New to Chameleons.

Hank

New Member
Hello everyone, i'm new to Chameleons and I will be purchasing a baby Veiled and I have a couple questions. I have a rat cage made by Martin's Cages, it is a 30"L x 18"W x 36"H Rat Skyscraper that I used to house rats in but I am wondering if I would be able to keep a Cham in there?

I could remove the ramps and floors to make it an open cage. Of course I would thoroughly wash it before. Anyways, could I keep it in there as an adult? I really dont want to spend the $100 unless it is necessary.

If so, I doubt that as a baby he would do well in there so I have a 20gallon high tank that could be a temporary cage. What do you all think? And do you have any tips for me?
 
Hello everyone, i'm new to Chameleons and I will be purchasing a baby Veiled and I have a couple questions. I have a rat cage made by Martin's Cages, it is a 30"L x 18"W x 36"H Rat Skyscraper that I used to house rats in but I am wondering if I would be able to keep a Cham in there?

I could remove the ramps and floors to make it an open cage. Of course I would thoroughly wash it before. Anyways, could I keep it in there as an adult? I really dont want to spend the $100 unless it is necessary.

If so, I doubt that as a baby he would do well in there so I have a 20gallon high tank that could be a temporary cage. What do you all think? And do you have any tips for me?

As a juvenile your veiled should do fine in that cage. As an adult however you need something at least 24x24x48 in.

It's not good to keep a chameleon in an all glass enclosure. Maybe try to make him a cheap little temporary mesh cage. (pvc frame, plastic garden mesh, zip ties...)
 
Aren't most babies kept in glass or plastic? They need more humidity and less heat, usually, right?

The only thing is to make sure you get airflow. With a glass tank that means putting all the heat on one side so that the air can be drawn from the cool side and ventilate the enclosure.

Arizona is very hot, yes, so most people have air conditioning, which means that the air is not only cool but dry. Glass would help with the humidity.
 
Thanks, everyone for the quick and many responses. Obviously I have joined a friendly and active forum :)
Chameleontankplans.jpg

This is my rat cage and soon to be Chameleon cage. The red is what i'm going to get rid of,
the green is what im keeping and the yellow is just pointing out that it has a flip top lid.
I am planning on putting a pothos plant on the top ledge so that it hangs down.
And a Schefflera plant in the middle for coverage and climbing space(These are ideas for the adult stage, while its a baby I will keep it in a smaller area so it doesnt get stressed)
The stairs on the top ledge will hang down without the middle floor and I could put some climbing branches on it or something.

As a juvenile your veiled should do fine in that cage. As an adult however you need something at least 24x24x48 in.

It's not good to keep a chameleon in an all glass enclosure. Maybe try to make him a cheap little temporary mesh cage. (pvc frame, plastic garden mesh, zip ties...)

I was thinking, and would I be able to keep the baby Cham in the bottom of the cage if I seal it off at the middle? Or maybe the top would be better so it feels safer? Any opinions? Its roughly the same size proportion of the 20G tank I have but is a screen so I would assume it could be beneficial. Would I be fine buying the cage after it is an adult or should I buy the larger one while it is a juvenile?

And yes, AZ can get very hot. In my location during the summer it is not uncommon for it to reach 125 degrees. But as of now it is only in the 70s and my house is always heated or cooled to a comfortable temp.

Anyways, i'm just looking for educated opinions on what I should do. Thanks everyone.
 
If you use a wire cage you'll have to cup feed. Otherwise you'll have crickets all over the place. It might take a baby a couple days to adjust to eating out of a cup. Cup feeding will be safer for him, as well - less chance of injuring his tongue on the bars or missing the cricket and hitting something outside the cage.

Do you have a way to control the humidity? I've only been out to Arizona once, so I'm by no means an expert on your climate, but it seems pretty dry year round. Using a lot of live plants might do it, along with a dripper or preferably a misting system (expensive, but might be worth it in such a dry climate).

In favor of the wire cage, it will not block out as much UVB as fine mesh does.
 
If you use a wire cage you'll have to cup feed. Otherwise you'll have crickets all over the place. It might take a baby a couple days to adjust to eating out of a cup. Cup feeding will be safer for him, as well - less chance of injuring his tongue on the bars or missing the cricket and hitting something outside the cage.

Do you have a way to control the humidity? I've only been out to Arizona once, so I'm by no means an expert on your climate, but it seems pretty dry year round. Using a lot of live plants might do it, along with a dripper or preferably a misting system (expensive, but might be worth it in such a dry climate).

In favor of the wire cage, it will not block out as much UVB as fine mesh does.

Yeah, but my friend pointed out that we could probably put some window screens around the sides so keep them from getting out. I'm not sure if that is a good idea but it sounds like it. If it isnt practical then I would be fine training it to cup feed while i'm out of the house, and I plan on trying to hand feed while i'm there.

Yes I have a way to control humidity, my room is a little humid because I have a crested gecko and I will be adding live plants in the cage soon once I have an idea of where I should keep it. I have a dripper and I can mist it manually every day.

But I really need to know if I should block off the middle of the tank for the baby so he doesnt get stressed or if I should keep it in my 20gallon High aquarium, once I know that, I can start putting it together and finally get him.

And thanks for the link, Hoj. I have researched quite a bit on this species before hand but I appreciate it. I am just looking for some ideas on the enclosure situation and some tips from experienced keepers. Thanks everyone.
 
I feel as long as you are sure the little guy is getting his food, give him all the cage to roam in. Chameleons like space so since you will be controlling his heat, humidity & food, he should be very happy in all his cage. Congratulations on taking the time and care to make thing right for him prior to being him home. You are a good example and a good addition to the forum.
 
I had a similar rat cage, and found that it rusted like crazy if a little piece of the finish flaked off. I'm not sure what yours is made of, but that would be a concern of mine. Mind you, if rat urine didn't take the finish off of yours yet, then nothing will ;)
Good luck!
 
It actually didnt, im kind of surprised. But what did take it off is me taking the middle level out. When I pulled the rings off some of the paint came off. Its fine though because its just in really small areas. But dang, that rat urine is strong stuff. I can't believe how nasty and thick it is, I had to hose it, scrub it and hose it again to get rid of it lol.
 
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