Hi Everyone,

Newbie, new to reptiles and requiring some basic advise if I may?

I have a young male veiled Yemen chameleon approx 6”-8” long, and whilst I think I have the “basics” mastered I would just like some reassurance if at all possible?

Is this type of chameleon ok to handle on a daily basis, whilst he changes colour and hisses slightly when I first offer him my finger to rest on, once he is on my hand and out of the viv he returns to a light colour almost straight away, he seems to enjoy being out, and quite happy to eat from my hand, and goes for a wander up to the highest point he can. How long should I allow him to be out or is there no real time limit? He is not in entirely direct sunlight or a draught.

Secondly, at times he seems to yawn & shake his body, this happens mostly in the mornings, but can occur at anytime throughout the day. Is this normal behaviour?

Lastly, can you over-feed this species? He seems to have put on a bit of weight in the 3 weeks we’ve had him, he’s averaging around 6-8 crickets per day. I’ve not seem him drink any water droplets yet, even thou I mist his viv twice a day, should this be a concern?

Like I mentioned he seems healthy, foods going in & coming out, skins is perfect (he’s shed one lot already) and he seems very active when in the mood or chasing food.

Any help/advise would be appreciated, as there seems to be so much conflicting advise on the web. Can anyone recomend any books of further sources of information on veiled chameleons.

Thanks.

Hi just welcome you to the forum enjoy it,sorry can't help with chameleons as I don't keep them,but someone will give you advise I'm sure.

hi and welcome to the forum

ok firstly the shaking after a good yawn is pretty normal all mine have a good shake in the morning with a yawn lol as long as there is no shaking and trembling of the limbs there is nothing to worry about.

as for handling i would personally only handle him for a few minutes every couple of days.chameleons hate being handled but it wont cause him any harm handling for a few mins every other day.if hes out wandering he can stay out of his habitat id say for 30 mins, more than that and he will get cold and probably fall asleep somewhere high lol.

as you have a male yemen i can tell you no you cant over feed him..males cant store fat so he wont get obese and he will only eat if hes hungry.i always make sure there is food avaliable in my cham enclosures so the chams can decide themselves when to eat.

as for good books on this species i would reccomend this one firstly..its a bit dated but it has some really good info
NHBS - Chamaeleo Calyptratus: The Yemen Chameleon - Wolfgang Schmidt

and also this one its not just about yemens but its a must have for chameleon owners
NHBS - Chameleons - Petr Necas

Thanks for the responce, books ordered and everything is going well....