Chameloens in Ohio

[gholston]

Hello.

I am new to these forums. I used to own a Bearded Dragon for around 8 years, and after he died, I always wanted to try taking care of a Chameleon.

So, kind of impulsively (apologies) I bought a Veiled at the local pet store the other day. She is maybe 3 inches long (body only). I had a 20 gallon high aquarium and have been harboring her in there for the moment. I was somewhat disappointed to learn that my Chameleon was a female, because of the egg issue.

Right now, she is doing fine. I bought some of those twisty vines, and also put quite a few branches in her tank. She is eating, but I have not seen her drink.
I have been misting here twice a day, and today I put an ice cube on top of her screen. Will I see her drink?

Also, after going to the more corporate pet store where I bought her, I hunted down a reptile store. I went in there yesterday, and he said that due to Ohio humidity (especially during winter) that it is actually better to keep her in a glass aquarium. Is this true? The glass aquarium that they their large adult male in seemed dirty.

So basically, right now for how small she is, I'm sure my 20 gallon high is fine, but what to do when she gets bigger? Mesh or Glass tank for Ohio Chams? I know the glass tend to get dirty with bacteria and such, but I do not want her to dry out.

Is Ohio just a bad region to try to even take care of them? I see a lot of your photos and you guys seem to live in really nice sunny year round climates. The guy at the reptile shop even told me that Florida was much easier to raise them. He also told me she would only live maybe 2-3 years unless I bred her. Is this true?


Thanks ahead of time.
Greg

 

[pssh]

Screen cages are fine and you should get one as soon as possible. You do not have to breed her and if you take special precautions you can make her live 6+ years (well past the life expectancy in the wild.) You probably will not see her drink for a while as veileds tend to be closet drinkers.

Here is a site to read up on: http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/

In the mean time, fill this out to the best of your knowledge and we can help you with your set up:

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
Location - Where are you geographically located?


Pictures are helpful

 

[OOOst16]

LOOK first off you really should have done research because now your going to have to do shopping...to correct things....were are you located ? what part of ohio?...i have a male vield (im in cinci) and hes doing great....also ohio humidity is indeed dry in the winter....but no biggy ...misting takes care of that along with having real plants in your encloers ( visit the safe plants list in enclosers and supplys) .and you can purchase a humidifyer if your house is really that dry. i have a male vield in a 2x2x4 screen encloser and my humidity stays up fine....also in the summer ...southern ohio humidity is high and so are temps ....(again were are you located).fill out the stuff pssh has posted and we will be able to help you. and all true chameleons can live a good while as pssh said.its all about proper care...research and housing.

 

[gholston]

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Female Veiled
Handling - Well, once or twice a day, but that will taper down, as I know they do not like to be handled, as it stresses them.
Feeding - I am feeding her live crickets that are fed on potatoes and carrots. They are then dusted with Miner-All powder.
Supplements - see above
Watering - I am misting with a small spray bottle a couple minutes every day. No I have not see her eat.
Fecal Description - I haven't seen her fecal matter yet. She probably has not been checked for parasites.
History - Came from a corporate pet store that really didn't know chameleons. Although, she looks and acts quite lively and healthy.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - glass aquarium 20gallaon tall (probably 2.5 feet) Onlt temporary, as I have already read that young Chams get lost in large enclosures
Lighting - well, i am at work atm so I don't know the brands, but I have a 55 watt bulb made for reptiles for heat, and a UV bulb in the light housing (flourescent)
Temperature - I need to get a digital thermometer. Ambient room temp is 70-73 degrees, she does bask under the heat bulb
Humidity - this is where my issues are and my questions
Plants - yes, i have one live plant in her enclosure.. a Pothos ( i read up on them on another Chameleon site)
Placement - The cage is next to my 75 gallon Oscar aquarium, top of the cage is probably 4 feet off the ground. In a relative low trafiic area.
Location - OH

 

[OOOst16]

ok answer this. are her eyes sunk in???( becasue pet store chams are usualy dehydrated)...also are you using a comapact(swirly) uvb bulb? and also...get her out of that glass crap asap unless its a exotera VENTEDGLASS CAGE...like this one (zoomed and exotera make these...they have good ventalation there designed for tropical species ...but should only be used for babie true chameleons and pygmey chameleons...as chams grow they need to be moved to a larger screen housing...since its winter i recomend you use the exotera vented glass encloser for humidity and temp issues) ....if you buy these in a set ( liek a compelete package) they come with a hood that only suports a swirly compact uvb bulb...COMPACT UVB bulbs cause blindness and eye issues. reptisun 5.0 and reptiglo 5.0 are the only TUBE LINIAR UVB bubls you should be using....dont get any of that nock off crap. i sugest visisting FLChams.com and reading off there chameleon check list....also...what are the size crickets your feeding her?....they should be no winder then the space between her eyes.

 

[gholston]

Oh and I am in Columbus, OH.

Please don't think I am just some Jackass that walked into a pet store and bought her. It was somewhat impulsive, yes, but I got the lighting, some vines, a plant etc. I have also already spent hours researching them.

I had a bad set up the first day (wood substrate, watering dish) but quickly learned that these were not for Chameleons.

I have since rectified this, and will continue to make her environment what it needs to be. I just wanted to hear from some fellow Ohioans or ppl with our kind of dry waether in the winter for advice... and any other advice as well.

Much appreciated.

 

[gholston]

ok OOSt.

I will get her into a more well ventilated cage this evening.

Her eyes look great. she is very bright and active. There are no dark circles and she is a very lively little lizard (for a chameleon anyway).

I will either get a mesh cgae from the pet store tonight or order one like you posted there.

Aren't large cages too big for the young ones tho? she's only about 3 inches long (body) right now.

 

[OOOst16]

yes a small baby should be in a 18x18x36 or smaller(always get a liniear cage not a horizontal one)....then at about 5.5-6 months move them into a large 2x2x4 cage ...by this time they will have the footing so they dont fall to there doom....also no i dont think your a jackass. your just gona have to buy alot of stuff^^to fix it....also since she is female she will need a laying bin.( i do not know what age the sexualy mature because i dont deal with females...all i know is that they lay infertal eggs...research chameleon setups that house females)...femals are alot more sensitive because of the hole egg issue...research it becasue i cannot help you on the egg subject.

 

[hallenhe]

I'm in Michigan and have had chameleons going on seven years; our winter humidity will be pretty similar to yours. There are big divisions on the glass vs. screen debate; veiled chameleons in the US are generally kept in screen, while those in the UK are often kept in glass (look at posts from forum member Miss Lily, e.g. here, for some pictures of non-screen cages). Some ventilation is important, and chameleons like a more vertically-oriented cage. She's going to need something bigger than 20 gallons in a few months; if I were you, I would probably devote my resources into getting her a good screen cage (Reptarium, or build one yourself) for her adult cage.
A steady dripper (in addition to spritzing her, not instead of it) would enable her to drink when you're not around. This can be as simple as a plastic cup filled with water, with a pinhole in the bottom, or you can buy fancier ones at pet stores with valves and adjustable flow rates. Either kind is commonly placed on top of a screen top.

 

[gholston]

I will also verify tonight that i have the good lights. I can still return them if they aren't and get the right kind.

I will do this the right way, as I have nothing but respect for animals and would never put her into a situation that would be abusive.

In a way, I feel i may have rescued her from a worse situtation, as they had her at the pet store in a 5 gallon tank with a water dish.

I know I can do better than that

 

[hallenhe]

By the way, welcome! I know the reception can seem a little aggressive sometimes; it generally isn't intended that way. I'm glad to see you ready and willing to research and work for your chameleon; wishing you many happy years with her!

 

[gholston]

Ok Hallenhe.

I am somewhat handy, and think I may build a reptarium, but I've already seen some links to pretty affordable nice Chameleon enclosures online, so I'm not sure.

Greg

 

[OOOst16]

good lord....5 gallon + water dish....seriously! man somthing has to be done about chameleons in petstores....( i also resqued mine form a chain petstore)

 

[jessica]

Welcome to the forum!

The link Pssh gave you has good information on husbandry, and as hallenhe shows there is a couple different enclosure options.

There is a lot of good information and a lot of nice people willing to help you out here on the forum!

Congrats on your new baby! Does she have a name yet?

Oh and we like pictures!! Lots of Pictures!!


EDIT: You can get digital themometer/hydrometer from stores like Homedepot, Lowes etc. Check out this sponser for enclosres http://lllreptile.com/

 

[gholston]

hehe, yeah.

I'm surprised she looks as healthy as she does, but they only had her for a few days. Like I said, i had a bearded for 8 years, and although i know they are totally different as far as care goes, I have an eye for telling if she were healthy or not.

She doesn't seem to have bow legs or sunken in eyes.... she's very attentive and aware of her surroundings. she makes eye contact (at least with one eye lol), and she likes to climb. Her coloration is a very bright lime green with hints of reddish brown on her top.

She tends to get darker reddish brown on the top when i mist the habitat or put my hands in there.

 

[gholston]

@Jessica...

My wife wants to name her Karma, but I'm thinking that's a little cheesy and probably what everyone thinks about naming their Chameleons lol.

I'm not sure what we are going to name her yet, but when we do, I'll let you know

Also, I am a professional photographer, so I will definitely be taking photos.

 

[pssh]

Welcome. Unfortunately you did not really rescue her, to truly rescue an animal it must be removed from a situation without allowing the perpetrator to profit or enable them to use the loss of the animal to accommodate the suffering of more animals in it's place. Thats why you shouldnt support bad pet stores like that

You need a digital thermometer as soon as possible, dont let the basking them get over 83 degrees. Try to only handle her when she voluntarily walks out of her cage and onto you, or once a week to check her over. Raise the cage so that her highest spot is above your eye level and make sure she can't see the fish tank. You need to gutload her crickets and feeders with more than just potatoes and carrots. Here is a list of veggies/fruits according to their calcium: Phos levels. Try to keep the phos low and the Ca high while switching out the type of veggie every couple days/ every week. Stay away from spinach, broccoli, and tomatoes.

http://www.guinealynx.info/diet_ratio.html


What kind of minerall do you have? Does it have D3 in it? If it does only use that one once or twice a week. You need to use a calcium without D3 4-5 times a week and a multivitamin without vit. A once or twice a month. She can probably be placed in a cage that is about 16x16x30 with no problems. I would suggest getting a screen cage as opposed to the glass one because you can just wrap a shower curtain around two-three sides of the cage for humidity.

Do you have the long linear UVB tube or the compact one?

 

[jessica]

Ah so you will take wonderful pictures

Also I added a link to a site sponser that sells enclosures and goodies! Hope it helps!!

The names are more for us, they can't hear what we call them anyways

My guys are Ernie and Berta lol so cheesy....

 

[RSGriff]

I live in Bowling Green, here are my set ups. The male veiled cage is 5'x2'x2'. I have an MistKing misting system that runs 4min every 4 hrs during the day and my lights are on from 8am-7pm (short for winter) Humidity is not a problem with the misting system and live plants. I feed them Dubia roaches and supers mostly.