Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi I just got an awesome veiled chameleon and he is totally happy except I cant get him in a situation where hes comfortable to eat. The cage is an open enclosure so I cant just put crickets at the bottom and wait for him to descend. I have an 5 gal aquarium and have tried putting him in there with the crickets but he gets too excited and nervous turns all balck and just trys desperately to get out please give me pointers, hints, ideas any thing I dont want him to starve and I dont want to stress him to death trying things. Thanks so much
Brett

When you say its an "open enclosure" do you mean he's free ranging, or is the cage mesh so open the feeders would just escape? If he's in good body condition and not a tiny baby he won't starve if he doesn't eat for a few days. Most chams don't eat much at all when they are in a completely new place. I would hope the breeder or seller had been feeding him regularly right up until he was sent to you. You can make a feeding bin pretty easily. Take a plastic box like a critter keeper without the lid and hang or nestle it in the middle of a bushy plant. The cham can climb down to the rim of the box and shoot from there. Don't put too many feeders in there at once, as a nervous cham will just sit and watch all the movement and not shoot. Put a bit of gutload in the bin so the feeders can keep themselves full. Remove them at night. Provide some foliage cover around this so he feels secure while he's hunting. If there isn't a bushy enough plant to support the bin, the cham probably doesn't have enough cover either. Sometimes new chams settle more easily if you put a sheet over part of the cage and gradually remove it over several days. As long as he's drinking, basking and moving around normally he will settle in. Good luck!

well what I mean is the cage is a wooden structure withh two sides being about a 2 ft by 4 ft plywood that achors a three pronged limb it has lots of artificial vines and foliage at the base is a rock waterfall a dripper hangs from one of the tips teh other two sides of teh square enclosure are completely open with a small lip. I have tried teh critter keeper thing but there maybe too many in the box from what you say, but he also seems to have no interest in them at all. he moves around really well and changes color well most of the time he stays his blue green color. How do I know if he is drinking? I am not a novice, but wasnt expecting this much trouble with him eating.

My suggestions: Get rid of the waterfall - they are bacteria breeding heavens.
You should be able to see him drinking. Either lapping beads of moisture up when you mist and-or from your dripping system (I suggest using both). Hang a couple food cups in the "cage" at different levels and be sure he can see into them easily. Go for a darker coloured, non-shiny feeding bin or cup. Make sure he is in a low traffic, quiet area so that he feels safe to eat. Dont move about or otherwise be annoying when watching him. Try offering different prey items, maybe even tempt him with whatever his favourite is (the breeder could tell you - or if not most like silkworms, hornworms and waxworms) Once he accepts something, anything, from the feeding cup you can assume he'll eventually eat crickets from it too.
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Sandra
BC Canada

How large is your veiled? If it's still fairly young, such a large cage will make it almost impossible for him to hunt. If you try a smaller cage for a smaller veiled as a growing cage, he'll have no trouble at all. A 2'x4' cage is WAY too big for the 3" babies that I had at one point, while it is perfect for an adult. I actually started with a ten gallon cage for each baby, and then increased the size as needed.

It's annoying in a way that you have to have so many different cage sizes for your critters (well, many of them at least - most of mine go through 2-4 different sizes just to make sure they have everything they need but NOT too much space). But it's needed so as they can hunt properly, hide properly, and regulate their temperatures properly. There are some ways to get around the too-big issue with many species, but it's quite often risky if you don't know the species well.

Good luck with him. If he's in a properly sized cage for his size, give him 4 days or so for a baby or 2-3 weeks for an adult so he can settle. Give him peace and quiet, and try to not let him see you very much outside of what is absolutely needed. Then you can increase your time around him once he's settled.

ok he is what the breeder called a young adult about 8 in from tip to tail. I have considered ditching the waterfall(a pump with a bunch of rocks) just cause its a pain. How long do I have before I really need to worry? Also I have to go in sort of frequently in order to mist and make sure it stays sort of humid. Dang so many anxieties, dont want my investment to starve he's gorgeous