Classification
Order: squamata
Family: chamaeleonidae
Subfamily: chamaeleoninae
Genus: chamaeleo
Species: chamaeleo calyptratus
Subspecies: С.c.calyptratus, С.c.calcarifer.
Habitat
The veiled chameleon is native to Yemen and Saudi Arabia. It can be found along the coasts, in the areas with significant rainfalls, or in the valleys with a lot of vegetation.
The subspecies chamaeleo calyptratus lives in the rocky northern part of Saudi Arabia where it can be found up to 3500 m above the sea level. The climate there is moderate and dry, the temperature at daytime is between 25 and 32 degrees, and 6-7 degrees lower at night. This subspecies is a lot bigger and brighter than С.c.calcarifer that can be found in drier and hotter areas of the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia.
The veiled chameleon has been introduced to Hawaii and Florida.
Outward appearance
The adult male is 45-60 cm long, the female is about 35 cm long and are thicker. The veiled chameleon is one if the largest representatives of the family.
Young veiled chameleons are green, and as they get older they develop stripes.
Adult chameleons can have varied colouring. On average males are brighter than females: on the green background they have three yellow spots framed by orange and brown stripes. Their heads have high (up to 7-8 cm) helmet on the top of the head. Females have much smaller helmets. Males can also be distinguished by a small spur on their back feet. The chameleon’s tail is flexible and mobile that helps them to climb trees.
Character
The veiled chameleon is usually sedentary; it stays in one place, grabbing the branch with its legs and tail. But if a necessity arises, they can run and jump quite quickly.
Males are aggressive to each other and cannot be kept together. The veiled chameleon should be kept alone or in couples: a male and a female.
Females can change colour during the pregnancy. Both sexes change colour when stressed. Also the colouring can change depending on conditions and environment.
Maintenance care
The veiled chameleon needs a vertical enclosure, preferably with one net wall or with big air inlets covered with the net, since it is an arboreal lizard. The tank has to be large, the bigger the better. For one chameleon the tank should be at least 1 m long, 80 cm tall and 40 cm wide. For a couple of lizards or for a harem the tank should be bigger.
For substrate you can use sphagnum since it maintains the necessary humidity in the enclosure. You can put on it pots with big endurable plants, such as dragon trees, monstera, pothos, philodendron. You should put in big braches and logs.
A water bowl is not needed: chameleons lick drops from leaves, so you will have to mist the enclosure twice a day.
The ambient temperature should be from 17*C at night to 27-29*C at daytime. The temperature at the basking spot can reach 32-35*C (normally on one of the logs under reflector or a heating lamp). UV lamps are a must.
The air humidity should be within the range from 50 to 60%.
The veiled chameleon needs about 12 hours of bright light a day.
Feeding
The veiled chameleon is omnivorous: it eats both plant and animal feed. Adult chameleons should be fed every second day, hatchlings are fed daily. In captivity they can be fed with crickets, cockroaches, mealworms and occasionally pink mice. Of plant food they prefer juicy fruit and vegetables: lettuce, dandelions, bell pepper, squash, pumpkins, pears, apples, peaches, plums. You should add to the food vitamins and mineral supplements.
Features
The veiled chameleon is easily tamed, they can be handled.
They are easy to keep and suitable for beginners.
This lizard requires a large tank.
It needs live feed.
Diseases
Rachitis is a bone disease. The symptoms can be the following: the lizard rocks from side to side, its joints are distorted, it walks in a strange way, the helmet gets bent, the lower jaw becomes soft, it cannot put out the tongue or chew. Rachitis appears as a result of lack of calcium and D3 vitamin which, in its turn, is the outcome of insufficient UV light. The best prevention is proper care.
If the level of humidity in the enclosure is not high enough, the chameleon can keep some shed skin on and this can lead to necrosis. The molted skin has to be removed with the help of tweezers, but you have to wet it properly first. The prevention is to maintain the appropriate level of humidity in the enclosure by regular misting.
The lack of minerals: the lizard starts eating soil. You have to add mineral supplements to the chameleon’s menu.
Respiratory diseases: the chameleon gets weak, loses appetite, the body gets swollen and it breathes loudly. The reason for that is normally improper ventilation. Such illnesses are treated with antibiotics that should be prescribed by a vet.
Eye infections: the lizard’s eyes start itching and it rubs them against hard objects. In tis case the eyes should be washed with the medicine Ciprovet.
Stress is the most common problem. It can be caused with other lizards in the same enclosure, wrong type of light or wrong temperature or too many people around the enclosure. It is easy to know when the chameleon is stressed: it stays darker than usual for a long time. If the chameleon grabs a branch and sits like that for a long time, this means it is stressed. You should find the reason for it and eliminate it.
Breeding
The veiled chameleon is sexually mature within 9 and 12 months of age. During the mating season males get brightly colored. The copulation normally takes place within one day after a male and a female are put together. After that females become dark-green, almost black, with round bright yellow spots all over the body. This coloring shows that the female is pregnant. Besides, after copulation the female gets very aggressive and doesn’t let the male to come close. One month after mating the female digs a hole in the substrate and lays eggs. It is important that the female drinks a lot during the pregnancy. A female lays up to 85 eggs. It is best to incubate them under the temperature of 27-28 degrees for 5-10 months. Hatchlings are very fragile and require frequent feeding with small insects. Mineral supplements and vitamins as well as UV light are a must for them. Males become aggressive towards each other at the age of 3 months, then they should be separated.
Average life span is up to 10 years.
