New to Chameleons Need Help With Set Up

[DeeSparrow]

My niece has been researching Chameleons for over a year and has decided she wants to proceed with getting one. We found a veil Chameleon, but before we buy it we want to make sure we get the right set up for her. Please let us know if the below items will be suitable for her:

• Vivarium Electronics T5 HO Fixture (36")
• Zoo Med ReptiSun 5.0 UVB T5 HO
• Zoo Med Drippers (big dipper)
• Pangea Temp & Humidity Gauge
• Zilla Halogen Mini Dome
• Zoo Med ReptiBreeze Aluminum Screen Cages (XL)
• Zoo Med Repti Calcium Without D3
• Zoo Med Repti Calcium With D3

My niece knows she also needs to get the decor for in the cage, can she use tree limbs?

 

[bigwigwabbit]

I no your going to want a good multivitamin too, a good one is Repashy superfoods calcium plus LoD and you use it every time you feed.

 

[CrisBruns]

Good for her (and her future Cham) for taking her time doing research!

You might find a t5ho fixture that comes with the correct bulb for less. No color lights in the dome fixture. Not good for eyes. FYI.

Misting system such as Mistking or Climist as well as a fogger which is used at night. A misting system is pretty much a necessity.

Consider a temperature gun and a solar meter.

Containers for feeder insects and gutload items. More to learn if she’s planning on breeding any feeders.

Live plants that are veiled Cham safe such as pothos. Avoid fake plants or vines as they like to munch.

Lots of branches. Avoid sap producing ones. Can bake to sanitize or wash with soap and water and sun dry.

If getting a female will eventually need a lay bin.

Not sure how old your niece is but a calendar and a “lab” notebook are good to have to keep track of supplement schedule and taking notes on health,shedding, temps, reminders, etc. Actually that’s a good idea no matter how old you are!


https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC3n4S2GRkOGfk2U8-xhaw6Q

Gingero’s videos on YouTube Neptune the chameleon are very helpful. She goes through everything you might need in the how much does it cost video.

Also check out www.chameleonacademy.com for more info and inspiring enclosure pics.

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi and welcome. ? So awesome that you and your niece are learning and setting up before getting. Just curious why a 36” T5? A 24” is really all you need. Repti Sun‘s 24” usually come with a 5.0 uvb bulb. As the uvb output decreases over time, that bulb will need to be changed every 6 months. Arcadia brand 6% uvb bulbs only need to be changed yearly. I bought the Repti Sun and when it was time to change the bulb, I put in Arcadia.
For a basking bulb, I suggest using an old fashioned incandescent household bulb. LED won’t work as it doesn’t put off enough heat. Start with a 60w and see what kind of temps that gives. Young veileds and females should have basking temps in the low 80’s.
An automatic mister, like Mist King is so very convenient to have but not necessary. A simple spray bottle will work too.
For decor, you can use branches from your yard but avoid pine and other woods that have sap. Just clean with Dawn, blast with a hose and dry in the sun. Avoid plastic and other fake plants. Veileds nibble their plants and have been known to eat a fake leaf and get impacted. Pothos is excellent to use. This provides a list of safe plants. https://chameleonacademy.com/plants/ Do keep in mind that some plants will need a grow bulb in order to do well. You’ll want to create many little roads for the cham to travel and with plants, create some shady areas and places to hide.
To hang plants, branches and vines, the best thing you could invest in is Dragon Ledges. They are so very worth it! https://dragonstrand.com/dragon-ledges/
FYI: Dragon Strand and chameleonacademy.com are created by the same person, who also has created podcasts. I strongly encourage you both to check out chameleon academy and the podcasts. You’ll learn not just what to do and how to do it, but why.
Avoid using any substrate on the floor. Bare floor is easiest to keep clean and most hygienic. Also avoid water features like waterfalls as those easily become bacterial breeding grounds.
You’ll want to figure out a good drainage system to deal with all of the excess water. Dragon Strand has drainage trays you could use. Repti Breeze sells a stand for the enclosure that enables one to drill small holes in the bottom tray and place a bucket beneath.
Speaking of water, in most areas the tap water isn’t so good to use...chlorine, fluoride and other additives. If you invest in a misting system, you definitely won’t want to use tap water. Distilled water is good as is reverse osmosis water.
While there are several methods of supplementing, I think the tried and true is best. Phosphorus free calcium without D3 at every feeding except 1 per week. On that one feeding weekly you’ll alternate using phosphorus free calcium with D3 and a multivitamin, so that each is given once every other week.
Keep asking questions and learning as much as you can.

 

[DeeSparrow]

Thank you all for your help. We want to make sure everything is right to keep the chameleon safe and health. My niece is 17 I thought this would be a good thing for us to do together, her mom will help with the care.

I am a big gardener and use no pesticides on my yard or trees, so I was hoping I can use some of the things I have; grape vines, silver maple tree branches, Azaleas, honeysuckle, pussy-willow, ect.....

They have city water, so should they buy distilled water?

I am ordering from Pangea Reptile and am hoping to order some of the supplies today. I'll change the lighting that I picked out.

 

[Chameleomom]

Welcome to the Forums

 

[MissSkittles]

Thank you all for your help. We want to make sure everything is right to keep the chameleon safe and health. My niece is 17 I thought this would be a good thing for us to do together, her mom will help with the care.

I am a big gardener and use no pesticides on my yard or trees, so I was hoping I can use some of the things I have; grape vines, silver maple tree branches, Azaleas, honeysuckle, pussy-willow, ect.....

They have city water, so should they buy distilled water?

I am ordering from Pangea Reptile and am hoping to order some of the supplies today. I'll change the lighting that I picked out.

If you’re getting a misting system, either use distilled or reverse osmosis water to avoid any deposits building up in the pump. If hand misting, you could use either of those or any purified water.

 

[DeeSparrow]

I ended up buying from LLL Reptiles. I changed my lighting to a Zoo Med 24" T5 High Output Terrarium Hood with the bulb included and an Arcadia brand 6% uvb bulbs for later. I didn't get a misting system yet, she will hand mist with a spray bottle and will upgrade later. I also bought so lizard safe plants.

On house incandescent bulb for basking, what wattage should I get, I heard different things?

You all have provided me with so much information and links, which I have viewed. Thank you! I have tree branches that I will include in the set up and other plants from my garden after looking at the links . I do not spray pesticides, so we should be good. We'll make sure we wash them like one of the links suggested.

Oh, on vitamins, Repashy superfoods calcium plus LoD is that in addition to the Repti Calcium Without D3 and Repti Calcium With D3? I thought with the food and the dishes we will wait and get them from the pet store.

Once we get everything set up we will then purchase the Veil Chameleon. We found one we liked and I hope they still have it when we are ready for her.

THANK YOU! ?

 

[Chameleomom]

No you only use the Repashy Calcium plus LoD. As for basking... Baby/juvenile (<9 months): ambient 72-80F (22-26C), basking 85F (29C) so you will have to play around with bulb watts. Your branches should also be around 9 inches from the top. Turn your basking bulb on and hold your hand against the screen,if it burns you it is going to burn baby. They love to climb and hang upside down on the cage under the basking;. Use a temp gun to get them right.

PS I just saw you said HER. You also have to have a laying bin.

 

[AmandaS]

I have used the repashy calium plus LoD and it gave my female veiled edema, and I have seen multpile accounts of that. @MissSkittles I believe has experience with it.

I recommend using the old fashioned method instead of buying an all-in-one.

 

[Chameleomom]

I guess I am lucky I have had no issues with Repashy Calcium LoD but, then again I only dust every other feeding and I do not have females or a veiled

 

[GoodKarma19]

I've had issues with edema (female panther, female veiled) with Calcium Plus LoD as well when I was using it every feeding. Dusting every other feeding or dusting half of the feeders seems to have completely cleared it up, and I've had no problems since!

 

[BenjiTheCham]

I've had issues with edema (female panther, female veiled) with Calcium Plus LoD as well when I was using it every feeding. Dusting every other feeding or dusting half of the feeders seems to have completely cleared it up, and I've had no problems since!

I've had issues with edema (female panther, female veiled) with Calcium Plus LoD as well when I was using it every feeding. Dusting every other feeding or dusting half of the feeders seems to have completely cleared it up, and I've had no problems since!

What is an edema? I have a male so maybe it’s only females? Irdk. I have been using the calcium plus LoD every day but I’ve only had my cham for a couple of weeks. What should I watch out for and should I just use it every other feeding then?

 

[GoodKarma19]

What is an edema? I have a male so maybe it’s only females? Irdk. I have been using the calcium plus LoD every day but I’ve only had my cham for a couple of weeks. What should I watch out for and should I just use it every other feeding then?

Edema is swelling - generally under/around the neck in chameleons. It seems to be much more common in females, but every animal responds differently. I've had a couple people comment that their animals struggle to shed cleanly on LoD as well, though I've yet to have this issue. I'd probably keep to every other feeding or only dusting half - especially if you have a juvenile taking down a dozen plus feeders a day. The last time my female veiled had problems was at about 4 months old, before I started curbing down her food intake and was dusting daily.

That's just my personal experience, though. Many people have used LoD every day without any issue!

 

[BenjiTheCham]

Edema is swelling - generally under/around the neck in chameleons. It seems to be much more common in females, but every animal responds differently. I've had a couple people comment that their animals struggle to shed cleanly on LoD as well, though I've yet to have this issue. I'd probably keep to every other feeding or only dusting half - especially if you have a juvenile taking down a dozen plus feeders a day. The last time my female veiled had problems was at about 4 months old, before I started curbing down her food intake and was dusting daily.

That's just my personal experience, though. Many people have used LoD every day without any issue!

That’s good to know, I’ll make sure to keep an eye out.

 

[DeeSparrow]

Well my lights are on back order, but the cage and other items are on their way. I ordered Chameleon safe plants. ? Now, we are looking for a Veil Chameleon. After reading some of the forums, I am worried about having a juvenile female Veil and the Veil we were interested in is from a small reptile store. Should we go with a local breeder? I don't want to have one shipped because of the heat. I am in South Michigan. The store seemed very helpful. ?

 

[AmandaS]

Well my lights are on back order, but the cage and other items are on their way. I ordered Chameleon safe plants. ? Now, we are looking for a Veil Chameleon. After reading some of the forums, I am worried about having a juvenile female Veil and the Veil we were interested in is from a small reptile store. Should we go with a local breeder? I don't want to have one shipped because of the heat. I am in South Michigan. The store seemed very helpful. ?

A good breeder is always the best choice. Dont worry too much (other than personal preference) if your veiled is a male or female. If your husbandry is right the female wont have issues...and if you have bad husbandry even males can be difficult (ie: sperm plugs and such). Just bare in mind females will need a lay bin.