The Veiled Chameleon: an Ideal “First Chameleon” and its Care
Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.
Chameleon fanciers are indeed fortunate that the chameleon best suited for captivity, the veiled or concave-casqued chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus) is also among the most beautiful and interesting of the group (it is also pathologically anti-social, but so are most of its relatives!). Turquoise, emerald green, yellow and tan, each in many shades, all find a place in this lizard’s repertoire of color changes. Male veiled chameleons approach 2 feet in length while females top out at about 14 inches.
The Casque
The bony, 3-4 inch high casque (helmet-like structure) that crowns the male’s head gives the species its alternative name of “concave-casqued chameleon”. The casque of the female is much smaller.
In addition to conferring the impression of greater size upon its owner – an important consideration in territorial disputes – the casque functions as a water condensation surface. Water gathering on the casque is funneled to the chameleon’s mouth by movable skin flaps, aiding survival in the dry habitats in which this species dwells.
Chameleon Cages
Ample space and ventilation are key in successfully keeping veiled chameleons. Weather permitting, heavily-planted outdoor cages are the ultimate in chameleon homes. Our outdoor aviaries are perfect …housing chameleons in this manner also offers the best chance of breeding success. Our large screen cages and terrarium top add-ons are ideal for indoor maintenance.
Feeding Veiled Chameleons
Dietary variety is an absolute must when it comes to keeping even the hardiest of chameleons, and the veiled is no exception. A diet restricted to crickets and mealworms will lead to your pet’s early demise. The main portion of their diet should be comprised of roaches, crickets, mealworm beetles, super mealworms, butterworms, waxworms, silkworms and tomato hornworms (these last two now available via internet dealers).
Canned Insects
Veiled chameleons also readily accept canned insects from plastic feeding tongs. Grasshoppers, silkworms and others should be used frequently to increase dietary variety.
Wild-Caught Insects
All chameleons become “nutritionally bored” over time, and most eventually refuse once-favored foods that are offered continually. With that in mind, I consider wild-caught insects, collected from pesticide-free areas, to be an essential element of chameleon husbandry. Zoo Med’s Bug Napper is an excellent insect trap.
Sweeping a net through tall grass and searching around outdoor lights will also yield a wide variety of tasty treats…katydids, grasshoppers, cicadas, moths, butterflies, beetles, caterpillars and other insects will all be eagerly accepted.
Nutrient Loading Feeder Insects
Food insects should themselves be given a nutritious diet before being offered to your pets. Please see my article Prepared Diets and Food Supplements for House Crickets for further information.
Leaves and Flowers….for a chameleon?
Oddly for a species belonging to a family of such highly-evolved predators, the veiled chameleon consumes a good deal of vegetation. Favored plant foods include dandelion (flowers and leaves), Ficus, romaine and the flowers of Nasturtium and Hibiscus.
Vitamins and Minerals
Adults fed a varied diet require a vitamin/mineral supplement once or twice weekly; the food of growing chameleons should be supplemented 3-4 times each week.
Further Reading
An interesting article on feral veiled chameleons in Florida is posted at http://www.naherpetology.org/pdf_files/208.pdf.
Future articles will cover the care and breeding of this species in greater detail…meanwhile, please write in with your questions and comments. Thanks, Frank Indiviglio.
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about 1 year ago
Are super mealworms nutritiously good for veiled chameleons? Also, an employee at a local pet smart store mentioned that you need to cut off the heads of the super mealworms before feeding to the lizard so as so avoid the possibility that the worm itself will eat its way out of the lizard. true/ false? Much thanks. David
about 1 year ago
Hello David, Frank Indiviglio here.
Thanks for your interest in our blog.
Good questions, glad you brought them up. Super mealworms, despite being larger than the unrelated “regular” mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) are actually lower in indigestible chitin and so are better in that sense. Also, they have very wide appetites, and hence are easy to “nutrient load”, making them a potentially valuable food item.
Its best to keep a colony going so that they are feeding on a nutritious diet before being themselves used as food…using direct from the store is usually not a good idea. Keep the grubs in a mix of Staple Diet Fish Flakes, Insect Gutload Powder, whole grain dry baby (“human baby”!) cereal and oat or corn meal, along with some banana skins, orange, carrots etc. for moisture (watch for mold). They should be allowed to feed for 2 days at least, but preferably longer. Room temperatures are fine, but metabolism speeds up as temperatures rise. Newly molted (white in color) grubs are best, but they do not molt as frequently as Tenebrio.
Use super mealworms as only part of a varied diet…as mentioned in the article, wild caught and canned insects are extremely important for veiled and other chameleons.
Regarding removing the grubs’ heads – chameleons masticate their prey well…not “chewing” as we know it, but insects are generally killed in the process, and their digestive enzymes are extremely powerful. I’ve never had any problems concerning damage to the chameleon, but would be sure to use appropriately sized insects and not to feed super mealworms to debilitated animals, which might not kill or digest them. Damage from a mealworm’s mouthparts might be more likely with frogs, which tend to take food down while still alive, and then only with animals in digestive distress (the enzymes kill most anything right away…cicadas swallowed by American bullfrogs stop buzzing in about 2 seconds, in my experience). A more likely potential problem area would be with large mealworms fed to small animals, or force fed to sick individuals. It is also important not to leave them at large in some situations, as they have carnivorous tendencies and will attack sick or chilled reptiles. I do not feed super mealworms to amphibians other than bullfrogs, Blomberg’s and marine toads and other robust species, but use them for many chameleons and other lizards.
Best regards, Frank Indiviglio.
about 1 year ago
i have green mold on my lizards eggs.what does this mean.what can i do to get rid of it?
about 1 year ago
Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.
Thanks for your interest in our blog.
Mold usually indicates that the incubation medium is too moist and/or that the eggs are not fertile or have ceased to develop. If you’d like to provide details as to how they were set up, I may be able to offer some advice re the next batch of eggs.
The eggs are most likely not viable; try looking at them against a bright light, to see if any blood vessels are visible. If so, you might try some methylene blue (1 drop dissolved in 2 oz. water) on the egg shells (use gloves, as it stains skin) but in all likely the eggs unfortunately will not hatch.
Good luck and please keep me posted.
Best regards, Frank Indiviglio.
about 1 month ago
i’m looking to buy my first chameleon. what species would be good to start with?
about 1 month ago
Hello Jason, Frank Indiviglio here.
Thanks for your interest in our blog. I would say a Veiled Chameleon for sure. Assuming you can provide enough space and a good diet, they can be quite hardy. Definitely not an animal to handle, however.
Please write back if you have further questions,
Good luck and please keep me posted.
Best regards, Frank Indiviglio.