Veiled Chameleons are often considered to be one of the most hardy and easy species of chameleon to own. This is not to say that a veiled chameleon is an easy pet. All chameleons require a large investment of time in feeding, watering, cleaning, and general care. Chameleons are not a good pet for children. They do not react well to handling, they easily get seriously injured and quickly die if improperly cared for. Simply put most kids are not responsible, carefull enough, nor do many kids have enough knowledge of how to care for a chameleon. I do have to admit though I have met some kids who own chameleons and are very dedicated to the care of chameleons and have made great chameleon owners. Most of them have been the kids of parents who are reptile breeders/dealers but some have just been very intelligent and dedicated reptile owners. Overall chameleons are too delicate and shy to make a good pet for the majority of kids. The best reptile for kids is either a bearded dragon or a gecko because both usually like to be handled and played with. Plus bearded dragons and geckos are sooooooo much easier to keep. Additionally a chameleon should not be the first reptile that any person adult or child should own. There is a huge learning curve with reptiles and it is better to learn with reptiles that will survive mistakes.
Veiled chameleons come from Yemen/Saudi Arabia. Veiled chameleons are arboreal (they like to be in trees/shrubs) They are also diurnal (they are active during the day.)
Sexing Veiled chameleons is very easy all male veiled chameleons from birth on have a tarsal spur located just behind their rear feet.
Housing: Almost all chameleons with the exception of a few species of Brookesia and a few Rhampholean require screen cages. A screen cage is required because all chameleons except those genus previously listed cannot stand to see their reflection in glass. NO MORE THAN ONE VEILED SHOULD BE HOUSED IN A CAGE. Additionally chameleons need a good airflow. One should not think this means to point a fan at the cage. The only solution is a screen cage. Reptariums are good screen cages, except the mesh on top does not allow in enough light from uvb lights. If you get a reptarium you need to get a double fluorescent fixture, and get two fluorescent bulbs. The cage for an adult veiled should be at least 2 feet wide, 2 feet long and 3 feet high or at least 12 cubic feet. So the cage does not have to be 2x2x3. But the cage has to offer at least 30 inches of height for the chameleon to climb about.
Feeding: You should feed veiled chameleons crickets, mealworms, superworms, waxworms, silkworms, and butterworms. A diet with variety is one of the keys to a healthy chameleon. Crickets should be the base of the diet. Crickets should be gut loaded before feeding them to the chameleon. To gut load I feed the crickets store bought cricket food made by fluker farms plus I give them fresh brocoli, a wedge of lime for moisture and vitamin c and a piece of carrot for beta carotine. A feeder insect is only as nutritious as what it eats. An unhealthy starved cricket is worthless nutritionally because basically it is nothing more than chitin. Also try to feed chameleons crickets no larger than the width of the chameleons mouth. Mealworms are an additional feeder insect and store easily in the refrigerator. Superworms are a good feeder insect but should not be fed to chameleons until they are about half grown unless you can get small superworms. Waxworms are kind of like junk food, they are high in sugar and fat and basically serve as a snack food and are not to be fed regularly. BUTTERWORMS are the king of calcium content they have more calcium than all other feeder insects by about 3 times and therefore I recommend using butterworms. Silkworms are a great source of food and I use them when available.
VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTS: reptile vitamin supplements are not all the same and therefore some are better than others for chameleons. I use repcal herptivite multivitamins for vitamins (the blue container) I also use sticky tongue farms miner-all indoor to provide minerals and vitimin d. I have found the combination works well. repcal uses beta carotine rather than vitamin A which avoids vit a overdosing and miner all is an excellent source of calcium minerals and vitamin d.
If you cannot find miner-all indoors just use repcal multivitamin and repcal calcium with vitamin d3 (the pinkish red container. Dust feeder insects every other feeding according to directions.
Veileds will eat some plant matter so occasionally offer some chopped up collard greens, carrots, and oranges all chopped up and see if he will dig in. vegetation may be eaten but it is not what you should exclusivley feed a veiled they require insects predominatly.
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Veiled chameleons like all other chameleons require full spectrum lighting. The full spectrum uva/uvb lighting is needed to prevent mbd or metabolic bone disease. Improper lighting will slowly and painfully kill a chameleon by preventing proper calcium absorbsion leading to weak and brittle bones and eventual crippling and death. So what is required is a basking lamp to provide heat and uva light. The basking lamp should provide a basking area in the cage around 90 to 100 degrees. The rest of the cage should be in the 70 to 80 range to allow for the chameleon to walk around to cooler areas if overheated. The basking lamp wattage should be about 100 watts for a screen cage that is 2 feet by 2 feet by 3 feet, but the wattage may need to be higher or lower depending on room temperature and the cages ability to build up or release heat. Place basking bulb in a basking light clamp lamb and place above cage about two to three inches. This spacing is needed because chameleons will get too close to the light and get thermal burns, which will kill them. Additionally a fluorescent uvb light is mandatory. You can also use high intensity discharge lamps. For cages that are larger a powersun light works well, but the cage should be very very large. A UVB fluorescent reptile light is what will prevent mbd deaths.The more fluorescent uvb light the better. A chameleon should be able to bask within 6 inches of the fluorescent bulb so you've got to put some vines or plants that will let them get near the light. So fluorescent tubes should run the entire length of the cage. Preferably at least two fluorescent tubes. These can be expensive because you have to buy special fluorescent reptile lights. A regular fluorescent or plant fluorescent light is worthless. You must either purchase a ZOOmed 5.0 fluorescent light or a esu 7.0 desert uvb light. Zoomed has better studies that i know of and most vets recomend it. The light usually runs around 30 dollars and buy as big as possible because they cost the same no matter what size. I keep a veiled in a 2.5'x2.5'x3' cage and I have 3 twenty four inch fluorescent tubes over the cage. I have found the cheapest and most effective fluorescent fixtures to be available at home improvment stores. Buy a double fluorescent fixture and put it right on top of the cage. Remember the biggest fluorescent tubes you can fit above the cage is advised. USE A TIMER TO CONTROL THE LIGHTING. Twelve or fourteen hours of lights on is recomended. Irregular lighting will result in a hunger strike.
Humidity: Veiled chameleons normally like 30 to 50 percent humidity. Humidity can be provided by putting a shallow dish of water about three quarter of an inch deep with a air line with a bubble stone in the water to bubble the water. Additionally this may occasionally encourage some chameleons to drink from the water bowl, but the majority of chameleons will not.
Watering: Veiled chameleons like all other chameleons will almost never drink from a bowl of water or standing water in anything. Many will drink from waterfall dishes but these often become contaminated with germs and such but still usually work well if cleaned out every couple of days. Also careful with waterfalls and any water basins to make sure the chameleon does not drown. I advise placing branches or vines through the water to allow a climbing route out. Chameleons drown very easily even in very shallow water.
To provide drinking water mist with warm water the chameleon and the cage for 3 to 5 minutes in the morning and at night. Additionally place a cup with a pinhole in the bottom of it on top of the cage and fill with water water should drip onto leaves of a plant in the cage for the chameleon to drink.
Plants: You must get live non toxic plants for the cage.
