First Time Owner!

[Lilpiano]

I am so glad I found these forums. I did some research before making the purchase of my 2 month old Veiled Chameleon. I thought I had everything planned out. Well, needless to say I showed my true "First Time Owner" colors in certain areas.

I just wanted thank all of the people who have posted and given input to others. I was a nervous wreak the first day of buying her. I just kept reading different things and finding new things out that I wasn't doing. But thanks to you all I think I have hammered out most of my issues and feel good about where I am.

I currently have her in an Exo-Terra glass terrarium (12x12x18). I know she will outgrow this soon, but my dad and I are building a bigger and better habitat, ourselves. I am currently using the Heat Glo bulb to heat and the Repti-Glo 5.0 for UVB. I only have one live plant in there right now the rest are artificial. I also added an Exo-Terra medium Waterfall so in case I had to stay late at work and didn't get home to mist in time she wouldn't have to go without water. I am also feeding her 5 to 6 small crickets a day. I am currently feeding the crickets a gel-like gut loader and I am dusting them with a Chameleon calcium/vitamin supplement. In the pictures you will see there is substrate in the bottom. I didn't learn until afterwards that substrates are not good for chameleons. I have since fixed that problem. Sorry if this post is long.

I just wanted to say thanks again and I am open to criticism, so please if I am doing something wrong please let me know, but remember I am a first timer so please be gentle. I have attached some pictures of her and her new home. I will post pictures on a new thread later when I have her new place in the construction phase. Thanks again!

 

[jannb]

Welcome to the Chameleon Forums and congrats on you new baby. I love baby veileds! They are just so adorable.

I keep veileds and this is the blog I wrote after having babies. Hopefully it will help you out with your new baby. After you read it over feel free to ask any questions you might have. Jann

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html

Also since you have a female you will also need to know this infomation.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/jannb/345-egg-laying-laying-bin.html#comment656

 

[laurie]

Welcome to the forum, it is good to hear we are being helpful.

Here are my suggestions for you. get rid of the waterfall asap. It breeds bacteria and she is small enough that she could drown. Chameleons don't drink from standing water. She will most likely drink when you spray her and the plants or from a dripper if you provide one. Even with a terrarium a dripper is easy. Buy a "little dripper" at a pet store or make one by using a plastic milk carton, with a piece of fish air tubbing stuck in a very small hole in the bottom, add a fish value to control the amount of drips and you are set. locate the dripper over a bowl in the terrarium that had a cover like fabric or cheesecloth, or screen wire taped over the bowl. Make sure the bowl will hoopla the amount of water dripping into it so it doesn't flood the tank. Also make sure if you use something like screen, that you tape it such that the cham can't get scratched by any screen sticking out.

Jann has posted links to most of what you need to know. Just be very careful as glass terrariums heat up fast and that baby can overheat really fast.

you need to work on gutload your crickets but I think Jann covers that.

Let us know what else you want help with. See I am as long winder as you are.

 

[Hoj]

congrats on the little gal. i to am quite new to cham husbandry this site is great you will find anwsers to everything here and I would take all the advise and info you can. ( seems like you are) take Lauries advise its always done me well as well as i would look into a digital temp/humidty meter as i see you have the exo-terra analog ones as did i and i found them to be alittle unreliable.