could I have a little check up please?

[lysinlight87]

Well, I've had Neelix 3 weeks now, & have made many changes to my set up since realising the pet shop are useless (I raised questions about their care before)

So I would like a check up please, so I know he's gonna be ok. MBD is my worst nightmare.

•Your Chameleon - veiled male, 3-4months.
•Handling - daily, but I'm now starting to realise when he's not in the mood.
•Feeding - crickets (other foods have been firmly rejecting at the moment). Twice daily- mid am & mid pm. Gutload is bug grub, carrot, kale & grapes
•Supplements - calci dust (no d3) at each feed. Nutribol (with D3) 1 feed every 2 weeks.
•Watering - big dripper- steady drip. Misting 3 times daily- 20 seconds or so. He drinks the water as it runs down his face lol
•Fecal Description - poop machine! Solid, dark brown, white urate
•History - from 'specialist' pet shop I'm now having doubts about.

Cage Info:
•Cage Type - Glass, tall, I forget the dimensions but it's only small cos he's small at the moment. Mesh top, ventilation at bottom
•Lighting - sorry, will have to fill this later, can't remember the details! But he has a uv light from 9am to 9pm, & a heat lamp for the same hours (as of today, heat lamp has previously been on 24hours.
•Temperature - 20c at night, 25 during day. He has a thermostat attached to the heat lamp, but I'll need to get something else to monitor at night.
•Humidity - 70 to 80%. Hydrogometer within tank.
•Plants - African daisy, hibiscus- in pots, as removed substrate
•Placement - living room, on a table 1 foot above floor. Low traffic & away from tv.
•Location - uk

Thanks! I can post pictures if u like

 

[Adam Harrelson]

you should use a screened cage instead of a glass cage

i mean if you have a glass cage it's fine but keep the humidity limited so he doesn't get respiratory problems

 

[Wykd]

Nothing wrong with glass cages, problem is using a glass fish tank as a cage... two different cages completely. Glass terrariums have lower front venting which creates a chimney effect and draws air in and up out the tank. Many people have successfully reared reptiles of all sorts in these cages. Like he said watch your humidity though.

However its a male veiled and they grow fast don't they? So will not be long before you need to cage upgrade anyways, just go screened when you do because a 2x2x4 glass cage would be costly compared to a screened that size.

 

[Trillian]

This article explains why some glass terrariums are better than others: http://chameleonnews.com/10JulAndersonGlass.html

Lys, I'm not very experienced, but I don't see any glaring errors. Pictures would be helpful though!

 

[lysinlight87]

Ok, thanks for the advice! I'll certainly consider a mesh cage, but the concern is maintaining humidity & temp considering I'm in a chilly area & mesh is quite open. I don't mind paying out for a decent glass terranium. I was thinking about getting an adult sized cage in september, but if he needs one sooner, I'll get him one.

 

[lysinlight87]

Here's a couple of photos. I took the African daisy out this morn cos I was worried about humidity being too high. I've heard that it should be 60-70% but it's currently at 80?

He's exceptionally grumpy this morning, he shed yesterday and he seems a little confused by the hibiscus flowering today.

 

[Wykd]

nice shots of the flowers and he does look a little like WTF is that thing!?!

 

[lysinlight87]

yea, he's sat on the same branch all day, just sort of giving them evils lol

 

[Wykd]

You can get around the humidity issue if you are worried about in a screen cage. Close off the back and 1 side with acrylic. This will allow plenty of air flow from top, front and 1 side, and by closing one side and the back you can basiclly create a bit of a better separation in the climate zones in the cage.

In my quik drawing below you see if you put your basking on one side and mister in middle you create a cool/warm & humid/arid zone from left to right. As well you will still have the temperature variations from top/bottom, but now also left to right some more.

Its just a suggestion and idea I came up with after my last build. This design also helps control moisture/humidity outside the screen cage as well.
BTW the green is simulating plants and brown the branches... lol

 

[lysinlight87]

that's pretty cool, thanks