Veiled chameleon question

[Malkavian]

The owner of a petstore I patronize mentioned something to me about veiled chameleon females having lots of problems with becoming eggbound in the course of pregnancy or even when passing infertile eggs. Anyone else know anything about this? Reason I ask is that a friend of mine is looking to get a veiled, however the source I have is only offering females

Thanks

 

[AudreyElizabeth]

I have heard of such things happening, also, female veileds are more delicate all around. I would recommend a male veiled over a female for a beginning keeper. I would suggest to him that he wait until a male is available.

Just my two cents though

As long as the care requirements are followed to the T then there should be no major problem unless the speciman is already loaded with parasites/diseased....
Chameleon keeping is no easy task, and a lot of thought should be put into it before you purchase. They are an every day commitment, not like our snakes and tarantulas that can stand a few days of being totally ignored.

I wish your friend good luck!

 

[Michael Jacobi]

I always recommend that pet owners purchase a lone male Veiled unless they plan on breeding the species. Do not purchase a lone female. Males get larger and are more attractive with a high casque. That is reason enough, but the real reason to avoid females is their penchant for becoming eggbound. Females will produce eggs even in the absence of a male (therefore infertile) and tend to retain the eggs rather than dump them as most lizards would. A proper laying box for a Veiled is a 5 gal bucket filled 2/3 with damp sand (females naturally dig deep tunnels into the sand to lay their eggs). Without this egg deposition site the female with not lay her eggs and eventually will die. Some beginning keeper/breeders even successfully have the females lay their eggs once only to have complications with the second clutch (often due to insufficient calcium), even if a proper nesting box is provided.

It is easy to recognize when a female Veiled has produced eggs - she develops sky blue spots on her sides. If this should happen make sure she has plenty of calcium supplementation in her diet (Miner All I should be dusted on feeder insects at all times anyway) and provide a large tub or bucket filled with sand damp enough to clump.

 

[No name]

I am thinking of getting a male veil chameleon.
But was wondering what is the average life span of one?
And will it do well if keep in a 2 feet fish tank with wire mesh top?

Thanks in advance to all folks who contribute your comment.

God Bless!

 

[Michael Jacobi]

Unfortunately, even with the huge leaps in chameleon husbandry knowledge, chameleons are still comparatively short-lived animals. 6-8 years is about the maximum lifespan for a Veiled Chameleon (cared for properly).

Chameleons should be housed in ALL screen cages. They require maximum ventilation and will not tolerate stagnant air. Glass aquaria are not suitable. Check out Scales (http://www.exoticlizards.com) or Chameleon Condo (http://www.chameleoncondo.net) for screen cages.

Although Veiled chams are the only species I recommend as pets, especially for the beginning chameleon keeper, they are still not "beginner pets". Before considering the purchase of one I recommend you spend considerable time reading the chameleon forum at kingsnake.com and purchase one or two good chameleon books (AVS, for example). Research first, set up second, and buy third.

 

[No name]

Cheers Mike!

 

[Nich]

5th year of cham's!

Ive been raising cham's for sometime...my first was a female of the vieled race...Males are more aggressive and other than that have no difference in requirments. They must be fed daily about 3-6 good sized bugs, they eat anything that moves and will fit in thiers mouths. As for being delicate....physically no, emotionally yes. They have very acute vision and mine can tell the difference between me and my bro just like a dog or cat would. If they should not be keep within visual of another cham. They thrive in temps from 70-85 with a 85-95° basking area. Here's my facy setup...this pic is sideways..lol>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

http://img28.photobucket.com/albums/v83/NichOConnor/cham-036F.jpg

This one is way excessive with a working waterfall, fog maker, 2 ficus trees, and an aspargus fern (all live). All you need to have a happy cham is a screen cage(lookup chameleon cage on ebay) for like 55 bucks, a basking bulb that puts off uvb, lots of stuff to climb, and a lil ficus tree that is bout 1-2' tall that you can buy at yard birds, and a varied diet of crickets, cockroaches, dragonflies, beetles, spiders, any bug you find outside that is not dangerous. Put vitamin powder on the food once a week to make sure they get d3 and calcium. The cage has to be misted daily and if you put a $40 waterfall in they will drink....they are little motion sensors...they dont react to things unless they move usually. probably way more than you wanted to know but DONT BE INTIMIDATED....the screen cage makes it hard for bacteria or mites to thrive. I raised my first on my own when i was 14 and she lived beyond her life expectancy.