My First Setup

[Andrew1283]

Wouldn’t it be great if the experienced keepers on here posted a pic of their first enclosure and pointed out all the bad things we did wrong?

Here’s mine:

Medium Reptibreeze - Recommended by Petco

Substrate tray full of coco fiber - You know, to clump up the the poops for easy pickup….like kitty litter.

Random plastic plants providing almost no cover and zero humidity - check

A metal dog bowl on the bottom to catch water drops and a plastic plant in there for added bacteria - check

Fake vines covered in particulate/choking hazards - check

Hot steam humidifier right next to the cage - Because who doesn’t like giving animals respiratory issues?

Heat bulb with wattage way to high for thermal burns - check

Cham from Petco on an impulse buy - check

Placing an enclosure by a drafty window on the east side of our home that gets lots of morning sunlight - check

No drainage solution - check

 

[ChamelaChameleon]

Mine was worse than yours.

I adopted Carmelo. The Animal Shelter's only requirement was a picture of the enclosure. I thought everything was good.

1. The enclosure was 12x12x18 (for a overweight male Veiled - from head to end of tail is at least 19 inches)

2. I went to a pet store. They sold me the following:
Coco coir substrate

Coil uvb bulb

Exo Terra spot light heat bulb 100watts

Dripping Tree

Calcium w/D3
Reptivite w/D3

Fake vines

Meet Carmelo! All 19 inches stuffed into a 12x12x18 ExoTerra! As soon as i put Carmelo in this death tank, i knew there was a problem. I found Chameleon Forums 3 days after adoption. Carmelo spent less than 5 days in this death trap. My Amazon account was on steriods.

 

[ChamelaChameleon]

Wouldn’t it be great if the experienced keepers on here posted a pic of their first enclosure and pointed out all the bad things we did wrong?

Here’s mine:

Medium Reptibreeze - Recommended by Petco

Substrate tray full of coco fiber - You know, to clump up the the poops for easy pickup….like kitty litter.

Random plastic plants providing almost no cover and zero humidity - check

A metal dog bowl on the bottom to catch water drops and a plastic plant in there for added bacteria - check

Fake vines covered in particulate/choking hazards - check

Hot steam humidifier right next to the cage - Because who doesn’t like giving animals respiratory issues?

Heat bulb with wattage way to high for thermal burns - check

Cham from Petco on an impulse buy - check

Placing an enclosure by a drafty window on the east side of our home that gets lots of morning sunlight - check

No drainage solution - check

At least you had a medium Reptibreeze.

 

[Andrew1283]

What’s crazy is this cost the same as my first enclosure. Live pothos is $15.00 a pot. I think the plastic plants are $15.00 a pack. Branches are free and the XL Reptibreeze on sale costs the same as the medium when it’s not on sale. Black bucket = $5.00. It’s just crazy when 4 years will do.

 

[Andrew1283]

Mine was worse than yours.

I adopted Carmelo. The Animal Shelter's only requirement was a picture of the enclosure. I thought everything was good.

1. The enclosure was 12x12x18 (for a overweight male Veiled - from head to end of tail is at least 19 inches)

2. I went to a pet store. They sold me the following:
Coco coir substrate

Coil uvb bulb

Exo Terra spot light heat bulb 100watts

Dripping Tree

Calcium w/D3
Reptivite w/D3

Fake vines

Meet Carmelo! All 19 inches stuffed into a 12x12x18 ExoTerra! As soon as i put Carmelo in this death tank, i knew there was a problem. I found Chameleon Forums 3 days after adoption. Carmelo spent less than 5 days in this death trap. My Amazon account was on steriods.

View attachment 350255View attachment 350256View attachment 350257

He’s so handsome but looks so concerned! The forums has helped so many chameleon owners get things right and has benefited countless animals. It all seems so simple now and I’m still learning!

 

[Gloriawood]

I adopted Spaghetti from one of my students. I had wanted a Cham for a long time and had done minimal research. He came with everything and I thought it was all good.

He Had the death kit and had been living in it for a year and a half.

Coil UVB
18x18x36 enclosure
ONE crummy plastic vine
All plastic plants
Reptile carpet
Drinking fountain
Diet of only meal worms, being tong fed
No multivitamin
No calcium
Blue daylight bulb
Heat bulb being on 24/7

I honestly don’t know how he lived as long as he did. I changed a few things immediately when I got him. Supplements and more vines within the first couple days and new UVB in the first week.

I don’t have great photos of the first set up, but here are a few.

This is with extra vines and the new UVB. It was worse than this at first.

 

[Andrew1283]

Spaghetti has such beautiful patterns. Ugh the reptile carpet is soooo gross!

 

[MissSkittles]

Hoo boy! This is going to be fun! I started with one small green alien creature that was known to be female and chameleon, but no idea beyond that. Google told me she was a veiled. She came with the remnants of a chameleon kit - 1 screen enclosure, 1 thin plastic vine, 1 black Exo Terra vine, 2 small plastic plants, green Repti carpet, a flat feeding dish, dual dome light with a broken coil uvb and only red light working and 2 small rocks (no idea why) and half a container of mealworms. I can’t recall if there were supplements, but I don’t think so. I was given instruction to spray the plastic plant leaves daily and feed her 1 mealworm daily. I kept the red light on 24 hrs a day and ran a humidifier, turning the room into a hot swamp. Thankfully I found the forum within a couple of days and thru lurking, started learning and making changes. I’m not sure how my sweet Grumpy survived my crappy care and the crappy care she got before me. I never thought to take pics of the enclosure.
First pic of Grumpy 5/31/19

After about 2 weeks of being fed dozens of crickets daily (thought she’d stop when full )

6/27/19 I was learning quickly and making changes - was so proud of my improvements and coco coir mat on the floor. At least I got the lay bin and uvb kind of right.

 

[Andrew1283]

Hoo boy! This is going to be fun! I started with one small green alien creature that was known to be female and chameleon, but no idea beyond that. Google told me she was a veiled. She came with the remnants of a chameleon kit - 1 screen enclosure, 1 thin plastic vine, 1 black Exo Terra vine, 2 small plastic plants, green Repti carpet, a flat feeding dish, dual dome light with a broken coil uvb and only red light working and 2 small rocks (no idea why) and half a container of mealworms. I can’t recall if there were supplements, but I don’t think so. I was given instruction to spray the plastic plant leaves daily and feed her 1 mealworm daily. I kept the red light on 24 hrs a day and ran a humidifier, turning the room into a hot swamp. Thankfully I found the forum within a couple of days and thru lurking, started learning and making changes. I’m not sure how my sweet Grumpy survived my crappy care and the crappy care she got before me. I never thought to take pics of the enclosure.
First pic of Grumpy 5/31/19
View attachment 350261
After about 2 weeks of being fed dozens of crickets daily (thought she’d stop when full )
View attachment 350262
6/27/19 I was learning quickly and making changes - was so proud of my improvements and coco coir mat on the floor. At least I got the lay bin and uvb kind of right.
View attachment 350263

Ahhh yes and the fake vines going all the way up to the basking light lol. This is so fun. Wow she is sooo green and beautiful!

 

[Gloriawood]

Spaghetti has such beautiful patterns. Ugh the reptile carpet is soooo gross!

I knowwwwww! That was the first thing to go!

 

[Ghostbirb]

I didn’t start with this enclosure but it’s the one Nachito came with. Wrong uvb, wrong size, hardly any sticks or plants. It’s crazy

 

[Andrew1283]

I didn’t start with this enclosure but it’s the one Nachito came with. Wrong uvb, wrong size, hardly any sticks or plants. It’s crazyView attachment 350265

OMG is that at an elementary school?!?!

 

[ChamelaChameleon]

He’s so handsome but looks so concerned! The forums has helped so many chameleon owners get things right and has benefited countless animals. It all seems so simple now and I’m still learning!

You are so right. It now seems like a regular day in the life of a Cham parent. I'm just so thankful I found CF before Carmelo started down the death trail. He didn't have branches. He was hanging on that vine for dear life. The Animal Shelter gave me the thumbs up on the habitat. I thought all was good until I put him in that extra small tank. I still get teary eyed when I think about our 1st week with Carmelo. SMH! Every time we opened the door he rushed out and we thought omg he already loves us. NOT. He was miserable.

 

[MissSkittles]

I didn’t start with this enclosure but it’s the one Nachito came with. Wrong uvb, wrong size, hardly any sticks or plants. It’s crazyView attachment 350265

Hey! Nachito had rocks in her enclosure too! It must have been in the Petco guide or something. The little sign is a bit heartbreaking...chameleon at play. Poor kids had no idea.

 

[Ghostbirb]

OMG is that at an elementary school?!?!

Yes it is! It was awful. She was in this enclosure, handled a lot, and left alone for 4 days without food or water when my mom and her coworkers found her. That’s how Nachito came into my care.

Here’s rescued baby nachito

Misinformation on husbandry and all that makes me so sad

 

[Ghostbirb]

You are so right. It now seems like a regular day in the life of a Cham parent. I'm just so thankful I found CF before Carmelo started down the death trail. He didn't have branches. He was hanging on that vine for dear life. The Animal Shelter gave me the thumbs up on the habitat. I thought all was good until I put him in that extra small tank. I still get teary eyed when I think about our 1st week with Carmelo. SMH! Every time we opened the door he rushed out and we thought omg he already loves us. NOT. He was miserable.

I agree with finding the CF. This place literally saved my girl. I love it here

 

[Beman]

Here ya go guys... We all really do all start out somewhere This is my thread from last year on Beman's 5th birthday. You can see the progression of Beman's enclosure and all the changes made during my whirlwind of a learning curve over my first year. https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/happy-5th-birthday-beman-and-newbie-inspiration.190137/

 

[Ghostbirb]

Here ya go guys... We all really do all start out somewhere This is my thread from last year on Beman's 5th birthday. You can see the progression of Beman's enclosure and all the changes made during my whirlwind of a learning curve over my first year. https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/happy-5th-birthday-beman-and-newbie-inspiration.190137/

Ahh we love Beman!

 

[Sherbertsmysunshine]

I guess I'm lucky (ish) I found Neptune the chameleon when I first wanted a chameleon (Thanks to the help of my dad) got the correct UVB, cage size, plants. But Supplements, the type of basking light I had, and Food was where I went wrong. Pascal, (My first cham) Passed away two months after I got him, I had taken him to the vet a week before, but not very much help. His eye got very large and swollen, they took $95 and sent us with advice on where to buy mealworms. That was the only thing I fed him.

Here is him when I got him.

Had to take him to the vet due to a eye issue. They had a Skunk and hairless cats EVERYWHER. Yuck if you ask me.

He passed a week later, and I DEEP cleaned EVERYTHING, A few moths later, I got Sherbert. This is the day before getting him.

Thanks to the forum, Chameleon Academy and Neptune the chameleon. I have changed a lot of things and Sherbert is doing amazing!

 

[GrannyK]

I adopted Spaghetti from one of my students. I had wanted a Cham for a long time and had done minimal research. He came with everything and I thought it was all good.

He Had the death kit and had been living in it for a year and a half.

Coil UVB
18x18x36 enclosure
ONE crummy plastic vine
All plastic plants
Reptile carpet
Drinking fountain
Diet of only meal worms, being tong fed
No multivitamin
No calcium
Blue daylight bulb
Heat bulb being on 24/7

I honestly don’t know how he lived as long as he did. I changed a few things immediately when I got him. Supplements and more vines within the first couple days and new UVB in the first week.

I don’t have great photos of the first set up, but here are a few.



View attachment 350260


This is with extra vines and the new UVB. It was worse than this at first.


View attachment 350259

Spaghetti’s story is one I have followed from the beginning, it cracks me up how you named him too. I’m so glad you found each other.