New chameleon owner help?

[Shannonlee]

Hello everyone , I'm 16 years old and Ive never owned a reptile before however have always been interested in owning one from a young age , I'm also currently on a animal course. I'm interested in owning a male veiled chameleon. But I have a few questions.... 1) with the heating and lighting lamps , how long do I leave them on for each day. 2) if I turn the heating lamp off during the night , how will I keep the enclosure warm? 3) humidity is obviously important , do you suggest just a misting/fogging system or a dripper and spray twice a day? 4) finally I would like to supply a variety off food. I'm in the uk is it possible in summer to feed insects from the garden? Thanks and sorry for the length of writing .

 

[distortionz]

I suggest cruising the site and reading over care sheets and making sure you have everything ready before purchasing your chameleon. Chameleons aren't your average reptile in terms of care. Keeping a chameleon cost a lot of money in terms of vet bills, feeders, lights, supplements. Also, one small error in husbandry can be life or death. If your up for the task it is great though. 1. I have my lights on a timer and they run 12 hours on 12 hours off. 2. Unless your house gets very cold at night you should be fine. 3. I suggest a misting system AND a dripper. While an automatic system isn't necessary it is convenient. but use a dripper also. 4. It is debatable I don't know what's in your garden or if you use any growth chemicals. But I know anything that feeds on tomato plants becomes toxic to a chameleon.

Hope that helps

 

[jannb]

Welcome to the forums. If you do tons of studying and research before you get a chameleon and also have a chameleon bank account built up for emergencies and such then you should be fine.

1. I turn my lights on when the sun comes up and off when the sun sets.

2. A veiled needs a 10 degree drop in temps at night and total darkness. IF you need to heat the enclosure at night then use a ceramic bulb like this.
http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-ReptiCare-Ceramic-Infrared/dp/B0002AQCPK

3. You will need to mist 2 to 3 times a day and run a dripper for about an hour after each misting. Misting gets them in the mood to drink and then they slowly drink for a long time once they start. You will also need drainage for the enclosure.

4. I order most feeders online but if I find chemical free safe bugs outside I also feed those. I also do regular fecals on all my guys because eating wild caught bugs can cause them to have parasites.....store bought bugs can also cause parasites so IMO fecals are a must.

Below is a link to my blog for new keepers. It tells the way that I have been able to keep my veileds healthy and happy.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html