Housing

It is best to keep veiled chameleons individually in their own enclosures after they reach sexual maturity at around 8 to 10 months of age, to avoid potential stress and fighting. Veiled chameleons do best in screen-sided enclosures because of the increased airflow. Glass aquariums, on the other hand, are difficult to find in the appropriate sizes, and they create stagnant air that can lead to upper-respiratory infections in veiled chameleons.

For adult veiled chameleons, bigger is better as far as their enclosures are concerned. The ideal enclosure for an adult male veiled chameleon would be a screened enclosure measuring about 36" wide by 36" tall and 18" feet deep. This gives just enough height and width to move around and just enough depth to comfortably turn around. Realistically, a full grown veiled chameleon should be measured in feet, not inches as they need lots of room. 

If you are purchasing a baby or juvenile veiled chameleon, it is best to start with a small enclosure and then move up to a larger cage when the chameleon gets older. Babies and juveniles can be kept in smaller screened enclosures measuring 16 inches long by 16 inches deep and 30 inches tall until they are approximately 8 to 10 months old, at which point they will need to be moved into one of the larger enclosure mentioned previously.

The interior of a veiled chameleon enclosure should be furnished with medium-sized vines and foliage for the chameleons to hide in. The vines provide important horizontal perches, and your chameleon will rest, bask and travel upon them. Synthetic plants with plastic leaves (not silk) can be used together with common, non-toxic plants such as Ficus, Schefflera, Hibiscus and Pothos; these live plants will provide cover and also help to maintain humidity inside the enclosure.

We do not recommend any type of particle substrate for the bottom of a veiled chameleon enclosure. Such substrates may result in impaction if they are accidentally ingested, or provide a hiding place for uneaten feeder insects. They may also harbor bacteria and fungus. The floor of the enclosure can be kept bare or covered with a layer of paper towels, instead, which should be changed regularly. Bioactive substrsate is an option but difficult to maintain at such a large floor space.

For veiled chameleons, a daytime temperature of about 72 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit should be provided along with a basking spot at 85 to 95 degrees. As long as your home doesn't drop below 65 to 70 degrees at night, heating at night isn't necessary but as always a safety net of a heat source with a thermostat is reccomended.

Heating is best accomplished by using a halogen bulb for daytime basking and a deep heat projector for night time lower temp floor, all of which should be placed outside of the cage to prevent burns.

All chameleons need a full spectrum ultraviolet (UVA/UVB) light source. Keep the full spectrum UV light on for 10 to 12 hours per day and follow the manufacturer's recommendation for the distance that the bulb should be placed from where your chameleon can climb (usually 6 to 12 inches).

Remember these bulbs need to be replaced every six months. Chameleons also benefit from spending time outdoors in natural sunlight when the temperatures are warm enough (but beware of overheating so make sure shade is always available).

Feeding

Veiled chameleons can be fed a staple diet of crickets that are as long as your chameleon’s head is wide. Baby and juvenile veiled chameleons should be fed once or twice a day, with almost constant access to food. As they get older, you can feed them slightly less often. Adults can be fed every other day.

Feed veiled chameleons crickets, and increase their nutrition value by dusting with a calcium/vitamin supplement (especially important for breeding females and juveniles) as well as gut loading.

It is important to supplement your crickets with calcium and vitamins to help promote your veiled chameleon’s proper growth and health. This is especially important for breeding females and growing babies and juveniles. For babies and juveniles, dust their crickets with calcium two to three times a week and with vitamins once every two weeks. This dusting regimen can be decreased for adults. To make crickets more nutritious, which will ultimately benefit your veiled chameleon, gut-load them with nutritious foods such as collard greens, mustard greens, squash, orange and/or commercial cricket diets.

Being arboreal, veiled chameleons do not typically encounter standing water such as that found inside a water dish. As a result, they typically do not recognize dishes as a source of drinking water. They drink water from morning dew and rain that has fallen onto leaves, so it is important to mist your veiled chameleon enclosure with a spray bottle twice a day for approximately two minutes, including all the leaves and branches in the enclosure. Your chameleon will lap water up from the leaves. You can also purchase a drip system, which will allow water to slowly drip out of a water container over a period of time, spattering onto the leaves below.

Handling

Chameleons generally do not enjoy being handled. In fact they do best in quiet stress free environments. Frequent handling, high traffic areas and loud noises can cause them enough stress to develop health issues and even death. This is an animal you should look more than touch, minimizing your direct interaction. They will enjoy your low energy presence, and will interact at feeding time with you by putting on a great show with that tongue, but they generally do not want to be touch and can bite.