General setup help

[tyler71989]

Hey everyone,

I just got a new veiled chameleon about 4 days ago and I want to make sure everything is on point. I have a misting system, uvb lighting for him, a leaf water system, as well as a humidifier for night time humidity upkeep. I have noticed he hasn't been eating as much as I would normally expect from a veiled his size, according to online guides, and we haven't seen him drink so I am not sure if he is a shy drinker or he is actually not drinking for some reason. I wasn't sure where to post this at so if it needs moved please let me know.

Temp: 70 - 85 (85-90 in basking spot)
Supplements: calcium without D3 mon, wed, Fri
Diet: Dubai roaches, crickets, meal worms(sparingly), horned worm (once a week)
Water: tap water with reptiwater additive
Misting: once in the morning and once at night, humidifier going on low at night
Humidity: 60-70% in the morning and let it naturally fall during the day

Any help that can be provided I will do my best to implement. Thank you

 

[Jpeff]

For your supplements you still need a d3 with vitamins. Say reptivite with d3 on 1st and 15.
For basking spot it's too hot 85 or lower

 

[tyler71989]

For your supplements you still need a d3 with vitamins. Say reptivite with d3 on 1st and 15.
For basking spot it's too hot 85 or lower

Yeah I picked up the reptivite with D3 and I have been researching the dosing on it but i have some places saying once every two weeks and saying once every month so not really sure which one is the best to go off of haha

 

[Beman]

Leaf water system needs to go... It recycles the water and it can build up bacteria which is not good for them to drink.

Are you feeding every day?

Did you confirm gender?

All of the fake plants you want to pull. Get a really tall money tree or umbrella tree to fill out the enclosure. But Veileds eat their plants so they really need to be live.

Reptivite is pointless to use and a waste of your money. You do not want to be using tap water unless your willing to replace your nozzles as they get clogged from the build up of calcium and minerals in the water.

What is your distance from the UVB to the branch right below the fixture? Which UVB type and strength are you using?

 

[tyler71989]

Leaf water system needs to go... It recycles the water and it can build up bacteria which is not good for them to drink.

Are you feeding every day?

Did you confirm gender?

All of the fake plants you want to pull. Get a really tall money tree or umbrella tree to fill out the enclosure. But Veileds eat their plants so they really need to be live.

Reptivite is pointless to use and a waste of your money. You do not want to be using tap water unless your willing to replace your nozzles as they get clogged from the build up of calcium and minerals in the water.

What is your distance from the UVB to the branch right below the fixture? Which UVB type and strength are you using?

So even if I clean it out every day it's not a good option?

I am feeding every day currently

The pet store said they verified the gender but will confirm tonight.

I have 2 large real plants in there for them but I use the fake plants primarily to provide them a hiding spot.

So what supplements should I be using then? Every person I have seen and every guide I read from said that they were ok to use.

I will get the measurements for the uvb but it is a uvb 5 if I remember correctly but will verify when I get home

 

[Flick boy]

Hi Tyler yeah as mentioned, fake plants out live in , a couple of good golden pothos would fill the top out nicely and add plenty of climbing and hiding places slso you could add a lot more branches to make the most of all the space in the enclosure. Will add a picture later of and old one j have

 

[tyler71989]

Hi Tyler yeah as mentioned, fake plants out live in , a couple of good golden pothos would fill the top out nicely and add plenty of climbing and hiding places slso you could add a lot more branches to make the most of all the space in the enclosure. Will add a picture later of and old one j have

Any idea where a good place to get them would be by chance? I live in Idaho so it is kind of a pain to find the stuff I need since it doesn't naturally grow here usually

 

[tyler71989]

Hi Tyler yeah as mentioned, fake plants out live in , a couple of good golden pothos would fill the top out nicely and add plenty of climbing and hiding places slso you could add a lot more branches to make the most of all the space in the enclosure. Will add a picture later of and old one j have

I'm not sure how I will get those to reach the upper portion of the tank ...might have to find a way to get a platform built-in there to hold it in it's pot until it grows enough I guess

 

[Jpeff]

So I shouldn't use this one.

 

[KilogramCham]

I'm not sure how I will get those to reach the upper portion of the tank ...might have to find a way to get a platform built-in there to hold it in it's pot until it grows enough I guess

https://dragonstrand.com/dragon-ledges/

 

[Flick boy]

Hi sorry can't advice where to get plants i ilive in the uk. But hope this helps

 

[Beman]

So even if I clean it out every day it's not a good option?

I am feeding every day currently

The pet store said they verified the gender but will confirm tonight.

I have 2 large real plants in there for them but I use the fake plants primarily to provide them a hiding spot.

So what supplements should I be using then? Every person I have seen and every guide I read from said that they were ok to use.

I will get the measurements for the uvb but it is a uvb 5 if I remember correctly but will verify when I get home

Ok so if your feeding every day you want to use calcium without D3 at every feeding and then a multivitamin with D3 and Vitamin A two times a month say the 1st and the 15th. Reptivite with D3 or Repashy Calcium plus LoD version are both good options for a multivitamin.

With those watering plants the issue is you can not control what drops into that basin. If the cham poops in there or a feeder dies in there that water then is running through the system. For this reason they just are not recommended because you have to clean consistently.

Ok let us know if you need help confirming gender... Pet stores get it wrong a lot of the time.

Pull the fake plants out and hook on the outside of the enclosure. Then they provide coverage against the screen without becoming an impaction risk.

I would choose tall plants unless you can rig up a ledge system or order dragon ledges for your enclosure. Lowes or home depot normally has a great indoor plant selection.

Let me know what the UVB is when you get home and I will give you distance to basking for it.

 

[tyler71989]

Ok so if your feeding every day you want to use calcium without D3 at every feeding and then a multivitamin with D3 and Vitamin A two times a month say the 1st and the 15th. Reptivite with D3 or Repashy Calcium plus LoD version are both good options for a multivitamin.

With those watering plants the issue is you can not control what drops into that basin. If the cham poops in there or a feeder dies in there that water then is running through the system. For this reason they just are not recommended because you have to clean consistently.

Ok let us know if you need help confirming gender... Pet stores get it wrong a lot of the time.

Pull the fake plants out and hook on the outside of the enclosure. Then they provide coverage against the screen without becoming an impaction risk.

I would choose tall plants unless you can rig up a ledge system or order dragon ledges for your enclosure. Lowes or home depot normally has a great indoor plant selection.

Let me know what the UVB is when you get home and I will give you distance to basking for it.

Yeah I am pretty certain that this is a female veiled actually since there's no little nub for the dewclaw and the way the head is...I am kind of worried about how finicky it will be if it does happen to be a girl so I'm not sure if I should take her back to get a male or not....

 

[Beman]

Yeah I am pretty certain that this is a female veiled actually since there's no little nub for the dewclaw and the way the head is...I am kind of worried about how finicky it will be if it does happen to be a girl so I'm not sure if I should take her back to get a male or not....

What do you mean by finicky? The only difference between keeping a male vs a female is the basking temp/feeding amounts as they mature. The females do lay eggs which is why we have to control temps and food intake so they produce less eggs. But males can have their own issues between sperm plugs and prolapses.

 

[tyler71989]

What do you mean by finicky? The only difference between keeping a male vs a female is the basking temp/feeding amounts as they mature. The females do lay eggs which is why we have to control temps and food intake so they produce less eggs. But males can have their own issues between sperm plugs and prolapses.

Yeah that's what I am trying to figure out right now. My entire setup is built for a male and I have been reading up on what I need to do differently here

 

[Beman]

Yeah that's what I am trying to figure out right now. My entire setup is built for a male and I have been reading up on what I need to do differently here

The only thing you would have to change is adding a lay bin.... Nothing else with the set up is different.

If you do not want a female that is a different situation. But make sure you have gender confirmed for the next one or order from a reputable breeder. Marks chameleons breeds Veileds and so does Frams chams. Both are great breeders.

 

[tyler71989]

The only thing you would have to change is adding a lay bin.... Nothing else with the set up is different.

If you do not want a female that is a different situation. But make sure you have gender confirmed for the next one or order from a reputable breeder. Marks chameleons breeds Veileds and so does Frams chams. Both are great breeders.

I'm actually curious here...when people breed chameleons do they keep both the male and female in the same cage throughout the process or is it actually dangerous for the mother and babies?

 

[Beman]

I'm actually curious here...when people breed chameleons do they keep both the male and female in the same cage throughout the process or is it actually dangerous for the mother and babies?

The male and female are only introduced for mating when the female is in her receptive phase then the female is immediately removed or they can hurt one another. They are housed in their own cages.

The babies are not kept with the mother or she will eat them. THis is why we use lay bins. The bin is removed after laying and the eggs are carefully removed and put into bins with vermalite and then they are sealed for the incubation process (rough terms of how it is done). As the babies mature they start getting split off into smaller groups as well or there can be a pecking order in which some decline as others become more dominant. Typically by 3-4 months old all babies are in individual cages.