Veiled Chameleon

House one adult in a tall, well-ventilated enclosure of at least 60 x 60 x 120 cm (a 2 x 2 x 4 foot cage), with males needing the larger end; screen or hybrid cages provide the airflow they require. Furnish densely with many horizontal and diagonal branches and vines at varied heights plus broad-leaved live or artificial plants (live pothos and ficus also aid humidity), creating cover, basking routes and privacy. Do not use a substrate that can be swallowed; a bioactive planted base or bare floor with drainage works best. Good drainage matters because of frequent misting.

Primarily insectivorous, taking gut-loaded crickets, dubia roaches, locusts, black soldier fly larvae, silkworms and hornworms; adults also nibble some greens and edible plants. Gut-load feeders well and dust with plain calcium at most feeds, calcium with D3 lightly if UVB is marginal, and a multivitamin every one to two weeks. Feed juveniles daily and adults every one to two days, offering a modest amount rather than overfeeding, especially females which are prone to being egg-bound if overweight.

The most detail-sensitive part of their care. Provide a basking spot of 29 to 35 C (lower for the smaller females), ambient of 22 to 27 C, and a beneficial night drop to around 18 to 21 C. Strong UVB is essential: fit a UVB tube giving a basking UVI of about 3.0 at the level where they perch, with shaded lower zones. Keep daytime humidity moderate at 40 to 50 percent, spiking to 80 to 100 percent at night through misting; they will not drink from a bowl, so provide moving water via a dripper and mist heavily morning and evening. Run a 12-hour light cycle.

Strictly solitary and territorial. Chameleons must be housed alone, as even the sight of another chameleon causes chronic stress, and cohousing leads to aggression, colour-darkening stress and injury. They do not enjoy handling and should be handled minimally, viewing hands and people as threats; observe rather than hold, and let them come to you only when necessary.

Provide a dense, complex network of branches, vines and foliage at many heights and thermal zones so they can choose their microclimate, plus live plants for cover and humidity. Natural sunlight when safely possible, moving water to track and drink, and free-roaming feeder insects to hunt with the tongue all enrich their day.