Veiled Chameleon

This page is educational reference material for preparing questions. A licensed veterinarian examines the animal, makes the diagnosis, and sets the treatment.

Five to eight years, and the female clock is faster

Veiled chameleons, Chamaeleo calyptratus, are the helmeted chameleons of Yemen: males up to about 18 to 24 inches including tail, females smaller, lifespan about 5 to 8 years. Care is intermediate. That is fair for someone who will build a screen cage before the animal arrives. It is a poor label for a glass kit from a fair and a hope that the lizard will drink from a bowl.

They drink moving water or droplets on leaves. A dripper or a heavy mist, then a dry-out, beats a waterfall feature that stays swampy. Basking up near 90 to 95°F at the top branch, a cooler lower zone, UVB that actually reaches the perch, and gut-loaded insects dusted with calcium. They will also take a little plant matter. Crickets alone, undusted, are how the jaw goes soft.

One lizard, and watch the belly

House them alone. Color darkening, eyes closed in the day, a perch on the floor, and a sunken casque are illness until proven otherwise. Females lay large clutches even without a male. A gravid female that stops digging, strains, or stays on the cage floor may be egg-bound. That is an emergency, not a week of extra crickets. Give a lay bin of moist soil before she is in trouble, and still have a clinic.

ARAV lists reptile vets. Not eating is the reptile appetite page. The checker is for the drive. This is a display animal. Handling is stress.

Veiled chameleon questions

How long do veiled chameleons live?

About 5 to 8 years. Males more often reach the long end. Females can die younger, especially if they retain eggs. Buy the animal knowing the years are short.

Can two veiled chameleons share a cage?

No. They are territorial. A pair in one screen cage is a fight you will notice after one animal is on the floor, dark, and thin.

Do they need a glass tank?

A tall screen cage, about 2 by 2 by 4 feet for an adult, moves air. A glass box holds stale humidity and is a common way these lizards get respiratory infections.