Chamaeleo calyptratus
Veiled chameleon
A tall screen cage with a basking branch, a drip or mist for drinking, and plants for cover. Night should cool down.
Legal status
- CITES II
Chamaeleo calyptratus is recorded as CITES Appendix II under Chamaeleonidae spp. in Appendix II. No EU annex letter was verified for this exact species in this record, so the annex field is empty. Confirm Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/966 before you import, sell, or rely on an annex. Not marked as an EU invasive alien species. Not marked venomous. Not named in 50 CFR 16.15. Check local rules before you keep, move, or rehome an animal. This record is not a permit and not legal advice.
Official sourceNot legal advice. Rules differ by country, and sometimes by region. Check the law that applies to you.
- Temperature
- 22–28°C
- Basking
- 30–33°C
- UVB
- Ferguson zone 3. About 1.0–2.6 at the basking branch
- Humidity
- 40–60%
- Minimum enclosure
- About 45 × 45 × 90 cm of screen cage for one adult
- Adult size
- Males often approach 45 cm. Females are smaller.
- Lifespan
- Often 5–8 years. Females are often shorter, especially if they are bred early.
- Difficulty
- advanced
Diet and feeding
Insects, gut-loaded and dusted. Adults also take a little appropriate green. Juveniles daily. Adults every other day.
Substrate
None on the floor is fine. They live in the branches.
Health
Dehydration, metabolic bone disease, egg-binding, and kidney disease.
Handling
Not a routine handling animal. Stress shows up as dark colors and a refused drink.
Husbandry ranges are general guidance for captive care, not a veterinary prescription or a permit. Confirm the gradient with your own thermometers. UV zones follow Baines et al., Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research 4(1), 2016, https://www.jzar.org/jzar/article/view/150. Legal fields use the source link on this species and stay empty when an annex was not verified.