Enclosure too large?? Concerned new owner

[sheilahinkley]

I have just recently purchased a baby, male veiled Cham. He's about two inches long probably and I have a 18x18x 36 cage and I've been told by some people this is much too large and he needs to be placed in a transitional environment. I've seen him catch two crickets with me watching. Ive only had him for three days. I've been misting the cage four to five times a day. Do I need to move him?

 

[maryanne27]

It does look a little too big in my opinion; I feel like that size would be more for a juvenile? However, mine WAS juvenile when I got him a few years ago, so maybe I'm just used to seeing a little bit more chameleon for the space provided.
I would definitely add some more leafy vines/foliage throughout the rest of the cage - the plants at the bottom are great, but he will need some more cover all around to hide in and to help collect water drops. The main concern with too big of a cage - along with being able to hunt - is being able to thermoregulate easily. If he has a little more to climb on to get up and down to get out of the heat as needed or a little higher when he is too cold, he should be ok. Maybe just keep an eye on the temps and his mobility throughout the space.
I'm actually working on shrinking the space in my cage for my baby I will be getting in a couple months, so I am definitely curious to see what more experienced keepers suggest on this thread!

 

[sheilahinkley]

Thanks so much, I've been doing some research and some people recommend a transitional setup, using a bin and placing a plant and vines in that along with the lighting I have on this enclosure. I think I'm going to try this at least for a month or two to ensure he is able to access food and water with ease.

 

[carol5208]

More plants, as suggested. Just use a cup to feed and he should be fine. You won't have to worry about the crickets hiding and you can keep track of how much your chameleon is eating. Search cup feeding and you can see how to set up one or look in the enclosures and supplies section and you can see some other people's set ups.

 

[sheilahinkley]

The breeder I got him from said absolutely not to cup feed so my plan currently is to just do a DIY transitional setup. I will add some more plants and vines as I go as well

 

[carol5208]

Ok, it is up to you.

 

[Captain Cook]

I bought my cham at 3 months old, he is only 4 now, the enclosure I built is 4 feet tall 2 deep and 20 inches wide. That is still much too big for him so I have him in just a plain old Rubbermaid. It has a vine in it and some artificial plant in it with lots of leaves to hide. I have a feeder cup in there for him to feed the same one I'll use in his big enclosure

 

[sheilahinkley]

Did you just cut a large hole in the top of the rubbermaid and lay screen mesh over it?

 

[Captain Cook]

Yep, I actually cut a hole in the lid leaving like an Inch so it could still clip, and then laid insect screen first, so the lid holds the screening down. Works good too cause when I mist he skims the droplets at the top to drink.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Isn't that a dieffenbachia plant in the foreground? If it is, get it out immediately. Deadly poisonous, and veileds are known to eat plants.

You can make that cage size work, but your food costs will likely be higher.

Your cage is upside down--you have plants and foliage on the bottom when they should be at the top. You can either get a taller plant such as a ficus or hibiscus (my favorite for a veiled because they definitely are edible and my one veiled loves snacking on his. The ficus or scheffella is not something I would really want my animals to ingest, so why not give him something that you know is healthy?

 

[sheilahinkley]

The taller one is an umbrella and the other small one is a pathos. I've gotten some more vines so he can hide and still be warm at the top. I got everything needed to make a transitional set up but he really seems to be doing well in the larger cage but I'm just monitoring how many crickets he's eating a day and if it seems to be less than 10 I'm going to move him. How often should I notice poop?

 

[Chamel619]

The breeder I got him from said absolutely not to cup feed so my plan currently is to just do a DIY transitional setup. I will add some more plants and vines as I go as well

Baby veiled's will do best in a screened cage 16x16x30 (LDH) . Rubbermaid containers are no different than a glass aquariums and should be avoided. Any environment should be set up and fine tuned, before introducing the inhabitant.

Improper husbandry is the number 1 killer of chameleons.

What were the breeders concerns about "cup feeding"?

 

[sheilahinkley]

The breeder said to purchase an 18x18x36 screen cage which I did and put in two live plants. I've recently added some vines towards the top of the cage as well. The breeder said that they need to be able to hunt here food and may stop eating if they are cup fed..

 

[Captain Cook]

My Rubbermaid is well vented on the top, and two of the sides. In an open area with no stagnant air.

 

[Kevlar03]

I would"raise" the bottom up a little. You will lose access through the bottom flip up door, but it's not for that long. If you are handy and have tools, just cut up a 2x4 to the height you want to raise it, so you will basically have 4 posts in each corner and 1 in the middle and place the pvc bottom on top. The center2x4 will move, so a little hot glue will help. Then when you take them out, the hot glue will peel right off.

 

[sheilahinkley]

Update, after adding more vines he seems to be more active, always in a new spot when I check on him and his poops have looked normal, with white urate. He seems to have no trouble locating crickets. I have let let free roam the cage and normally have about 15 in there at one time. I am considering just leaving him in this setup for now because he seems to be doing well. I may consider raising the bottom some as you said above.

 

[Kevlar03]

Terrific! Good luck! If someone asked me from the beginning, I would have started with the large cage and raised the bottom up. Saves money on 2 cages.

 

[sheilahinkley]

Isn't that a dieffenbachia plant in the foreground? If it is, get it out immediately. Deadly poisonous, and veileds are known to eat plants.

You can make that cage size work, but your food costs will likely be higher.

Your cage is upside down--you have plants and foliage on the bottom when they should be at the top. You can either get a taller plant such as a ficus or hibiscus (my favorite for a veiled because they definitely are edible and my one veiled loves snacking on his. The ficus or scheffella is not something I would really want my animals to ingest, so why not give him something that you know is healthy?

So that was a dieffebachia plant, the woman at ome depot told me it was a pathos but I did some research to be sure. I'm panicking now and took it out of his cage. He's acting normally and eating, drinking and pooping. I've called some vet clinics and they've said to just keep an eye one him but my usual reptile clinic is closed on Wednesdays. Does anyone know if I would be seeing symptoms already or if I should take him somewhere immediately ? I feel terribly please help!

 

[Andee]

Had he eaten any of it?

 

[sheilahinkley]

There looked like there may have been nibbles out of the plant but I don't know for sure