Advice Please

[Sam Carline]

I'm hoping someone can give me some advice

My chameleon is about 18 weeks old now. And since his last shed he has been constantly wanting to come out of his enclosure. He scratches at the glass at the bottom to come out and sometimes flares up and opens his mouth until I open the door and let him out.

He is eating fine, I spray him regularly so I think he may be active and want to stretch his legs?

I also have a feeling that his UV bulb isn't giving off enough heat for him. He has a heat mat and the middle of his enclosure is sitting at 75-80 but I don't think his basking area is much warmer than that, could this be why he wants to come out? When he is out he just sits on the window ledge and bathes.

What percentage UV bulb should I have? I also have a feeling that he needs a new enclosure, I want to get an exoterra one, but can I get a full adult size enclosure now or will it be too big for him? And what size will be best? I don't want to keep buying him new enclosures if I can help it.

If anyone can give me any advice on the above that would be brilliant, any advice on where is best to purchase a new enclosure etc would also be helpful.

Thank you all so much in advance. You're all so helpful!

 

[nightanole]

Congratulations, you now have a teenage male veiled. Please enjoy his active behavior and attitude for the next 2 sheds

I would recommend trying to win him over by hand feeding him treats that he normally doesnt get in his daily feedings.

He should have his adult personality in 2-3 months.


He is a good size to move to the adult cage. I recommend an adult cage once they can eat a full size cricket. For a lamp i would recommend a tube 10.0 for an adult cage (4ft tall or higher) if you are buying locally, or an arcadia 6% + 6500k hood and bulb setup from http://lightyourreptiles.com/. If you want to save some money, you can get the dual 6% combo, it should come with some extra 6500k bulbs. That way you use 1 6% this year and one for next.



His basking spot should be around 90-95F and you can ditch the heating pad. Would get the 39watt long life halogen flood lights and see if that is warm enough. In my setup its enough to keep the stick at 90F from a foot away, and not hot enough to burn his head if he tries to get too close.

you want a 24x24x48 cage:
http://diycages.com/
http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog...ges/-/24-x-24-x-48-inch-aluminum-screen-cage/
http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Repti...&qid=1377262099&sr=8-1&keywords=24x24x48+cage

 

[littlefoot3]

I would get a separate heat bulb. Just a regular house bulb, try 60watt. Make sure it isn't the energy saving kind since those don't produce much heat. You can get a shop light fixture from home depot for less than $10 to put it in, just get one as wide as possible so the heat isn't specifically concentrated. From what I've gathered on here most people don't rely on their UVB bulbs for heat, or use heating mats. The idea is to keep the top of the cage warmer, and the bottom cooler.

Cute guy by the way

 

[Oliviabryant]

If you plan to house him in a 24x24x48 you should also start a free range. Doesn't have to be anything special. Just make a few plants in a corner of the house he can climb around on. It's very important that they feel a sense of freedom. Otherwise veileds tend to get pretty snappy and mean. They are very independent compared to panthers and do better with the largest enclosure you can supply. I use a 260 gal reptarium, a lot of people say they aren't quality but honestly you should decide for yourself because I know I'll never buy another brand besides that its also a bonus that they are so resonably priced. I love them because the mesh is so fine it actually keeps humidity in and gives proper air flow. I can keep a 260 at 50% humidity easily and that speaks for its self.