Getting my first Chameleon ever!!

[Lynn57]

Hello everyone! I’m excited to find this forum! I’m getting my first baby soon ( veiled male). I’ve watched almost all of Bill Strands videos to learn as much as I possibly can about this species.
There is a 3 month old baby right now at a reptile store here in town and he is the most interactive one I have ever seen. When your by his cage he literally comes down to the glass and indicates that he wants out. When they open his door without hesitation he is out and on your hand going up your arm. I know this is not the usual but I’m absolutely in n love with him. I’m going to enclose a photo of my tank so far and see if you all thinks it’s acceptable. One bulb is UVB 7% and one is a full spectrum for the plants. I also have a 75w heat/ basking bulb. Anything I am missing? Thank you all in advance!

 

[BleuSaphir]

This could work short term. Will need a bigger enclosure soon.

 

[LizardLurkin]

Lovely interior design. You will be very surprised at how fast they grow, though. A veiled male can reach up to 24 inches in length, and they're quite impressively sized compared to some other common pet lizards. I will second that you will have to start designing a forever home of at least 2x2x4ft, but as a little baby, this looks really nice for now.

For the lights, you will want to raise the uvb fixture and basking bulb because it looks like he can get quite close to it and this can lead to burns (reptiles seem to famously cook themselves.)
I only really know the measurements for a reptisun t5ho and arcadia 6%, which those need to be 8-9 inches away from the basking branch. I'm uncertain if 7% is that much stronger but maybe another inch or so would make up for it. Anyone that really knows their UVB stuff willing to help out? @Beman maybe?

How often do you run the fogger? You won't want to have a fogger running during high temperature times as that can be a risk for developing respiratory infections. Generally, the people here advise to not run foggers if the temps are above 67 farenheit.

I wanna see baby pics when the time comes!

 

[Beman]

Hi there welcome to the forum.

So unfortunately the 7% fixture and bulb will need to be returned. These are not made with the same output levels as the 6% or the 5.0 bulbs. They are created for animals like geckos. Those that do not lay out in direct sun but in brush and like a lower light environment.
The difference in the arcadia bulbs... You have UVB and UVA lighting from them. The 7% bulb is the shade dweller bulb so it has almost half the amount of UVA lighting as the 6% or 12% bulbs they sit at around 30% UVA vs the shadedweller 7% strength UVB bulb sitting at 17% UVA.
UVA is responsible for stimulating different aspects in a chameleon. Feeding and mating responses are linked to this. So you have to get the Prot5 fixture with the 6% Uvb bulb. Otherwise the chameleon will not get the correct UVA levels and can be impacted in a major way.

NOTE if that fixture you are running is a multi bulb fixture then you need to make sure the reflectors come down in between the bulbs. If they do not then you will not have the same UVI output as you would with an individual bulb in a single bulb fixture. What this means is your going to need a solarmeter to test your levels. With these fixtures they can all sit at different output ability based on the reflector type and how they are set in. You can think you are providing the correct UVI level but be providing far lower than recommended levels. Additionally you will need to raise a fixture up off the top 4 inches. 3 month old babies screen climb..

Here is why I do not like them nor recommend them for chams in smaller glass set ups. For your set up being glass this fixture is so large it will block a ton of air flow. Also it is going to provide a ton of heat. Looks alot like a hydroponic fixture.

All of the moss loose stuff has to go. A veiled will munch on that.

You will not like this portion of my feedback but I want you to be successful.

NO lake in the cage. I see the right side bottom is all water. Babies can drown. You do not want to mix the two. Not to mention this is going to put out a ton of moisture. High moisture and heat equals respiratory infections for chams.
This set up would be fantastic for a different animal. Gecko's or frogs. But really is not suitable for a chameleon. It is beautifully done and I would hate to see you take it apart to try to change it to make it acceptable for a chameleon. Also the cage size looks smaller... You need a 24x24x48inch cage for a chameleon. By 5 months they really need the room to move around.

 

[LizardLurkin]

Oh my! I did not even catch the water, very good eye. Chameleons don't exactly have the build to swim competently. Just look at their cute little mittens and you'll understand why!

Beman always has sagely advice. For further information on how to get a thriving chameleon set up, please stop by the chameleon academy, and also watch Neptune's care guide to further cement the information if you're a visual learner. You can also take a peak at the ultimate chameleon kit. It comes with a fair amount of supplies sans the decor and a stand or drainage solution, but there's also a lot of DIY solutions you can look to for that as well.
There are tons of resources for enclosure builds. I've seen some truly breathtaking artful cages in my browsing here. With this much creativity and well laid out plants and foliage, just imagine how beautiful you could make a proper 24x24x48 enclosure!!

 

[Lynn57]

Lovely interior design. You will be very surprised at how fast they grow, though. A veiled male can reach up to 24 inches in length, and they're quite impressively sized compared to some other common pet lizards. I will second that you will have to start designing a forever home of at least 2x2x4ft, but as a little baby, this looks really nice for now.

For the lights, you will want to raise the uvb fixture and basking bulb because it looks like he can get quite close to it and this can lead to burns (reptiles seem to famously cook themselves.)
I only really know the measurements for a reptisun t5ho and arcadia 6%, which those need to be 8-9 inches away from the basking branch. I'm uncertain if 7% is that much stronger but maybe another inch or so would make up for it. Anyone that really knows their UVB stuff willing to help out? @Beman maybe?

How often do you run the fogger? You won't want to have a fogger running during high temperature times as that can be a risk for developing respiratory infections. Generally, the people here advise to not run foggers if the temps are above 67 farenheit.

I wanna see baby pics when the time comes!

Thank you for your input! The bulb is actually a reptisun 5HO The basking branch is 9” behind the bulb it self. I’m not running a fogger as of yet. Sorry pic was deceiving as I’m just trying out my humidifier as a fogger.
I have watched most all of Bill strands videos in prep for this guy.
I realize my enclosure may need to be enlarged in the near future but according to him it is a doable size. (36x36x18) But I do agree that it should not only a foot higher but should still be at least 36” wide. I’m not sure if 2” wide for them is any better ? Just my personal thoughts.
Thank you so much for all your info and I really appreciate it!!