I am getting a veiled

bodom85

New Member
In a week or so I plan to get a veiled. I have been doing loads of research and picture looking. It seems that every place has different things to say. I want to ask some questions of people who have had them and kept them successfuly.
(warning* Im not a good speller)
1) For a baby veiled, would a 14.5 w x 14.5 l x 20 h screen cage be good?

2)For Heating, I know you need a UvB and most agree that a reptisun 5.0 is good, but do i also need a heat bulb too? If so, what is a recommended bulb and wattage?

3) How many times a day do you feed them? (i have heard "just put the crickets in there and let it eat when it wants") also is Gut Load good enough or should i use Gut Load with calcium?

4) Vitimans- do I need a calcium suplament and other vits. or is a vit w/ calcium good enough?

5) Cage setup- I plan to used fake plants mixed with real (the real plants to keep humidity up but also to not flood my room with a dripper system) what are good plants that i can use that you could find in say an everyday walmart. (i live in mid Pa so there isnt much here to go for exotic plants) and are those bendy vines good? also what do you do when the plant starts to get too big? just cut it or get a new one?

6) this is an importants one, when i get it and put it in the environment, i know i have to give it time to adjust and calm down. How long should that be and what should the owner to cham. handling ratio be?

That should do it for now. anyother veiled tips and tricks would be greatly appriciated. also good websites and book would help too. thanks
 
Ok i would start out with a 50 watt basking bulb...move up when hes older. I use sticky tongue minerall for dusting.That size cafe is very good then you will have to move to a bigger size. You can find most of the recommended plants at walmart. Just go to the site list. Keep in mind veileds have a rep for eating leaves. This is just a start..other people will chime in will more suggestions. Just make sure you wash the leaves of any plant you buy..the stores spray them with pesticide.
 
bodom85 said:
In a week or so I plan to get a veiled. I have been doing loads of research and picture looking. It seems that every place has different things to say. I want to ask some questions of people who have had them and kept them successfuly.
(warning* Im not a good speller)
1) For a baby veiled, would a 14.5 w x 14.5 l x 20 h screen cage be good?

Depends what size the cham is and how old. For a 3 month old 3 inches snout to vent should work fine for a couple of months. They Grow extremly fast so in a couple of months be ready to buy a new setup

bodom85 said:
2)For Heating, I know you need a UvB and most agree that a reptisun 5.0 is good, but do i also need a heat bulb too? If so, what is a recommended bulb and wattage?

UVB doesnt really put off heat, that is needed for Full Spectrum light requirments. You could use a 50-60 watt basking bulb. You have to be carefull here with the young ones. You will need to pick up a Digital Thermometer and Hydrometer and make sure you dont over heat the cage. Basking area should be about 95 degrees F. in the basking area, cool side should be mid 70's to 80's. You can always move the basking bulb away from the cage to help fluctuate the temp to where you want it.

bodom85 said:
3) How many times a day do you feed them? (i have heard "just put the crickets in there and let it eat when it wants") also is Gut Load good enough or should i use Gut Load with calcium?

Feed Once a day, Do not over feed. You should always gutload your insects, and not limit your cham to just crickets. You should give them a variety. Calcium should be Phosphorus Free. You will want to dust the insects regularly as a baby. They Grow fast, so you want to promote healthy tissue and bones by giving them the calcium they need. (Goes back to when you were a kid and your mom say's "Drink your Milk so you can grow up to be big and strong") As they get older the feeding habits and dusting schedules change.

bodom85 said:
4) Vitimans- do I need a calcium suplament and other vits. or is a vit w/ calcium good enough?

You should also get a vitamin suppliment and dust probably once a week while they are young.

bodom85 said:
5) Cage setup- I plan to used fake plants mixed with real (the real plants to keep humidity up but also to not flood my room with a dripper system) what are good plants that i can use that you could find in say an everyday walmart. (i live in mid Pa so there isnt much here to go for exotic plants) and are those bendy vines good? also what do you do when the plant starts to get too big? just cut it or get a new one?

Most of the plants on the "Plant List" on the main page can be found at any hardware store with a Garden Department. These plants are really popular so dont worry about finding any Exotic Plant. You can trim plants to keep them the size you want. Make sure you dont cut off to much at one time. The plant can go into shock and die. Be prepared to get new plants as some dont make it for very long, depending on how you care for them (Yes you have to care for the Cham, Plants, Feeders, etc.) As Far as the Bend-a-vines. I use them in my cage and have never had an issue with them. I like being able to bend them around and making the setup the way I like.

bodom85 said:
6) this is an importants one, when i get it and put it in the environment, i know i have to give it time to adjust and calm down. How long should that be and what should the owner to cham. handling ratio be?

They will need a good 3 days I would think to adjust. If they are CB they should be fine. As Far as handling, As little as possible. I handle mine about Once a week for about 5-10 minutes. This is enough time to do any maintanence on my cage and check to make sure he is healthy. You want to inspect your cham for any bumps/bruises/burns/scraps/ etc. at least once a week to make sure they are healthy. Most chams do not like to be held. Going with a Veiled the way you describe, be ready for an Attitude. These guys can get very agresive and are not shy to let you know to leave them alone.

Good luck with your new little guy when you get it. I recomend getting a Male so you dont have to deal with Egg laying issues. Make sure you have everything in place prior to bringing it home or getting it shipped to your home.

Frank
 
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You seem to have had some good answers already, but I have a couple of things to add...
Re: vitamins...I dust the insects once or twice a month. I usually use one that has the vitamin A from a beta carotene source because it can't cause an overdose. However, there is some controversy about chameleons needing some preformed vitamin A too.

Make sure any plants you use (fake or real) are well-washed (both sides of the leaves) and that any real plants are non-toxic. I'm not a fan of fake plants because I worry about leaves from them being ingested.

Here are some sites with good information that you might like to read...
http://adcham.com/
http://www.chameleonnews.com/
http://www.chameleonjournals.com/vet/
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/whatreptilesneed.htm
 
When setting up just make sure that they can not get directly under the light. It can burn their casque and they can not really feel it. This is more of a concern when they get bigger.
 
Wow thanks for all the advice. I'm excited to get my veiled. I hope to order it next week or the following. Like i said, more advice is welcome.
 
I guess with that size of a cage in the real plant department maybe go with something like a pothos or spider plant. This will give a pothos a chance to get going good for when you switch to a big cage. I recommended them because of the small enclousure that you are starting out with a bigger one maybe to over bairing in that size cage. Spider plants stay small so you may or may not use it later on. With a dripper you can get a small bowl from your kitchen and some screening. Tape the screening around the bowl. This will keep insects from drowning in it and keep your inquisitive chameleon from getting in it. I would take a guess and say that is probably where it will use the bathroom most of the time so it kind of knocks out a couple problems at once. They love to aim when they go. I would set the whole cage up first and test it out. They sell cheap thermameter/hydrometers at Walmart (etc). They usually only run a couple of dollars more then the analog ones and are more acurate (and dependable). When ever you get the chameleon watch him in the cage and make any adjustment that need to me made quickly so he can get use to it.

For veileds:
Basking temp: 90-100F
Ambient temp: 75-80F
Humidity: 50-75%
Ambient just means the rest of the cage. Those digital thermometers have probes check several places for temps and humidity. I would also do a mist session to check these and see if there is any thing you do not like.
 
For the uvb light, do they make them in regular bulb form or is tube form the only thing out there?
 
I believe there are UVB bulbs out on the market that are florescent and screw into normal iradesent sockets. I am not sure if this will provide enought UVB for the cham. I would recomend the tube kind.

Frank
 
I see some people get their veiled to eat out of their hands, how do you go about teaching that? also in some of the cage set ups I've seen on here, it looks like people have cups of water with screen over them attached to the side of the cage, what is that for? and finally, is duct tape safe to use in a cham. cage?
 
Re: duct tape....I never use any kind of tape inside a chameleon's cage. I've seen what happened to a friend's snake when it got a piece stuck on it. I know its not a chameleon, but I wouldn't risk it anyway. Just my personal opinion.
 
I'm pretty sure they're not cups of water that you're seeing. More likely they are feeder bowls. The screen that is stuck onto them is to allow crickets to climb up, without escaping, in order to attract the attention of your cham.

Here is a good guide for making them: Quick feeder for tough customers

As for getting them to eat out of your hand, the only tips really are to move slowly, approach them from below and be patient. It also helps if you have a really wriggly insect to feed, and it helps to let your cham go a little hungry before you attempt to feed it by hand (i.e. don't feed it anything for a few hours before-hand). By the time you come to hand-feed it, he'll be ready to eat even if it means having to approach the "dreaded human".
(And remember to wash your hands before...)
 
With Veileds they are generally aggresive eaters. I was able to hand feed mine from day one. I hand feed about 2 times a week just to keep the Personal Relations up. Like said above If you have something in your hands that moves a lot they will usually go for it. The other advice I would give you is to stand behind you hand. The Cham will look at you and the food, but if you are behind the food, they will concentrate more on that.

Frank
 
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