New to forum, new to chameleons!

[Spanishchameleon]

Hello! I am new to chameleon keeping, I have owned various reptiles before, and I have decided to to ale the step into the chameleon world now that I am more experienced
I plan to get a small( not baby) veiled chameleon from lllreptiles soon, as I hope this website can help me through the process!
My only question for now is that I am going to build a 2 foot long, 2 foot wide, 5 foot tall enclosure for him, will that be enough?
Also, will I be able to handle him often? How can I do it so he gets more accustomed to me? And is a diet of mealworms and waxworms good?
Thanks!

 

[jannb]

Welcome to the forums. This is a great place to learn about chameleons. I keep veileds and they are a pleasure to work with. I interact with mine and they are all very friendly. I'm linking my blog for new keepers below.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html

 

[Devokid]

And is a diet of mealworms and waxworms good?
Thanks!

Welcome to the chameleon world! It is an awesome place and this forum is a great source for guidance and help with whatever need you have. Now regarding the diet:

No, that is horrendous. Wax worms are very high in fat and should only be used as treats. Personally I think mealworms should just not be used at all as they provided no nutritional value. Roaches are some of the best, silk worms, stick insects, crickets, horn worms (more for hydration and less of a staple) and others. Just search for food on here, there are many threads that deal with it. Whatever you feed, make sure they are gut loaded and dusted correctly.

 

[sandrachameleon]

welcome to the forum!

That cage size will be good

waxworms and mealworms are among the worst options - certainly would not make a good chameleon diet though they can be used occasionally.

here are some links to info you may find useful:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/74-feeders.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/75-feeder-nutrition-gutloading.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...just-crickets-roaches-gutload-everything.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/

veiled are generally known to be territorial/aggressive. But each one has its own personality.

 

[Spanishchameleon]

Thanks guys!
Ok, so I guess I'll have to go with crickets, I don't really liked them because even in my cricket keeper they escape, and my mom isn't too into that, and breather am I
I asked about the mealworms because they are my leopard geckos staple along with 2 wax worms every week end
What if I mix it up with mealworms and crickets?
Also, I know this is controversial, but d3 or no d3?
Thanks!

 

[Spanishchameleon]

Oh I also have another question, instead of a basking light, will a ceramic heat emitter work? If not what is a good basking light bulb?

 

[BKFritz]

Thanks guys!
Ok, so I guess I'll have to go with crickets, I don't really liked them because even in my cricket keeper they escape, and my mom isn't too into that, and breather am I
I asked about the mealworms because they are my leopard geckos staple along with 2 wax worms every week end
What if I mix it up with mealworms and crickets?
Also, I know this is controversial, but d3 or no d3?
Thanks!

Get a large tote, cut a hole in the lid and glue on some window screen. much better than a cricket keeper! Throw in some empty toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls, and/or egg carton for them to hide in and VIOLA! If the crickets try to climb out, you can run some clear packaging tape along the inside several inches from the top and they won't be able to climb past it. I don't know how many crickets you can hold in a Cricket Keeper, but my standard size tote can easily hold 1000 crickets.

No D3 every feeding
D3 twice each month
reptile multivitamin twice each month

Gut load feeders with chameleon safe fruits and veggies or a commercial gut load like Bug Burger or Cricket Crack (I use a combo of fruits, veggies, and bug burger). Avoid gut load made by Flukers. The orange/green cubes will keep the crickets alive but will not add to their nutritional value.

 

[BKFritz]

Oh I also have another question, instead of a basking light, will a ceramic heat emitter work? If not what is a good basking light bulb?

I use a standard 60W house bulb in my basking light. Just make sure it doesn't get wet when you mist. It tends to burn them out. They're cheaper than basking bulbs too. Depending on where you live and ambient temp, you may need to use a higher or lower watt bulb, but I'd start with a 60W.

 

[Devokid]

Thanks guys!
Ok, so I guess I'll have to go with crickets, I don't really liked them because even in my cricket keeper they escape, and my mom isn't too into that, and breather am I
I asked about the mealworms because they are my leopard geckos staple along with 2 wax worms every week end
What if I mix it up with mealworms and crickets?
Also, I know this is controversial, but d3 or no d3?
Thanks!

No mealworms, or VERY limited. I am surprised that the geckos are doing well on that diet, I think that they would benefit from the change to crickets as well.

I use D3 only in the winter time twice a month. In the summertime they spend enough time outdoors they do not need it.

No to the ceramic heater. They do better with a light and typically only need a 60 watt bulb. Do not waste your money on the special reptile basking bulbs.

 

[Spanishchameleon]

Oh ok, I'll try it with the crickets
So you can take the chameleons outside?! That's pretty cool!
I live in El Paso, texas, temperatures of 110 degrees, is that too hot to take them outside?
And ok, I'll use calcium without D3
Oh, and I can just use any 60 watt LED bulb?
Thanks for all the help! I managed to add everything ip(except the cage) and it came up to 230 dollars, is that too much?
Thanks!

 

[Lovereps]

Welcome to the forum!
It's great that you're doing research before buying a cham.

Here is some excellent care info about Veiled chams and there are links to other useful info there, too (feeding, enclosures, etc.) https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/
Yes, 110 degrees is too hot for outdoor time.
Chams do fine when they have the right size enclosure with basking branches, foliage, a basking bulb, uvb bulb, receive a varied diet of nutritious "gutloaded" insects and receive the proper supplements.
You will need 3 types of supplements which are listed on the caresheet I gave you a link to.

Unless the temperatures are low enough for frequent outdoor time, your cham is going to need feeders to be lightly dusted with calcium with D3 2x a month, as well as plain no D3 calcium at most feedings and a multivitamin 2x a month.

Some supplies for your cham can be found at home improvement stores for less money than elsewhere.
This is especially true of light fixtures.

 

[sandrachameleon]

Thanks guys!
Ok, so I guess I'll have to go with crickets

Please offer a wide variety of prey. Just crickets or just crickets and mealworms is not whatsoever ideal.

Try to offer a minimum of 5 feeder prey items, with none of those prey choices making up more than 40% of the diet. And with waxworms not included in the 5 - use waxworms as treats only.

Have a good look at the links I provided earlier

 

[Spanishchameleon]

Oh wow, thanks for the link! It actually cleared out a lot of things
Now I have one more question for now
Can I use chicken wire to make my chameleons cage?

 

[Leslie11]

Crickets

You might want to research about Dubia Roaches and their colonies. They don't bite and very easy to care for. They are nutritious, as well. Crickets tend to stink, Dubias do not. You just feed them fruits and veggies.

 

[sandrachameleon]

Oh wow, thanks for the link! It actually cleared out a lot of things
Now I have one more question for now
Can I use chicken wire to make my chameleons cage?

not ideal - It can be a bit sharp on their feet. There are rigid plastic alternatives or even better there is coated wire (like many bird cages are made of). But if you put a few coats of paint on the chicken wire, that will help reduce the foot rubbing/scratches.

BTW - its great that you are asking such excellent questions up-front. You're going to be a great chameleon keeper!

 

[Spanishchameleon]

Thanks for all the help!
About the roaches,,, that's a big no, sorry, I just have a phobia for cockroaches
I'll see if they sell that coated wire at Home Depot or something
I'll see if I can get locusts for him as well