First Veiled! Supply check pls? + And some general questions

Roodah

New Member
Hi all,

I'm a newb to the cham world but am bringing home an 8 month female veiled cham in a few weeks. She's from a pet store... i know, i know... she's 8 months old and their cage is waaay too small for her. I let impulse take hold.

I wanted to go the bioactive route as I've been working my green thumb and have many of the plants already. I've begun gathering materials and would love to get feedback on what may or may not be missing and including a few general questions at the bottom.


Dragonstrand hybrid Tall cage
Reptile Systems T5 Ferguson Zone 3 12% Desert Reptile Lamp, 24-watt
Arcadia D3 6% UVB T5 Bulb - 34"
Battery Operated Lighting Timer
MistKing Starter Misting System v5.0
MistKing Hygrostat Controller HT-24
Digital Thermometer / Hygrometer
Reptisafe water conditioner
Calcium powder
Calcium powder + vit D

Bioactive setup:

Chameleon Tree Pouch 24" x 24" × 1 - will not be filling in the cage areas around the pouch to maintain the chimney effect
Sycamore bark / palm leaves/ magnolia leaf litter / spag moss
Terra Firma soil
isopods + springtail mix
Plants:
Spotted begonias
strawberry begonias
Pitcher plants
Ficus
Dracaena Janet
Prayer plant
Hoyas
Lemon butter fern (not sure if this is safe)
Chinese money plant (pepperomia)
Pothos


• Does anyone have reccs for where to get cham food from? I'm in Portland, OR. Would love to support a shop locally or can order online from a trusted source. Open to all sorts except roaches (can't bring myself to touch them lol).

• Any tips for an egg laying bin in a bioactive set up? I don't want the soil to cave in when she's burrowing, but if maintaining the right levels of moisture is that less of a concern? Would you put a bin within the soil regardless?

Thanks so much! I've learned so much from this forum and excited to get started.
 
I can’t help much but someone will be along soon that can. I did the same thing 3 weeks ago. I saw a Jackson’s Cham in petco in a small terrarium sitting in the bottom in dirt and I couldn’t leave him there so I rescued him. Good luck with your girl!
 
Reptile Systems T5 Ferguson Zone 3 12% Desert Reptile Lamp, 24-watt
Arcadia D3 6% UVB T5 Bulb - 34"
I believe these are both UVB lamps. You only need the Arcadia 6%
You'll need a basking lamp, but that can be a household incandescent (not LED)
Incandescent floods (not spots) also make good basking bulbs.
Reptisafe water conditioner
This is unnecessary, and for the MistKing, you should really be using distilled or RO water. AFAIK, the water conditioner won't remove the calcium, which can clog nozzles & cause wear on the pump.
Calcium powder
Calcium powder + vit D
You'll also need a herp multivitamin. Pick a day of the week (say Sunday for example).
Dust feeders with Calcium without D3 every day except Sunday.
On alternate Sundays, dust with D3 w. calcium or multivitamin—not both.
Plants:
Spotted begonias
strawberry begonias
Pitcher plants
Ficus
Dracaena Janet
Prayer plant
Hoyas
Lemon butter fern (not sure if this is safe)
Chinese money plant (pepperomia)
Pothos
If you're not sure, best not to use it, especially with a veiled, which is more likely to snack on it.
https://chameleonacademy.com/plants/

There are many, many good suppliers for feeders; try the site sponsors.
 
This is unnecessary, and for the MistKing, you should really be using distilled or RO water. AFAIK, the water conditioner won't remove the calcium, which can clog nozzles & cause wear on the pump.
Super helpful. Do you keep the distilled gallon jugs available for this purpose?

The lighting feel like the biggest hurdle for me admittedly- thanks will get the basking light in order!
 
Super helpful. Do you keep the distilled gallon jugs available for this purpose?

The lighting feel like the biggest hurdle for me admittedly- thanks will get the basking light in order!
I do—yes. It's just part of weekly (now bi-weekly since covid) grocery shopping.
With those plants, you'll also likely need a good plant light.
This one is excellent; quite a few folks here use it—it's powerful enough to reach the bottom of the enclosure if there isn't too much shade in the way.
https://www.sansiled.com/70w-led-grow-light-full-spectrum.html
Coupons available.
 
I do—yes. It's just part of weekly (now bi-weekly since covid) grocery shopping.
With those plants, you'll also likely need a good plant light.
This one is excellent; quite a few folks here use it—it's powerful enough to reach the bottom of the enclosure if there isn't too much shade in the way.
https://www.sansiled.com/70w-led-grow-light-full-spectrum.html
Coupons available.
Does the plant light + the UVB + the basking light create an issue or “too much” light (for lack of better words)?how should they be placed together? Thanks I just got the plant light you recommended!
 
Does the plant light + the UVB + the basking light create an issue or “too much” light (for lack of better words)?how should they be placed together? Thanks I just got the plant light you recommended!
Versus the Sun? :)

I have my plant light set for 12 hrs. on/12 hrs. off. At sunup & sundown, the sun has to penetrate a much thicker atmosphere, which filters out both heat and UVB, so I have basking & UVB set to turn on an hour later, and turn off an hour earlier. This has an added effect of extending the life of a UVB bulb by approx. 2 months.

1626115523746.png

I also mount my basking light at an angle, so it shines on a basking site under the plant light.
This produces a gradient of temperatures so my cham can choose where he wants to bask.

1626116790038.png
 
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When I turn on my plant light it gets entirely to hot in Eustis’s enclosure. The temps go up to 90 at his basking sight no matter where I put the plant light! I have that sansi light as well. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.
 
When I turn on my plant light it gets entirely to hot in Eustis’s enclosure. The temps go up to 90 at his basking sight no matter where I put the plant light! I have that sansi light as well. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.
I'm not following. You have 2 plant lights on? What other plant light besides the Sansi?

What are you using for a basking light? The basking light can be turned off anytime the temperature rises to or above the basking temperature.

I'm also wondering if the shower curtains you're using to hold in humidity at night are trapping in heat during the day(?)
 
No, just one sansi plant light. I was wondering the same about the shower curtains so I started opening them up during the day and have a fan going to move the air. I don’t close up the front of the cage with the shower curtain at night anymore, just the sides.
 
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