Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey guys and gals, i've been a lurker on this board for a while, and have found a lot of your information priceless.... So for that let me say, thank you!

Now, I have two veiled chameleons. I got both of them as babies. (very very very very very small, I suspect much to small to have been sold in the first place, but they were his last two, and the conditions they were in were MUCH less than appropriate)
So, with these babies in my midst, I set up their cage (yes singular) and gave them a new home in my apartment.

They grew.

After about five months one was MUCH larger than the other, so I got worried that he was scaring the little guy away from the food, and seperated them. I put the bigger guy (Morph) in a 4ft by 2ft by 2ft cage, and the little guy is currently in the small cage still, and seems to be eating much better.

I found a few pet stores that told me Pothos plants were O.K. to put in the cages with the veileds..... so thats what I did... they had them in their cages, I put them in mine.... now I find a site that says they are toxic? Do you guys have any first hand knowledge on the subject? hes been in there for about 2 weeks now and has been fine...

Also, ive been feeding the little guy small crickets, and the bigger guy bigs (duh) but with the new cage i just throw two dozen in there cause he went through them so fast.... ive been noticing that the crickets just hang out in the corner of the cage until he eats them..... is it cool to just leave the crickets there until they get wiped out or is that bad news? I cant find THAT little info gem anywhere.

Final thing for right now...... The big guy dosnt seem to mind being held. He really dosnt even try to get away like he used too.. but the little guy .... hisses.. turns brown and yellow spotted..... opens his mouth like hes gonna bite.... even after I get him out of his cage... hes ok just walking around.. but as SOON as he sees my other hand, or a finger of it, he hisses and tries to bite again...... Should I keep handling him to try to get him into the habit? I know they are delicate and they arent like snakes that can be carted in and out of their cages, but one dosnt mind at all, while the little guy seems freaked out all the time... (has always done the gaping hissing thing even when i first got him)

I would appreciate any help you would have to offer. I know I have more questions, but thats all I can come up with right now.

Thanks A lot guys,

Vaelus

****** P.S. Whoever has the Cham named Luna, I love you. Would you marry me? *grin* j/k

Pothos is OK. BUT, there is a really similar plant that is a type of philodendron I think is nore toxic if eaten. When you buy the plant check to see which it is. If the store can't tell you, pass. A nursery should label them differently. When looking at various lists of toxic houseplants be aware that their toxicity doesn't necessarily apply to herps unless it was developed by a herp interest group.

Some keepers let their crix free roam others don't. It's one of the perennial debates. IF you let them roam you need to put some gutload somewhere in the cage so they can keep themselves filled and so they don't chew on your cham during the night. If you let them roam they can pick up fecal, mold, or even parasite material and re-infect the cham who eats them. You'll need to pay more attention to a clean cage (even those hard-to-reach back corners).

Chams are individuals in terms of what they tolerate. Your smaller cham may be a stressy one. It may be one reason he did better once separated from the dominant one...he was intimidated by the other cham's presence even if there was no obvious fighting. For the same reason he may be more stessed by handling that your other cham doesn't care about. Hand feeding him treats will certainly help him learn what to expect from this big hairy non-predator, but he may always be less happy about interacting with anyone. He may be happier with more foliage to hide in, a smaller territory to defend, and to be out of traffic more than the other.

Vaelus,

I cracked up when I got to the bottom of your post about me and Luna! So let's see...if you are male, single over 40 and live in New England I'll consider it! I have never been cyber-proposed to before! Of course Luna would have to giver her approval

A comment on the free range crix...Luna cup feeds for the most part but some always get out. I find that they tend to stay on the screen up near her basking light where it is warm and, like you find, they just wait to be eaten! I also find them drowned in the container that catches water - those things will drown in their own spit! LOL! So, as Carlton said, keep a piece of carrot or some other food for them to munch on.

Question: are you sure these are both males?

a very flattered,
lele & Luna
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0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 house geckos - Gaia & Tia (both MIA
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta
1.0 African Clawed Frog (for summer)
0.5 Mad. Hissers (for summer - all girls, no little ones, whew!)

Careful Lele! Are you sure you want someone who admits being long-winded even in writing? I suppose that because you tend to go on about Luna a lot (VBG) it just might be the perfect match (cham approval pending of course)!!

I've found a convenient way to offer gutload to loose feeders is in a very small bottle laid on its side behind a pot. If the neck of the bottle is smaller than the bottle itself spray or dripper overflow won't run into the gutload. I have been using one of those Feeder Rocks too, and so far they work pretty well. The only problem I have is that the access hole is too high up for loose superworms and too small for roaches to use.

So now I have to accomodate clumsy superworms by building them a tiny access ramp and get out the drill to keep my roaches from getting hungry??!? Where will it all end?

lele,

Male? *check* single? *check* Over 40? *will be some day.... so...-cheat check-* living in new england? Im {from} Boston, so does that count? *grin* * - another cheat check - * Sounds pppppeeeerrrrffeeeccccttt!

Well... im 20.. I live at central michigan university.... and yeah.. will be moving back to boston.. so i struck out on all but the single male part

I dont really want to cup feed the guys (and I think they are guys.. they have that claw or toe on their hind legs.. and both have pronounced crests.. so.. i was under the impression that they are indeed males) because I am afraid they will get lazy and forget how to aim when one might get away. So i let them... roam.. heh. and as for drowning... I have a rather large Pothos pland and Snake plant in there that absorb all the water from the dripper.. so I dont need to worry much about that Now the only water dish i have to fish out is from the little guys cage..... and let me tell ya, he seems to think that is his personal litter box as well as a water catcher. *mumbles*

Anyway, I appreciate all the replies so far, I will do what was suggested about the gutload (no idea where im gonna get that around here), but I will do the carrot idea for starters (and because lele&luna suggested it )

I will also try to get some pics uploaded .. but I dont have a web service to host them on so I will have to work on that also.... (any ideas for those who do post?)

Talk to you all very soon im sure!

Vaelus

You can post pictures here at kingsnake on the members gallery:

http://gallery.pethobbyist.com/index.php?cat=557&thumb=1

or you can use webshots, or yahoo's briefcase...all free.

oh....and I saw Lele first so I have dibs on her
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Raf

1.2 Jacksons Adults (Frank, Patty 2, Lucille)
0.0.17 Jacksons babies
1.1 Nosy Be's (Mars and Roja)
1.1 Bearded Dragons (Diego and Consuelo)
1.1 Adult Sulcattas (POOPIE and George)
0.0.2 Baby Sulcattas (frick and frack)
1.0 Home's Hingeback Tortoise (SPEEDY)
0.0.2 Red ear slider babies (Hingis, Dingis)
1.0 Yellow Footed Tortoise (Alfred)
1.1 3 toed turtles
1.0 Red Siberian Husky (Harley)
0.1 Black Lab (Krissy)
0.1 English Bulldog (Alice)
0.1 Blue Merle Great Dane (Wednesday)
Saltwater Fish and Inverts too

I hope my head fits through the door!
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0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 house geckos - Gaia & Tia (both MIA
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta
1.0 African Clawed Frog (for summer)
0.5 Mad. Hissers (for summer - all girls, no little ones, whew!)

Prlly won't be able to find any decent gutload around Mt. Pleasant; you'd have to order some off the internet, or just make your own.

There's a real great petstore in Haslett, Michigan, near Lansing. A little bit of a drive for you, but if you are ever in the area you should check it out. Their supplies are a little pricey, but their service is great and they take good care of their animals. I bought my hedgehog there and that's where I get my feeders. I can go there and gawk at all the critters for hours.

I'm not sure if posting their name/website is against the advertising rule, so email me if you would like it.
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~Melissa
1.0 Ambanja Panther (Diesel)
0.1 African Hegdehog (Kaimah)