Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi!
I have an adult male veiled chameleon that is about 19 In. living in a 3 by 3 by 5 foot screened cage. I have had him for about a month now,(I ordered him from top shelf exotics)and he seems to be doing ok. There are 2 things that are worring me though. 1st of all, he has a reptisun 5.0 on his cage, but his cage seems quite large, and he usually stays in his basking spot. Will the UVB rays reach my chameleon even if he is on the other side of the cage? Do I need a stronger UVB light, like 7.0 or 8.0? Oh yah, one more thing. This is really starting to worry me. He eats like mad and drinks fine, but he usually prefers to stay in one spot of his cage(the basking spot) and isnt that fast. He does move around the cage though. The place I brought him from said that he is in perfect health, but his casque is smaller then most veilds, and is bent to one side. Is this MBD or is it just a malformation becuase of bad breeding?
Thanks so much, and would appreciate any input!
Michele
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2.0 veiled chameleon (zebu and godzilla)
4.0 cinnamin blue face button quail

Oh yah, one more thing. The sides of his casque are soft...is this normal? I have had jackson and senegal chameleons before, but never a veiled...I just want a healthy animal.
Thanks, and I hope he is ok
Michele
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2.0 veiled chameleons (zebu and godzilla)
2.0 cinnamin blue faced button quail

Well, what temps are you keeping him at? Veils need higher temps than most chams, as they are origionally from Yemen, which is more of a savannah type area than a proper rainforest environment, like madagascar. He can safely tolerate a basking spot of about 90 degrees, with a gradient in his cage down to 75 or 80, and night temps of 70 or so. I would get a UVB bulb that covers the whole top of the cage, or mount it on the side of the cage, so he's exposed to it more. Also, you could switch to a Mercury Vapor bulb, and provide both UVA and UVB Bulb in one light. This is rather expensive however, and theres been a TON of debate on it on this board and others in the past.

Id say his casque is probably crooked due to poor supplimentation in the past, but without SEEING the animal, its very hard to make a difinitive statement in that area. I would make sure that you're supplimenting him correctly, and i'd also take him into a good reptile veteranarian, just for a checkup. And get a fecal done, its conceivable that he's slow and lackluster due to parasites.

Let us know more about temps and humidity,
Thanks,
MelleriLover

Hey, thanks for the reply. His cage temp is fine, running into the high 70s-low 80s. and the basking spot provides him with about 90 degrees heat. I mist him well about 3-4 times a day, so his cage humidity is about 50-75% I am planning to get 2 reptiglow 8.0s...if that is most appropriote. Its winter here in michigan, so I most defenitly cant let him outside. But for about 2 hours a day I let him out on a houseplant, and he suns himself through a window...does this have any affects on him UVB/UVA wise? The bones that hold the casque are hard, but the middle of the casque is very soft. He also probably doesnt have parasites, becuase he was born in captivity. I dust his crickets, superworms, and veggies with calcium d3 daily, and a multi vitamin weekly. Im just worried that the supplier I bought him from didnt take proper care of him. If you want to see where I purchased him from, go to topshelfexotic.com, he would be under adult male veiled chameleon. Is his set up and care ok? Any input is welcome! Thanks -Michele-
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2.0 veiled chameleons (zebu and godzilla)
4.0 cinnamin blue face button quail

How old is he? If he's truly an adult (over 12 months about), you cut back the calcium to once a week, and vitamin to once a month. If he's younger than that still, try the calcium a little less, like 4 times a week.

I was going to say if he's staying in the basking spot he's too cold, but since your temps are right I don't know.
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~Melissa
1.0 Ambanja Panther (Diesel)
0.1 African Hegdehog (Kaimah)

Hi, Im not sure how old he is, I asked but all they said was that he was over 1 year old. He is very freindly, which I thought was kind of strange for a male veiled chameleon, although he does have his hissy fits. I will cut back on the calcium and multivitamins, Im just worried that it wasnt supplemented for him in his earlier stages of life. If you have any thoughts or input about this little problem, your input would be GREATLY APPRECIATED! Thank you -Michele-
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2.0 veiled chameleons (zebu and godzilla)
4.0 cinnamin blue face button quail

raise your basking temps to 100. you dot need 2 uvb lights 1 is enough. as long as it is shining near the basking spot. if sun is coming through the window there is no effect at all as glass filters uvb rays.
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1.0 veiled chameleons(Rocket)

Hey everyone thanx for your replies. I just scheduled to meet with the herp vet this sat. so everything should be fine. Thanks again! Michele
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2.0 veiled chameleon (zebu and godzilla)
4.0 cinnamin blue face button quail