first chameleon questions

[Fairy Tale]

I work at a pet store and i had a costumer that came in saying his veiled chameleon does not move around, he was just sitting on the bottom of his cage. I offered to take the chameleon and now I am trying to get as knowledgable as possible so that he can be healthy and happy. I do know that his cage is not proper for a chameleon, they have him in a 55gal fish tank. could his decrease in movement be from improper ventalation? ANY advice anyone can offer would be great i do know some about them iv read a few books and articles but i would like to do everything the proper way! thanks for all your help!

 

[hallenhe]

Begin by checking out the Raising Kitty site; despite the "Kitty", it's about veiled chameleons and has a lot of good, basic information. Getting him more ventilation certainly won't hurt and will very probably help, but there may be other issues; once you've got him in hand and situated, there's a "How to ask for help" form you can fill out that will help us help you with your husbandry if necessary.
Welcome; please feel free to ask any specific questions you may have after reading through Raising Kitty.

 

[kinyonga]

Can you fill out this questionaire the best you can so we might be able to help you...
https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/

 

[Ellron]

Yah. You've got to check out Raising Kitty and fill out the form.
Then we will be able to get you right on track!

 

[pssh]

Welcome! The info above is very good, but I will just add my checklist for an adult male veiled. (if yours is female let us know.)


Here is my basic checklist for an adult male veiled:

-a screen cage of appropriate size (adult male 24x24x48)
-live plants that are non toxic and have covered organic fertilizer free soil
-a normal incandescent house bulb of appropriate wattage
-a dome to put the house bulb in
-a linear reptisun 5.0 and appropriate hood
-a digital thermometer or temp gun to check temperature
-a digital hygrometer to check humidity (you can buy a 2 in 1 thermometer/hygrometer)
-three supplements: calcium with d3, calcium without d3, and a multivitamin that contains no vit A (make sure all are phos free)
-a pump style spray bottle to spray chameleon
-a dripper of some sort
-drainage for the water so that the cage does not flood
-many horizontal, vertical, and diagonal branches/vines/perches make sure there are many at different levels under the basking branch so he can move around under them to get a certain temp, the closest one to the bulb (6-8 inches under it) should have the maximum temperature a male veiled can handle (85-90 degrees)

All of this can be bought on lllreptile.com but it would be cheaper to buy the uvb hood, normal incandescent house bulb and dome, plants, and digital thermometer from home depot or lowes (unless you are getting a temp gun, then tempgun.com) Veiled chameleons can handle temps as low as 50 degrees (at night) so there is no need to use a night light. *If you do need extra heat, use a space heater or ceramic bulb.