New Cham Owner- Advice needed!

Hi everyone! I am a new veiled cham owner, and I just want some advice. His name is Rafi. I have had him for about 5 days. He is a sub adult, and I feed him 5 crickets a day. I want to start expanding his diet, but he is still smaller, and I don’t want to exceed the rule of feeding things “between the length of his eyes”.
Supplementation is something important and necessary for chams, and I want to make sure I am doing it correctly. I put a pinch of phosphorus-free Calcium (no D3) on his crickets daily. I will get a multivitamin to use every other week and calcium with D3 on the alternative week. Does that sound ok?
Measuring temp and humidity has been a bit challenging too. Humidity and heat in the room is around 70 degrees and 40-50%. When I measure temp in his cage, at the top it is 73 degrees on the end furthest from his basking spot. It is more humid in his tank too (even though it is screen).
The concern I have is that he isn’t basking much. He is not usually vibrant either. He is usually a full green, and I have seen him at the bottom of the tank a few times. I thought maybe it was too hot, and I wasn’t accurately measuring the temp. But he also spent 3 weeks in a tank that was max one foot tall, so he was used to being next to the ground, and that is how he fed. He has gotten used to cup feeding just fine though. Attached are pictures.
I really want to make sure I am providing him with the best and healthiest life, so I would really appreciate any advice!!
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Where do you live?

Your supplements wil be good if you get the two you don't have yet. Will they vitamin powder have vitamin A in it in beta carotene prOformed form or retinol prEformed form?

The basking temperature should be 80Fwhere he sits...but you need to test the temperature at the closest spot he can get near to it too.
 
Where do you live?

Your supplements wil be good if you get the two you don't have yet. Will they vitamin powder have vitamin A in it in beta carotene prOformed form or retinol prEformed form?

The basking temperature should be 80Fwhere he sits...but you need to test the temperature at the closest spot he can get near to it too.
Thank you so much!
I’m in PA, so we have cold winters and hot summers.
I’m not sure about the Vitamin A. I’m looking at the Retivite. It says it has Vitamin A, but not in which form.
 
To test the basking light to make sure it won't burn him, put your hand (Palm down) inside the cage at the closest spot to it you can. If it's uncomfortable for you then it's going to burn your chameleon.
 
Since you live in a cold climate, I would move the cage away from the window.
I would also think about removing the fake plants and replacing them with real non toxic well washed ones. Veileds munch on plants often.

Is it a make for sure? Tarsal spur on the heels?
 
To test the basking light to make sure it won't burn him, put your hand (Palm down) inside the cage at the closest spot to it you can. If it's uncomfortable for you then it's going to burn your chameleon.
Ok great! I put the basking spot about 8 inches below the top, as I have heard Chameleons burn themselves. I will check it today.
 
Since you live in a cold climate, I would move the cage away from the window.
I would also think about removing the fake plants and replacing them with real non toxic well washed ones. Veileds munch on plants often.

Is it a make for sure? Tarsal spur on the heels?
That’s a good idea, thank you.
Oh yes, I forgot to mention I am in the process of replacing the fake with non-toxic real plants! The lady at the reptile place said fake was fine, but everything else I’ve seen says no. I would hate for him to have a compaction.
I have not been able to check, and have wondered myself. I really have been giving him his space these first few days, as I don’t want to stress him out anymore. I know the move was quite stressful. Is it just a small bump I’m looking for? Could I see it without handling him?
 
Ok great! I put the basking spot about 8 inches below the top, as I have heard Chameleons burn themselves. I will check it today.
Basking lamp should be outside the enclosure so they don't climb on it and get burnt.
Also, floods are better than spots (household incandescents are fine too). Spots will create hot spots next to cold spots; floods & household bulbs create gradients, which is desirable.

The lady at the reptile place said fake was fine, but everything else I’ve seen says no.
That should send up a flag about advice from that person. I don't want to generalize, but we get stories of quite a few "reptile shop" people giving bad or incorrect advice.

Here's a link that not only suggests good tested plants, but how to best arrange them in a hierarchy.
https://chameleonacademy.com/plants/
 
Since you live in a cold climate, I would move the cage away from the window.
But he SO much likes looking out the window! 😂 (He does.)
I think that partly depends on the insulating value of the window, and whether there are any drafts.
Our windows are really tight and double-glazed. He's also about 2' away. :)
 
Basking lamp should be outside the enclosure so they don't climb on it and get burnt.
Also, floods are better than spots (household incandescents are fine too). Spots will create hot spots next to cold spots; floods & household bulbs create gradients, which is desirable.


That should send up a flag about advice from that person. I don't want to generalize, but we get stories of quite a few "reptile shop" people giving bad or incorrect advice.

Here's a link that not only suggests good tested plants, but how to best arrange them in a hierarchy.
https://chameleonacademy.com/plants/
Thank you so much! Yes, I have the heat lamp outside of the cage. I prepared a spot about 8 inches below for him to bask on. I will look into floods!
Yes, it’s so hard to tell what is right and what isn’t, especially given that this is my first Cham. I really appreciate your help.
 
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