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!!

 

[Lynn57]

Hi there welcome to the forum.

Thank you

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.

Sorry, it is a reptisun HO 5 %

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.

So I should get a Acadia pro 5.0 or 6% as a separate fixture and a separate one for my plants. Correct.

Additionally you will need to raise a fixture up off the top 4 inches. 3 month old babies screen climb..

Okay

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.

The Spanish moss?

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.

The bottom water feature is only 3” deep and has tons of rocks and plants and branches that if he would fall in he could climb out. We live in a very dry climate and it’s hard to get the humidity here up over 30% during 8 months of the year. Right now the humidity without any additional spraying is 90% on the plant side and 60% up top. What should I be looking at for the humidity on the bottom during the daylight hours?
Thanks for your reply and I really appreciate your opinions. If you are absolutely sure about the water feature I can change that out.
Thanks again

 

[Carlton]

Have to agree about all that complicated substrate, the moss, and the water feature.

Loose substrate can get picked up on the cham's tongue. Depending on the type of moss, there are sharp spiny bits in it. Substrate should be simple to clean. The more you have to work carefully around it, the harder it will be to maintain. It will get grody with shed skin, poop, loose feeders will get lost in it and eventually die. Then they add to the bacterial mix.

The water pool will be a PITA to maintain too. Feeders can fall into it, your cham will drop poop in it, bits of the habitat will constantly fall into it, creating a soup of bacteria. Just get rid of it. There are other, better ways to maintain humidity. If pools were the only way to do that, we'd all have them in our setups!

Also, about the colored flowers. Your veiled may decide to try eating it. If it's a live plant, be sure it is edible. If it's fake, be sure it is sturdy enough to stand chewing without pieces breaking loose. You don't want your cham swallowing non-edible objects.

It's best to start off with a simpler setup until you learn how much daily attention it and your cham will require.

 

[Beman]

Thank you

Sorry, it is a reptisun HO 5 %

So I should get a Acadia pro 5.0 or 6% as a separate fixture and a separate one for my plants. Correct.

Okay

The Spanish moss?


The bottom water feature is only 3” deep and has tons of rocks and plants and branches that if he would fall in he could climb out. We live in a very dry climate and it’s hard to get the humidity here up over 30% during 8 months of the year. Right now the humidity without any additional spraying is 90% on the plant side and 60% up top. What should I be looking at for the humidity on the bottom during the daylight hours?
Thanks for your reply and I really appreciate your opinions. If you are absolutely sure about the water feature I can change that out.
Thanks again

Ok if it is a 5% and your fixture does not have reflectors that come down in between the bulbs then you will still have the issue of the UVB not being pushed down. Your options are get a solarmeter 6.5 which are pricey but will tell you exactly what your output is... Typically you have to go up to a stronger bulb with these types of fixtures but there is some tweaking with distance needed which is why you have to have a solarmeter to tell you where the 3 UVI sits. Your better off going with a ProT5 and a 6% bulb and a jungle dawn led fixture. Your plants will love you for it as well. You will be able to get much more airflow and less heat build up.


Humidity for a Veiled daytime would need to be in the 30-50% max range. night time humidity can be high but only if temps are very cool below 67 and there is airflow. So your humidity levels far exceed what a veiled should be exposed to. Your humidity will sit highest away from the lighting at the bottom. towards the lighting that is where you are seeing a decline. Even if your sitting at 90% at the bottom and 60% at the top this still is well outside normal levels. It becomes a recipe for a respiratory infection.

Yes, the moss that is stringy... If they eat it or target it due to a bug being on it this is an impaction risk.

What are the dimensions of this cage? Again I hate to see you make changes if it will not last more than a month for a baby space wise.

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi there and welcome to the forum! @Beman is one of the very best and has taught so many of us how to be fantastic chameleon keepers and give the best care to our little scaled friends. You are in amazing hands with her.
I do have 2 cents to add and that is about enclosure size. You want to give your chameleon as much space as you can. The minimum size is a 2x2x4’. Chameleons, and especially the boys can be very active and do best with large spaces. I am fortunate enough to be able to give all of mine double sized enclosures and it is wonderful to see how they use all of the space…even my girls do.

 

[Lynn57]

Hi there and welcome to the forum! @Beman is one of the very best and has taught so many of us how to be fantastic chameleon keepers and give the best care to our little scaled friends. You are in amazing hands with her.
I do have 2 cents to add and that is about enclosure size. You want to give your chameleon as much space as you can. The minimum size is a 2x2x4’. Chameleons, and especially the boys can be very active and do best with large spaces. I am fortunate enough to be able to give all of mine double sized enclosures and it is wonderful to see how they use all of the space…even my girls do.

I just ordered the 48x19x48”!!

 

[Beman]

I just ordered the 48x19x48”!!

What exactly did you order with those dimensions? Do you have a link? While you can go wide I have never seen one with those exact dimensions.

 

[Lynn57]

What exactly did you order with those dimensions? Do you have a link? While you can go wide I have never seen one with those exact dimensions.

I just got it home! It's called Atasuki Knock down. And yes the measurement at 48"x 19"x48" tall. I got it at Roonami in St. Albert (Alberta, Canada)

 

[Beman]

I just got it home! It's called Atasuki Knock down. And yes the measurement at 48"x 19"x48" tall. I got it at Roonami in St. Albert (Alberta, Canada)

Yeah you should be good. The width being 48 will make up for the lack of full depth.