Hey new to the forums - here is my Lizzie !

[SweetAs]

hi all, yea sorry about the name a bit original i know but it suits her

got a couple of photos of my vivarium let me know what you think or anything i could change or do to make it a better life for her

sorry the photo's arnt great as im only using my iphone will try get some nice photo's of her as you can hardly see her

 

[blackbetty]

Tell ya right now, they will jump on you for having her in glass. Thats the same setup I have for my Red Eye Tree Frog.

 

[klangford]

That, a water bowl and substrate seems to be a no-no but then I guess it depends on exactly what critter you have in there

 

[SweetAs]

it is only tempory the glass vivarium for now, wanted to ask for vivariums you recomend (a link to one would be nice) and also i know about the water bowl, i do have a water feature but i spray the leaves regular and i have seen her drinking out of the bowl often.

 

[blackbetty]

That, a water bowl and substrate seems to be a no-no but then I guess it depends on exactly what critter you have in there

I see a cham in there in the second pic.

 

[Chameleons Canada]

1. Put the basking lamp on top of the cage, not inside (looks like is inside now) You need no more than a 40w incandecent bulb.
2. I don't see a UV light.You need one (reptisun 5.0 recommended)
3. You don't need a water bowl.
4. You don't need the substrate.
5. Get a screen cage.

 

[Syreptyon]

I'll agree right away with chameleoholic--the light should be on top of the cage and you definitely need a UV light (linear-style). The water bowl should be removed as it is a breeding ground for bacteria. Even if your cham drinks from it, it is unhealthy. Misting and a dripper should provide her water needs. I'd ditch the substrate, too, as it can cause impaction if ingested

 

[SweetAs]

1. Put the basking lamp on top of the cage, not inside (looks like is inside now) You need no more than a 40w incandecent bulb.
2. I don't see a UV light.You need one (reptisun 5.0 recommended)
3. You don't need a water bowl.
4. You don't need the substrate.
5. Get a screen cage.

thanks

1.ok, i got told from where i bought her from to do that i can easily put it ontop
2. i do have a UV light and its the correct one but you can see it behind the plants
3. you say i dont need a water bowl but she is using it and is water from the leaves enough??
4. i got told from chameleon sites that it needs real plants and bought the plants it recomended which was the umbrella plant and creeping fig. is it a must not have or just dont need it??
5. is there anything wrong with her being in a glass vivarium?? and i can change the doors to it to cage if that will be enough???


let me know,

sorry to all if it feels like i have upset anyone, i am a lover of chameleons and if i honestly thought what i had done wrong then i wouldnt of done it but i will correct it

 

[blackbetty]

What is the substrate? Looks like either chips or rocks...

 

[SweetAs]

I'll agree right away with chameleoholic--the light should be on top of the cage and you definitely need a UV light (linear-style). The water bowl should be removed as it is a breeding ground for bacteria. Even if your cham drinks from it, it is unhealthy. Misting and a dripper should provide her water needs. I'd ditch the substrate, too, as it can cause impaction if ingested

so if i remove the water bowl and put the water fountain which also i have a misting unit for would be fine??? surely that is also a breeding ground for bateria also though??

 

[klangford]

sorry to all if it feels like i have upset anyone, ...

Not at all - I'm new here too - these guys are just Johnny-On-The-Spot with fantastic advice and are very direct with it. What we all neglected to say is you are a wonderful owner for joining and asking advice! Your cham will love you for it.

 

[blackbetty]

thanks

1.ok, i got told from where i bought her from to do that i can easily put it ontop
2. i do have a UV light and its the correct one but you can see it behind the plants
3. you say i dont need a water bowl but she is using it and is water from the leaves enough??
4. i got told from chameleon sites that it needs real plants and bought the plants it recomended which was the umbrella plant and creeping fig. is it a must not have or just dont need it??
5. is there anything wrong with her being in a glass vivarium?? and i can change the doors to it to cage if that will be enough???


let me know,

sorry to all if it feels like i have upset anyone, i am a lover of chameleons and if i honestly thought what i had done wrong then i wouldnt of done it but i will correct it

Okay here is what Ive learned.. It has to be the LONG 5.0, not the spiral. If you have that on top, great.
Plants just need to be in organic soil. The water if misted often enough should suffice for hydration as well as a dripper like recommended. Substrate is bad (I removed mine yesterday). They can eat it and get impacted,..Plus not many chams go to floor level so its not necessary.. When I removed mine, all the water form the plants had drained and it was sopping wet and gross!! PLus dead crickets were in there.. Not good.
Glassis bad because they see their relfection and think its another cham and start to sway and hiss..some may even try to attack the glass and cause facial injuries..
and lastly, dont always believe the petshop people.. Most of them have NEVER gone to school for anything related tot he field..its just a "job" to them and they are there to sell whatever they can.. Not saying all, but the majority are completely wrong on what they offer people...

 

[SweetAs]

What is the substrate? Looks like either chips or rocks...

oh sorry they are beach chips which i was also told to put down, but can easily be removed if its not good for her and if removed what should i put down??

 

[blackbetty]

so if i remove the water bowl and put the water fountain which also i have a misting unit for would be fine??? surely that is also a breeding ground for bateria also though??

I dont know about fountains but I believe the water i moving therefore not allowing bacteria to breed.. standing water is whats bad, I think.

and PS, Im new too.

 

[blackbetty]

oh sorry they are beach chips which i was also told to put down, but can easily be removed if its not good for her and if removed what should i put down??

Nothing, or paper towels. I use paper towels under my plants to soak up excess water..but I also have a plastic bottom on my reptarium. Look at pics under the ome page under enclosures..and you can see what people have done..or go to brads page www.raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com

 

[Syreptyon]

so if i remove the water bowl and put the water fountain which also i have a misting unit for would be fine??? surely that is also a breeding ground for bateria also though??

Don't use a waterfall, as they are also riddling with bacteria. The misting is essential so make sure to keep that up and you can use a dripper, too.

And I forgot--welcome to the forums! Your chameleon will be grateful for what you learn here There's a lot of great info

 

[Sang]

alright ill go ahead and chime in.
Keep in mind you are keeping a female vieled chameleon from the looks of it, remember they do need a laying bin from a certain age, as females will eventually produce eggs, if she is unable to lay she will become egg bound and die. *a laying bin should be about 10-12"s deep and = dimensions.. consisting of moist potting soil and play sand, it should be wet enough to clump into a ball and hold its shape, but not dripping water*
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/2007/12/supplements.html

First off, the glass is not reccomended unless you are in the U.K, if you are in the states, a mesh enclosure is HIGHLY reccomended and used by just about everyone in the U.S.

1.the reason being is with glass, the lights create a oven affect, and you will have alot of difficulty creating the proper temperatures.
2. Glass also doesn't allow a little bit of a dry out, constant high humidity will lead to a multitudes of problems i.e resperatory problems.

2. the water bowl, the water bowl yes, a chameleon will drink from one, the reason you don't want one is because they are stagnant water, if they poop in there water.. then what do you think they are drinking, there is a reason chameleons drink off the leaves, and you need to spray them 3x a day for 3-5 mins.


3. Substrate, probably one of the things any chameleon enclosure will never need, chameleons spend most of there time up in the tress, almost little to No ground time ever spent. the risks are consumption of said substrate, which will lead to impaction and possibly animal death.

4. it is great that you have plants, the umbrella plant "schefflera" is one of the top plants you can buy for your enclosure, the ficus is also good choice. there also pothos which is a terrific vivarium plant, the reason for live plants is because the lizards will and should drink from them, make sure to repot all purchased plants in organic potting soil.

the UVB light *not that it is* should never be a compact lighting. it should be a linear tube 18" reptisun 5.0 bulb. 40-60 watt household bulb for warmth.. keep an eye on those temps, a 6-8 months vieled will tolerate temps up into the low 90's for there basking, and temerartures as low as the 60's.


make sure to turn the lights off at night, they need a cool down + sleep time in order to remain healthy.


you can find a proper enclosure at www.lllreptile.com

also, make sure to properly dust your feeders with calcium w/out d3 on almost every feeding, very lightly.

calcium with d3 maybe 1-2x a month.

and then vitamins arn't bad.


make sure you are gut loading your feeders prior to feeding them to your pet, what they eat, he eats. so its always a good idea into making up a good gut load for your chameleons food.

waterfoutains are absolutly not needed, and just as bad as standing water, its a body of water, there are thousands of different types of bacteria and parasites. what if your chameleon uses that fountain as a toilet.
you have to physically spray your enclosure.

www.herpmist.com jason sales a automated mister that works terrific.
www.kingmist.com another similar but = product to invest in.

 

[SweetAs]

Don't use a waterfall, as they are also riddling with bacteria. The misting is essential so make sure to keep that up and you can use a dripper, too.

And I forgot--welcome to the forums! Your chameleon will be grateful for what you learn here There's a lot of great info

thank you,

you say a dripper?? do you have a link to where i can buy on from?? and i suppose i simply just stick the misting unit into the dripper?

 

[Sang]

THe dripper is a simple means to provide water when you can't mist. misting is vital to maintaining a humidity level within the enclosure. don't for a second think a dripper will replace misting.

 

[SweetAs]

thanks sang for the information.

i do have the correct UV light and also i do live in the UK.

however i will look into buying the proper vivarium for her as i only want the best for her

i will remove the bowl as that makes complete sense and i already spary the plants 3 x a day for about 2 mins.

i also already dust the food for her

do i need a mister?? or just spraying the plants that often will be fine??