Any helpful tidbits?

[eberts33]

Hello, everyone!!! I'm used to the world of turtles, but have recently found myself wanting to try my hand at a chameleon, probably a veiled. I've done a crazy amount of research as far as the basic husbandry and upkeep of them, including lighting, feeding, etc. I was just wondering if anyone had some other helpful info? Like, those "what-they-don't-tell-you-in-school" kind of things? Haha. Anything would be appreciated to help me keep my little one happy and healthy when I get him.

 

[Juliaf3]

What state are you in? I find what works for humidity in say Minnesota, doesn't work in Florida- if you posted what state you were in then someone in here is bound to be in the same state. What I suggest doing, is setting your cage up completely and letting it run for a few days to give you time to measure humidity and temps. That way you can tweak what needs tweaked and have it perfected before Cham arrives! You'll also want a seperate cage for your feeders. To keep from breaking your bank (if that's an issue) buy a little bit at a time. Once you have everything purchased (feeders, vitamins, calcium etc...) and cage set up and running properly, THEN buy Cham. I also suggest looking into drainage systems. It's really handy when it comes to watering your Cham and keeping cage clean you don't HAVE to have a drainage system, it just helps. Especially if your going to be gone for periods of the day and have to have a misting system. Another thing I find extremely helpful, and outlet timer. You can plug all your lights in it, insuring consistent light time. Which is super important for any Cham. Anyway- that's just basic stuff. I can't tell you exactly what to do with a veiled because I do not have a veiled. I have a jackson and panther- hope this helps in anyway possible! Welcome to the forums! Glad you came here before your purchase! You'll be glad you did! There's loads of information available out there it can be extremely overwhelming. Again welcome to the forums!

 

[eberts33]

What state are you in? I find what works for humidity in say Minnesota, doesn't work in Florida- if you posted what state you were in then someone in here is bound to be in the same state. What I suggest doing, is setting your cage up completely and letting it run for a few days to give you time to measure humidity and temps. That way you can tweak what needs tweaked and have it perfected before Cham arrives! You'll also want a seperate cage for your feeders. To keep from breaking your bank (if that's an issue) buy a little bit at a time. Once you have everything purchased (feeders, vitamins, calcium etc...) and cage set up and running properly, THEN buy Cham. I also suggest looking into drainage systems. It's really handy when it comes to watering your Cham and keeping cage clean �� you don't HAVE to have a drainage system, it just helps. Especially if your going to be gone for periods of the day and have to have a misting system. Another thing I find extremely helpful, and outlet timer. You can plug all your lights in it, insuring consistent light time. Which is super important for any Cham. Anyway- that's just basic stuff. I can't tell you exactly what to do with a veiled because I do not have a veiled. I have a jackson and panther- hope this helps in anyway possible! Welcome to the forums! Glad you came here before your purchase! You'll be glad you did! There's loads of information available out there it can be extremely overwhelming. Again welcome to the forums!

I live in Ohio. And that's what I had read about others doing. I also raise baby chicks from time to time and do the same thing for them, so I guess same principle's apply in regards to a safety net. And there's one thing I was wondering about - feeders! I've read a lot of mixed opinions on them: what to feed, how often to feed, what/when to supplement, what/when to gut-load. Any advice? Thanks for the welcome. I've been staking out the forum for a while just silently observing, but decided it was time to break my silence haha.

 

[eberts33]

Thanks again for the welcome.

 

[absolutbill]

Welcome to the forums! You will find that the opinions on feeders and dusting schedules are like asking people how to be a good parent. There are a lot of different answers and you just have to sift through until you find what works for you and your schedule.

Another idea is that if you aren't in a really hurry, check out Craigslist for used supplies like cages to save some money. Also, pick up your UVB and basking light ballasts and domes at Home Depot/Walmart/Lowes instead of using the name brand reptile ones. They do the same thing, just a lot cheaper. I have my 24x24x48 cages set (and ziptied) to a plastic utility sink. This gives me simple drainage - just put a bucket on the floor under the drain hole. Also, you gain about 2 feet in height if your cham goes to the bottom of his cage, which my panther does during his morning walkabout.

Welcome again, and good luck!

 

[kplatvoet]

My only hint is to start with a healthy chameleon - If your used to the world of turtles you probably know that the chain pet stores aren't the place to get one - your better off checking the classified here (no I'm not a breeder - I just have seen too many pet store buyers in the "health clinics" here)
If you start healthy and make sure you go with the care sheets (in the Resources section on top) you'll be fine- there's a good section on what to look for in a healthy chameleon in the classified section also.

 

[eberts33]

Welcome to the forums! You will find that the opinions on feeders and dusting schedules are like asking people how to be a good parent. There are a lot of different answers and you just have to sift through until you find what works for you and your schedule.

Another idea is that if you aren't in a really hurry, check out Craigslist for used supplies like cages to save some money. Also, pick up your UVB and basking light ballasts and domes at Home Depot/Walmart/Lowes instead of using the name brand reptile ones. They do the same thing, just a lot cheaper. I have my 24x24x48 cages set (and ziptied) to a plastic utility sink. This gives me simple drainage - just put a bucket on the floor under the drain hole. Also, you gain about 2 feet in height if your cham goes to the bottom of his cage, which my panther does during his morning walkabout.

Welcome again, and good luck!

Thanks so much! My dad is actually really good at making things like this, so I think I'm going to have him help me build one. We built a cage a couple years back that I use to raise butterflies and could use for this, except the screen is made from material that would melt. Thanks for the advice though. Much appreciated.

 

[eberts33]

My only hint is to start with a healthy chameleon - If your used to the world of turtles you probably know that the chain pet stores aren't the place to get one - your better off checking the classified here (no I'm not a breeder - I just have seen too many pet store buyers in the "health clinics" here)
If you start healthy and make sure you go with the care sheets (in the Resources section on top) you'll be fine- there's a good section on what to look for in a healthy chameleon in the classified section also.

That's definitely high on my priority list. I actually ordered one of my turtles through an online breeder, and he's perfect. I'm hoping to find the same such luck with these little guys! Thanks so much.

 

[symphonica]

Don't forget to gut load your feeders!

In terms of supplementing, here's what one of the reputable breeders recommends:




Babies/Juveniles: We feed our baby/juvenile Panthers 6 days a week (excluding Sundays).



Babies: Young ones grow very rapidly and will often eat 8-12 crickets a day (quantities vary depending on individual appetites). For little ones up to 6 weeks old, we recommend crickets that are about 7 days old ( 1/8 " size). In addition to crickets, flightless fruit flies are another excellent food source.



Supplements: I do not supplement at this age.







Juveniles: From 2 - 12 months of age, your chameleon will obviously graduate to larger crickets with the key being the width of the cricket no larger than the space between your chameleons eyes. During these critical months of development, they will continue to consume an average of 8 -12 crickets, often slowing down their intake once they are over a year old. We don’t use crickets larger than 3/4” (even with our adults) because by then, the cricket’s stomach size is fully matured and holds the same amount of food that the adult cricket does. Remember that its not the cricket itself that is providing the valuable nutrition required for optimum health, but what’s inside the cricket. A properly stuffed cricket with healthy food is called “Gut Loading” That’s why a good cricket gutload is SO important! Cricket food used by cricket breeders isn’t adequate. We highly recommend Repashy’s “Bug Burger” as an excellent cricket diet along with dark greens such as mustard or turnip greens. You can also find various gut load products/recipes on the internet.



Supplements: I use Sticky Tongue’s Miner-Al indoor formula 4x/week and Reptical Calcium with NO D3 2x/week. 2x/month in place of the Miner-Al I use Reptical Herptivite. Use Miner-Al outdoor formula when your chameleons are outdoors.







Adult Males: From 13 months on, we feed our adult males on an "every other day" basis. They generally consume 12-15 per feeding. At this stage of life, they are no longer experiencing rapid growth and don't require food on a daily basis. It isn’t unusual for an adult male to go off food for a week or more.



Supplements: Miner-Al 1x/week, calcium with NO D3 all other feedings. Use Herpivite in place of calcium with no D3 2x/month. Use Miner-Al outdoor formula or calcium with NO D3 when your chameleons are outdoors.







Adult Females: For mature and actively breeding females, we maintain a 6 day feeding schedule due to the high demands associated with egg production. For non-breeding females, we feed on an every other day basis just as we do with the males.



Supplements: Miner-Al 2x/week, calcium with NO D3 all other feeding. Use Herpivite in place of calcium with no D3 2x/month. Use Miner-Al outdoor formula or calcium with NO D3 when your chameleons are outdoors.





Supplements:

A good vitamin/mineral and calcium supplement is needed to ensure the health of your chameleon. Unfortunately, the dietary needs of chameleons is not well known and as a result, if you were to ask 10 different chameleon owners how they supplement their chameleon’s diets you’d probably end up with 10 different answers. Realize that too much supplementing can build up in their bodies and cause serious problems so over supplementing can be dangerous. Therefore, use only a small amount at each feeding. More importantly, make sure your food items are properly gut-loaded but DO NOT RELY ON YOUR GUT LOAD to provide the calcium needed for optimum health. You must use a calcium supplement