like a leaf and blend in a little. It is commpletly normal.

He sounds happy to me. I don't really have any pictures but someone else probably dose.

Here are some sites that give good information about chameleons that you might like to read...
http://adcham.com/
http://www.chameleonnews.com/
http://www.chameleonjournals.com/vet/
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/skintests.htm

Does he have a full spectrum (including UVB) light as well as an incandescent basking light? What's the temperature under the basking light? The rest of the cage? Does he get any direct sunlight?

Do you gutload the insects? So you dust them with calcium (without phosphorous) before feeding them to him? Do you dust with a vitamin/mineral powder (a brand that has the vitamin A from a beta carotene source)? If he gets no direct sun, do you dust with a calcium/D3 powder?

MBD (metabolic bone disease) is one of the most common health problems that chameleons can develop...so its important to get the vitamin D3, calcium, phosphorous and vitamin A levels right. There are articles about it in one of the sites I included in this post.

Are you aware that veileds are omnivores once they reach about 6 months of age? The plants in their cages should be non-toxic and well washed (both sides of the leaves)...and they can be fed greens, veggies and fruits (same basic diet as boxturtles get).

I never bowl feed. Its been said that it can cause "lazy tongue" and besides, having to hunt the crickets down IMHO is more natural.

I feed my adults insects every second or third day and veggies/greens/fruit a couple of times a week. You will know if you are overfeeding or underfeeding him by how fat or thin he is. Yours looks fine for the age he is.

How do you provide water for him? How often?

I recommend that no substrate be used because many of them cause impaction or are toxic.

There are some male veileds whose natural color is brown. The colors of yours in the picture are fine for him. Its more a case of the color changes showing agression, desire to mate, aprehension at a new situation than happy. Bedtime colors are usually more subdued though. (I don't have time right now to show you pictures of the different "moods" of chameleons....sorry.) Aggression also has a different posture.

You said..."He also did something funny when crawling on my arm today. He started taking a few steps up and down my arm, rubbing the bottom of his belly against my arm. My boyfriend thinks he was humping me but I think he wasn't because he was taking 3 or 4 steps up and then back down my arm. Any clue as to what this could be?"...it could be that he's not feeling safe. If he was humping you then he would rub the vent area on your arm and maybe evert a hemipene. They do also walk like they were trying to be a leaf in the wind. If he was acting like a leaf in the wind, he would extend a hand and the opposite foot, draw them back part way and then extend them and put them down...and repeat it with the other feet.

Hope this all helps! If you get the husbandry right he could be with you for 6 to 8 years or more!

Thank you so much for your generous reply! I have most of the husbandry right, as much of it is similar to turtle/tortoise care. Thanks for the insight on how often to feed insects versus veggies. I have been mostly feeding insects with a little bit of leafy greens but will change that around now. The "lazy tongue" idea makes sense to me and he is definitely happy running around the cage to catch bugs, but most of the literature I have read said to provide them with bowls. I would like to think it helps our chams get some extra exercise too!
I have been using a water dripper and misting, but I would like to put a small dish to hold water in case. What do you use for that? I do not have any substrate and think that newspaper would be an eyesore for the cage. Do you use plain white paper for easy removal of the droppings?
Thanks for checking out my picture to see how his colors are. You said that the nighttime colors are more subdued, but I find that he is often bright when sleeping. Is that a sign of something (other than a nice dream haha?)
He was definitely rubbing the vent on my arm but there was no hemipene. I suppose he just finds me cute and I should consider finding him a lady friend when I am more comfortable and experienced. Thank you so much for taking the time to make me and Vern happy!!

You are welcome for the reply! When I first started to keep chameleons (back in the dark ages) nobody was around to help me. It would have made for a shorter learning curve.

I keep tortoises/turtles too...but have done that for lots less years than chameleons.

You said..."I have been mostly feeding insects with a little bit of leafy greens but will change that around now"...its not going to hurt him to have done that.

You said..."I would like to put a small dish to hold water in case. What do you use for that?"...I don't use dishes for them. I have seen them drink from any place that the water pools, so contrary to what most people think/say some chameleons will drink from a dish. If you use a dish, it needs to be kept very clean though.

You asked..."Do you use plain white paper for easy removal of the droppings?"...no, I have nothing on the floor of the cage.

You said..."I find that he is often bright when sleeping. Is that a sign of something (other than a nice dream haha?)"...could be...you never know what's in the minds of chameleons! LOL! Its not a problem anyhow.

You said..."He was definitely rubbing the vent on my arm but there was no hemipene. I suppose he just finds me cute and I should consider finding him a lady friend when I am more comfortable and experienced"...looking after a female isn't a lot different, except that you have to deal with the egglaying even if she's not mated...and their diets need to be more controlled. If you get one, ask me about that then!

Love the name! Reminds me of those old TV commercials...do you know the ones I mean? I had a verrucosus chameleon named Vern once and his girlfriend was Verna (so un-original to have such similar names for the male and female).