Yay for Babies!

A friend of ours is going to be having baby veiled chams! They should hatch within the month.... He said he'd get me one! I'm so excited! Any advice?

 

Yeah! Read the caresheet! Chams are some of the most touchy animals to keep. Start making its home now.

 

Yeah I read it and I'm researching online. But, I find as with any animal personal experience is good too.

 

How little should the enclosure be at the beginning? Hubby is gonna start building this week, so we will be ready. And do they eat crickets that little?

 

From the care sheet...

Reptile feeders are readily available at most pet stores and online. For a good staple diet, you should vary the insects as much as possible. Some good ones to use are: crickets, silk worms, butter worms, and super worms. You can also give them the occasional wax worm, cockroach, or mealworm, but none of these are good for a staple diet. They are high in fat or hard to digest due to Chitin. (The hard exoskeleton of some feeders.)

If you notice any discoloration on any of the feeders, or they look like they are not healthy, don't feed them to your Cham. It is better to be safe than sorry. (Avoid feeding insects that are caught outside. They may have pesticides on them and can be lethal to your Chameleon.)

A good diet for a Chameleon 0-6 months would consist of approximately 10 insects daily that are proportionate to the size of the Chameleons head. These insects can be given in 2 feedings.

Increase the size of the insect as your Chameleon grows. Around 6 months of age, you will want to cut back the number of feeders per day, to around 6.

With a full-grown adult Veiled Chameleon, you can limit feedings to every other day.

You can also offer vegetables to Veiled Chameleons, and the majority of them will eat them.

They will also eat their plants, so you may want to provide them with something tasty, like hibiscus.

 

Get ready to get your fingers chewed at. Anytime you touch a baby, open mouth and strike. lol It doesn't hurt though. Chameleons are absolutely awesome. Congrats. I'm just saying, if your friend could hold them maybe for about 2 months. It would be a lot better, they have trouble adjusting, especially at that age, and a food source for newborns is a pain! Let me tell you, flightless fruit flies are the best for hatchlings. Pinheads will be too big if for under a month. 2-4 months eating nice and healthy are the best time to take them into your care. Good luck, hope all goes well.

 

Well, I believe he is keeping them for a short time. I am unsure of how long. I will ask him to for a month or 2. We are going out today after hubby gets home to get some supplies to start building the big enclosure. We found a small screened plastic cage type deal for the baby. It's not tiny but not huge. I think it's the perfect size. I cant wait to get him I'm so excited. They came over yesterday and said they held all the eggs to the light and there were viable moving baby chams in each and every one. That's such good news! Thanks for all the help.

 

Ok, he called me today about the lil hatchlings. They are moving and wiggling around! I can't wait! He said maybe 2 weeks before they start to arrive. YAY! I'm trying to get a cabinet of some sort to convert into a screened in enclosure. and he is keeping the babies for about a week or 2. He said that way I don't get one and it die the next day. I feel like I'm about to give birth any day, haha! Anyone else get this excited with their first cham?

 

Is he keeping the babies for a week or 2 after they have been born before he gives one to you?

 

Yeah, and he lives close by and said if any problems arise I can take him back. Or should I leave him there longer?

 

Well the cham is free. I traded him a 6 foot burmese python. He likes snakes and I like chams It worked out well and I have never had a chameleon, but he doesn't know anything about them either. He is incubating them for a friend who didn't have one. He knows a lot about eggs and babies just not chams. He says that they are doing well and hes researched the topic and they are wiggling about and thriving. I've been here and at chameleonforums.com checking out baby care there as well. I made a little tiny cage out of a milk carton. I found the plans for that online. I think I can keep him alive as I've done a ton of work. I think I could talk him into keeping him longer. I think I have a better chance at his survival than he does. Any suggestions?

 

Thats why I'm getting one for free. He knows nothing. He's just hatching them in an incubator that his friend didnt have. Which I should see if I can get a few eggs from him and put them in a tuppy here. But I'll leave them be. Maybe I can get a few babies! Thats why I said I'l take one as soon as he's ready to let it go. Because if I'm having trouble I can come on here. Ya'll know a lot more than me and can help in any case that arises. Prepare for a lot of threads btw

 

Just make sure you keep us updated with pics, we love pics, and you keep a record for yourself of how often you mist how much you feed, how often shedding occurs and defecation etc. This will not only help you monitor the chams growth but also if the cham becomes ill then there is a written account of his upbringing for the vet to assess.

Good luck and best wishes when you get your little one.

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