Cage Set-up

[Tatooineboy]

Hey all. I'm new to the forums, so hello

Anyways, I recently bought a veiled chameleon (3-4 months old) and have purchased a screened-in cage, that measures 4.5' x 2.5' x 2.5'. The cage has two Pothos plants and two Schefflera(sp) plants, one being very large and the other much smaller. I have a combination of vines and branches going about the cage, interlocking between the plants and the sides of the cage, trying to make it very jungle-like. There is a shelf at mid-height with the two smaller plants and this upper half is where the little guy spends all of his time, either basking in the rays or hiding in between the leaves and branches. I mist the cage 4-5 times a day to keep the humidity between 45-55%. The average temp is 80%.

I place 3-4 crickets in there daily and they seem to disappear. Twice I have seen the chameleon munch on these guys, but I am worried that the cage may be too big.

Opinions?

 

[Julirs]

Nice cage-but it does seem a bit big for that chameleon. Is he cup feeding?

 

[Tatooineboy]

I drop the crickets into the cage close to his location and he either watches them or snatches one up. Additionally, I have dropped very small meal-worms onto the shelf (which supports the two plants he likes to stay within) and he snatched them up as well.

The crickets have been eating the Fluker's yellow gut-loader (can't recall the name of it but its yellow and very jelly-like) and the meal worms have been nibbling on mustard greens.

I could just be over-reacting and assuming the worst with the set-up but I always appreciate feedback from people with more experience.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

Welcome to the forums!
You said your chameleon is 3-4 months old. Where did he come from?
Why don't you know the hatch date?
I think the enclosure in question is way too big for a young cham. You can't monitor anything accurately (very important with a baby).
I also don't think you're feeding him enough.
Check out some alternatives for gut load.
What are you supplementing with and how often?
I hate mealworms as a feeder for chameleons. Especially babies.
Are you sure you have a male?

Check this out:
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/

Incidentally ... it's a very cool cage. We'd love to see pictures of your little guy.

-Brad

 

[Tatooineboy]

Brad- Whoa, lots of questions I hope I got all of them answered in this reply.

I got him from Rick at http://www.fullspectrumchameleons.com/index.html He lives in Lakewood, which is the first western suburb of Cleveland, so it's about a 10-15 minute drive to his place.

The hatchdate was in early/mid December. I believe he is male because there are some very-small spurs on the back of his feet.

I feed them the Fluker's food and sprinkle them with a calcuim powder (I'm at work and can't recall the exact name).

If you look closely, you'll see that the door is at the half-way mark for the cage. Do you think it would be better to use the mid-point as the flooring instead of the full cage? The the dimensions would be something like 2.5' x 2.5' x 2.5'.

Once I get home, I'll try to snap some pictures of him and post them up on here for you to see.

 

[Tydis]

If you end up not moving the floor up I suggest using a feeder cup much like the one here... http://chameleonnews.com/?page=article&id=79

Also what size crickets are you feeding?
They shouldn't be longer than the width or your little one's head.

Also I would suggest feeding more than 3-4 a day especially at such a young age, my little guy was eating anywhere from 10-20 1/8th -1/4th inch crickets daily at that age.


Best of luck.

 

[Tatooineboy]

Tydis, they're 1/4-1/2 sized crickets. He doesn't seem to have a problem consuming them, though.

Thanks for the link, too. Once shrink the cage by half, I imagine it would be easier for him to find them

 

[Tatooineboy]

More pictures

As requested! He is a bit camera shy.

 

[Tatooineboy]

Sorry . . .

For all these additional photos. I just deduced the size of the cage by half and removed the large plant. It is a bit bare, but I feel more comfortable with that open space so Baron can find the crickets.

Comments and suggestions are welcome!

 

[chamlover]

I think you will find him much happier in there. We brought up 3 baby veils and started them all in a 12" cage and then in a couple of months moved them to a bigger one, so your idea is great. But you really need to feed him alot more. Ours were all eating between 15-25 crickets aday until they get a bit bigger then they will slow down a bit. Don't forget your calcium supplement, really really important because of how fast they grow. Good luck,
Debby

 

[Brad Ramsey]

I think that looks good.
How is he getting water (just misting?)
Did you have a chance to check out my site?

-Brad

 

[Tatooineboy]

Yeah, I bookmarked it. Very helpful and I've already dusted and dropped in some carrots, mustard greens and a dusting of calcium for tomorrow's feeders. When you're feeding younglings, would you recommend tossing in the crickets at various stages during the day?

I mist the cage heavily 3 times a day. Once in the morning, early afternoon, then in the evening. I don't spray directly onto him but on the plants around him, then along the screening and such. This keeps the humidity around 50%. This will probably raise now because the height of the cage has been halfed.

 

[VerteX]

If you just "toss" the crickets in, it won't be long to see little jumpers around the house since the screen has big holes. I recommend cup feeding for your situation. 1/2 inch cricket size is very good for the size of your cham. You may start spraying him directly I say, just be sure not to make him uncomfortable. To avoid shock, you could use warm-hot water in the mister. Always test the temperature by spraying on your hand before misting Baron. Assuming Baron is your first chameleon, veiled chams may start bugling their eyes after water getting in their eyes. Don't freak out, it's completely normal.

Your humidity level is good. Foliage is OK, could use a plant or two more. What kind of UVB bulb are you using? What is the distance of the bulb to his basking vine? What wattage of basking bulb are you using?

 

[Tatooineboy]

Oh, Glad to to see another person from Cleveland on the forums!

Another plant? Hmmm. Possibly. I dont want Baron not to find his food, but the feeder idea is a neat one. All I have to do is cut the jug so it becomes a bowl (sides, then bottom) then attach some screen to the side, poke a hole at the bottom, and drop the crickets in?

I am using the Repti-Sun 5.0 plus the 75w heating lamp. The distance from the vines and the bulp is about 6".

 

[Tatooineboy]

So I placed another plant in there and used the "feeder" method. I took the milk container, cut a hole out of it, attached some window screen, placed holes at the bottom for water to drain, then attached it to the side of the cage. All but one of the crickets left the container, lol. Maybe I did it wrong since they are escaping the feeder.

Its amazing how quickly he changes colors. When he is "hiding" in the foilage of the plants, usually one or two favorite spots of his, Baron is a very bright green with some white stripes. When he is climbing the branches, or the walls of the cage, he usually turns a shade or two darker. He moves quickly and is very alert and usually has a fairly blump figure when he is resting in his hiding spots. When I go to observe, mist, or feed him, he tucks back into the safety of the leaves.