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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.