New Future Owner!

[iSpyMike]

Hello all,

Mike here. I will become a Veiled Chameleon owner come Friday, and I cannot wait for him. I have my setup all ready to go for the most part. It's a reptibreeze and has a good size Golden Pothos and some vines in there. I am going to get some fake vines and foliage to add more cover for him, and more sticks and vines for him to crawl on.

I have his UVB, and his heat lamp which is 75 watts.

I just have a question, how far away should his heat lamp ideally be from his basking spot?

And also, is it okay to put the bulb fixture right on top of the reptibreeze cage?

Lastly, can anyone recommend a good quality thermometer that they use?

Thank you for the help! I just want it all to be perfect for as soon as he gets here!

 

[NHenn]

Mike, welcome to the forums and congrats on your first Veiled!

I would check out https://www.chameleonforums.com/cha...sheets-caging-lighting-nutrition-more-104558/ as there is a ton of information to help you out.

As for your questions, depending on the wattage and room temperature you might have to adjust your basking spot height. I use 50 watts and usually about 6-8" away from the light itself is perfect. With 75 you might have to be further away.

I do not recommend placing the light directly on top of the cage no matter what. If your chameleon would hang upside down under the light and not sit on his branch it could burn him. A trick I like to use is placing your hand inside the cage as close to the light as possible. If you are able to hold your hand their for a good minute with not getting too hot then your light is at a safe distance.

As for a thermometer, I use a Zoo Med Digital Terrarium Thermometer in all my setups. They are fairly accurate and are nice and cheap!

Be sure to post some pictures on Friday when he arrives!!!!

 

[ashutt19]

I keep mine about 7 inches away. Just make sure the light is off the cage so he doesn't get burned. I have a digital thermo/hygrometer that i got from wallmart for $12 works great.

 

[iSpyMike]

Thanks for all of the welcomes and advice guys!

Does anyone know where I can buy sticks? I assume Petco or Petsmart might just have branches, but they're ridiculously overpriced. It rained extremely hard last night so all of the outdoor branches are wet and i'm worried they may be rotten and might just snap.

Would dowels work?

 

[NHenn]

Dowels would work fine. I get sticks from outside, I like the ones I find along a river near my house as they already have the bark off of them. If you don't want to go that route, Kammerflage sells pre-cut and cleaned sticks as well.

 

[kplatvoet]

look in the classified = Jay Sick has some that use magnets and work well - not expensive - if you make your own you need to bake them

 

[iSpyMike]

Alright, he is here! Very shy for now obviously, but seems to be settling in.

My main issue is with the humidity, I have an 18 x 18 x 36 Reptibreeze. Humidity is not high enough, and I have a live pothos plant in there, and mist multiple times a day. I'm guessing it's because with Winter being here, we have the heat on during the day because at night, the humidity is nice and perfect.

Was wondering if anyone had tips, I was looking at a reptifogger

 

[DLG]

If you have a humidifier you can use that too

 

[ridgebax1]

Some folks get a clear shower curtain and put it around 3 sides of their cages. I used the shrinking window film insulation and put it on the sides and back of my cages. Even with that I have a hard time with humidity. I use a dripper and an automatic mister. If you decide to get an automatic mister don't waste your money on a monsoon. They are crap. I am on my third unit in less than a year! I keep the dripper going all the time. Sometimes I remember to clamp it off at night but most times I don't. Adding more live plants can also help keep humidity up. Ficus and schefflera are two live plants that are rather large and can support a cham climbing on them. I also use sticks from outside but I don't bake them or anything, I just make sure they are dry. You are eventually going to need a bigger cage for him, 2x2x4 is the minimum for an adult male veiled.
You are probably going to have tons of questions and there is tons of knowledge and experience willingly shared on these forum pages. Welcome and good luck.