VEILED CHAMELEON

Here is a comprehensive care sheet for a Veiled Chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus):
🦎 Veiled Chameleon Care Sheet
1. Housing & Enclosure
* Type: All-mesh or screen enclosures are mandatory. Glass or solid-walled tanks trap stagnant humidity and lead to upper respiratory infections.
* Minimum Size:
* Juvenile: 16" x 16" x 30" (or similar screen cage)
* Adult Female: Minimum 24" L x 24" W x 48" H screen enclosure.
* Decor & Setup: Fill the enclosure with plenty of horizontal and vertical branches of varying thicknesses. Use non-toxic live plants (like Ficus, Hibiscus, or Pothos) combined with silk foliage to provide dense coverage so she feels secure.
2. Lighting & Heating
* Basking Temperature: 85°F to 90°F at the highest basking branch.
* Ambient Temperature: 72°F to 78°F during the day, with a nighttime drop down to 65°F to 70°F.
* UVB Lighting (Crucial): A high-output linear UVB fluorescent bulb (such as a Reptisun 5.0 or 10.0 HO T5 tube) must run for 10–12 hours a day. UVB is vital for synthesizing vitamin D3 and preventing Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD). Coil bulbs do not provide adequate coverage.
3. Hydration & Humidity
* Humidity: Keep ambient humidity between 50% and 70% (nighttime spikes are normal).
* Drinking: Chameleons rarely drink from standing water bowls. They rely on moving or glistening water.
* Use an automatic drip system or manually mist the enclosure 2–3 times a day so she can lick water droplets off leaves.
4. Diet & Nutrition
* Type: Strictly insectivorous.
* Staple Insects: Gut-loaded crickets, Dubia roaches, and black soldier fly larvae (BSFL).
* Treats (Occasionally): Hornworms, silkworms, and waxworms (high in fat, feed sparingly).
* Supplementation:
* Dust insects with pure calcium (without D3) on most feedings.
* Use calcium with D3 and a multi-vitamin rotation 1–2 times a month.
5. Special Consideration for Females (Egg Laying)
* Female veiled chameleons produce infertile clutches of eggs even if they have never been housed with a male.
* The Lay Bin: Once she reaches maturity (around 6–9 months), keep a dedicated lay bin in her enclosure (a small bucket filled with a 50/50 mix of organic topsoil and play sand that holds its shape when damp) so she has a safe place to deposit eggs when gravid.