I just got my first chameleon today, its a veiled male. I keep his basking spot roughly 93-95 degrees and hes gaping while basking, and he is pretty active. I'm not sure if its because of a new enclosure or somethings wrong. he goes to the sides sometimes to tries to push through the glass. and I'm also having issues keeping humidity correct. I've sprayed ~3 times today and the humidity starts at 60% and in an hour its back down to 40% yet the bottom of the cage is pretty damp =( what am I doing wrong?
New to Chameleons and I have some questions..
- Thread starter Goldfish
- Start date
MissBritt
Member
Hi! Welcome to the forums & congrats on your new little guy! How old is he? If he's gaping, he's too hot.
Also, the humidity does not need to be at one level all the time, the cage should dry out completely between mistings. You may not see him drink, most don't like to be watched, but as long as his unrated are bright white, he's well hydrated.
Here's a link to a very informative care sheet, it will help you to see what his temperature should be at.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/chameleonsinmyhouse/395-veiled-chameleon-care-sheet.html
Also, the humidity does not need to be at one level all the time, the cage should dry out completely between mistings. You may not see him drink, most don't like to be watched, but as long as his unrated are bright white, he's well hydrated.
Here's a link to a very informative care sheet, it will help you to see what his temperature should be at.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/chameleonsinmyhouse/395-veiled-chameleon-care-sheet.html
yea i have a uvb light, a basking light and i switch the basking light to a red heat light at night so he stays warm. and the current cage i have for a 3 month juvi is 18"x18" by 3' i think.its really tall. the tank is glass and it has vent shafts all over it, the top and middle to help with ventilation. here is a picture of his current home. http://i.imgur.com/JBhwIrk.jpg
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http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4070859&f=PAD/psNotAvailInUS/No this is the cage i have for him currently.
MissBritt
Member
I agree with Camimom, an all screen cage is ideal, and the taller the better, they like to be high.
I would stop using the red light at night, it will disturb his sleep. Lights should be on for 12 hours and off for 12 hours. As long as the temperature stays above 60F at night, he will be fine. If it falls below 60F, you can use a ceramic heat emitter, Petco/Petsmart sell them.
There is not much in his cage right now for him to hide in there.. I would suggest adding some live plants, I know many people have Ficus and Pothos in their cham enclosures. Live plants will also help with the humidity.
You will need to repot the plants in organic soil, and cover the soil with stones so that your cham cannot eat it, but make sure the stones are big enough that he won't accidentally eat them.
Here's a list of safe plants. http://www.flchams.com/safe_plant_list.asp
MissBritt
Member
Check Home Depot, they have a lot of nice tropical plants.. Just make sure you wash them before you repot them. I used a small spray bottle with a few drops of dish soap mixed with water, sprayed the plants and then rinsed them in warm water. I did that a few times before I repotted them, just to be safe. You never know what they were sptayed with.
MissBritt
Member
I wouldn't try to handle him much, he's got to get used to his new home and you.
This is useful in learning to handle your Cham..
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/psychobunny/746-taming-chameleon.html
This is useful in learning to handle your Cham..
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/psychobunny/746-taming-chameleon.html
