Yemen/veiled chameleons are the most common pet chameleon ("cham"), due to them being more hardy than other chameleons, their impressive features, and the stunning colours that they can produce. They originate in the coastal forests of Yemen and Saudi Arabia, and this is the environment that we try to replicate when keeping them. As hatchlings, they are small enough to curl up in an egg the size of a baked bean. As adults, males normally grow to around 20 to 30 cm (8 to 12 inches) long from their nose to their back legs with a similarly long tail, and females normally grow to around 15 cm long from their nose to their back legs with a similarly long tail, taking around 6-12 months to obtain that size. They should normally live for 5 to 8 years.
They can be fairly defensive and territorial, and can produce a formidable display if they are upset. Males can be easily identified, even when young, by the presence of a small spur on the heels of the rear feet. Adult males have larger head crests (casques).
Yemen/veiled chameleons are arboreal, adopting a tree as their home. They have specially adapted hands and feet with conjoined toes, for grabbing twigs. They are diurnal (awake during the day), spending most of their time hiding in the leaves. They can change their colours when they are awake, but despite the popular claim, they do not change colour to match their surroundings, they do not camouflage, and they will not change colour to match items that they touch (videos and films showing this behaviour are all falsified for entertainment purposes). They change colour based on their temperature and mood, with adult males having more elaborate patterns. The colours can include green, yellow, black, white, brown and sometimes hints of blue or turquoise. Green and/or blue typically means warm and relaxed. Black or dark brown means the lizard is upset or trying to warm up. Brown stripes are relaxed colours for adult males. Black speckles, black patterns, or yellow stripes with dark black outlines normally indicates fear or defensiveness, or displaying to other chameleons.
Panther chameleons are a fairly common pet chameleon ("cham"), due to the vivid colours that they can produce. They originate in the rainforests of Madagascar, and this is the environment that we try to replicate when keeping them. As hatchlings, they are the same size as a Yemen/veiled chameleon, but as adults, they are a bit smaller than Yemen/veiled chameleons, with females being half the size of males, taking around 6-12 months to obtain that size. They should normally live for 5 to 8 years.
They are normally less defensive than Yemen/veiled chameleons, but can still produce a formidable display if they are upset. They are less hardy than Yemen/veiled chameleons. Males cannot be reliably identified until they begin to display their adult colours, but breeders can sometimes identify them sooner by looking for tiny differences in the shapes of the nose and vent between siblings of the same age.
Panther chameleons are arboreal, adopting a tree as their home. They have specially adapted hands and feet with conjoined toes, for grabbing twigs. They are diurnal (awake during the day), spending most of their time hiding in the leaves. They can change their colours when they are awake (some fade to white when sleeping), but once again, they do not change colour to match their surroundings, they do not camouflage, and they will not change colour to match items that they touch. They change colour based on their temperature and mood, with adult males having far more elaborate patterns, and far more impressive colours. Females are normally yellow or salmon coloured and will turn dark when upset or trying to warm up, and may show black speckles when afraid. Male colours can include green, red, blue, yellow, black, white and brown. Chameleons from different parts of Madagascar have different colours, but in general they will increase the amount of red when they are upset or displaying. To confuse matters, with chameleons from certain areas, or hybrids from certain area combinations, males and females can randomly develop either male or female colours, so the colours are not always a reliable indicator.
A lizard's enclosure is its home. The place where it is happy to spend its time, and the place it feels safest. Chameleons in general do not cope with poorly set up enclosures, so the enclosure needs to have the correct conditions, furnishings, and utilities.
An appropriate sized enclosure for a hatchling or adult Yemen/veiled or panther chameleon is 60 cm (2 feet) long (side-to-side), 45 cm (1.5 feet) wide (front-to-back), and 90 cm (3 feet) high. Examples include the Vivexotic Repti-Home Viva+ Arboreal Small vivarium. Although the length can be increased a little for adults, very large enclosures can cause the chameleon to hide all the time, and be upset when they finally see a human. The enclosure needs to be well ventilated, with several air holes. Chameleons may locate openings in their enclosures, and can escape if their enclosures are not properly closed, or have gaps that the lizard can squeeze through. Escaped chameleons can quickly become ill and cannot survive for long in a house.
Ideally, the enclosure should be made of wood, with glass doors (all-glass enclosures are often available, but are very difficult to heat correctly, and make the lizard feel like it is on-show all the time, which will make it very nervous - all-glass enclosures are not recommended). The wood will need to be waterproofed with a non-toxic plastic or varnish, and for best results, all joints should be sealed with aquarium silicone. Typical enclosures are made from melamine faced chipboard, which is already waterproof, but still benefits from having the joints sealed.
The enclosure needs to have an unscented substrate (bedding) on the bottom that is designed for retaining humidity, and resists mould. Ideally it should be soft, as chameleons may simply let go and fall if they are startled. Coconut fibre bedding is the best option as it is soft, but harder bark chips and cypress mulch can also be used. The substrate should be about 2.5 to 5 cm (1 to 2 inches) deep. Aspen, hemp, lignocell, beech chips and sand can cause serious health problems, as they absorb moisture, and cause the lizard to suffer or die from dehydration. Note that sand is often recommended by suppliers in spite of this risk. Although Yemen/veiled chameleons come from the Arabian peninsula, they are most abundant on grass and plant covered mountains, not on sand - these are the ones in the pet trade, and they are not adapted to living on sand. (There are some that naturally live in humid sandy areas with relatively cooler temperatures, which have to eat more greenery to keep hydrated, as well as basking much more effectively. It is extremely hard to produce these humid conditions with sand in a vivarium while still providing the chameleon with the right choices of sunshine. Sand should simply be avoided.)
During the daytime, a basking lamp heats an elevated platform to over 30 to 35°C (86 to 95°F), leaving the lower end at about room temperature. The bulb should be mounted on the ceiling of the enclosure, partly towards one side of the enclosure rather than in the middle so that it creates a horizontal temperature gradient as well. This heat gradient provides lots of choices of temperature, allowing the lizard to warm up when it needs to, and cool down when it needs to. The lizard chooses the temperature it wants. At night time, the temperature is allowed to drop as low as 15°C (59°F); a typical house should be warm enough. If the house gets colder than this at night, a suitably powered heat mat may be attached to the back wall of the vivarium for use at night, but care then needs to be taken not to get it wet. There are other ways to heat the vivarium, such as ceramic heaters (with a pulse proportional thermostat), but the basking lamp is the best approach, as the lizards are attracted to the light when they want to warm up, and the UVA (not UVB) that it gives off may improve their overall happiness. Heater guards are optional for the basking lamp and may encourage the lizard to try to climb up onto the guard - they do not normally try to climb up onto a bright light (they don't try to climb onto the sun in nature), but a guard may be needed for some chameleons. Ceramic heaters must have guards, because the lizard will not realise it is the source of the heat and could easily be burned by it if they ever manage to reach it.
Note that basking lamps, like most heaters, work by radiated heat, not by heating the air. Thermometers usually measure the air temperature, so will give a false reading. The important temperature is the one that will be reached by an object - the animal or something representing it - when it is placed near the heater for long enough to absorb the radiated heat (a number of hours). Infrared thermometers allow you to measure the temperature of the substrate, ornaments, and animal, rather than the temperature of the air. Wet substrates will appear to be colder than dry ones. Test dry surfaces when measuring temperatures.
The enclosure should contain several decorative plants and vines/branches for the lizard to climb on - some of these must reach the floor so that the lizard can climb up onto them. It is best to use artificial - plastic - plants, as the lighting required to keep plants alive is different from the lighting required to keep the lizard alive. If live plants are used, they must be safe for the lizard to eat. Branches can be natural but must be reptile-safe and resistant to rotting. One part of the branches should form an elevated basking platform, about 20 to 30 cm (8 to 12 inches) below the basking lamp. For very small hatchlings or elderly chameleons, it can help to lower the lights and branches, so that the lizard does not have to climb too high to get warm, to reduce the risk of falling. It must not be possible for the lizard to reach and climb up onto the lights, or they can suffer severe burns or eye damage.
A large water bowl should be placed on the floor. For the enclosure size described above, a bowl the size of your face should suffice. The bowl should be quite shallow, and it helps to have some plastic leaves or cork bark floating in it, so that insects can use them to climb out and avoid drowning. The main purpose of the bowl is to increase ambient humidity, but it also provides a drink for the lizard, if it can work out how to use it.
After the initial move into your first enclosure, avoid making too many changes all at once, as this can make the lizard feel insecure. Add decorations slowly, one at a time, with a few days in between for the lizard to get used to the new content.
The enclosure should ideally be placed in the living room next to the sofa, facing the sofa, not in front of a radiator, and not in direct view of sunshine. They should see people near their enclosure in a non-threatening way as often as possible (hence facing the sofa), as this helps to tame them. They should not be able to see trees moving through any windows, as they may interpret this as a threat from another chameleon. At all times, the animal and enclosure must be kept away from smoke, fireplace and cooking fumes, aerosols, chemical/alcohol sprays, air fresheners, and any scented or fragranced products that are not safe for use with reptiles (smoke must not be allowed to drift in through the window either).
The basking lamp is a special spot lamp, designed to project its heat downwards and spread it the right amount for the lizard. It is best to buy a dedicated bulb. It hangs downwards so that it points towards the basking platform. For the size of enclosure described above, a 100 Watt basking lamp is normally sufficient, but a 75 Watt bulb may be used on very hot days. Alternatively, a more powerful bulb may be used, with a dimming thermostat reducing its power output so that the temperature in the centre of the vivarium is about 27 to 30°C (81 to 86°F).
Like many lizards, chameleons need vitamin D3, which they naturally obtain from UVB light. They require it in quite high levels, and they require a UVB bulb. It is essential equipment, and bone problems or death manifest very quickly with chameleons that are kept without UVB lighting.
The UVB lamp must be replaced every 6, 9 or 12 months depending on the brand, even if it still appears to be functioning (human eyes cannot see when the UV output drops too far). Write the date on the bulb with a permanent marker to avoid forgetting. The UVB strength must be the correct strength for forest-dwelling reptiles. If it is too strong it may cause eye damage. Medium strength UVB bulbs are usually best, sometimes labelled as "5%" or "6%". Reptile Systems and Zoo Med lights are recommended. Strip lights are far better than compact fluorescents - compacts only project a useful amount of UVB for a distance of about 20 cm (8 inches) from the bulb, and it can be difficult to encourage the lizard to spend enough time at this distance (if used, they must be placed right next to the basking lamp). The strip light can project a useful amount of UVB much further, over a larger area of the enclosure. A T8 bulb is usually sufficient (with an optional reflector), mounted about 30 to 38 cm (12 to 15 inches) from the basking platform, normally attached to the back wall or ceiling. (Cheap fakes - household bulbs with their labels removed - have been found. Make sure you are buying a legitimate, branded bulb from a reputable retailer.)
Lighting patterns should match the sun, switching on in the morning and off in the evening, eg. 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM, with no difference between summer and winter day lengths. Both lights must switch off at night so that the lizard can experience a natural sunlight cycle. The lizard must spend several hours per day in the enclosure to ensure that it has gathered enough UVB (though it can cope for a few days if it is being transported, or if the lamp has failed).
Yemen/veiled and panther chameleons need a higher humidity than the average home, rising when it rains then dropping back a lower amount in between, like their natural environment. This cycle can be simulated by spraying the enclosure with fresh, lukewarm water. With Yemen/veiled chameleons, this should be done once per day, ideally in the morning, about an hour after the lights come on. With panther chameleons, this should be done twice per day, ideally in the morning and afternoon (a couple of hours before the lights are due to switch off). This should preferably be done using a handheld spray bottle - one that has never contained toxic chemicals. The walls and leaves in the enclosure should be dripping - this is what the chameleon drinks. The lizard must also be gently sprayed to remind them that it is raining, even though they may dislike it. It is important not to forget to spray a chameleon. Waterfall ornaments can also be used, especially with panther chameleons, to increase the ambiant humidity, and provide a water source that the chameleon will recognise. (Autimatic spraying - not fogging - systems may also be used, but these need regular maintenance, and the interaction from manual spraying helps to tame the lizard.)
The water in the bowl should be replaced a few times per week. Weekly, or immediately if the lizard has left faeces in it, the water bowl should be cleaned with a reptile-safe disinfectant, and the water replaced. Normal disinfectants can contain dangerous toxins. As often as needed, perhaps a few times per week, the old water can be tipped into the substrate to keep it damp. The substrate should be visibly damp, but there should not be enough water for puddles to form on the surface.
Chameleon faeces usually appear as a black and white clump, often intentionally left on the floor or sometimes on the leaves. Remove these with a tissue. Perhaps once per month or so, thoroughly clean the walls and plants.
Once every six months, or whenever the substrate becomes too dirty, clean the enclosure and ornaments with a reptile-safe disinfectant, and replace the substrate.
Hatchling chameleons can live together for their first few months. Once they begin to get their adult hormones, they normally become fiercely territorial, and must not be kept together. They can easily harm or even kill each other if forced to live together. Chameleons must not be able to see each other through their enclosure windows, as this causes constant stress.
Yemen/veiled and panther chameleons need to be exercised daily, if possible. This is especially important during their adolescence (particularly with Yemen/veiled chameleons), to ensure that they remain friendly as adults. Once per day is sufficient for youngsters, but some may appreciate handling multiple times per day, especially as adults. They need 1 hour to warm up after lights-on, giving energy to move. They should be in their enclosure for 1 hour before lights-off, deciding where to sleep. In between (eg. 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM) they may come out to exercise. Once the lizard becomes tired or has cooled down - maybe 15 minutes as a baby, 30 minutes as an adult - they should be returned to their enclosure to warm up for at least another hour.
Attempt to lift the chameleon from below, lifting a finger under their chest or chin to encourage them to climb onto hands. If needed, distract them using a second hand in front of their face so that any aggression is directed towards the hand in front of them. They usually calm down once removed from their enclosures. Hold them on hands, with fingers spread to provide little "twigs" to hold onto. Chameleons normally climb to the highest point they can find, so they may be most comfortable if hands are raised slightly, rather than kept flat. All other pets should be kept away from the chameleon, especially cats, dogs and birds.
Do not exercise them for the first few days, so that they can get used to their new enclosure. They may remain unhappy when approached, and may walk away, change to their speckled display colouring, puff out their chin and make their body tall and thin, hiss, headbutt, bite, shake branches, or simply let go and drop to the ground - soft substrates help avoid injuries. They cannot run fast, and may continue to threaten. Seek advice if you are having trouble taming your chameleon.
Yemen/veiled and panther chameleons are adapted to their natural diet of insects. Some Yemen/veiled chameleons may also occasionally eat certain leafy weeds in desperation or when in need of water. Captive chameleons are not normally fed any leaves, but if owners wish to do so, they may occasionally offer reptile-safe weeds like lamb's lettuce. They must never be offered fruit or vegetables. (The Tortoise Table website may be used to discover which leaves are safe.) It is essential that the diet includes calcium and multi-vitamin dust, and it is best if that includes supplemental levels of vitamin D3.
Each day, if there are no locusts left in the enclosure, take one live locust from a box, dip its tail in the nutritional supplement, and offer it head-first towards the chameleon, using your fingers or feeding tongs (large tweezers). Hopefully the chameleon will eat it, using its tongue to catch it from perhaps 10 cm away (this training makes the supplements easier to use, and makes medicating easier). Then release about half a box of the locusts into the enclosure. If the chameleon does not take the first locust, tip some nutritional supplement powder into the insect box and shake it so that all insects are lightly dusted, before releasing half of the box into the enclosure. Hopefully the chameleon will eat some before they clean themselves.
Most suppliers provide live locusts in standard sized bug boxes, containing around 6 to 8 grams (0.2 to 0.3 oz) of insects. The smaller the insects, the more will be in a box, but for "extra large" locusts, this will be about 8 to 10 locusts. The specific number is not really important unless you are purchasing your feeder insects in some other format, or from a poor supplier. Locusts are the best initial option (crickets hide during the day and may bite the lizard if left in the enclosure overnight). The hard part of the locust - from the head to just behind the back legs - must be shorter than the distance between the lizard's eyes ("medium" or "3rd" for hatchlings, and "extra large" or "5th" for adults, winged adult locusts do not contain as much nutrition). As an adult (1 year or more), the chameleon only needs to be offered food once every 2 days, and can very occasionally be offered morio worms in a bowl instead of locusts. Their food can usually be bought from pet shops and online suppliers. Consult your local pet shops. Wild insects must never be used, as they can contain harmful parasites.
Yemen/veiled and panther chameleons shed their skin many times per year. Their old skin will suddenly appear to have ripped apart like tissue paper, and they will be particularly unhappy. They may appreciate an additional spray of water to help shed the skin.
If they fail to remove all of the skin within a few days, seek advice.
Chameleons are quite sensitive animals, and can very quickly develop problems if care is incorrect. Yemen/veiled chameleons are more hardy than panther chameleons and many other species of chameleon, but still require good care. Some of the more obvious signs of problems include:
On a monthly basis, or whenever you suspect they are ill, you may wish to weigh your lizards, after they have finished digesting any food that they recently ate (eg. after they produce faeces). This is known as their empty weight. This record of their weight can be very useful for a vet, if your lizard appears to be ill at any point. Dramatic weight loss (eg. 10% in 2 weeks) suggests that worming or other veterinary treatments are needed.
Lizards may avoid food for significant periods, especially during winter. Seek advice as needed.
Reptiles can be quite sensitive to non-reptile medications. Only use medications which can be safely used with reptiles, or which are prescribed by a vet. They are particularly sensitive to alcohol and solvents. Any use of treatments where alcohol is used as a solvent must be done in a well ventillated environment, not in the confined space of the animal's enclosure.
Quarantine is not needed with your first reptile. However, as you gain more reptiles, it becomes more important. The general idea is to keep newly acquired animals away from your existing animals for long enough that you can be sure they are not bringing in any illnesses which could harm the existing animals. This quarantine period could last around 2 to 4 weeks for a basic quarantine, or as much as 6 months for an ideal quarantine. If any existing animals become ill with a potentially communicable disease, they can also be immediately moved into quarantine to protect the other animals.
A basic quarantine would simply be to keep the animal in a separate enclosure from existing animals, even if they will end up sharing an enclosure later. A more advanced quarantine would be to keep the quarantine enclosure in a separate room, using bowls and feeding tongs that will never be used for the others. Disposable rubber gloves can be worn when touching the animal or any part of its enclosure, and thrown away after each use. Although animals in quarantine need to be monitored, all work with quarantined animals should take place after any other work has been done with non-quarantined animals, to avoid carrying illnesses back to the non-quarantined animals. If food is refused by a quarantined animal, the leftover food should not be offered to a non-quarantined animal.
A quarantine enclosure would ideally be made of something that can be easily and completely disinfected, perhaps even steam cleaned, leaving nowhere for any diseases or parasites to hide in it. All ornaments should be similarly easy to clean and disinfect, and considered disposable, so that they can be thrown away if an occupant turns out to be carrying a communicable illness.
If an animal (whether in quarantine or not) is to be put into an enclosure that was previously used by another animal, the enclosure and ornaments should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected with a reptile-safe disinfectant first, and any substrate replaced. If the previous occupant died from a communicable disease, it is perhaps better to dispose of the old enclosure and ornaments, and purchase a new one. Although rare, some of the most serious parasites (such as cryptosporidium) can survive for 2 years in an empty enclosure, and cannot be killed by simple disinfectants.
Chameleons can travel for many hours in a small, ventilated box, with tissue for bedding, and a small twig to hold onto. The box should be placed on your lap in a car with the heating on if needed. They should not be heated from below with anything hot. Hot water bottles and electric heaters should be avoided. If they soil the box, replace the tissue.
This care guide may also be applied to some other chameleons that come from similar habitats:
This is just a quick guide to get you started. It is not intended to be a complete book, and cannot replace a well written book, or the advice of an expert. It is based on our own best knowledge at the time of writing, and advice may change over time as new techniques, technology, or medical advice becomes available. Owners are responsible for ensuring that their knowledge is kept up to date. This guide is based on the British Isles, but the basic principles may be applied to other areas too.