I’m afraid that your reptile store hasn’t given you fully correct info. The most important is your UVB is not the right type. Chameleons need linear T5 fixtures with either Arcadia 6% or ReptiSun 5.0 UVB bulbs. Distance between basking branch and light should be 8-9”. The coiled screw in type just aren’t able to provide the range nor levels needed. I do caution against getting off brand UVB as while the fixtures may work fine, it is the bulbs that don’t put out the levels of UVB they should. This is what is needed and the sooner, the better.
https://www.lightyourreptiles.com/products/arcadia-pro-t5-24-watt-fixture-22-5.html The second most important part is having/using the right supplements the right way. There are several different ways, but the easiest and the way many of us find the best is to lightly dust every feeding with a phosphorus-free calcium
without D3. Then, one feeding every other week (some prefer twice per month) you’ll use a combination D3/multivitamin product - Repashy calcium Plus LoD is preferred, but ReptiVite with D3 is also good. Besides personalized guidance here, the best sources to learn independently are either Neptune the Chameleon on YouTube and other social media or
https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/ which the site is loaded with all sorts of amazing info.
To answer your question - you want a 12 hour schedule of on/off for your lights. Chameleons need total darkness at night for proper beauty sleep. No red or any other colored bulb and unless your house temp falls below 55F at night, no night time heating is needed. You actually want a nice cool night for her.
I’ll give the basics as quick as I can. Basking temps for girls and young ones no higher than 80F. Daytime humidity ideally between 30-50%. No fogging during the daytime or when temps are above 68F. Minimum enclosure size for adult veileds and panthers is 2X2x4’, or equivalent to XL ReptiBreeze. Veileds and especially the girls will nibble or eat their plants, so they need to be clean and safe.
https://chameleonacademy.com/plants/ Provide lots of branches and vines of varied diameters to exercise little feet muscles and travel on lots of chameleon ‘roads’. Girls will lay eggs whether they’ve even seen a boy or not. We need to control that they don’t produce huge numbers too frequently. *See the blog I linked earlier. Veileds are rarely ‘friendly’ but we still need to build and maintain trust with them.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/building-trust-with-your-chameleon.2396/ Variety of diet is essential, as is making sure to keep your insect feeders healthy. Attaching graphics for both. Btw, the insect gels from the pet store (orange cubes & others) are not decent nutrition.
That’s about all I can think of for now. Do keep asking whatever questions you may have - is a great way to learn.
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Posting to show the difference in size between 2x2x4’ and I think it is a 16x16x30”. *Not a proper set up - I was still very new.
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You want to mist the leaves around your girl for a good two minutes, twice a day…right before lights go on and then off. Try not to spray her directly. Since you’re new to chameleons and have a girl veiled, I do feel compelled to make sure that your husbandry is correct, if that’s ok. May I ask where you’ve been getting your husbandry or care info from? There’s a ton of incorrect info out there, and many have fallen victim to it. Could you post some pics of your chameleon and her enclosure, including the lights? In the meantime, here’s a blog about vacating for our sweet girls as they become mature and start producing eggs. https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/veiled-chameleon-laying-101.2488/
