Your Veiled Chameleon's First Week: Settling In, Handling and What Is Normal

The first week is about leaving your chameleon alone. Keep lights, heat and misting on a steady schedule, offer food, and watch quietly from a distance. Chameleons are display animals that are easily stressed, so the less you do in the first days, the faster it settles.

Before day one

• The enclosure has run for several days with steady temperatures, UVB, misting and drainage. See the setup checklist.
• You have a week of gut-loaded insects ready.
• You have found a reptile vet. The ARAV keeps a Find A Vet directory.

Day one: getting it home

1. Travel in a dark, ventilated container, kept at a comfortable temperature. PetMD recommends a dark, covered, ventilated carrier for vet trips, and the same idea works for the journey home.
2. Let it walk out by itself. Open the container inside the enclosure, near a branch, and let the chameleon climb out in its own time. Do not pull it off the container.
3. Mist the enclosure so there are fresh droplets on the leaves.
4. Leave the room. Resist the urge to watch up close for hours.

Days one to seven: the routine

• Lights on a timer, 12 hours on and 12 off.
• Misting at least twice a day, morning and evening, as the Long Island Bird and Exotics vet clinic (LIBEVC) recommends. A dripper in the afternoon helps.
• Offer food from day two or three, a few insects in a feeding cup or released near the chameleon. Remove leftovers.
• Check numbers daily: basking branch temperature, the overnight low, and humidity morning and evening.
• Keep the room calm: no loud music next to the cage, and other pets out of sight.

When to start handling

Not this week. ReptiFiles says to leave a new chameleon alone for 1 to 2 weeks before trying to handle it. If it still is not eating after that, ReptiFiles says not to handle it and to see an experienced reptile vet.

Even after settling, most veiled chameleons do not enjoy handling. LIBEVC says most do not tolerate it well, and PetMD says to handle only when necessary, since frequent handling can cause stress or aggression. Think of your chameleon as an animal to watch, not to cuddle.

When you do need to move it:

• Approach calmly and slowly.
• Let it step on. LIBEVC says to let the chameleon walk onto your hand, using a branch as a bridge if possible. ReptiFiles says to move slowly, never restrain it, and never grab it from the enclosure.
• Never grab the tail or legs (LIBEVC).
• Wash your hands afterward. The RVC notes all reptiles can carry Salmonella.

Reading your chameleon

Signs of stress (LIBEVC): puffing up the throat and gaping (opening the mouth wide). If you see these when you come near, back away and give it space. Dull or dark coloring that lasts is a different matter: LIBEVC and PetMD treat it as a possible sign of illness (see below).

Normal in the first week:

• Hiding in the leaves and staying high up. The RVC says veiled chameleons feel most secure perching at a height.
• Eating little at first. ReptiFiles gives a new chameleon up to two weeks before a poor appetite becomes a reason to see the vet.
• Sleeping with eyes closed at night. Closed eyes only become a warning sign during the day (LIBEVC).

Not normal, so call a vet (LIBEVC and PetMD):

• Sunken or closed eyes during the day.
• Spending a lot of time on the floor.
• A weak grip, or trouble climbing.
• Swelling of the legs, feet or jaw.
• Persistent open-mouth breathing, wheezing or discharge from the nose or mouth.
• Staying dark for long periods. PetMD says a consistently dark color can mean illness and warrants a vet visit.
• Not eating at all after two weeks (ReptiFiles).

The first vet visit

LIBEVC recommends an exam by a reptile-experienced vet within the first few weeks, including a physical check and a fecal test for parasites. After that, LIBEVC, PetMD and the RVC all recommend a check-up once a year, even for a healthy chameleon.

Take photos of the enclosure, the lighting (with the exact bulb details), the misting setup and the food you use. PetMD suggests bringing these so the vet can check your husbandry, not just the animal.

Is it a male or a female?

Worth knowing early, because care differs. PetMD says males tend to be larger and more colorful, and ReptiFiles notes that the casque (the helmet on the head) is especially prominent in males. Reptiles Magazine puts adult males at about 2 feet (60 cm) and females at about 18 inches (45 cm). If you are not sure, your vet can tell you at the first visit. A female can lay eggs without ever meeting a male, so if yours is female, read about egg laying in common mistakes now and ask your vet about a laying container.

Common first-week worries

“I never see it drink.” Chameleons drink droplets, so the time to look is during and just after a misting session, ideally from across the room. Check that droplets form on leaves near where it sits, and that misting happens at least twice a day. If the eyes look sunken during the day, call your vet.

“It sits at the very top all day.” Check the basking branch temperature first. If it is in range, a new chameleon staying high is normal. If the top is too hot, it may be overheating, and LIBEVC warns that veiled chameleons may not move away from heat that is burning them.

“Can I let it roam the room?” Not this week, and ideally not at all without close watching. Floors and rooms are cold, dry and full of hazards, and stress is what you are trying to avoid.

End of week one checklist

• Basking branch, ambient and night temperatures steady and in range.
• Humidity following a day and night pattern.
• The chameleon has been seen drinking droplets, or droplets are disappearing from leaves.
• It has eaten at least a little.
• A vet appointment is booked.

Your new chameleon does not need you to do much this week. It needs you to do the same few things, at the same times, every single day, and then step back and let it settle.