Hi guys. My boyfriend and I are new to the wonderous world of chameleons and we have our cage set up. It is, as we believe, a 18x18x24 glass enclosure with mesh screen on the top and a door that opens. We have a basking lamp in the top left with the uvb lamp to the right. We added three artificial vines and a huge fake tree. At the bottom is a coconut substrate suggested to us, with mosses and twine around the bottom. We didn’t research and found out that substrate at the bottom of the enclosure is not recommended so we’re wondering if it’s a different story with coconut substrate. We plan on getting a baby veil chameleon from a reputable breeder. And suggestions would be gladly appreciated. Thank you!
Enclosure setup
- Thread starter Hopeberry
- Start date
Mrjamwin
Chameleon Enthusiast
Welcome to the Forums! There is a resource tab at the top of this page that will answer the majority of your questions but off the top you're going to need a taller enclosure and better lighting. Again i would check the resource tab first and most likely you're going to get some expert advice from others here who will post videos and such to help. Don't be afraid to ask lots of questions. 
Prince of Duval
Avid Member
Agreed...and more plant coverage to hide in.Welcome to the Forums! There is a resource tab at the top of this page that will answer the majority of your questions but off the top you're going to need a taller enclosure and better lighting. Again i would check the resource tab first and most likely you're going to get some expert advice from others here who will post videos and such to help. Don't be afraid to ask lots of questions.
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
Hi there. I hate to be the one to rain on your parade, but I’m going to. While that is a truly lovely looking enclosure, unfortunately it needs lots of changes for a cham...especially a veiled. While the glass with proper air venting is fine, that one is much too short. Chams are arboreal and like height and being able to look down upon the world. The best/minimum size for most chams is a 24x24x48.
The dual dome won’t be able to provide adequate uvb. The recommended uvb is a T5 ho linear (long) fixture with a 5% bulb as long as the width of the enclosure. You can use the dual dome for basking light and a plant light.
While I love all of the moss and similar and fake plants are easy, veileds are plant eaters. They may eat the moss and a fake leaf and get impacted, which can kill them, or if you’re lucky a very expensive vet bill. It is best to use safe real plants and no bottom substrate. Bare floor is safest and so easy to keep clean. You’ll also want to figure out a drainage system for all the excess water as standing water is a bacterial breeding ground. Safe and easy plants are Pothos, schefflera, hibiscus, wandering Jew and philodendron. Pothos is my personal favorite as it quickly grows some nice vines that offer more climbing and hiding opportunities for my chams. Speaking of, you will want to add many more sticks and vines for your cham to climb. Avoid coniferous branches like pine etc.
Not sure what the little dish is for. If for water, you won’t need it. Chams only drink water from leaves, so you’ll either need a spray bottle or a misting system.
You really have created a beautiful enclosure...just not for a cham. Perhaps a crested gecko would do very well in it.
One last thing, if you get a female veiled, she will need a lay bin in the enclosure. Is easiest to just keep it in there all the time rather than guessing when she’ll need it. Whether mated or not, she will lay eggs like chickens do.
Hope this helps.
I hate to be the one to rain on your parade, but I’m going to. While that is a truly lovely looking enclosure, unfortunately it needs lots of changes for a cham...especially a veiled. While the glass with proper air venting is fine, that one is much too short. Chams are arboreal and like height and being able to look down upon the world. The best/minimum size for most chams is a 24x24x48. The dual dome won’t be able to provide adequate uvb. The recommended uvb is a T5 ho linear (long) fixture with a 5% bulb as long as the width of the enclosure. You can use the dual dome for basking light and a plant light.
While I love all of the moss and similar and fake plants are easy, veileds are plant eaters. They may eat the moss and a fake leaf and get impacted, which can kill them, or if you’re lucky a very expensive vet bill. It is best to use safe real plants and no bottom substrate. Bare floor is safest and so easy to keep clean. You’ll also want to figure out a drainage system for all the excess water as standing water is a bacterial breeding ground. Safe and easy plants are Pothos, schefflera, hibiscus, wandering Jew and philodendron. Pothos is my personal favorite as it quickly grows some nice vines that offer more climbing and hiding opportunities for my chams. Speaking of, you will want to add many more sticks and vines for your cham to climb. Avoid coniferous branches like pine etc.
Not sure what the little dish is for. If for water, you won’t need it. Chams only drink water from leaves, so you’ll either need a spray bottle or a misting system.
You really have created a beautiful enclosure...just not for a cham. Perhaps a crested gecko would do very well in it.
One last thing, if you get a female veiled, she will need a lay bin in the enclosure. Is easiest to just keep it in there all the time rather than guessing when she’ll need it. Whether mated or not, she will lay eggs like chickens do.
Hope this helps.
First off -- welcome to the forums
Secondly -- thank you for trying to get your enclosure set up prior to bringing a chameleon home.
Thirdly -- I'm going to agree with @MissSkittles that that enclosure is better suited for a crested gecko than a chameleon. The only things you have that are appropriate for a chameleon would be the heat bulb, vine, and stick at the bottom.
I'm going to link a video that walks you through my panther chameleon's enclosure which would be very, very similar for a veiled chameleon.
Fear not though! If you willing to learn and make changes, we are more than happy to coach you through how to set up a proper chameleon enclosure. I will warn you though... it won't be cheap.
Secondly -- thank you for trying to get your enclosure set up prior to bringing a chameleon home.
Thirdly -- I'm going to agree with @MissSkittles that that enclosure is better suited for a crested gecko than a chameleon. The only things you have that are appropriate for a chameleon would be the heat bulb, vine, and stick at the bottom.
I'm going to link a video that walks you through my panther chameleon's enclosure which would be very, very similar for a veiled chameleon.
Fear not though! If you willing to learn and make changes, we are more than happy to coach you through how to set up a proper chameleon enclosure. I will warn you though... it won't be cheap.
Thank you so much that is extremely helpful and we are going to look into everything you have suggested. I do have one question, I live in Colorado where it’s very dry, the guy at petsmart said a mesh cage is not ideal here so we got a all glass enclosure. Do you have or know any suggestions On which enclosure would best suit Colorado’s conditions?Hi there.
The dual dome won’t be able to provide adequate uvb. The recommended uvb is a T5 ho linear (long) fixture with a 5% bulb as long as the width of the enclosure. You can use the dual dome for basking light and a plant light.
While I love all of the moss and similar and fake plants are easy, veileds are plant eaters. They may eat the moss and a fake leaf and get impacted, which can kill them, or if you’re lucky a very expensive vet bill. It is best to use safe real plants and no bottom substrate. Bare floor is safest and so easy to keep clean. You’ll also want to figure out a drainage system for all the excess water as standing water is a bacterial breeding ground. Safe and easy plants are Pothos, schefflera, hibiscus, wandering Jew and philodendron. Pothos is my personal favorite as it quickly grows some nice vines that offer more climbing and hiding opportunities for my chams. Speaking of, you will want to add many more sticks and vines for your cham to climb. Avoid coniferous branches like pine etc.
Not sure what the little dish is for. If for water, you won’t need it. Chams only drink water from leaves, so you’ll either need a spray bottle or a misting system.
You really have created a beautiful enclosure...just not for a cham. Perhaps a crested gecko would do very well in it.
One last thing, if you get a female veiled, she will need a lay bin in the enclosure. Is easiest to just keep it in there all the time rather than guessing when she’ll need it. Whether mated or not, she will lay eggs like chickens do.
Hope this helps.
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
Dragon strand makes some beautiful enclosures that you can get with clear pvc sides and back, I believe.
Yeah the hybrid enclosures are slickkkkk
Prince of Duval
Avid Member
See...even PetSmart can give reasonable chameleon husbandry advice once in a while. If you can’t afford a new cage with some solid walls, you could use shower curtains or another form of barrier (pvc, plexiglass, etc.) to increase your humidity levels and temperatures in your enclosure. As you start to close your cage off, you will want to monitor both of those carefully.
We looked them up. Expensive! So worth it though. We are going to save our money to get one. We want the best for our little guys!
Just an update for everyone so kind enough to help out. We did lots more research and have decided on the tall hybrid from dragon strand along with many live plants from hibiscus to croton, planning on getting a big dripper, an automatic misting system, and a digital humidity gauge. When all set in stone, we’re going to purchase a baby veil!
