New to the chameleon world. Need advice

newbieCham

New Member
My family and I purchased a veiled chameleon from petco 3 days ago, which I realize now is problem number 1, and taking the advice of the worker we bought the Reptibreeze chameleon kit, which appears to be problem 2..
we have been doing a lot of research the past few days and there is so much back and forth. We just want the best for our little guy. Our current plan is to build a bigger 4x2x4 cage. My biggest concern is the lighting, plants and calcium powder. The kit said it included a 5.0 uvb but it came with a 10.0 instead.
my current questions are;

What UVB light is best?
Is the dual light fixture okay?
Is the repti calcium enough?
What real plants are best for his cage?
Ceramic heat emitter or no?
Anything else that I’m missing?

thank you for all your help in advance.
 

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Most cages are reptibteeze screen cages so the hard part is over..🤩. Lol , yes , you may have to go bigger , change some lights , and order some things but that's all part of the growing process. For now , this was an ok start but believe me ... you will always buy more and rearrange . You sit for hours quietly observing your baby. Immediately, get your ubv lighting straight and supplements . Expect to run back and forth the pet store for crickets ;so just get some upgrades then or order from Amazon. I seen some pretty chameleons and heard of longevity from pet stores. We all have to start somewhere! 😉And Beware: this forum is very addictive. I spend at least 30mins to an hour just reading daily
 
Welcome to the forum! This is a good place to learn.

You said...,What UVB light is best?"... The long linear Reptisun 5.0 or Arcadia 6 tube lights are the two most often recommended.

You said..."Is the dual light fixture okay?".... It's ok for a basking light.

You said ..."Is the repti calcium enough?"...no...you need a phos free calcium/D3 and a vitamin powder with a prEformed source of vitamin A as well as the phos free calcium powder. Use the phos free calcium powder dusted lightly on the insects just before feeding them to the chameleon at all feedings but one a week. On that one feeding each week alternate between the phos free calcium/D3 powder lightly and the vitamin powder lightly.

You asked..."What real plants are best for his cage?"...there's a chart or two with plants but they just need to be non toxic and well washed, both sides of the leaves.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/plants/

You said..."Ceramic heat emitter or no?"... No need as long as your temperatures don't go down to the 50's F at night. Where do you live?

You said..."Anything else that I’m missing?"... Male or female?
https://chameleonacademy.com
https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleonkit/

More in a few minutes...have to look for links. Hopefully others will chime in too.
 
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Ah yes i started exactly like this with my first veiled. I’m no expert and have minimal experience but I did forage some of the chameleon kit things. The dual fixture I use for the heat bulb and have a led plant grow light in the extra slot. Also the t5 ho uvb bulbs are the way to go or Arcadia 6 as someone already said just remember most of the fixtures come with their own bulbs included I didn’t know this when I bought my fixture so definitely make sure of that😅 and get rid of those fake plants for a veiled they tend to take nibbles of them like mine used to and don’t forget to add a lot to make them feel safe and lots of vertical climbing sticks and a drainage system is definitely helpful. I use a drywall tub with a wire took take to hold up my cage and a wet vac to suck up the excess water that goes into the tub also with heat bulbs I’m not sure about everyone else but a incandescent flood light with no leds works good as it spreads the heat better than spot lights and if you don’t already have a misting system do NOT buy reptirain its absolute trash. I use the monsoon solo 2 with a wifi timer. I’d also listen to what others have to say trust me when I say there are many knowledgeable keepers here. They are nothing but helpful hope this helps!
 
Oh also I’m not sure what others think but the bend a branch isn’t bad I quite like it and my current cham uses it a lot alongside oak branches i got from outside. And don’t forget to sex it. You can tell by looking at the bottom and back of its back feet to look for tarsal spurs. They are small bumps you won’t see on the front legs if there are no tarsal spurs then it’s a female if there are then it’s a male. They are one of the easier chams to sex at a young age
 
What UVB light is best?
A linear T5HO fluorescent tube—either Reptisun 5.0 or Arcadia 6%. Fixtures for these bulbs are all made by Shenzen Sunlight Lighting Co. (OEM) and all are virtually identical.

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  • Arcadia Pro T5
  • Biodude T5HO
  • Carolina Custom Cages T5HO
  • Hydrofarm "Jumpstart"
  • Sunblaster T5HO Nanotech
  • Vivarium T5
  • and Others
so shop for price.

Is the dual light fixture okay?
OK for a basking light, but superfluous.
The best bulbs for basking are (in order of preference):
  1. Household incandescent bulb (not LED)
  2. Incandescent flood light (not LED and not spot light)
  3. Halogen flood light (not spot light)

Is the repti calcium enough?
No. You'll need:
  1. calcium without D3 or phosphorus
  2. calcium with D3
  3. reptile multivitamins

  • Pick a day of the week (I supplement on Sundays when I do major cleaning & chores).
  • Every supplement day, alternate between calcium w/D3 and multivitamins. I mark the calendar ahead of time each month so I don't mix up supplement days.
  • Every other day of the month, dust w/ calcium w/o D3

What real plants are best for his cage?
These lists are chameleon-safe:
https://chameleonacademy.com/plants/
https://www.madcham.de/en/pflanzen-fuers-terrarium/
https://www.chameleons.info/l/safe-and-unsafe-plants/
https://www.chameleonschool.com/safe-plants-for-chameleons/
Also avoid fake vines.

Ceramic heat emitter or no?
No. No nighttime heat required unless ambient falls below 65F
No nighttime light whatsoever.

Anything else that I’m missing?
Loads, but we've all been there. Sources to read/watch:
The Resources section on this site.
Chameleon Academy Husbandry Program
Neptune the Chameleon on YouTube.
 
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