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Just picked up a beautiful cb male at the TARAS show this weekend. He's 1month old and a real cutie!

I have a 2.5 yr old Dumeril's Boa, so I have some experience with lights/heat etc, but this is my first non-snake reptile. I've cruised the forums a bit, and reviewed some caresheets, but still have a few q's:

1) Does it matter if my lamp hoods are porcelain or metal (as from hardware store)?

2) The "supply" table at the show gave me Repti-glo 10.0 bulbs.... are these ok? I've read a lot of people use 5.0's -should I switch? What's the difference?

3) I was also given a 50w infared bulb... should it be hotter, and is infared ok? His basking area is around 90F, so I'm hoping it will be ok.

4) He's in a 10gallon tank at the moment, and I purchased a larger all-screen area for him for 1month from now. Now I've read that these mesh cages don't let enough uvb through -thoughts?

Thanks everyone -I'm excited to be part of the veiled cham community!

You said..."Just picked up a beautiful cb male at the TARAS show this weekend. He's 1month old and a real cutie!"...one month old is very young to be starting off with. Its a shame that someone is selling them that young.

You asked..."Does it matter if my lamp hoods are porcelain or metal (as from hardware store)?"..I use metal hoods and they are fine. I haven't used porcelain ones...but the part that the bulb screws into is porcelain.

You asked..."The "supply" table at the show gave me Repti-glo 10.0 bulbs.... are these ok? I've read a lot of people use 5.0's -should I switch? What's the difference?"...I have used the Repti-sun 5.0's for years and they work well. Most people prefer the 5.0's.

You said..."I was also given a 50w infared bulb... should it be hotter, and is infared ok? His basking area is around 90F, so I'm hoping it will be ok"...I don't recommend using the infrared bulbs. I use a regular household incandescent bulb of a wattage that will produce the appropriate temperature in the basking area during the DAY. Its not necessary to provide heat(and definitely no light) at night unless the temperature falls into the 50'sF. For young veileds I keep the basking area in the low 80's...their small bodies dehydrate and overheat quickly. Appropriate temp. is important for good digestion.

You said..."He's in a 10gallon tank at the moment, and I purchased a larger all-screen area for him for 1month from now. Now I've read that these mesh cages don't let enough uvb through -thoughts?"...I have never used the mesh cages. The lids on mine are screen..so I can't tell you if the mesh ones let in enough light or not. (Glass and plastic definitely won't let enough UVB through.)

Here's some information that you might be interested in...
Exposure to UVB allows the chameleon to produce vitamin D3 which allows it to use the calcium in its diet. UVB from the sun is the best but they do well with the Repti-sun 5.0's inside.

Most feeder insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorous, so its important to dust the insects with a phos.-free calcium powder at most feedings.

To ensure that the chameleon gets its vitamins I dust twice a month lightly with a vitamin powder that has a beta carotene source of vitamin A. Beta carotene won't build up in the system like preformed vitamin A will. However, there is controversy as to whether all chameleons can convert beta carotene or not...so some people give a little preformed once in a while. Preformed can build up in the system and excess preformed can prevent the D3 from doing its job and lead to MBD.

If the chameleon gets no direct sun, then I dust the insects twice a month just before feeding them to the chameleon with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder. D3 from supplements can build up in the system so don't overdo it.

Its important to gutload and feed your insects a nutritious diet.
I feed the crickets an assortment of greens (dandelion, kale, collards, curly endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.).

Calcium, phos., vitamin A and D3 are the main players in bone health and need to be in balance. When trying to achieve a balance look at the supplements, what you feed to the insects and what you feed to the chameleon.

Since veileds are omnivores once they are about 5 months of age, its important that the plants be non-toxic and well-washed (both sides of the leaves). They also have been known to eat soil...so its important to either cover it or make sure its a type that will not cause impaction or contain anything toxic to the chameleon. The list of greens and veggies I feed to the crickets can also be fed to the chameleon...along with a bit of fruit (apple, pear, melon, berries, etc.)

If you have a female, you need to provide a suitable place for her to dig in the cage once she is 5 or so months old. Veileds can lay eggs without having been mated and failure to provide a suitable place can lead to eggbinding.

Background information...I have kept, bred, raised chameleons and an assortment of other reptiles over the years. My veiled females usually live to be 7 years old and the males even older.

Good luck with your first chameleon!

Thanks for your prompt and thorough response.

I had suspected there were some issues with the light bulbs I was given... that supplier is actually quite shady and I've called the SPCA on them about their animals for sale at their store. I should have known better than to buy from them.... at least now I'll get my money back from them and take it elsewhere!

I can't comment on the breeder I bought him from and the age she was selling them at, except to say that she was very helpful and well informed and gave everyone excellent caresheets. If you say that 1mo is young to sell, then it's a real shame, because I overheard her say they sold at least 30 over the weekend.

Anywho, I'll make the adjustments you recommended, and take the supplementary advice you gave as well. Hopefully my next post will be a picture of my healthy and happy chameleon!

The main reasons I don't like to see chameleons sold that young are IMHO that there is a natural mortality rate and inexperienced people will have less of a chance of raising the chameleon properly from that age.

Not all of a clutch will do well as a rule...one or two might not be strong enough and they usually die off before they are 3 or so months old...so if you don't sell them until they are that old there is less chance of a person ending up with one of the weak ones.

Sorry, just thought of one more:

Can chameleons "overeat"? I've been feeding him 10-15 crickets (1wk size) twice a day, and he's gobbling them all up in good time. Should I put more in, and let him feed until he's full, or regulate his eating by only offering a certain number of crickets?

I've also put in some small pieces of lettuce and apple, but haven't seen him munching down yet. The plants inside are ficus and pothos, so I'm guessing he could eat those too should he get the munchies really bad.

Thanks again!

You said..."Can chameleons "overeat"? I've been feeding him 10-15 crickets (1wk size) twice a day, and he's gobbling them all up in good time. Should I put more in, and let him feed until he's full, or regulate his eating by only offering a certain number of crickets?"...generally what I do is put in as many crickets as the chameleon will eat in a couple of minutes. At this age there is less to be concerned about with overfeeding the chameleon. You can see when its getting fat...and if that starts to happen just cut back a bit on the feeding. I'm more careful with females.

You said.."I've also put in some small pieces of lettuce and apple, but haven't seen him munching down yet. The plants inside are ficus and pothos, so I'm guessing he could eat those too should he get the munchies really bad"...generally they don't start eating the vegetables or plants until they are about 5 months old...and even then, not all of them do.

I've read in several of your posts that you cover the dirt (presumably in the plants) so the chameleons don't ingest dirt. How do you do this?

I've switched his lights and he appears very happy. So far, so good.

You said..."I've read in several of your posts that you cover the dirt (presumably in the plants) so the chameleons don't ingest dirt. How do you do this?"...I use small stones that are too big for the chameleon to eat or sometimes I use a particular type of sand that I know passes through the chameleon without causing an impaction.

You can also cover exposed soil with a piece of window screen or even that dark cloth used to prevent weeds in a garden. Water and air will get through, but he can't reach the soil with his tongue.