First time chameleon owner ( new to forum )

[FaXioN]

Hey everyone,
This is my first chameleon named Ivy, me and my girlfriend purchased her for $60 at a flea market on sunday. She is a 3-month old veiled chameleon. My friend let me borrow her exo terra terrarium which is all glass with the opening front doors, a mesh top to allow airflow and for lighting, etc.

We put it together with the fake vines and what not, a rock for her to bask on. I do plan on getting her real plants this coming weekend when i get paid, possibly a new setup as well.

at first she was nervous but shes found her favorite spot near the top of the cage on the plant, right under the light. ( light is about 6-8" above where she is )
She does turn dark green - dark grey when on the light, im not sure if it is because she is basking, or sees her reflection on the glass ( heard theyre very territorial )

Shes let me hold her yesterday and ive been hand feeding her waxworms and crickets, ( i use tweezers to feed her, havent tried full hand yet )

i did give her a waxworm as soon as she went on my hand to show her that its good for her to come out.

I was just wondering if there is anything i should know before i keep on going, this is my first chameleon, and i do plan on having more in the future, soo far after 3 days she has been a blessing and ive already grown attached to her. i am at work at the moment so i can't post a picture of her just yet.

( also when i handled her i put my hand in front of her and let her come to me, she did it slowly and hesitantly but as soon as i got her near her plant she quickened up and went to the plant ( thinking she was a little cold and wanted to bask ) )

 

[JohnDoe]

Check out this care sheet put together by the best on this forum.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/

 

[jannb]

Welcome to the forums! This is a great place to learn about chameleons. Do you have any pictures of Ivy? I love veileds and the little girls are so sweet but they can and often do lay eggs without a male even being around. I recommend keeping a laying bin in the enclosure at all time after they reach the age of 5 months. I have a few links for you below.

My blog on general care: https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...ng-veiled-panther-chameleons.html#comment1721

Female care: http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/2007/12/keeping-female-veiled.html

Egg laying and the laying bin: https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/jannb/345-egg-laying-laying-bin.html#comment2021

Video on how to make a laying bin: https://www.chameleonforums.com/laying-bin-set-up-educational-video-77225/

More great chameleon info here: https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/chameleons/

 

[FaXioN]

is Ivy's enclosure good for right now though??

Also how often should i have the basking light and uvb light on??

 

[NHenn]

As long as the enclose is large enough it should be fine. If you posts some pictures of it we will be able to tell you more.

Basking and UVB should be on all day, most run a 11-12 hour cycle with their lights.

 

[FaXioN]

Can i use a blacklight ( 75 watt ) at night for heating? then uvb from 7-8am-3-5pm then the basking till 12am??

im trying to think of a cycle to use lighting wise,
im going out after work today to buy another light fixture so i can use the uvb and basking at the same time.

 

[camimom]

Can i use a blacklight ( 75 watt ) at night for heating? then uvb from 7-8am-3-5pm then the basking till 12am??

im trying to think of a cycle to use lighting wise,
im going out after work today to buy another light fixture so i can use the uvb and basking at the same time.

No.

No lights at night.

Basking AND uvb, 12 on, 12 off. Or set to the light cycle outside.

THey dont need heat at night. so longas temps dont drop below 50.

 

[FaXioN]

ohh ok, the lady i got her from told me to have it on at night.

Whats the purpose of the black light then??

and can i have the basking and uvb on at the same time for 12 hours then 12 off??

or do i have to switch basking then uvb every 6 hours??


also when basking Ivy turns dark at times, almost black but then shes green after a while, why is this??

 

[camimom]

ohh ok, the lady i got her from told me to have it on at night.

Whats the purpose of the black light then??

and can i have the basking and uvb on at the same time for 12 hours then 12 off??

or do i have to switch basking then uvb every 6 hours??


also when basking Ivy turns dark at times, almost black but then shes green after a while, why is this??

that lady was dumb.
There is no purpose of a black night, get rid of it. never going to need it.

You need one uvb and one basking bulb (whcih can be a regular house bulb)

Yes uvb and basking have to both be on for 12, then off for 12.

What is the basking temp>

they turn dark when cold.

 

[FaXioN]

i don't know it off of the top of my head, but the lamp sits about 6" away from her directly.

can it also be her reflection in the glass thats making her nervous because of her being territorial??

Also, i havent seen her drink yet, but my girlfriend has, she said she does it 2-3 times every few hours, i was wondering how often theyre suppose to drink.

Feeding wise she munches crickets down like a champ and loves her occasional wax worm.

 

[camimom]

You need to measure temps until you know for sure they do not fluctuate.

There is no set amount or times to drink, which is why we say to mist every couple hours.

It could be her reflection, but most likley its temp and her trying to settle in to a new home.

 

[FaXioN]

well im going to petco this afternoon to buy some stuff,
ill be able to find the temp out by tonight.

as for the reflection, should i put paper on that side that she chills on? to avoid the reflection

 

[camimom]

Get a digital thermo, not that zoo med velcro thing from petco.

You can if you want, but i really dont think thats the issue.

 

[FaXioN]

so any digital thermo basically??
and ok, i just wanted to eleminate any of the possibilities.

Other then that though shes doing amazing,
sunday she let us hold her, monday she was getting use to her new home,
then yesterday she crawled on me for a little bit, not leaving my hand.

Shes let us handfeed her with tweezers, so i think thats a good sign of her earning our trust.

 

[camimom]

Thats good.

For now, let her eat as much as she wants.

 

[FaXioN]

Of course, first day she ate 15-20 crickets and now shes gone through about 30 in the past 2 days, as well as about 10-15 waxworms.

How are other ways to get her use to me? like to earn her trust,

Also should i consider putting some real plants in there as well? prefferably before she gets use to this one entirely, since shes only been in the new enviorment for about 3-4 days.

 

[KillaNCham]

My baby cham was eating SO much too until i realized...I need to get him bigger feeders! Try larger feeders, I have Large crickets and medium super worms for my 3.5 month old veiled.
Rule of thumb is nothing bigger than their head is wide.
A thermometer and hydrometer will teach you so much.
The people on these forums are amazing and a wealth of knowledge!
You are at the right place, Congratulations on your new Cham!