About: Chameleons are a diurnal (awake during the day) reptile, native to Africa, and a few countries in southern Europe. Veiled chameleons stop growing when they are around a year old, and can grow to be up to 2 feet as a male, or 18 inches as a female. Other species of chameleons can greatly vary in size, but most common pet chameleons are about 10-24 inches (including tail). On average, they live between 7 and 15 years.
Chameleons have independently moving eyes, allowing them to have 360-degree vision! While chameleons can make super cool pets, they are fairly sensitive and will require a lot of research and preparation before purchasing one.
Lighting: A lot of reptiles can develop calcium deficiencies, which is why having a UVB light for a chameleon is so important. UVB bulbs allow chameleons to produce Vitamin D3, which helps absorb calcium from their diet and can prevent diseases, while supporting their overall health.
They will also require a heat light. Tank size, and the air temperature can determine what wattage you need. Chameleons need a daytime temperature of 72-80°F, and a basking temperature of 85-90°F. It’s okay to turn the heat light off at night, as long as the temperature doesnât fall below 55à„° F. If it does, you may need a ceramic heat bulb or another lightless heating option.
Tank: Chameleons require a tall, screen-sided tank to allow for high ventilation. A minimum enclosure size is about 2ft x 2ft x 4ft, but anything bigger will allow more room for exploring, and you may even see behaviors you wouldn’t see in a smaller cage.
The best substrate is typically a mix of any reptile soil and coconut coir.
Chameleons like higher humidity at night (60-90%) and lower humidity during the day (40-60%). An easy way to maintain this is to mist 1-2 times daily. Adding moss to the tank can also help keep the humidity high.
Feeding and Watering: Chameleons are insectivores that eat a variety of gut loaded (feeding insects high-nutrient foods before feeding them to an animal) insects like dubia roaches, crickets, or superworms. These insects should be lightly dusted in calcium to help maintain bone health and prevent diseases for chameleons.
Baby veiled chameleons can eat daily, and adults can eat every other day to prevent obesity.
For water, chameleons will need a slow dripper because they only drink water droplets in the wild, and don’t recognize water bowls or standing water as a good water source.
Veiled Chameleon Supplies Checklist
- Screen Tank
- Water dropper
- Foliage
- Thermometer
- Hydrometer
- Light fixture
- Heat bulb
- UVB
- Mister
- Substrate
- Moss
- Tongs
- Critter keeper
- Calcium
