Hello from sweden!

[cicke]

Hey guys, I joined the forums today, and just wanted to introduce myself and my cham!

I live in sweden, where chameleons are even more rare than in the states (or so i've been told), the climate is different and, well, everything is different really.

I have had my cham for a little more than 2 months now, when i first got him he was in this tiny petbox because he was so small, I have now moved him into a 30x30x30 (cm) terrarium with a screened top and glass sides, He eats from my hand and by himself regularly, he also sheds and does his business in normal matter. Inside the terrarium is a vine, a big plastic plant and because we have a different climate from you guys, I also have a little tropical terrarium substrate on the bottom (from exo-terra) to keep the humidity high. He looks healthy and I regularly talk to the pet-store i bought him from to ensure everything is tip-top, I have a bigger terrarium waiting for him (60 wide, 60 high, 80 long) for when he gets bigger, I currently only have a few not-so-good pics of him and the enclosure, but I will attach them anyways and hope to get some comments and/or suggestions!

Hello from me and Sgt. Pepper "Peppe"

Edit: The terrarium looks a bit different now, with the plant and everything, more places to climb and hide!

 

[SSimsswiSS]

välkommen

 

[justjumpit621]

Many people do not suggest you use a glass aquarium for a chameleon. It gets too hot and humid in there, like being in a glass box, and there is little circulation of air, and especially since you have a veiled chameleon who needs more airflow, I would suggest selling that one and the other one you have if it is also like this one and ordering an all screened enclosure with live plants to keep up humidity. I am not trying to be mean I just want to let you know. Also it is an environment for a lot of bacteria and fungus to grow and therefor can lead to upper respiratory infections and fungal infections. No one wants that =( You can see all of the condensation on the glass. But anyway, welcome!

 

[jessica]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[serenitystarlite]

Hello and welcome

Regardless of where you live, I would get rid of the substrate and use either paper towels or nothing at all. He could accidently eat it and it is a breeding ground for bacteria. A tank like is that is ok for a small baby, but when he gets a little bigger, you'll want to move him into either a screen enclosure or a glass enclosure with proper ventilation. There are plenty of people on the forum that would be more than happy to help you figure out what sort of enclosure to use. What kind of lights do you have on him?

 

[laurie]

Many people do not suggest you use a glass aquarium for a chameleon. It gets too hot and humid in there, like being in a glass box, and there is little circulation of air, and especially since you have a veiled chameleon who needs more airflow, I would suggest selling that one and the other one you have if it is also like this one and ordering an all screened enclosure with live plants to keep up humidity. I am not trying to be mean I just want to let you know. Also it is an environment for a lot of bacteria and fungus to grow and therefor can lead to upper respiratory infections and fungal infections. No one wants that =( You can see all of the condensation on the glass. But anyway, welcome!

He is not in the US and in Europe the use glass Viv's. He could get information form others in his area of the world. An all screen enclosure might kill the little veiled chameleon.

 

[laurie]

Hello and welcome to the forum. That is a cute little veiled you have, how old is he? Chameleons sure do get under your skin & into your heart. Enjoy

 

[justjumpit621]

He is not in the US and in Europe the use glass Viv's. He could get information form others in his area of the world. An all screen enclosure might kill the little veiled chameleon.

Why would it kill him? The weather is exactly the same here right now as it is there and I just put plastic sheets around 3 sides of my cage to keep the heat and humidity in. I do not see the difference?

 

[meganm85]

He is not in the US and in Europe the use glass Viv's. He could get information form others in his area of the world. An all screen enclosure might kill the little veiled chameleon.

why is that...im curious...i see posts all the time about that...

 

[SpinyFranky]

why is that...im curious...i see posts all the time about that...

Many European countries have climates much different from the U.S

Many are much colder than us, and problems with humidity and keeping a constant and stable temperature as well as gradient... becomes a severe issue.

Because of this many keepers, Germany in particular prefer to use Terrariums. Please note that it is not an aquarium - which is sealed to prevent water leakage. Terrariums are not sealed and have sources of ventilation on the top and on the sides via slits in the hinges and sometimes glass walls.

The benefits of using them are:

It becomes much easier to contain heat, as well as create thermal layers in regions where otherwise it would become impossible. Secondly and maybe most importantly is it makes the acquisition of a constant humidity much more feasible, with the glass retaining moisture much longer than screen could ever hope to.

However in most of the united states, the opposite proves to be true. Because of our relatively warmer climate and dryness - over heating and too much moisture becomes a strong issue. In states such as my own California - Keeping such an animal in a terrarium requires constant attention, as the temperature becomes a struggle to keep down.

In countries such as Sweden where temperatures usually sit at 50-70 F for the warmest parts of the year, it is actually a wise decision to consider a terrarium.

However as a precaution to the OP I would consider the fact that your humidity may be a little too high for the animal as seen in the pictures. Veiled chameleons in particular are accustomed to lower humidity ranges than other chameleons, and as such prefer it a little more dry than most other species.

 

[cicke]

Thanks for all of your responses!

I have looked over the issue of glass terrariums, over, and over, and on all swedish forums and in every petshop they recommend glass, I remake the ones i buy though, by adding net at the top to increase airflow, and I clean the terrarium very often to ensure that bacteria does not grow inside. The temperature inside stays at around 23-25 degrees (celsius) on the bottom, and 28-30 underneath the basking light.

The lights I have on him are:

1. Repti Glo 5.0 - Tropical Terrarium Lamp PT2159 Repti Glo 5.0/T8 15" 38cm 14W

And one heat-lamp (I'm unsure of the wattage and brand, but I have a Sun Glo Neodymium Daylight Basking Spot Lamp, 75W from exo-terra, I just need a good lampholder for it.)

I alsop have a heat-mat underneath the terrarium, Should the temperature drop (It's virtually never on since the temp. always stays good.)

As for the age, I'm not sure really, they didn't say how old he was when I bought him, I can take some new pictures today and maybe you guys can tell me? I have had him in my care for two months anyways!

 

[meganm85]

Many European countries have climates much different from the U.S

Many are much colder than us, and problems with humidity and keeping a constant and stable temperature as well as gradient... becomes a severe issue.

Because of this many keepers, Germany in particular prefer to use Terrariums. Please note that it is not an aquarium - which is sealed to prevent water leakage. Terrariums are not sealed and have sources of ventilation on the top and on the sides via slits in the hinges and sometimes glass walls.

The benefits of using them are:

It becomes much easier to contain heat, as well as create thermal layers in regions where otherwise it would become impossible. Secondly and maybe most importantly is it makes the acquisition of a constant humidity much more feasible, with the glass retaining moisture much longer than screen could ever hope to.

However in most of the united states, the opposite proves to be true. Because of our relatively warmer climate and dryness - over heating and too much moisture becomes a strong issue. In states such as my own California - Keeping such an animal in a terrarium requires constant attention, as the temperature becomes a struggle to keep down.

In countries such as Sweden where temperatures usually sit at 50-70 F for the warmest parts of the year, it is actually a wise decision to consider a terrarium.

However as a precaution to the OP I would consider the fact that your humidity may be a little too high for the animal as seen in the pictures. Veiled chameleons in particular are accustomed to lower humidity ranges than other chameleons, and as such prefer it a little more dry than most other species.

ok..thanks for explaining that!

 

[Pumpkinface]

in the photo, the humidity does seem a bit high. veileds live in a bunch of varied climates and can withstand less humidity. having it too wet in there could cause a respitory infection. you could put a live plant (this forum has a great list of safe plants) to help circulate the air and hold in humidity. as for his age, i think it looks 3-4 months old. nice looking cham!

 

[cicke]

Thank you for your tips I will remove the substrate on the bottom and also make sure that the humidity isn't too high in there!

Better pics will come, and I will put a live plant in there to replace the plastic one, as soon as I find one in good size, thank you for giving me a approx. on the age btw

 

[justjumpit621]

is it really a terrarium? Or is in an aquarium? You said you change it and put screen on the top. In a terrarium they already have screen on the top. If it is a terrarium it should have a screen top and ventilation on the sides.

 

[cicke]

Yes, it already had ventilation, but it wasn't sufficient, so I made some changes to it

 

[cicke]

Okay, now, let's talk humidity, in percentages, what should I aim for? Removed the Substrate on the ground btw, looks much better now!

 

[cicke]

Bump, I'm currently at 75-80 % humidity, is this dangerously high?

Help appreciated on how I could lower it, should that be the case

 

[Pumpkinface]

yea, lower it to 40-50% humidity

 

[cicke]

Humidity is at 75-80 after spraying, will check if it goes down, if it doesn't, HOW do i lower the humidity? seeing as it's a glass terrarium