Veiled Chameleon Environmental Danger Tips

Video Transcript

"NICOLE BRAGG: On behalf of Expert Village, I'm Nicole and I'm here to tell you about Veiled Chameleons. In the environment that you provide for your chameleon, there are several things that you need to make sure aren't dangerous. Some dangers in her environment could include exposed lighting or heat sources. You want to make sure that there is no access. There is no way that your lizard can reach the light sources or the heat sources because this can result in very severe burns. You don't want to have your heat sources up against the side of the cage because what this does is the chameleon will crawl up onto the side of the cage and try to absorb the heat through its belly. But the chameleon can't feel heat through the belly, so, they won't realize it that it's too hot and then before they know it, they're burned. This can prove to be very difficult to treat because chameleons are so antisocial, they're harder to hold and harder to treat. But if your chameleon does get a burn on its belly, make sure that you remove all dangerous heat sources. Providing your heat from the top of the cage is generally your best bet. Your lizard is not usually going to turn upside down and absorb the heat through their belly. So, from the top is the best bet. You want to provide lots of antibacterial ointment for your lizard's burn. You want to make sure it stays on there, you need to wipe it off and change it at least on a daily basis and make sure that you remove anything from the cage that could stick to the antibacterial ointment. Now, another danger in the environment for chameleons is ingestion of foreign objects. Because they are sticky-tongued creatures, their tongue will also catch surrounding items such as the substrate. I feed this one out of a dish but if were to throw a cricket in there that was running around, she would grab it and most likely, if it was on the ground, she'll collect some of the substrate and then she'll ingest it. Now, this can also cause intestinal blockage which could require a surgery. It's much easier avoided than it seems. Make sure that everything you have in your vivarium is large enough to not be swallowed and if it is small enough to be swallowed, it's biodegradable and digestible for your chameleon."