Caring for a chameleon

Many people look at chameleons and their usual reaction is ‘wow’ or ‘cool!’. It’s true that chameleons are one of the most stunning and unusual reptiles you can keep. But it’s also true that they have specific care needs and without getting this right they can quickly become ill and unhappy. Chameleons live for around 5 years and for all that time they need a lot of special care. So before you get a chameleon, be sure to read this care sheet and make sure you are prepared to give your new pet all it needs.

The first thing you need to know is what type of chameleon you will be getting. The most commonly found species is the Panther Chameleon and the Veiled or Yemen Chameleon. Both species are striking, yet the Veiled chameleon is usually easier to keep and easier to obtain, this care sheet will focus on the Veiled chameleon because of this. Whatever type of chameleon you decide to get, make sure that you not only read up on it, but ensure it is a captive bred Chameleon. This is often shown as ‘CB’ on stock lists and supplier’s lists. Wild caught chameleons are often unhealthy, often with parasites, they may not tame and usually endure long and stressful journeys to reach you, so it is best to buy a captive bred chameleon.

The veiled chameleon comes from some parts of Saudi Arabia and most parts of Yemen (hence it’s other common name). It would naturally be found in very hot areas, near streams. Some veiled chameleons can be found in desert areas, near streams with limited vegetation, while others are found in lush highland plateaus. While your chameleon is captive bred, it’s body is still adapted to these conditions and this is helpful in knowing how to provide a suitable enclosure.

The enclosure

Keepers should look to construct a tall structure with some sort of meshing, either fine aluminum or something to withstand the heat of bulbs. Or you may wish to use the more traditional wooden or glass vivariums, which are readily available. What ever you choose, make sure that your chameleon has plenty of space to move, up and down, and that there will be enough room to create a thermal gradient. As a general rule there should be at least 25”/64cm of height in the enclosure. Another important aspect is ventilation. As chameleons like humidity and heat, poor ventilation means that fungus and bacteria can grow rapidly, this nearly always results in your chameleon becoming ill. To avoid this, make sure there is at least one mesh door. If your entire enclosure is mesh this will be fine, some glass vivariums have mesh tops and ventilated doors, this may be adequate. If you use a traditional vivarium, with sliding doors, simply replace one of the doors for a thin frame with mesh, its best placed furthest away from the heat lamp, as air will circulate the best like this.

No matter what you use, you should never place a chameleon next to noisy areas, or high traffic areas, they will get stressed! You should also avoid putting them in direct sunlight, near radiators or doorways. All of these things can cause temperature irregularities, which will stress your chameleon. Above all you should only ever house one chameleon at a time. In the wild they would not be sociable creatures and it only serves to stress them when put in permanent close quarters!

You should also aim to provide some chunky and robust climbing structures, securing large branches is a good place to start. You can add live or plastic plants in sturdy, heavy pots, make sure none of the plants or plastics are toxic! Make sure your chameleon can access all areas of the enclosure so he can climb around and regulate his temperature. Placing lots of different branches, vines and plants helps your chameleon to feel safer and gives more scope for feeding and watering.

Heating, Lighting and Humidity.
The veiled chameleon, coming from very warm areas, needs a high temperature range, around 32-36 Celsius during the day at the hottest part of the vivarium, known as the basking area. The other end, usually lower down, should be around 22-26 Celsius at the very least, higher than this is okay as long as there is a gradient of heat for the chameleon to move in and out. The heat can be provided by a 40-60 watt basking bulb, usually fitted outside of the enclosure to stop your pet from burning itself. In mesh enclosures, or those with mesh tops this is easily done, but in am traditional style vivarium you will need to fit the bulb well out of reach of the chameleon. Most keepers advise you not to put a guard around the bulb as the chameleon may climb onto it and still burn itself, or even worse pull the guard off and injure itself. Its much better to keep it well out of reach.

Along with heat, comes UV rays. It is essential for your chameleon to get UV as this helps to synthesize vitamin D3, a much needed nutrient. This is best provided with a special reptile UV light. These are usually fitted onto the back or on top of the enclosure and powered by a ‘starter’. The light is angled down with use of a reflector. Make sure the light you are buying is meant for providing UVB and UVA to reptiles and that it has at least 5.0 UVB/UVA, tungsten (light bulbs) or fish tank lights are not adequate for this. However some companies, such as exoterra, sell ‘canopy tops’, which is an all in one enclosure for UVA/B lamps, a convenient way to site these otherwise unsightly bulbs.

Lastly you will need to provide humidity in the enclosure, although veiled chameleons come from hot areas they are naturally found where insects are abundant, this usually means in high humidity areas. Providing this for your chameleon is straightforward and can team up with your ‘watering’ method. Spraying the enclosure 4-6 times a day can help, although a dripper, a water container that drips a regulated supply of water, usually into a dish, real plant or collection tray, is usually a better method. Don’t let your chameleon get too wet, excess water is not a good idea and can lead to health problems. Some keepers use potted plants to help moisten the atmosphere, although chameleons will sometimes eat the plants so use non toxic varieties, such as umbrella plants, fiscus and hibiscus. Even better, use plastic plants, settled in pots filled with large vermiculite, that you can spray regularly.

Providing water.
The first thing people usually notice is that there are no water bowls in our chameleon enclosures. Some chameleons, especially young ones, can fall and drown into water, but the main reason that a static bowl of water is not provided is that the chameleons cannot see it! Chameleons can only see moving water, or water that is collecting on surfaces. This is why spraying them regularly is one of the best ways to give them water. They will happily lick droplets from the side of the enclosure, leaves and other décor in the vivarium. If you cannot spray them regularly, maybe because you are away for some of the day, provide a dripper. This is suspended bottle of water with a tube that regulates the flow of drips. It’s a great way to maintain humidity and provide a permanent source of water.

However you provide water, make sure it is always fresh, if using tap water make sure you let it stand for a little bit to get rid of the chlorine however it is generally better to use mineral water as it contains less chemicals. You should also slightly warm the water, especially if you spray it, as the water cools quite quickly when sprayed and can be quite a shock to your poor chameleon! Boiled and slightly cooled water is a great way to do this, but make 100 percent sure to test that the water is not too hot or cold by spraying your arm at a reasonable distance.

Feeding
The diet is the most important part for a chameleon as it helps keep it in tip top condition. Chameleons eat live insects, so before buying a chameleon make sure you don’t mind feeding live creepy crawlies. Some chameleons will eat a very small amount of vegetables too. You also need to provide calcium and vitamin powder, usually this is dusted onto insects. The reason you need this is that the amount of light you provide with a UV bulb is not adequate compared to the sun. So to help your chameleon get all the nutrients he needs, a dusting formula is needed. Usually calcium supplement s used but there are specialized veiled chameleon formulas that are probably more suitable.

The main types of bugs you will be feeding will be Waxworms, Mealworms, crickets and occasionally locusts. Young chameleons will like to eat very small brown crickets and occasionally small mealworms, although you should be careful not to provide too many of these as they can be hard to digest. Young chameleons will enjoy fruitflies as aan added nutritious part of their meal. Older and adult chameleons will eat larger brown crickets, don't use black crickets as they have larger jaws and if uneaten can harm the chameleon. Large mealworms, known as super worms or morios are best as there is more flesh to shell and are more digestible. Locusts can also be given in place of crickets. Waxworms can be provided as a treat to all ages, although some chameleons get addicted to them and refuse to take other types of food. This is bad because waxworms are high in fat. Try to offer waxworms only once a week, so this doesn’t happen, they keep for a long time especially if kept cool so a tub will last a while before they turn into moths, which can also be fed to your chameleon!

All insects should be coated in vitamin supplement; you can put them in a bag or tub and gently shake them to do this. You should also give the livefood carrot, spring greens and other leafy vegetables when in their tubs as they will eat them and pass the nutrients on, a technique known as gut loading. When feeding them to your pet chameleon you can use a high sided jar or tub. Sturdy tubs that they cannot crawl out of are great placed on the floor as well as being tied evenly to branches in the enclosure. This makes a great way of stimulating your chameleon and giving your pet a bit of fun during feeding. Some chameleons will also take food from your hand, although you need to tame them and be very patient to get them to do this.

Lastly, some vegetables can be added, your chameleon may or may not eat them. If they don’t its still good to put some in the larger feeding tubs with the insects as stated before, this way they will gut load themselves while in the tub. You can provide spring greens and these can also be dusted in the same way the insects are. Remember to remove any uneaten vegetables so they don't rot and remove insects at night so they don’t harm your chameleon while he sleeps.

You should aim to feed young chameleons as much as they will take, this is usually around 8-20 small insects daily but as they grow older you should restrict it to 6-15 medium or large insects as they will gorge themselves otherwise, leading to health problems later.

Taming your chameleon
Chameleons are not social creatures. In the wild they camouflage themselves and this becomes their main line of defense, so when they are unable to do this they not only become really stressed, but may hiss, rear up and attempt to bite. However sometimes you will need to move your chameleon, maybe to go to the vets, or so you can do a clean of the enclosure. Therefore you may wish to attempt to tame your new pet!

The best way of doing this is to try and purchase a young chameleon, they will be more used to you than an older chameleon, who will be very set in his or her ways. You can start to offer food from the hand, try offering something super tempting, like a waxworm. Hold it very still, on the flat of your hand and try not to make any sudden movements that could scare your pet. Also try not to be scared of your chameleon when it shoots out is tongue, it won’t hurt! When it is regularly accepting waxworms from you try other foods, such as morio or mealworms, this way it will come to trust you. Eventually, when it takes a variety of foods, try putting your arm near you chameleon, it might decide to climb on your hand or arm, but don’t force it! Some chameleons will never like to be picked up, others may even enjoy coming out for a little while, each one is unique so don’t forget to take that into account.

Males and females.
You can tell males and females apart by looking at the back feet. The male veiled chameleon will always have a pad at the back, known as a spur. A female will not. Think carefully about if you want a male or female. Each chameleon is different so temperament is rarely an issue with deciding the sex of your new pet.
The bigger issue is that a female will become ‘gravid’ or full of eggs up to three times a year. If not catered for properly the female can sometimes become egg bound, a major threat to her life. When the female is gravid the abdomen will swell a little and the colours will intensify. She may come down to the bottom of the enclosure more often, during this time you should provide a tub of moist sand, bird sand or reptile sand is the safest. She can then deposit her eggs in this tub. Even if the female does not mate, she will do this and if a tub is not provided the risk of being egg bound is much more. If you don’t feel you want to cope with this as a first time chameleon owner you should make sure you get a male chameleon.

Impaction in reptiles

Impaction - what is it and how do I treat it?

Impaction is a condition that affects reptiles. It is a common problem in geckos and Bearded dragons, although can occur in most reptiles. It is when a foreign object that it cannot digest becomes blocked in the digestive tract. It can, if not treated, be fatal.

Causes of impaction

Impaction is caused by swallowing objects that the animal cannot digest, such as substrate plastic plants and unsuitable food items. Most commonly they are swallowed by accident, when the reptile attacks prey. Mostly sand, small rocks and parts of décor are to blame as they aren’t something you’d think your lizard would eat, even accidentally! Giving the wrong type of food at the wrong stages is also a threat.

Preventing impaction

The first line of defence against impaction is prevention. Don’t use fine sands with young geckos or beardies; instead use chunky wood based substrate, ceramic, newspaper or slate that is labelled suitable. Avoid calcium sand with young geckos too; as they will ingest it to get the nutrients from it, unfortunately they can’t fully digest it leading to a risk of impaction. You can supply a small bowl of calcium supplement for the young gecko to dip into from time to time.

Be careful with your décor, especially with young lizards. Quite often the young reptile will mistake the authentic looking leaves for real vegetation! Although most reptile décor is durable enough to withstand this attack, aquarium décor or old décor may not. Checking that there are no bits coming off of plastic plants is a good routine to get into, better still avoid plastic plants all together until your reptile is bigger.

Food items can also pose a problem. Harder foods are often a problem for younger lizards, especially geckos. Avoid black crickets (sometimes called field crickets) and mealworms until the animal is older. Instead feed brown crickets and wax worms, which do not have the hard casing black crickets and mealworms have, which can cause impaction.

How do I know if my pet is impacted?

Usually refusal to eat is the first sign. However this shouldn’t be taken as a symptom alone, many reptiles go off food for periods of time and sometimes it may be down to the wrong environment. So the next symptom is to see if your pet has been passing regularly. If not at all or infrequently you should check the abdomen, which may be swollen, distended, black or blue coloured or puffy. Your pet may also seem sluggish, hiding up and refusing to drink.

I think my pet may be impacted, what do I do now?

Firstly, don’t keep feeding, as the reptile is unlikely to take food. If he or she feels better they might but that doesn’t mean the impaction is cleared and therefore may add to the problem. Secondly you will need to bathe your pet. Take a shallow dish, separate container (or if your reptile is large, even a bath!) and fill it just enough to rest the reptile comfortably in. The water needs to room temperature. Allow it to soak for 10 to 15 minutes; this should encourage the reptile to pass waste and the impaction along with it. You can do this twice a day, but if in a couple of days nothing has happened it may be best to seek a vets advice.

Be a Beardie whisperer

Be a Beardie whisperer

Have you ever wanted to talk to your pet lizard? Maybe you already do. How about understanding what he is saying back to you? Beardies, like many animals, have a very distinctive way of communicating, which you can learn to understand. This gives you a better way of understanding how happy your Beardie is and how it feels about you!

Head bobbing

Both males and females bob their heads from time to time. They nod their head rather quickly up and down, almost as if they are dancing. This signifies dominance, especially when accompanied by a puffed out or darkened beard. It is common for beardies that are housed together to do this as well as when they see their reflection. Some bearded dragons may do it to things outside their tank, including you! Occasionally Beardies will bob their head to show displeasure, if they are stressed or they have been put back in their enclosure they will bob their heads to show they are unhappy about it!

Nodding

Nodding, unlike bobbing, is just a quick flick of the head. It can be hard to spot and is mostly done by adults, males mostly. Bearded dragons nod their head toward other bearded dragons to show they realise they are less dominant and that they are being passive. If you Beardie nods to you, he is showing he is passive toward you.

Bowing down

Some beardies, mainly young adults, will bow down low. Usually with their head, slowly and remaining in the position for a while. It is most commonly seen when beardies are kept together and after a dominant one has done a head bob or two. It is showing a similar thing to nodding but in a much more obvious way. Females are often seen doing this in order to submit to a male although younger males will also do it to more dominant adults.

Waving

Occasionally your Beardie might hop from one front foot to the other, whilst slowly waving the held foot around. It is seen mostly in young bearded dragons and very, very rarely in adult females. It is a form of submission, but rather than submitting it is more of an acknowledgement of dominance and means, ‘let’s not fight - let’s be friends!’

Beard puffing

This is sometimes just something they do, particularly in the morning to warm up. Sometimes it will accompany head bobbing, which is a display of dominance. Other times, if it suddenly puffs out, accompanied with gaping, it can be fright or nervousness and shows that it feels threatened.

Open wide

Gaping the mouth open wide can mean a few things in beardies. In younger specimens it is simply the way they regulate temperature. When accompanied by puffing of the beard or darkening of the colour it means that they are scared or intimidated. In extreme cases they may slowly tip their head back and darken in colour, puff out the beard, twist and broaden and emit a hiss, this shows an extreme fear reaction.

Colour Darkening

The beard on a bearded dragon is capable of turning jet black, or at least a very darker colour. This is often very rapid and can mean different things depending on the behaviour accompanying it. For example, darkening in dominance displays shows dislike and that the Beardie is trying to intimidate his opponent. When accompanied by gaping or broadening it shows dislike or even fear. If your Beardie is always darkened or has a dull or dark appearance then it may be stressed and usually this down to the temperature gradients not being correct.

Body flattening

Beardies generally flatten their bodies to show displeasure. Sometimes they will do it in unfamiliar situations and other times they will do it to try and intimidate another Beardie. It is often accompanied by Beard puffing and tail gestures to warn off the threat or other Beardie. Occasionally males will do this while circling each other, this is an extreme display of dominance, usually where neither will back down. You should separate beardies that do this, as they will fight.

Curling tail

Curling the tail is usually a concentration thing and will be seen by all ages, usually around feeding times. They tend to do it before the strike, meaning it is more of a balance orientated thing rather than a gesture.

Raised tail

Occasionally seen in males as a defensive stance, showing they feel threatened or are ready to fight. It is more often seen in females who are being submissive to males, usually when they are ready to breed.

Waving tail

When the tip waves slowly this is usually indication of an annoyance. Sometimes done in females who are submitting but are not happy with it. With males it can be used as ‘defeat’ signal but that the Beardie is ready to challenge the dominant one again. All beardies may be seen doing this at feeding time where it denotes a concentration.