As promised in the string below...(I said I would give you some sites to read)...sorry it took me so long, but I have limited access to a computer these days.
http://www.chameleonjournals.com/vet/
There are good veterinary topics covered in this site.
http://adcham.com/
Gutload, vet articles, etc. are good at this site too.
http://www.chameleonnews.com/index.html
Lots of articles on care and nutrition are found in this site.
I am also including a caresheet that I made up. Carlton and Lele are right...there is a lot of bad information out there. Not saying that mine is "perfect" but I have kept veileds for many years following what I have said in the following...
CARE OF VEILED CHAMELEONS:
Cage setup:
Most people seem to feel that an all screen cage is best. IMHO it is definitely the best option for outdoor housing and for those who live in a hot climate (without airconditioning). Glass can turn the cages into greenhouses and overheat the chameleons rapidly. However, in more northerly climates the cage may need to have glass walls on three sides (not including the floor) to help keep the humidity and heat in. This requires more care/knowledge in keeping the cage clean and water free, but I have used such caages for many years now and my chameleons live to ripe old ages. I have never had a veiled develop a respiratory infection keeping it in such a setup.
Contrary to what many people have said, I have never had a problem with a chameleon reacting to its own reflection in the glass walls of its cage. (A mirror is a different matter...some do react to seeing themselves in a mirror.)
Although many people say that the cages need to be tall and the width is less important, I feel that width is important too. Chameleons seem to like to travel on horizontal branches too.
My baby cages have always been aquariums with screen lids. (As mentioned above, these can overheat quickly in the sunlight, so they should not be taken outside in aquariums.) I raise them in these only until they are about three months old and then they move to individual cages.
A cage needs branches of an appropriate size for the chameleon's feet to grip....so as the chameleon grows, the diameter of the branches needs to grow too. If you free-range your crickets/insects then a branch can be run horizontally far enough away from the other branches that an insect can't reach it thus providing a place for your chameleon to sleep away from the insects. (I try to leave very few extra crickets/insects in the cage and I also provide some greens/veggies/fruit/leaves in the cage for the insects to eat too.)
Plants/greenery should be provided so that the chameleon has somewhere to hide and move away from the brighter areas of the cage. I recommend that all plants be non-toxic (such as pothos, hibiscus) since veiled chameleons can/do eat vegetation as they reach adulthood. I never use artificial plants in a veiled chameleon cage in case the chameleon accidentally ingests part or it. All plants should be well washed...both sides of the leaves. I also run quite a bit of water through the soil. I cover the soil with stones that are too large to fit into the chameleon's mouth or wth a type of washed sandbox sand that I have found that passes through the chameleon without causing impaction.
I use NO substrate in veiled chameleon cages. They can be accidentally ingested and cause impaction. Cedar and pine substrates also contain oils that are not good for your chameleon. Indoor/outdoor carpet is hard to keep clean and germfree. To give the appearance of a floor, I cover the bottom glass on the underside with mactac. If the floor is clear, the chameleon will usually try to dig through it.
In each cage where I'm housing a female over the age of 4 months I keep a container of washed sandbox sand so that she has a place too start digging when she is carrying eggs. (They can produce eggs even when not mated.)
Lighting/Heating/Temperature:
Of course, if possible, the best source of light is sunlight...but for those of us who can't keep the chameleons outside we need to provide artificial light. I live in a cool climate and the chameleons can't get outside often.
On all my veiled cages I have a florescent UVB light. Usually I use Reptisun 5.0's, but I have used others when these are not available too. I also place an incandescent light bulb in a metal hood over the cage. I place the incandescent towards one end/side of the cage so that the cage has areas where the temperature is greater and other areas where the temperature is cooler so that the chameleon can regulate its body temperature by moving around the cage. The basking light (incandescent) provides a temperature in the high 80's F. and the lowest temperature in the cage would be in the high 70's F. At night the lights are turned off and the cage will drop to the temperature of the room (usually around 70F. Seasonal changes in the temperature will make it warmer than this at times.)
For baby chameleons up to about the age of 3 months, I keep the cage temperatures more moderate since their small bodies can warm and cool more quickly and dehydrate more quickly than adults too. This might keep their rate of growth a little slower, but I have never found it to be a problem.
Temperature is important since chameleons are ectotherms (can't produce their own heat, but get it from the environment). They need to be at the appropriate temperature to digest their food properly.
Watering:
For babies, the cages are misted twice a day. I try to make sure that the water doesn't form large droplets or pool on the floor of the cage since there have been cases reported of babies aspirating water if the drops are too large.
For adults I provide a drip system. It can be as simple as using a container with a small hole punched in the bottom so that it drips at the rate of 2 or 3 drips per second...or as complicated as a misting system. The dripper is allowed to drip onto the leaves of the plants and the chameleons usually come to the area of the dripping and drink.
I also mist the adult cages at least once a day. I gently spray water near the chameleon's nose at this time and they will usually drink at that time. It often takes a bit of time for them to start to drink.
Humidity:
The plants and the misting/dripping of water in the cage seems to be enough to keep the humidity up enough in the cages. I have never used a humidifier in the room with the chameleons due to the climate I live in. Its cool here and using a humidifier leads to mold problems which is not good for the chameleons. Being cool and damp at night can lead to respiratory problems too.
I never use fountains or bubblers in the cages because they are too hard to keep germ-free and clean.
Screen cages are difficult to keep humidity up in where I live....and the cool climate makes it difficult to keep the heat high enough in the winter time too. It ends up so that the chameleon has no choice but to sit under the basking light for most of the day to keep warm.
Feeding:
I feed both babies and adults mainly a diet of crickets.
The insects need to be of an appropriate size for the babies....generally what would fit into their mouths easily. They can be fed fruitflies, and small wax worms (as a treat only) too.
The adults get silkworms, superworms, waxworms, etc. when they are available...all gutloaded. The wider the variety, the better IMHO. DO NOT feed them fireflies...they are toxic. I don't collect insects from the wild because I worry about giving the chameleon a parasite that its not familiar with that it can't handle....but many others have done it with success.
As they approach 5 months of age, I begin to offer fruits (such as apple wedges, pear wedges, blueberries, cantaloupe, etc.), veggies (such as diced red pepper, squash, carrot, slightly cooked sweet potato) and greens (dandelion leaves, kale, collards, mustard greens...NO spinach or cabbage) to these chameleons. Many of them will begin to take bites from the leaves of the plants too. Flowers (non-toxic, of course) may also be offered.
Supplementation/Gutloading insects:
I gutload all of my insects with the appropriate foods to try to make them as healthy as possible before feeding them to the chameleons. There is a good gutload on the ADCHAM website for the crickets.
In addition to gutloading the insects, I supplement the insects by dusting them when they are offered to the chameleons. Supplementation is a difficult subject. There are no real defined "rules" on what is the best amount or brand to use. All I can tell you is what I do and the results that I have using this method. Be aware that I live in a cool climate and the supplementation will differ if you live in an area where the chameleons spend time outside.
I use Rep-cal products...calcium and calcium with D3 and their vitamins. This iis not to say that other products are not good...this is just what I have available and know how much to give to make it work.
I supplement by dusting the insects. For the babies, I give them calcium at almost every feeding. I use the calcium/D3 supplement two or three times a month and the vitamin powder is given two or three times a month too.
By the time they have reached adulthood, I cut the calcium supplementation/dusting down to twice a week, except for gravid females. The vitamin and calcium/D3 are left at the same rate.
Vitamins supplements like A and D can be stored in the body so they need to be regulated carefully. Too much or too little can lead to health problems. Beta carotene sources of vitamin A will not build up in the system. There is some controversy over chameleons needing preformed vitamin A...but its a hard thing to regulate properly.
Don't forget...if the chameleon receives direct sunlight (not through glass or plastic) often, then the D3 supplement regime needs to be altered.
The above is only my own way of keeping veiled chameleons. It is not the only successful way to keep them...but it works for me. Most of my veileds (both male and female)in the last few years have lived to be 7 or older. They reproduce well and I have raised many of the hatchlings which also survived that long. I have a good rate of egg hatching and a good rate of survival of the hatchlings past the age of one month.
Good luck with your little ones!
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