Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am very pleased to say that I am now the proud parent of two ADORABLE baby chameleons! I purchased them at the Dixie Expo in Birmingham, AL, this past weekend. My boyfriend is in the process of starting a snake breeding business and while I am not looking at breeding these chameleons just yet, I have been learning QUITE a bit about lizards these past few days. I have their cage and everything set up, and I have been doing research on some different websites that have information on how to take care of them and whatnot. What I was wondering is if anyone has any valuable information that they (unfortunately) had to learn the hard way when they started out with chameleons and if you do, would you be interested in passing it on? Thanks so much!

Just in case anyone wanted to know -- they are veiled chameleons that are about two weeks old. *grins* Sorry I forgot to mention that! My excitement got the best of me!
Katie

Did I read this right? Arty and Gwen are 2-week old chameleons? Please, please, please start reading anything and everything you can about chameleon husbandry! Two weeks is entirely too young to be selling/buying chameleons! I realize you are proud and thrilled (who wouldn't be?? )
I don't know how to post links...Lele, PHeve, and others are more knowlegable and present than I, and will point you in the right directions, but please read up on cham care. You have a couple of very adorable, but very fragile creatures in your hands!
The best to you and yours...

When I purchased them I recieved a care sheet on how to take care of them and what care they would need. I also recieved one for the crickets that I have. In addition to that I have found other care sheets online. I was unaware that this was too young to sell them at! How old should they have been when they were sold??

Personally I wouldn't purchase a chameleon before 4 months old. But thats just me, i'm rather paranoid and don't like risking money i don't have. Although thousands(?) of people have raised chameleons from hatcling or even very young. It just takes a lot more attention and dedication to the hobby.

I'm sure you'll keep you're chams nice and healthy, sounds like you did you're homework (for the most part.) I also hope you have the number of the dealer you bought those adorable guys from because taht may very well save their lives if you have any questions about them in the future.

Congratulations!!

Take care,

Mike

By the way...Love the names you chose!

Mike

Hey,

Now I am not exactly sure 100% of the rules on this forum, but if it is ok, who is the breeder that you bought them from? A name or business would be fine. I am just curious.

The best tip I can give you is to clean the cage daily. Parasites, and a whole lot of other bacteria and diseases will form if you only clean the cage every week or so. I did learn this the hard way which is why I am telling you. Also, the first second you notice the slightest problem, especially in the eye region, post a question about it on here.

Ank-Inc.
Adam.

Hey Adam,

First off...awesome panther! I like the bright red variety. Secondly, just to save some time i'll respond to you're panther bite. Pretty good horror story! It's missing the anticipation and climax though. So anyways, i thought panthers were suppose to be 'more friendly' than veilds in most cases...that's sorta strange. Maybe you had too much confidence and he sensed that, and wanted to catch you off guard. Who knows. All i know is that if i get bite by mine...i will never have the same confidence towards him again. IT will take a while to reagin it at leats.

And yes. Cleaning is important. That is one of the reasons i don't overstock my cage with foliage. Two or three potted plants are enough for me. I wouldn't say go nuts and clean everyday though. I've only had my chameleon for a little over a month though...so what do i know. Mine doesn't poop that much at all and i clean up any standing water right away...so about every week to week and a half has been working for me so far.

Take care,

Mike

actually for me, it was the opposite. i was really afraid of being bit, and when i finally did, i realized that it didn't hurt that bad (my experience) and am not as afraid. But I still use gloves on the huge males sometimes. Some panthers are mean, and some are nice. I have some that would never bite, and others that don't let me open their cage without trying to run out, and biting if I try to grab them! Same with veileds, except their are more mean veileds than nice ones (atleast it seems that way). But their are definetly veileds that are nice too. Anyway, if you wanna talk about this more, post on the right thread!

Ank-Inc.
Adam.

Thank you! My Chams seem to be doing well -- I have had them almost a week *grins* I was unaware until after I purchased them that it was better to get an older animal. However, I am very determined to keep these little guys healthy and happy to the best of my ability. *grins* My boyfriend laughed and said if I keep them on the round table in my livingroom then they would be "The Chameleons of the Round Table". Cheesy, yes I know. BUT they were hence forth named Arthur and Gwenevere. Since Arthur was the active one it seemed fitting to name him Arty and call her Gwen for short. I have all the contact number for the breeder as well as the guy I bought my crickets from (who was also quite helpful).

You are very welcome and good luck with the new addictions! Did i saw addictions? Oh i meant additions. Although like any other hobby, this one is especially addicting once you dive in. And like someone else mentioned in this thread, once they reach sexual maturity...(5 -6 months old) they need to be housed seperately. Oh yeah, some helpful info that i don't think was mentioned prior is about their diet. It's called a diet, but they eat like pigs! I didn't know i'd be feeding my juvenile (5 months) veiled 10-15 crickets a day! Plus worms here and there. I'm pretty sure babies eat like pigs too. Ummmm...so yeah just be prepared for that, and remember chameleons don't tend to overeat. So keep feeding them until it looks like they've had enough of it.

I like to round table reference...where do you plan on keeping them?

Have a good one,

Mike

I know how you feel about getting two adorable baby veileds, but I don't think much of the person you bought them from for letting them go at such a young age. There is a natural mortality rate in very young veileds (and other species of chameleon as well) and I don't think they should be sold to people at such a young age. That being said, you now have them and I hope they will be two of the lucky ones and do well for you.

I'm glad you have already been reading about them... ...but please read everything that you can about these chameleons ASAP. Chameleons are not easy lizards to keep...especially for a first lizard pet.

Could you describe their setup please...including their feeding and the lighting and supplementation please.

You said..."What I was wondering is if anyone has any valuable information that they (unfortunately) had to learn the hard way when they started out with chameleons"...I'm always glad to pass on any information that I can about chameleons. I like to see people keep them successfully....but there is so much to tell you....the following is only the tip of the iceberg.

One of the main problems that you have to watch out for with veiled chameleons is the development of MBD (metabolic bone disease). It is caused by imbalances in their nutrition and husbandry. Calcium and vitamin D3 and vitamin A are three of the main "players" in the imbalance. Lighting plays a part in this because it takes natural sunlight (not through glass or plastic) to allow the chameleon to form vitamin D so that the calcium can be used. If the chameleon isn't able to be in natural sunlight because you live in a climate where the chameleon cannot live outside, then UV light must be provided and sometimes even vitamin D3 supplementation is necessary. The temperature in the cage plays a part too, since chameleons need heat to allow digestion to take place (since they do not produce their own heat). Feeding appropriately sized insects that have been gutloaded and dusted with supplements is important. The D3and calcium supplement regime depends on whether your chameleon is exposed to sunlight or not...but vitamins and minerals are sometimes needed too. Vitamins A and D3 can be oversupplemented, so should be given with care.

Stress plays a big part in the health of a chameleon....so they are often thought of as a look-don't touch type of pet.

Baby chameleons can dehydrate and overheat quicker than adults, so I always keep their cages at a more moderate temperature than is recommended for adults and mist them more often.

They should be housed individually after the age of about 3 months, IMHO. I don't let my veiled chameleons breed until they are over one year of age. (Why put additional calcium demands on a creature that is still forming its own bones?)

Once the female is over three months of age, I provide a container of sand in her cage so that if she produces eggs she will have a place to lay them. Female veileds can lay eggs once they are sexually mature (at about 5 months of age) even when they haven't been mated. Not giving them somewhere to lay them, can lead to eggbinding.

Let your chameleons walk off the branch onto your hand if you have to handle them. Pulling them off a branch can cause damage to their legs and/or tail if they are holding on tightly.

Hydration is important. Misting the cage with a fine mist can be done several times a day. I don't allow the water to pool or form large drops since baby chameleons can aspirate it. The water should be warm.

Enough for now. If you have any other questions, just ask.

I will post a second message with some sites that you might want to read.

Good luck with these two tiny creatures!

This forum's help pages and links at the forum header are the cham internet sites you absolutely must read. You can trust the information here because it is tried and true.

A gentle reminder for forum folks who suggest to:

"Read everything you can". It helps so much to actually include the books or websites you mean, so a newbie can filter out all the outdated, inaccurate, and downright bad information that they may come across. There is a lot of weird stuff out there and a newbie just won't know what is what.

Two week old chams have a lot ahead of them! Not to beat a dead horse, but the breeders who give their chams better care won't be selling them at that age. We are saying this because most of us have been right in your shoes. So, there may be inherited nutritional problems, stress, and basic genetic trouble ahead. Maybe not, but be ready. If either of them starts to be less active, not eating, basking, drinking, or looks dark colored, separate them immediately. Usually one out of a group becomes dominant and will intimidate the other. Good luck with them!

Well, most of the scarey stuff has been said - except this:
If you got them from one breeder (and they are the same age), chances are they are siblings.

We have a firm rule never to breed siblings - and we don't sell our baby chams until they are a minimum of 12-16 weeks of age (depending on species).

Two week old veileds are fun to watch, and a handful to care for. They can eat lots of fruitflies and pinhead crix... and they run from the mister. One way from freaking them out is to be sure the misting water is warm when it mists over them.

Enjoy the kids....