The Veiled Chameleon: May 2005: Veiled Chameleon Ears and Hearing

I have a rather good Deicide live album you can borrow to spice things up for the wee beastie...

Hey there, im new to the Chameleon world. today me and my girlfriend just bought a baby veiled chameleon. we've been up all night looking up information on websites about proper care for veileds, and have found ourselves a little more confused than when we started. Several of these different websites (we just googled veiled chameleons + pet care), say different things every different website we go to. and the hardest thing is, usually the next one, will tell u to do something the last one said to avoid doing, or vice versa. like say feeding it spinach, and not feeding it spinach, pothos plants and other kinds, lighting, misting, regular vs non-regular cleaning of the cage...etc. the list really goes on. so stumbling onto your website, and how i can POST on here, im wondering if you, or someone else here, can offer some SOLID information and care sheets/schedules. any information actually, that i will take as real, i see you have chameleons of your own and do some prominate research too. if youve got the time, my email (if u cant see it already) is jsmeall1984@hotmail.com

i need you to get back to me about my veiled chameleon. lately she has been acting wierd and i think she might be lying eggs for the third time.now she is digging herself a trench and almost buring herself plus she hasn't ate for like three days man.i know you are not a vet but maybe you might know a lil more then i do since this is my first chameleon and i have had her for bout a year n a half. other then that ur site is sick and it has some helpful info. thanx

Hi Chris. I'm not sure what question you're asking, but I can say that I've heard of chameleons digging for a couple of weeks before finally getting to the egg laying bit. I don't really know the mystery of that, but it sounds like you've got the right stuff for her to lay in. Beyond that, I don't know what to suggest.

just found your site very helpful. had the same problem, not beeing told about the female laying eggs and the chance of eggbinding. been watching her digging for a few days before christmas woundering what she was up to then new years eve had about twenty eggs. just realised there are still a few eggs in her.get her to the vets tomorrow.
andrew (wales)

how old will my chameleon be when she's ready to mate, then how long before she lays the eggs?

Hey i just bought a baby veiled bout 4 days ago and i was wondering if its good or bad to handle the little guy. also i was wondering how long it takes before He'll get some cool colors too. i got a feww more questions if u wanna email me at tklqg5@aol.com thanks

@Quinn: Bad. Very, very bad.

well i wasnt sure thanks, i didnt try it yet thak god i guess huh? some websites say its good to handle them when their young and so they " get to know you" but i wasnt sure. thanks. could u email me tho ? i got more questions TKLQG5@aol.com

?

I have a veiled (2yrs old)I have been using a uv spot and was told it would stop working before I needed to replace it . I have just changed it after a year and nine months it still operated . But I believe it was operating with no or very little uv . I have noticed the ankle joints look swollen and one of his rear feet. Does this sound like a calcium deficiency problem ? I am dusting with a mix of "Nutrobal" and calcium 2:1. Do you have any advice for me will my chameleon make a full recovery.
Many Thanks Peter

yes i haven a new female chameleon i was woundering how to get her to stop trying to bit me and like me if u would please email me at dpanther42785@aol.com that would be great

veiled chameleons are smart and very curious creatures, which makes them very intelligent.

MY BABY CHAMELEON HAS THIS AND IS IN BAD SHAPE, PLEASE HELP ME HELP HIM, TELL ME WHAT I HAVE TO DO!! PLEASE...Fractures of the limbs in chameleons are common, especially in young, rapidly growing animals. When this occurs, the front and/or hind limbs may appear bowed or have what appears to be an extra bend or joint in the leg. These fractures are typically Òpathologic fractures,Ó meaning they occur secondary to some disease process, rather than by acute trauma. In most cases, these pathologic fractures are a manifestation of a common reptile disorder called Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD).

i have a five year old veiled and i was wondering a couple of days ago she was walking on the bottom of her cage and her hole back end just gave out it has not happened again but she fell off her branch when she was on it i was wondering if someone could tell me what is wrong if anything with her thanks

i have just bought a chameleon and wonder how you tell there age mine is about 2" long and the pet shop werent very helpful if you could email me please

PLease write me back i just got a male veil chameleon he is a baby like as long as my finger. INCLUDINg his TAIL! HOW DO I KNOW IF HE HAS EATEN! I LEFT CRICKETS IN HIS SCREEN CAGE BUT THEY ARE ALL GONE I DONT SEE ANY do you think they ALL escaped? IS he eating SECRETly? THEY people at the pet store just gave him to me in a paper bag!!! i thought that was wierd how do i know if hes sick of hungry?

SMArtass101290@yahoo.com W/B PLEASE I DONT Want em to die hes too CUTE

Hey, I have a beautiful male veiled chameleon, Petey, and he's hugemongous now, hahaha. Anyhow, I've always been mystified by there being no ears or signs of ears on him, at any stage during his development. So, I asked my dad, he's a biologist I thought it'd be worth a shot, and he said that he most likely has ear drums set closely to the surface of his head, and they only sense vibrations, not neccessarily sounds. Well, I wasn't convinced, I like you was always worried about music etc. Today I found this:

Like snakes, chameleons have no external ears. Airborne sound vibrations are absorbed by a membrane of skin on the side of the head, directing them to a bony plate inside the skull. The bone (pterygoid plate) then funnels the vibrations down a tight, convoluted pathway to the inner ear. While the ear can sense sound ranging from 100 to 10,000 cycles, it best "hears" between 200-600 cycles, about what a snake "hears." In other words, they hear sounds more like a tuba makes than a flute, not responding to sound frequencies above middle C on the piano.

SMELL
Chameleons have devolved their sense of smell, relying on vision for locating prey and predators rather than smell or hearing. While other reptiles that rely on smell to help them identify objects in their environment, chameleons have only the vestigial remains of this vomeronasal organ, called the Jacobson's organ, which is inoperative."

I thought it was kind of cool, thought I'd drop it by.

Meredith

Hello.. I have recently purchased a chameleon.. and i have been dusting his crickets with calcium at every feeding.. i noticed a few days ago a deposite coming out of one of his nostrils, and now today i noticed the other one.. i have started reading some web pages and some say that the deposites out of the nose are normal and i shouldn't worry.. and others say that it is because i am over doing the calcium suppliment.. and that it could be harmful to him. could you please tell me if it is a serious problem, or if i am just worrying too much.. if it is because of the calcium, how much is too much.. i have just been dumping the crickets in a bag and shaking them for a bit then throwing them in..

thanks

@Jacob: First, you are overdoing calcium supplementation. Once per month is probably overdoing calcium supplementation. Personally, I nearly never give supplements to my chameleon, after having been advised by a veterinarian to avoid it. Pet stores (and their employees) and pet supply companies have a vested interest in gaining your business; don't believe labels.

Adequate calcium should come from adequate calcium in the chameleon's food. More on that here:

http://www.veiled-chameleon.com/weblog/archives/000258.html

Adequate vitamin D should come from excellent UV lighting.

Oversupplementation is not harmless. It's a cause of many diseases in chameleons.

Now to the nose crystals: They're "normal" if you consider severe dehydration to be normal. I suggest that you try showering your chameleon...

http://www.veiled-chameleon.com/weblog/archives/000232.html

...and find a better way to make certain that it's getting enough water.

Alright, i don't get why some people say you can hold them and you can't? Why do u say you shouldnt?

Hi ya there. Just like to say that this is a really good website. I've had my veiled cham (budweiser) for a year now and when i got him i was so confused on the do's and dont's that so many websites tell you and had to pick things up on my own. I've just bought a female and am going to breed them. May need some help with that nearer the time! ha ha!

Thanks for the cool site and loads of info i didnt know.

Hey i like this site .. my boyfriend bought me a veiled .. and i cant keep my eyes off of it !.. i love her !. i no its a baby still but i was wondering on how you could tell its real age! like how many months it is ...

can a veiled chameleon hear things

i got a baby veiled the other day and it is only about 3 to 4 weeks old.... i set up the light on top of a screen cage and when i got hope from school i saw what looked like a burn hole in his back...... would he really sit under the light long enough to burn a hole in his body and not move away? email me---- x7fukindrama11x@yahoo.com

Zeahna,
I know sometimes that my Chameleon sits too long under the light but when that happens she usually moves to a cooler spot, but odd times she continues sitting there for no apparent reason.But she has never got burned,and i know nothing of them sitting in a spot to long to get burned.. but i suppose it could happen. You know they are too hot when their mouth is open. My Chameleon has never been burned, but make sure there is a place where your little guy can go, (shady area) and spay the cage and Chameleon with warm water when ever you can to keep the moisure level up, this might help. good luck

Should i turn the heat lamp off for my baby veiled at night - i turn the uv light off but i'm afraid he will get cold at night in Canada it's my second night with him i'm also worried about the crickets that he hasn't eaten biting him while he is sleeping so i was thinking of getting a separate terarium just for him to sleep in at night. good idea or not

hi, i was wondering, i have my second veiled cham. both of which had those weird nose crystals like someone else was talking about. i work at the national aquarium in baltimore, so i know a lot about humidity and i spray him all the time, and i also have a drip system set up. i do the calcium supplement about twice a week, i seen that you said that was too much. i dont understand how the crystals could be dehydration...both of my cham's have had this...could it be the oversupplementaion orr is it only dehydration?

Hey there. Love the site. I got a Veiled a couple of months ago. He's my second. My first died some years ago from being egg-bound. No one I talked to had a clue and the exotic vet I took her to told me she had salmonella that had gone systemic...psh! Anyway. 1st) Am I wasting my time keeping my veiled's tree close to a window? I've got the UVB bulb suspended over his tree so he gets that but I figure there's no substitute for the real thing. 2nd) And some may cringe at this but I've noticed that some insectivorous lizards in the wild also eat smaller lizards (juveniles of other species) I live in Dallas and my mom's back yard is crawling with juvenile anoles every spring. They're about the same size as the crickets he eats and I know for certain that they and the bugs they eat are pesticide-free. My mother is a totally organic grower. No Sevin dust no nothing. when she gets a problem with say aphids she gets ladybugs...etc. You think the anoles are worth a shot as a food item for my veiled? Also I checked on that Chameleon Journals website: they have a message up about some new server they've just installed and nothing about chameleons. Any news on when that site will be accessable again?

hey....i just bought a senegal chameleon a few days ago and i love her sooooo much that was thinking about getting another chameleon for the other side of the room....what is the best chameleon i could get...one that doesnt mind being held once n a while..oh yea...if i start holding my senegal when she is real young will she mind it when she's older???will it harm her??? please answer!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello I was just wondering when my veileds would be ready to breed. I don't know their exact age but they are about 8 to 12 inches tip to tip. They are very healthy, eat and drink well. They are growinglike bad weeds and fairly active. I also have them in separate cadges. Thanks for any insite,
Rick

Sup man! Did you ever find out anything new about the hearing on chameleons? email everything you know about it please hd_alien@hotmail.com

adam

I BOUGHT MY G/F A CHAMELEON ABOUT 8 MONTHS AGO. IT SEEMED TO BE DOING WELL AND SHE IS OBSESSED WITH THE LITTLE GUY... SHE TAKES AMAZING CARE OF IT BUT IT HAS FALLEN ILL LATELY... SHE SAID SHE FOUND HIM AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CAGE SEIZURING UNCONTROLABLY. SHE TOOK IT TO THE VET AND THE VET HAD NO CLUE. I REALIZE YOUR NOT A VET BUT I WANT TO DO EVERYTHING I CAN TO HELP THE POOR LITTLE GUY SO IF YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE THE HELP... THANKS

HI, I HAVE A VEILED CHAMELION FOR ABOUT ONE AND A HALF MONTHS,WHEN I FIRST GOT HIM HE HAD ALL OF HIS CLAWS; THIS MORNING I NOTICED HE'S MISSING LIKE FOUR OF HIS CLAWS ;IS THIS NORMAL?

hi, i got a baby veiled chameleon a few weeks ago and i was wondering how many crickets to feed him now that he's getting bigger because the place where i got him wasn't that solid on directions and he doesn't seem to be growing..what should i do?

Priscilla try to put only the amount of crickets he will eat as the crickets will nibble at their toes while they sleep. Chelsea put a few crickets in at a time once in a while to see how many he wants to eat. If he is still hunting then put in a few more. You can judge how many to feed him by this. Keep an eye out because if he still is hunting you will have to up his amount. He will slow down eating just before a shed. You know he is growing when he sheds. He will eat more in warmer weather.

I have looked and looked for ears on Herman and I always wondered if he had any or not!

dude awesome site! how do u put up with all the questions? lol, also i might add some people should look at other posts cause there are alot of re occuring posts and the answers are already there :P

Hello. We got a Veiled Cameleon about a week ago. The Pet store said he was a baby about 2 months old. We have been doing everything they told us and trying to maintain the humidity. But The past two day the Chameleon will not open it's eyes and we are very worried. The pet store said that it's a baby and they are not very active. But I have not seen it eat or open it's eyes. we are very worried and hope that you can help us out. Thank you Jacquie

Im getting a breeding pair of veileds at teh end of this month hopefully and was wondering is it safe to house them together, the vivarium they will be housed in is 5 foot tall and 4 foot wide it is about 2 foot from front to back as well. also which kind of plants are suitable for a vivarium of this size and are safe for the chameleons to eat? also at which age wil lthey breed because they are 8-10 cm when io get them.

REPLY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE PLEASE!
Flea

hi, i have recently got a veiled chamaeleon, and the pet shop told me that it was a male and iv looked all over for information as to why he is digging, but had no luck, do you know what reason he might be digging? thank buddie

Hi i have a baby veied i have only had him a few days and i love him to bits, when i got him i made sure i had all the right things for him tank to bugs. George seems to like his tank he has eaten from my hand and found the water dish in his tank. He spends a lot of his time sight seeing in his new home.
got up this morning took him out to say hello and he smells a bit funky any ideas why he smells and what can i do. ps very helpful site.

You need to do more research, Allana. If you've got a veiled chameleon in a tank and if you've given it a water dish, then you're giving it all of the wrong things. Those are no-nos.

ok im not really sure what you mean i got told that it was a veiled chamelion by the reptile centre that i bought him from and ive just been on the intenet and looked up a picture of him and put in veiled chamelion and it looks identical to him and he does go in to his water dish and he does drink it and i asked the centre if i had the right things for him and this is what they told me i needed :
water bowl which he does drink from
a bowl for the meal worms
locusts
baby silent crickets
wood to climb on
bark
subterate
big tank (eco terra tank)
heat lamp
sunlight lamp
heat mat if light not on 24/7
plants to hide in
spray tank twice a day to keep humidty
thermomiters
and put nutobal on food to keep bones strong
and i think thats about it
wb as soon as possible
thanks allana

Hey, nice site!

I have an about 3 month old Veiled, and I've got some questions about feeding him. I've been told when they are young, that I should let him eat as many as he will eat, but I have also been told that over feeding them is bad and that I should only feed him around five crickets a day. Well I know for sure that he can eat at least 10 small crickets in a sitting so I have been feeding him 6 in the morning and 6 at night, but still giving him enough time to bask and digest before the lights go off. He'll probably be ready for medium sized crickets soon which I will then feed him less of, but for now do you think my feeding schedule is ok? Thanks!

hey,
i currently bought a camelion back in May 07'. i haven't had any issues with her at all until now. she isnt eating properly she hasnt ate in 4 days, shes is dark brown (almost black) coloured. her tank is misted twice sometimes three times a day, she has been tryin to bite me when i try to pick her up. i noticed also, when she is sleeping .. she will be sittin on her branch being very weak and almost falling off. and just today i woke up and looked at her and she was sleeping upside down like almost if she was falling because of her being weak?! can you help me, i am starting to get a little worried and im no expert really.

amy.

CAN ANYONE PLEASE HELP ME ?!?! msg on here ASAP please-

Here is a tip. Get one of the medium sized plastic travel tanks. Take off the lid. Set this in the cage/tank for the chameleon. Then you can put the crickets in this. Most of the crickets will not be able to get out. In here you can put cricket food and stuff for the crickets. Use one of the flexible vines, or branches. Set it up so it gives the chameleons something to use to climb up and over the little cricket container. This lets the chameleons eat the crickets from above without the crickets escaping, and getting out, and/or hurting the chameleons. This is a good way to feed them. They can eat when they want then, and the crickets can't harm them.

For water they like to drink dripping water. Have a reptile water bowl in the tank. Set an ice cube above it so when it melts the water will drip into the water bowl. The chameleon will most likely drink from the bowl if it sees the water dripping into it. This is a good way to get your chameleon to drink. Also if you can get the liquid vitamin you can put a drop of this into the bowl so the chameleon will get some vitamins.

Wow, that's a really good idea. It'd even solve the problem of feeding crickets to a cage free chameleon.

hey I have a baby veiled. just wondering, what sorts of things I can feed him other than crickets. Also, the lighting situation. I have a U.V and a heat lamp, usually both on at the same time, and off for the night. is there a certain amount of time that the U.V should be on or is all day fine? Also I was told to get a red night bulb for him, is this a good idea? and the drip tray thing, I dont have one, worth the buy or no? one more thing. I've handled him lots and he doesnt seem to mind at all, in fact he explores more than he does in his cage sometimes. ill stop if its bad but it seems to be fine with him. ill appreciate the response, and any other general info you could give would also be greatly appreciated. thank you.

kevin_stafford_@hotmail.com

hey i realy need your help ive had a baby vaeil for a week now but my mates mum found a month ago it she lives in spain she kept for me until i moved out to its not been eating for her and not been eating for me she traid to feed it apple lettuce and meal worms ive traid to feed it apple and lettuce but nothing live yet its hard to find somthing small enough for him hes names george and hes abought as big my thunp so if you youd could give me some help as soon as possible soo my lovely goerge wont die

hey kevin its jack i usauly put my heatlmp on in the day and my uv in the night he seems to like that and the bulb gives him some heat in the night

why wint my chemeloen eat i need uyor help plzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Hi, we have a male for the past 2 months now- he is stubborn and has a temper- beautiful colours though! he is growing fast but still reluctant to drink water from a dropper.On putting him on my friend's arm, he remarked on how sharp his claws are. Can they be clipped if he is handled often. I wouldnt want to affect his grasp or hurt him- just got me thinking. thanks alot

HI I HAVE A VEILED CHAMELEON AND HE SEEMS VERY MEAN...I CANNOT PICK HIM UP I ALWAYS TRY TO COAX HIM ONTO MY HAND AND HE HISSES AND SNAPS AT ME....WHAT DO I DO I NEED HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE GET BACK TO ME ASAP!!!! THANK YOU

Leave him alone! his tiny little reptile mind canot process you wont eat him! give it time maybe he becomes less aggressive maybe not. Hi stress is bad. good luck!

hi, i've planned to buy a chameleon next week but i've read some mixed messages about handling. i obviously wouldnt handle the chameleon for hours on end but the man at the reptile shop- who seemed to know everything! about reptiles- said that frequent but not excessive handling is fine.
i would really appreciate any advice!

I got my male veil when he was full grown and I've had him for about 6 years. I'm worried because he is always falling from branches when trying to turn around in his cage and seems to have a hard time gripping. Do you think this is mainly due to old age? I feel bad watching him fall 3 feet to the bottom of the cage, but I'm not sure if there is really anything I can do for him. What do you think??

Thanks, Karin