Help with getting started

[Frostlord]

Hi, I'm new to this and would like some advice to get me started.
I was hoping to get a baby veiled chameleon and have been looking around for a terrarium.
I found one which I though would be sufficient but I wanted to know what you guys think.
Would a medium sized one be ok?

 

[jannb]

Welcome to the forums. This is a great place to learn about chameleons. I keep veiled and they are awesome chameleons and so much fun to work with. I'm not familiar with that cage but that doesn't mean it's not good. I'm just not sure. I free range all my guys so I don't know allot about cages. I do however have a blog for new keepers. You might find it helpful.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html

 

[Frostlord]

Welcome to the forums. This is a great place to learn about chameleons. I keep veiled and they are awesome chameleons and so much fun to work with. I'm not familiar with that cage but that doesn't mean it's not good. I'm just not sure. I free range all my guys so I don't know allot about cages. I do however have a blog for new keepers. You might find it helpful.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html

Thanks for the link, I'll give it a read now.
I like your display pic, is that yours?

 

[jannb]

Thanks for the link, I'll give it a read now.
I like your display pic, is that yours?

Yes, that's Luie in my avatar picture. He was my first veiled. He passed away two years ago at 6 years old.

 

[Frostlord]

Yes, that's Luie in my avatar picture. He was my first veiled. He passed away two years ago at 6 years old.

That's sad
I hope mine is around for a long time.

 

[TheEricJ]

Medium is good for a young Cham but you'll need to upgrade as he/she gets bigger. Or you can get The Atrium cage by DragonStrand which can house a young Cham through adulthood. That is what I have and I love it. Lots of options out there including the medium reptibreeze for a starter. Good luck!

 

[sgiac801]

Should be fine for now

Hi there,

Congrats on your new family member! I've actually never seen that specific cage before, but it's perfect for a young chameleon until he grows out of it. Definitely agree that you will have to upgrade at some point to a larger adult-sized cage when the time comes.

In general, here are a few things that I wasn't expecting even after doing research for months before bringing my little guy home:
-be prepared to spend a lot of time with your cham each day, especially at first when he is transitioning. I actually found the bonding experience to be quite rewarding!
-expect mood swings and always be patient
-prepare for the worst! it's good to have a strong bond with your cham in case an emergency does happen. It's much easier to get a chameleon out of its cage when he trusts you, and it can be impossible if he doesn't.
-trust is hard to build and easy to break. cliche but very true.

 

[Frostlord]

Medium is good for a young Cham but you'll need to upgrade as he/she gets bigger. Or you can get The Atrium cage by DragonStrand which can house a young Cham through adulthood. That is what I have and I love it. Lots of options out there including the medium reptibreeze for a starter. Good luck!

Hi there,

Congrats on your new family member! I've actually never seen that specific cage before, but it's perfect for a young chameleon until he grows out of it. Definitely agree that you will have to upgrade at some point to a larger adult-sized cage when the time comes.

In general, here are a few things that I wasn't expecting even after doing research for months before bringing my little guy home:
-be prepared to spend a lot of time with your cham each day, especially at first when he is transitioning. I actually found the bonding experience to be quite rewarding!
-expect mood swings and always be patient
-prepare for the worst! it's good to have a strong bond with your cham in case an emergency does happen. It's much easier to get a chameleon out of its cage when he trusts you, and it can be impossible if he doesn't.
-trust is hard to build and easy to break. cliche but very true.

Thanks for the advice guys, I ended up finding a local guy with a large mesh cage and all the equipment that he had from his previous chameleon set up.

I'm going to go and pick up my little guy in an hour or so. I'll take a few pics once I get him.

 

[Frostlord]

Here is Gummy my baby Chameleon! He is so tiny!

I put him in his cage but im so worried about him falling. Should I put a cushion at the bottom just in case he falls?

Also I got him some hoppers but I'm worried they are too large for him(a bit bigger than his head), should I buy smaller ones?

 

[JHumm]

Cute little guy! I would definitely get some smaller crickets for a cham that young. Ask for pinhead crickets, just itty bitty things. They say the length of the cricket shouldn't be longer than the width of your chams eyes for risk of choking. Mine handles a little bigger just fine but for such a small veiled i wouldn't risk it. When I had crickets too big I took the back legs and head off so they were the size of something he could handle. Hope this helps! You'll have so much fun!

Joel

 

[Frostlord]

Cute little guy! I would definitely get some smaller crickets for a cham that young. Ask for pinhead crickets, just itty bitty things. They say the length of the cricket shouldn't be longer than the width of your chams eyes for risk of choking. Mine handles a little bigger just fine but for such a small veiled i wouldn't risk it. When I had crickets too big I took the back legs and head off so they were the size of something he could handle. Hope this helps! You'll have so much fun!

Joel

Thanks Joel, I'm going out to buy some smaller hoppers for him.
But last time I checked they only had small crickets left I hope they are ok to feed to him.

 

[nickypav]

I use an 18x18x36 for my baby panther and he loves the room, more room never hurts! i recommend cup feeding at first so he can find his food cuse he is tiny as hell when their babies and you wanna make sure he can find food. but more room is better i like the cage set up! btw mine has fallen a few times they are physically designed to stand the fall, they are excellent climbers he most likely wont fall. You can use eco earth if your cup feeding but if your free ranging at that age i dont recommend substrate cuse they will possible eat it. I use substrate for older cham

 

[nickypav]

crickets, fly larvae, flies, small wax worms, small hornworms, small silkworms are easy to find and are great for them to feed.

 

[Frostlord]

I use an 18x18x36 for my baby panther and he loves the room, more room never hurts! i recommend cup feeding at first so he can find his food cuse he is tiny as hell when their babies and you wanna make sure he can find food. but more room is better i like the cage set up! btw mine has fallen a few times they are physically designed to stand the fall, they are excellent climbers he most likely wont fall. You can use eco earth if your cup feeding but if your free ranging at that age i dont recommend substrate cuse they will possible eat it. I use substrate for older cham

crickets, fly larvae, flies, small wax worms, small hornworms, small silkworms are easy to find and are great for them to feed.

Thanks Nickypav, that really puts my mind at ease, I was so worried about him falling but I noticed he has quite a strong grip.
I'll have to go shopping and get him a variety of different thing for him to eat

 

[JHumm]

If you're really worried about the fall, you can put a microfiber cloth on the bottom instead of the coconut husk substrate. That's what I use and it works great. Not only is it soft, but it's synthetic so it wont grow bacteria as fast. Also you dont have to muck around with substrate. When it gets dirty I just throw it in the washer with very little to no detergent. Easy.