Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, I just recently acquired a veild chameleon. The breeder said he was about a month and a half old. He's about 21/2in or 3in from snout to vent. I have him in a 20 gallon high tank right now, with the top not covered. He can't get out. Is this ok for now? I will be building him a cage in the next week or two. the cage is going to be 48 in tall, 24in wide, and 24 in deep. He's also eating about 8-10 crickets a day, 4 in the morning, then 5 in the eventing. is that ok? any other advice would be great. Thanks
Mike

Hey there!

Congrats on your new Chameleon.

Anyway, what is your setup like? Lots of trees/climbing areas? How is the humidity? Temperatures? The more information you post about your current set-up, the better quality advice we can give you.

Also, your little guy or girl won't be needing to be moved from its aquarium for a while yet as the cham is so small (I'm surprised a breeder let it go that young... suspicious indeed), so it's not necessary for you to move it to the larger cage for a while yet (much harder for it to find its food).

Its a shame that breeders sell chameleons that are this young.
Its okay for experienced breeders/keepers but not those who are
unfamiliar with raising a chameleon. There are natural die-offs
that usually occur before the chameleon is a couple of months old
too.

Don't think that because the branches/plants don't come close to
the top that the chameleon can't escape! If there's aquarium glue
in the corners of the aquarium, they can climb it when they are
that young. The very first veiled I had did that...hence the name
Houdini.

I raise most of my baby veileds in aquariums for the first few
months...but where you live makes a difference. If you live in
cooler climates, then its fine. If you live in Florida or some
other warm/hot place...then I wouldn't recommend using an
aquarium.

A male can be fed more than that for the first few months of his
life. If he starts to become obese, then cut back on the amount
of food that you give him. You want it to grow well...but not so
quickly that the bones don't have a chance to develop properly.

One of the most frequent problems with keeping certain chameleons
is that they can develop MBD (Metabolic bone disease/weak bones)
if not looked after properly. The proper lighting, temperatures,
supplements, etc. are all part of it.

Temperatures must be right so that the chameleon can digest its
food properly.

Are you gutloading your insects? You want what goes into your
chameleon to be well fed!

Do you have a UV light on its cage (with no plastic or glass
between the light and the chameleon? Do you dust/supplement the
insects that you feed it with calcium or D3 or vitamins or
minerals? Does it get any direct sun? Too much or too little of
certain vitamins and minerals can cause problems.

How are you providing water for it? Be careful that big drops
don't form when you mist the cage....and I don't use a
dripper until the chameleon is about 4 months old. Water drops
can be too big and be aspirated when the baby drinks from them.

I hope you will be one of the lucky ones and that such a young
chameleon will survive for you!