New chameleon owner (Pictures + Set up)

[Symbiot]

Here are some pictures of my new chameleon, Tony. I have had him for about a month now and he seems to be doing great. He is now about 2/3 months old. I've researched a lot about taking care of veiled chameleons and have bought him everything he needs. I'm housing him in a 36x23x23 custom made screened cage I bought off craigslist for $30 (a steal) which was previously used for a chameleon. It brought 3 humidity zoomed gauges as well as the fake vine branches throughout the cage I'm wondering about this plant you see him on in these pictures. He seems to love it, but I want to make sure it is safe for him and not toxic. unfortunately, I don't know what type of plant it is. It's in his cage and he's hiding in it at this very moment. Any input on my little cham and his set up would be greatly appreciated.

 

[carol5208]

I live in Florida and that plant is called a Devil's Backbone. Atleast downhere that is what they call them. They are in the cactus family and for that reason do not need a ton of water. I am not sure 1, if it is toxic if eaten by your cham and 2 if it will fare well with all the mistings and drippings these enclosures require. I am going to try and do some research on the plant. i am 99% sure that is what it is.
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[krbshappy71]

I would remove it until you find out its toxicity. Why risk it?

 

[carol5208]

ok, so how are you supplying water to your cham? If those dishes on the bottom on the cage are for water that is not going to work. Also, are you housing your cham outside all the time then? Because I do not see any basking or uvb light. If you are using natural sunlight, then how much a day is the cham going to get. I would also get some type of plant that is taller in the cage. That is too far down on the bottom. What are the temps going to be, what is the humidity range?.That is too far down on the bottom. You left a lot of variables unanswered here.

 

[carol5208]

you also need some horizontal branches or sticks that he can climb on besides the vine.

 

[Symbiot]

I live in Florida and that plant is called a Devil's Backbone. Atleast downhere that is what they call them. They are in the cactus family and for that reason do not need a ton of water. I am not sure 1, if it is toxic if eaten by your cham and 2 if it will fare well with all the mistings and drippings these enclosures require. I am going to try and do some research on the plant. i am 99% sure that is what it is.
'

I live in Florida as well. Appreciate you doing some research on the plant, hopefully it will be ok to use in my enclosure. Do you have any tips for me? Should I add more plants to the cage? It's a little plain right now, but little Tony seems to be loving it so far. It's his first day in this big new cage.

 

[carol5208]

no, ditch the plant! It produces a milky sap which may be poisonous. Also, if too much water then the roots will rot. As long as you live in FLA go to home depot and get a nice hibuscus, ficus, or sheffelera plant. I need to know where you intend on keeping the cage. If it is outside, there is not shade for your cham to get out of the sun and you are going to fry the little guy. It is way to hot to keep him outside right now, especially in your set up. Do you know about misting and watering?

 

[carol5208]

What about feeding, and suplementation? Honestly, you probably should have done a little more homework first before you got him! There are many things you need to know about feeding, lighting, watering, temps, vitamin supplementation. Tell me what you have for feeders right now.

 

[Symbiot]

ok, so how are you supplying water to your cham? If those dishes on the bottom on the cage are for water that is not going to work. Also, are you housing your cham outside all the time then? Because I do not see any basking or uvb light. If you are using natural sunlight, then how much a day is the cham going to get. I would also get some type of plant that is taller in the cage. That is too far down on the bottom. What are the temps going to be, what is the humidity range?.That is too far down on the bottom. You left a lot of variables unanswered here.

The cage came with those dishes and I do not use them. They're just sitting at the bottom of the cage. I provide water by misting the cage/him 3/4 times a day. The temperature range from 85-90 degrees and I will have the cage both inside and outside at times. When the cage is outside I provide him with 2-3 hours of sunlight then move him into the shade because it is very hot outside in Florida right now. I have a UVB Reptisun 5.0 Bulb and a 60 watt basking light for him when the cage is put inside. I do plan on getting a taller plant for the cage, this is just for the time being as I just bought this cage today. I will probably be getting a pothos plant for the cage. I have been watching the humidity on the zoomed gauges and they range from 70-90.

As for feeders, I'm feeding him with gutloaded (i feed the crickets, lettuce, carrots, romaine leaves) crickets as his staple food item. I dust the crickets with calcium withous d3 every day and calcium with d3 twice a month. I also dust the crickets with multivitamin reptile powder once a month. He will also get the occasional small dragonfly or caterpillar I found outside which he loves. I've made sure not to feed him the hornworms i've found on my tomatoe plants because I know those are toxic to chameleons.

 

[carol5208]

Get rid of the plant pronto!!!!
Devil's-backbone (Kalanchoe daigremontiana) is an indoor ornamental plant. This plant contains a cardiac glycoside that has caused experimental toxicity and death in chicks and mice. It has caused illness in pets, such as rabbits and mice. Dogs and cats are also at risk from ingesting plant material. The plants should be kept away from children, as well. Devil's-backbone produces plantlets along the leaf margins, which fall off and become new plants. These plantlets can be found in profusion around the pot in which an adult devil's-backbone is growing. Children and family pets have easy access to these plantlets. Several other species of Kalanchoe may be found growing as houseplants in Canada. Tests have shown that some of them may also contain toxic bufadienalide compounds. These compounds were only recently discovered (Williams and Smith 1985, Joubert 1989), and so caution should be exercized with all species. Some members of the genus Kalanchoe have caused poisoning of sheep and cattle in South Africa and Australia, where they are native or naturalized (Cheeke and Schull 1985, Williams and Smith 1985).

References:

 

[Symbiot]

Oh, wow. Thank you. I will take out the plant asap. Thank god I've only had it in the cage for a few hours.

 

[carol5208]

ok, the reptisun 5.0 is good. I am not 100% sure on the basking light for a baby veiled. I think 60watt is ok but it might be too much. We leave our light on 12 hours a day, but you are going to be putting him outside. What tiime of day are you going to do this and it is imperative that there is shade for him to get out of the sun. It does not look like you have any shaded area in the cage for him. He will fry in the direct sun. Also you did not answer about the feeding and supplementing.

 

[carol5208]

I would make a quick run up to home depot now. He needs somewhere to hide and feel safe to sleep. He is probably stressed enough as is being in a new home. I am so glad you are getting rid of the plant ASAP!

 

[Symbiot]

ok, the reptisun 5.0 is good. I am not 100% sure on the basking light for a baby veiled. I think 60watt is ok but it might be too much. We leave our light on 12 hours a day, but you are going to be putting him outside. What tiime of day are you going to do this and it is imperative that there is shade for him to get out of the sun. It does not look like you have any shaded area in the cage for him. He will fry in the direct sun. Also you did not answer about the feeding and supplementing.

Yeah, next up on my to-do list is to find a safe plant for him to climb on and have as shade. I edited one of my posts on the first page to include my feeding and supplementation schedule. I just want to add that I feed him 6-8 small crickets daily. I forgot to include the number of crickets I am feeding him daily.

 

[carol5208]

Oh sorry I did not see the feeding and supplementation shedule. The supplements are perfect but how many crickets is he getting a day? Also hornworms are not toxic. I have some that I feed my cham but they are from a breeder of them not from outside. i think the thing you have to worry about Hornworms being toxic is if they eat a tomato plant that has been sprayed with insecticide then yes, they would be harmful to you chameleon. Do you see him drinking and is his urate white? If you do not see him drinking when you mist then I would suggest to get a dripper going so he has access to water all the time.

 

[carol5208]

ok, is that all you offering him or all he will eat?. They can eat WAY more than that when they are growing. At 4 months my cham (I have a panther) was eating 12-15 crickets a day. Pretty much feed them what they want.

 

[Symbiot]

I feed him 6-8 crickets dusted with calcium without d3 daily. I see him drink the water off his lips when I mist him all the time and his urates are very white. He is also pooing every day so I know everything is good in that aspect. That is all he is eating, I try to feed him more but he just leaves them in his cage then they bother him at night so I now take out any crickets that he won't eat so they don't bother him when he tries to go to sleep.

 

[carol5208]

If thats all he will eat then that is alright. I just didnt know if you were offering him only that. And yes, you are right on taking the crickets out at night. So it sounds like you are on the right track. I am just a little nervous about the cage outside in these temps. I know I had my cham outside today and I saw him open his mouth a couple of times and I know he was trying to regulate his body temp cause it was hot. Where do you live in Florida?

 

[Symbiot]

If thats all he will eat then that is alright. I just didnt know if you were offering him only that. And yes, you are right on taking the crickets out at night. So it sounds like you are on the right track. I am just a little nervous about the cage outside in these temps. I know I had my cham outside today and I saw him open his mouth a couple of times and I know he was trying to regulate his body temp cause it was hot. Where do you live in Florida?

I live in Orlando and you're right it does get extremely hot here. When I had him outside in his cage midday I caught him when his mouth open as well. I have owned iguanas throughout my life and they use to do this as well when it got too hot outside so I know this is a sign of them trying to regulate their temperature. Like I said, I move him into the shade after a couple hours in the sunlight so that it doesnt get too hot for him. The sun is down now though, so it's not a problem. I've been looking around the house and outside yard for another plant for him. If I can't find anything safe, I'm gonna take your suggestion and head to home depot/lowe's first thing tomorrow to buy a safe non-toxic plant for him. Probably a pothos plant.

 

[carol5208]

Sounds like a deal. I have a large sheffelera I got at home depot about 5 months ago and it is doing well and it has never gotten any real sunlight. It is really just a personal preference. My son goes to UCF. He will be a Junior this year. I was just up in Orlando last week moving him. Good luck with your little guy. If you have any questions, this is the place to come for sure. I am not an expert by no means, and am learning myself everyday. Glad I could help you out with the plant, it was lucky I happen to have one of them because they are not all that common.