Common Name : Yemen Chameleon

Scientific Name : Chamaeleo calyptratus

General Information

Chameleons are possibly the most intriguing and enigmatic of all reptiles and have the ability to change colour almost instantly to either blend in with their environment or to show warning colours. By far the most popular chameleon maintained in captivity is the yemen or veiled chameleon, and as the name suggests it comes from Yemen across to Saudi Arabia. The main reasons for yemens being the most popular chameleon are, affordability and availability, both are a result of the chameleon being a prolific breeder with females producing up to 100 eggs also so far as chameleons go yemens are also one of the easier species to maintain in captivity. Adult yemen chameleons will grow to between 12 and 24 inches (including tail) and when properly cared for males normally live to about 5-8 years old with females living 3-6 years, it is easy to distinguish between sexes as Males have a very high crest, with fantastic colours. Females are slightly smaller and are different shades of green.

Enclosure

There are a few options when it comes to housing a yemen, mesh cages such as flexarium’s are one option, but at grange reptiles we recommend using glass vivariums with mesh tops, being very fast growing it is best to start with quite a large cage, with 24 x 24 x 18 (L x H x D) being the most popular, depending on the size your chameleon attains it may or may not be necessary to upgrade this at a later date; it is important that chameleons are housed individually except when breeding is being attempted.

Heat and Light

As chameleons are cold blooded and come from a warmer climate than our own it is essential to provide them with additional heating; the ideal temperature to maintain yemens during the day is 85-89oF at the top of the vivarium with a drop to the high 70’s at the base; a night time drop in temperature is essential, with temperatures between 70 and 75oF being optimum; being a forest animal and active during the day, a UVB bulb should be included in the setup. We have found the best way to provide light and heat is to use a 160w combined UV and heat bulb, this should be suspended 8-12 inches above the vivarium and switched on 12 hours per day. At night there may be no additional need for heating if the room in which they are situated does not fall below 70oF, but if additional heating is required a heat mat on the base should suffice.

Substrate

As these animals do require relatively high levels of humidity a suitable substrate that can withstand this has to be used, either orchid bark or coco fibres are recommended, all substrates should be spot cleaned as soon as possible and completely changed monthly.

Shelter

Being an arboreal species decoration within the vivarium must be arranged in such as way as to allow the chameleon to move vertically within the enclosure. A combination of grape vines, cork branches and cork bark are recommended with a few plastic or silk plants added to create a rainforest environment, this layout will give your chameleon a selection of places to sit at various temperatures as well as providing a suitable surface for water droplets to settle on when sprayed.

Water, Humidity and Minerals

Calcium is essential to proper bone growth and general health in all reptiles, this along with a fresh supply of water should be provided for your chameleon, powdered calcium and vitamin supplements should be added to the food daily, and fresh water should be available at all times. Yemens are one of the only species of chameleon that will adapt to drinking from a bowl, but they do prefer to drink droplets from vegetation, so regular misting with water is required. Being a rainforest animal they require high humidity; this should be maintained between 70 and 85% by heavily spraying the animal 2-4 times per day.

Food

Yemen chameleons are omnivorous, but feed mostly on a diet of insects, here at Grange Reptiles our yemens are fed a mixture of locusts, crickets, mealworms, as mentioned above calcium and vitamins are essential, so calcium should be sprinkled on the insects 5 times a week, with a vitamin powder being used on the remaining two days. It is also recommended that all food items are gut loaded before being fed to the chameleons to increase the nutritional value, this should be done using a combination of commercial gut loading products, fish food and leafy green vegetables. Yemen chameleons do sometimes eat vegetation as well as insects, so can be offered chopped leafy vegetables, many will choose to eat it, but quite a few will never touch it.

Shedding

A yemen will shed its skin about once a month for its whole life, in the few days before this shed takes place the chameleon will appear dull in colour, although humidity is important at all times, it is particularly so now as it will greatly assist in the shedding process. Once the shed is complete check that there is no retained shed on the tail or toes, if there is any visible place your gecko in a shallow dish of luke warm water for up to half an hour, you will then be able to assist by gently removing the skin by hand or with tweezers.

Handling

Yemen chameleons are very tolerant of being handled when young, but tend to get less tolerant as they get older, so it is recommended that adult yemen chameleons are maintained as an observational pet.

We hope that this care sheet has been of assistance and if you have any further enquiries do not hesitate to contact us by e-mail. info@superpetsdirect.com