Help solidifying my very first cham enclosure build....

TRohr

New Member
Hey guys, hope your all doing well.

When I was a kid I used to have small lizards, enjoyed it quite a bit, but didn't have the knowledge, responsibility, or attention span to take care of them properly. A few years back I got into keeping frogs because I ran out of things to do- I currently have two White's in a 300 gallon terrarium- and now I am wanting to step things up a notch....

I would like to get an male veiled chameleon from either Zamzows or Petco/ Petsmart, and if things go well a panther when the veiled eventually passes away.

I've done quite a bit of research so far.... I know all about their general upkeep/ general requirements, what foods to feed them, the importance of calcium and whatnot, temperament, etc. etc. Though I've done the research I was wondering if you guys could tell me exactly what lighting and heating I need for my enclosure? I've read so much, but it still seems like I have no idea what hardware to buy- I want brand, model, and links to where I can buy it.

I plan on building an enclosure that is about 6' tall, 2-3' deep, and 3' wide. I'm going into a fairly long summer, the chams room is warm and fairly humid from the frog tank year round, it's silent, and I plan on placing the enclosure next to a very large floor to ceiling bay window that lets massive amounts of summer sunlight in from fairly early in the morning to sunset.... I know this is pretty damn big for an baby chameleon from Zamzows or Petco/ Petsmart (I think they're generally about three months old when ordered), but I would really rather not have to upgrade later on.

I should have plenty of time on my hands to hand feed the little guy in case he doesn't find his food, all my feeder insects are gut loaded with supplements/ greens, misting won't be a problem, I plan on creating an abundance of places to hide and perch from top to bottom.... I'm mostly worried about lighting, and heat later on in the year.

What lamps, lights, and hoods do I need? I planned on having a fine chicken wire top on the enclosure (not something the cham could catch it's head in), and was going to have everything lifted up about half an inch. I have a feeling this is something that I'm going to want to do for years to come so price isn't too important, but I do have bills to pay....

What about heating? Winters are short where I live, but they still can get pretty cold. Our heating fluctuates a bit throughout the day too....

Any help is greatly appreciated~
 
i like your ideas the only thing that is wrong imo is that u are thinking of getting a cham from petco/petsmart get one from a sponser of this site then u wont have problems
 
i like your ideas the only thing that is wrong imo is that u are thinking of getting a cham from petco/petsmart get one from a sponser of this site then u wont have problems

I know.... I really hate to get a cham from Petco/ Petsmart, but I was worried about ordering them online. Can you link me to some legitimate online dealers? Someone with some experience? What about lamps and things?

EDIT:

Sponsors:

https://www.chameleonforums.com/index.php?page=sponsors

Would one or two of these bulbs, and a spare ceramic bulb for heat be ideal? I've seen hoods at Home Depot for $8.00 that fit these bulbs:

http://www.reptileuv.com/megaray-sb-100-watt-self-ballasted-flood-uvb-lamp.php

I guess I should get the enclosure together, buy a bulb, and start measuring humidity/ temperatures....
 
anyone of those on that list is good and most show individual chams so u know what u r getting although it has to be sent through the post in a way it is better than buying from a store at least u know it has been looked after
 
i agree with bradley about getting one from a sponsor, their entire business is chameleons for most of them, so they get expert care. and at 3 months that cage would be too big, but alot of people with an oversized cage just partition the bottom of the cage off so the cham doesnt have trouble finding food. also depending on how big the chicken wire is, the feeders may be able to get out of that since the first thing crickets do is go towards the light (in my experience atleast)
 
i agree with bradley about getting one from a sponsor, their entire business is chameleons for most of them, so they get expert care. and at 3 months that cage would be too big, but alot of people with an oversized cage just partition the bottom of the cage off so the cham doesnt have trouble finding food. also depending on how big the chicken wire is, the feeders may be able to get out of that since the first thing crickets do is go towards the light (in my experience atleast)


Aaaaah, partitioning off the bottom- that would be easy enough.

Is it not possible to just hand feed these guys? Are they picky eaters or something? I generally hand feed my White's nightly to make sure they're eating, and I enjoy it. Other than feeding, my frogs rarely ever see me. They live a pretty stress free life.
 
Aaaaah, partitioning off the bottom- that would be easy enough.

Is it not possible to just hand feed these guys? Are they picky eaters or something? I generally hand feed my White's nightly to make sure they're eating, and I enjoy it. Other than feeding, my frogs rarely ever see me. They live a pretty stress free life.

First off, welcome to the forums!
It is a toss up as to whether or not your cham will hand feed. Some do right away and some never will. They are truely unpredictable in that respect.

Sunlight from the bay window may look nice but if it is coming through glass it has no beneficial UVB. You will need a reptisun 5.0 UVB flourescent tube for your indoor enclosure. Usually the 18" or 24" will suffice. It will need to be placed close to the basking area like 12" away max. The basking area should reach a temp of 85 -90 F max for an adult so a young cham would need to be closer to 80. I use a regular incandescent bulb 40 or 60W depending on how warm it is in the room. 40W right now for the summer. The lower parts of the cage should be in the mid to low 70s so that the cham can regulate its temp. As for screen, I found the best stuff is the petscreen from home depot since it will not damage the chams toenails. The top should be aluminum screen so it can with stand the heat lamp. I have built a couple of my own large enclosures and gone through some trial and error so let me know if you have any questions. I would be happy to help.
 
Sunlight from the bay window may look nice but if it is coming through glass it has no beneficial UVB. You will need a reptisun 5.0 UVB flourescent tube for your indoor enclosure. Usually the 18" or 24" will suffice. It will need to be placed close to the basking area like 12" away max. The basking area should reach a temp of 85 -90 F max for an adult so a young cham would need to be closer to 80. I use a regular incandescent bulb 40 or 60W depending on how warm it is in the room. 40W right now for the summer. The lower parts of the cage should be in the mid to low 70s so that the cham can regulate its temp. As for screen, I found the best stuff is the petscreen from home depot since it will not damage the chams toenails. The top should be aluminum screen so it can with stand the heat lamp. I have built a couple of my own large enclosures and gone through some trial and error so let me know if you have any questions. I would be happy to help.

Aaaaah, thank you good sir. This is what I wanted to hear.
 
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