Veiled Chameleon Care Sheet

Veiled Chameleon Care Sheet

Chamaeleo calyptratus
Category
Lizard
Average Size
14 - 20 inches long
Average Lifespan
6 - 8 years
Diet Type
Omnivore

Diet & Nutrition

Veiled Chameleons are omnivores, although they eat mostly insects. Offer a variety of live insects including crickets, meal worms, wax worms, silk worms, tomato hornworms, and cockroaches. Vegetation includes turnip greens, collard greens, and mustard greens.

Feeding Schedule

Feed babies twice daily. At 2-3 months of age you can reduce to once daily.

Adults can eat daily, although some keepers feed every other day. Dust food with calcium powder daily & a multivitamin once a week. Feed them the amount they will eat in 10 minutes.

Housing & Habitat

Veiled Chameleons come from Yemen and are tree dwellers. Provide dense foliage and several different sized climbing branches. Chameleons must be kept alone. They can be kept in groups as babies for the first three months of their life. At three months of age, they must be separated. Chameleons must be kept in screen cages, no exceptions.

Glass Cages = Dead Veiled Chameleons

Enclosure Size

An adult must have a minimum cage size of 30" Long x 30" High x 16" Deep.

Substrate

Due to humidity requirements an absorbent substrate is desired. Peat moss or coconut fiber are preferred.

Temperature & Lighting

Temperature

Veiled Chameleons need a basking spot of 100°F. The cool end of the tank can be as cool as 70°F.

Lighting

Since this is a diurnal species, it requires two light bulbs. One is the heat lamp which also emits UVA. The second is a UVB lamp. The UVB lamp will specifically say UVB on the box. If the box doesn't say UVB, it's not UVB.

Plant and Fish bulbs are not UVB bulbs.

Humidity & Watering

Humidity

Humidity levels should be kept around 50%.

Watering

Chameleons DO NOT drink standing water. They only drink moving or dripping water. As a result, your chameleon enclosure must be sprayed heavily once a day. The leaves and decorations should be dripping wet when done spraying. The chameleon will drink the dripping water.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What do Veiled Chameleons eat?

Veiled Chameleons are omnivores, although they eat mostly insects. Offer a variety of live insects including crickets, meal worms, wax worms, silk worms, tomato hornworms, and cockroaches. Vegetation includes turnip greens, collard greens, and mustard greens.

What size enclosure does a Veiled Chameleon need?

Veiled Chameleons come from Yemen and are tree dwellers. Provide dense foliage and several different sized climbing branches. Chameleons must be kept alone. They can be kept in groups as babies for the first three months of their life. At three months of age, they must be separated. Chameleons must be kept in screen cages, no exceptions. Glass Cages = Dead Veiled Chameleons An adult must have a minimum cage size of 30" Long x 30" High x 16" Deep.

What temperature and lighting does a Veiled Chameleon need?

Veiled Chameleons need a basking spot of 100°F. The cool end of the tank can be as cool as 70°F. Since this is a diurnal species, it requires two light bulbs. One is the heat lamp which also emits UVA. The second is a UVB lamp. The UVB lamp will specifically say UVB on the box. If the box doesn't say UVB, it's not UVB. Plant and Fish bulbs are not UVB bulbs. Humidity: Humidity levels should be kept around 50%.