New Cham Owner Questions....

[RachelRiot]

Hi there everyone. This is my first time posting here. I have been reading here non stop for the past two days and my brain is sponging up everything I am reading.

I was recently given a 3 month old female veiled chameleon that was not being taken care of properly (no heat at all, no supplements, dehydrated). I have never owned a cham but I am an experienced reptile owner so I figured I would do my best and if I didn't feel she was being adequately cared for I would find her a more experienced cham owner. I took her straight to a local vet who is a family friend and he checked her over for me and helped me rehydrate her over the next few days with plenty of phone calls. I began reading like a mad woman to find what she needed. I quickly got most of what she needs together and began getting her on a better feeding/lighting/living schedule.

Two weeks later she seems to be adjusting wonderfully.

I have a couple of questions though basically just making sure we have her on the right path.

-Currently her enclosure is 15x15x29 (odd size i thought but it was what I found quickly) fully screened.

- I have several Fluker's vines and plants in there for her to climb on

- She has two lights ReptiSun 10.0 that runs about 12 hours and a 50w infrared heat lamp that runs 24 hours.

-She is eating approx 15 crix a day with her supplement schedule as follows, Mon., Wed., Fri. Repcal w/D3 and Sat. Herptivite

- I hand mist her cage 4 to 5 times a day as well as running a Little Dripper constantly

- She is feeding from a dish at the bottom of the cage

- We are draining any excess water at the end of the night and cleaning any urine/feces/extra crix from cage


Whew!

I also wanted to know how the heck you guys get the branches (like bird perch ones I saw some pics where people had them attached in there) to hold to the screens, and do the branches and vines hold up full grown chams?

Here is a photo I took of Brody.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

Check your lighting against the article on lighting here:

http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/

Overall it sounds like you're doing a good job.
Read the rest of the site as well

-Brad

 

[Rocky]

once you get her in a bigger cage you should put a ficus/schleffera in with her and those branches are good for them(there are other plants that are ok, but i've had the best luck with those i had a hibiscus but it didnt do to well)

you can also use wooden dowels just make sure they get cleaned off really well.

I think branches can be used from the yard, but they need to be washed in a bleach solution and baked in the oven for a little bit before put in there to make sure there are no ants, pesticides, or anything else that can hurt them.

I would change your supplementing schedule to reptical without D3 every feeding and with the D3 once a week then those multi vitamins 1-2 times a month. D3 can eventually build up to very unhealthy levels.

Other than that everything sounds pretty good. I would try to add some live plants as soon as possible though. Ficus, Schleffera(umbrella plant), and Hibiscus make great plants to be in there and then pothos makes a great accent as the vines are good for them and are very sturdy for them to hang around on.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

The size of the enclosure is fine for a female veiled (in my opinion).
You could certainly provide her with a larger enclosure, but I think the most important things to concentrate on for her are lighting, supplements, food and water.
Twist ties work well for securing branches.

-Brad

 

[RachelRiot]

Check your lighting against the article on lighting here:

http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/

Overall it sounds like you're doing a good job.
Read the rest of the site as well

-Brad

On the blog (which by the way is amazing a thousand thanks for that link) it says I should be using a ReptiSun 5.0 is it bad that I am using the 10.0? Is it alright to keep that one until I have to replace the bulb in a few months?

 

[jannb]

Move it up higher away from your cham and get a 5.0 tube style as soon as possible. LLLReptile.com is a good place to buy.

 

[RachelRiot]

Thank you so much. I will move it higher now. I am so glad that I asked.

Will she ever need a 10.0? Or can I get rid of it?

 

[Brad Ramsey]

You could use the 10.0 on a larger (taller) enclosure or over a reptarium, which has a denser mesh.
I don't think the 10.0 would hurt her ... moving it higher is a good idea, but 5.0 is sufficient and definitely safe.

-Brad

 

[Dave Weldon]

- She has two lights ReptiSun 10.0 that runs about 12 hours and a 50w infrared heat lamp that runs 24 hours.

- She is feeding from a dish at the bottom of the cage

I also wanted to know how the heck you guys get the branches (like bird perch ones I saw some pics where people had them attached in there) to hold to the screens, and do the branches and vines hold up full grown chams?

Howdy Rachel,

Go ahead and swap the "red" infrared 50W heat lamp for a normal white light such as a 50W-75W flood bulb from Home Depot etc. You'll still get 90F-95F of heat if positioned properly and the white light is beneficial for their mental status. Run both of your light sources for about ~10-12hrs a day. No extra nighttime heat is needed (or desired) so long as the ambient room stays above ~60F-65F at night. Position the lights very near each other.

Look into either free-range feeding or attaching a non-transparent cup somewhere up around mid-range or higher in the enclosure. Arboreal feeding is likely to be preferred.

Here's a photo of one way to tie-off relatively heavy items to the strong points of your enclosure without destroying the screen . The tie-wraps are looped outside the enclosure, usually around one of the assembly screws.

 

[RachelRiot]

You guys are awesome. Thank you so much. Now back to reading your amazing boards. I am looking forward to being in this community so much.

I keep reading how addicting chams are and its true. I have completely fallen in love with our Brody!

 

[FOREVER ENDEAVOR]

Here's a photo of one way to tie-off relatively heavy items to the strong points of your enclosure without destroying the screen . The tie-wraps are looped outside the enclosure, usually around one of the assembly screws.

[/QUOTE]

Nice! i will have to try that..I've been using 8 lb monofilament fishing line..