When Do Veiled Chameleons Stop Growing?

The striking Veiled Chameleon is a hardy reptile that is wonderfully colorful with yellow, green, and brown bands on its body that adjust as needed.

These chameleons can live in captivity for up to eight years and males will be a bit larger than the females of the species.

So, when will your veiled chameleon cease to grow? Consider these life stages of this fascinating reptile.

The Baby Veiled Chameleon

The veiled chameleon will be considered a baby chameleon from the moment it enters this world by hatching from its egg up until six weeks of age.

The Juvenile Veiled Chameleon

Young veiled chameleons are considered juveniles from six weeks up until a full eight months of age.

The Adult Veiled Chameleon

When veiled chameleons reach eight months of age, they enter adulthood and can be considered fully grown when they reach two years of age.

Veiled Chameleon Growth

When considering this reptile’s growth, it’s important to note that males will develop more quickly than females, and males will be larger than females when they are of the same age. Males also will develop a larger crest.

During their two years of growth, these reptiles will grow more rapidly from birth up until age four months. During this period, they will grow from a gram to approximately ninety grams.

The veiled chameleon will grow for a full two years and will not obtain its final weight until it matures to two years of age. After two years of age, it will cease growing.

Veiled Chameleon Weight and Size

Exactly how large your veiled chameleon becomes is directly related to its sex. Males can grow up to 24 inches in length from the tip of the tail to the snout. Females, on the other hand, will grow as long as 14 inches.

The veiled chameleon is not a large-bodied reptile nor are they particularly heavy. When they are full-grown, they normally will weigh approximately 190 grams, whereas a female will weigh approximately 118 grams at its full-grown adult weight.

Factors that Influence Chameleon Growth and Development 

1.) Temperature

This reptile has strict temperature necessities for growth and development. Their environmental temperature should range between 72° and 80°F. For basking, the range should sit between 85° to92°F.

If temperatures measure lower, your reptile’s growth will slow, because heat or lack of it will affect your pet’s appetite. Try using a digital thermometer to verify the environmental temperature inside your reptile’s cage.

2.) Feeding and Diet

For your reptile to grow properly, it requires a quality diet as well as a feeding schedule. These lizards are not picky eaters, eating practically any prey they manage to catch. Favorite high-quality chameleon foods include

• • • Crickets
    • Dubai roaches
    • Hornworms
    • Silkworms
    • Superworms 

Chameleons should eat as much as they desire within a 15-minute time allotment. Babies and juveniles need to eat twice a day. Adults can eat every other day.

Your reptile can have vegetables included in its diet, even if the younger babies and juveniles won’t necessarily be interested in eating them.

See also: Can Veiled Chameleons Eat Grapes?

3.) Weighing Your Veiled Chameleon

Weight increase is a fundamental part of your veiled chameleon’s growth and will also allow you to verify if your chameleon is healthy and if it is growing at the correct rate. To weigh your reptile 

• Use a digital food scale, and a plant in a pot. 

• Weigh the pot with the plant on the digital scale. 

• Place your chameleon in the pot with the plant and weigh again. 

• By subtracting the pot and plant weight from the pot and plant weight with your chameleon inside and you’ll have your reptile’s weight.

4.) Weight Development

Consider that when your reptile hatches from its egg, it will weigh about one gram. After a month, it should weigh somewhere between five and eight grams, while at two months it should weigh between 20 and 35 grams. So, you can see just how rapidly veiled chameleon development proceeds.

Can Veiled Chameleons be Underweight?

Yes, a veiled chameleon can be underweight. To evaluate your pet reptile, observe its back. Look at the chameleon’s bone ridge. Underweight veiled chameleons will appear to be quite thin along the ridge.

Your chameleon must be relaxed and calm when you evaluate. This is because a chameleon will flatten itself if it is stressed, disturbed, or uncomfortable. If your pet flattens out, it may appear to be underweight, even if in reality it is quite healthy.

Also, observe how much fat the belly area shows. If your veiled chameleon is relaxed, the belly area should appear rounded.

It should not appear as a straight flat line from the front legs to the back legs. Underweight veiled chameleons are characterized by a very thin head, tail, and legs.

Will It Be Evident If My Chameleon Is Overweight?

If a chameleon is overweight due to overeating, fat will be stored in specific body areas like internal fat pads and the body cavity itself. The reptile’s body will appear softer and rounder in appearance at these body points.

Female veiled chameleons should be kept at a healthy weight, and preferably lean. The females will eat anything available, so they can easily become overweight. This may be to prepare to mate.

Females get more fuel by overeating and in turn produce large egg clusters. If this happens, it may be quite difficult for her to lay eggs.

To aid your chameleon in losing some weight, reduce the amount of food made available, and you can let your chameleon skip a meal or too if your reptile is obese.

Should you own a female veiled chameleon that is overweight and experiencing difficulty when attempting to lay her eggs, you will need the assistance of a veterinarian to be able to extract the eggs.

When Will I Know if My Veiled Chameleon Is Male or Female?

When a veiled chameleon reaches five months of age, its gender should be apparent. This will be so even though these chameleons have not completely matured and will not be able to breed at this age.

When Can My Veiled Chameleon Mate and Breed?

Female veiled chameleons are able to develop eggs when they reach four to six months in age. Despite this, it’s recommended that females do not mate for breeding before reaching one year of age. At a year old your female will be sufficiently mature to focus on her eggs and their calcium stores.

How Is Shedding Connected to Growth and Development?

A newborn baby veiled chameleon will begin shedding a couple of days after they hatch from their eggs. They will continue shedding up until approximately eighteen months of age.

This is necessary to accommodate the fact that they are growing so rapidly. Your reptile will shed roughly every three weeks or so.

When Will My Chameleon Begin to Change Colors?

At approximately five months of age, your veiled chameleon will begin to change colors and its adult coloration will start to appear with lovely bluish greens, greens, turquoise, and black in the mix. Color changes are used by chameleons for temperature, communication, and camouflaging.

A Final Thought

Veiled chameleons are decidedly interesting reptiles, yet very low maintenance, so they make great pets for people with limited time to dedicate to an animal but that would still like to own a pet.

Most pet parents however do not have experience with chameleons, so when adopting one, questions are to be expected.

Growth and development are fundamental to your veiled chameleon’s health and well-being, as well as its lifespan. Getting as much information as possible about what to expect in terms of growth will aid you in monitoring your pet’s overall health and quality of life.