New Veiled Chameleon Owner with questions

Jungle Jake

New Member
So I got a beautiful 4 month old veiled chameleon and could be happier. But of course, caring for a chameleon has proven to come with the stress of making sure he is happy and healthy and I am doing everything properly.

First, some background info to help answer my questions:
Age: 4 -5months
sex: Male
Country: Canada (southern ontario)
Regular humidity in my house in November 2020: 40-50%

Question one: Right now I currently have a standard exoterra glass terrarium(18x18x20-30) with a screen top and front door opening. I am going to be upgrading him to a bigger enclosure and I have heard so many mixed messages that I think my brain is going to explode lol. From my knowledge, Veiled chameleons need proper airflow in there enclosures or they run a risk of respiratory infections, more bacteria buildup in the enclosure etc. I have also heard from some that glass enclosure can work(i dont really know what the rebuttal argument for this is but). I would love to get a screen enclosure, but up here in Canada, our winters get cold and humidity is low and I dont know how I could counter balance those issues with a screen enclosure and hold in humidity properly.( I have also heard mixed answers to what humidity levels should be at night, and day/ fluxuations/ ranges etc) I know it is different stroke for different fokes but with my natural humidity and temps, owning a veiled chameleon specifically, what would be best? I also have seen enclosures that are part glass and part screened and thought this may be a good option to consider? If somebody with good veiled chameleon knowledge could give me recommendations, I would appreciate it so much. I just want to make sure I get the proper information for my new guy.
PS: I have more questions but this is a start lol.

Thanks Alot!
 
Hi there welcome to the forum. So Veileds really only need a 30-40% daytime humidity level. The issue with the glass exoterras is that they must be set up correctly with the entire water cycle. If these are misted too frequently then you have issues with bacteria growth.

Now per temp drop they actually need the night time drop and can safely go down to 50f at night.

This would be a good resource for you to understand the entire husbandry picture. https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/
 
Welcome to the forum!

I live in southern Ontario too...and I have used the exoterra cages since they came out. I've kept/bred/hatched/raised veileds since about 1994.

I used aquariums in the beginning because over 30 years ago when I started keeping chameleons, that was all we had. Contrary to,what many people say they can work if you set them up properly but I wouldn't recommend them any more.
I then tried all screen cages...they were very hard to keep at the right humidity and temperature in the winter here so I tried ones with three glass sides and screen lids and doors...IMHO they weren't the best either.

If you use an all glass cage with the vents and a screen lid you need to place your basking light properly to create a chimney effect so the air flows well.

Do you know about supplements? Feeding/gutloading the insects? Appropriate temperatures?
You're sure it's a male?
 
Thanks for the replies.

Beman: I am going through the first few modules on the website and then going to do the rest later when I have time but definitely informative so far thanks! and yes, that is my biggest concern is if I am misting too much, not letting the enclosure air out enough etc. So daytime humidity is okay at 40-50%? what should night time be?

Kinyonga: Another Ontarioan, perfect!! So what would your verdict be on the type of enclosure? My lights are currently right on the screen top of the enclosure but I plan on moving them an inch or two above tomorrow when I get to the pet store and grab a light fixture bracket to support it above. Trying to get a list of supplies together to hit up the big pet store out of town tomorrow.

I know a little bit about supplements but trying to learn more. I feed my crickets usually potatoes or oatmeal or fresh fruits. And just bought some calcium powder from the pet store but it has d3 and I have read that they can't have a lot of d3 because they naturally produce it already, so I am going to look at just the regular calcium powder at walmart(assuming that would be no different than pet store brands?)

From the information I have gathered, I try to keep my basking spot around 85 and low spot is around 70-75. at night It goes down to 65-70, but I may have to move him downstairs when I get my new enclosure, which is a bit colder especially colder winter nights.(not sure exactly how cold it gets but I will be monitoring when its time). and not 100% sure it is male. I didn't know if there was an easy way to figure it out but the pet store owner wasn't 100% so I assumed I couldn't be lol. I am also concerned if I need a light upgrade when I get my new enclosure( assuming I probably will) but I know absolutely 0 about lights and whenever I try to find information on it, it doesnt really make sense to me. trying to figure things out one step at a time but Its stressful. Thanks again!
 
Beman: I am going through the first few modules on the website and then going to do the rest later when I have time but definitely informative so far thanks! and yes, that is my biggest concern is if I am misting too much, not letting the enclosure air out enough etc. So daytime humidity is okay at 40-50%? what should night time be?
Personally I try to get mine closer to 40%. That husbandry program will help explain it to you. I do not mist during the day when temps are hotter. Morning and evening is good.
 
Beman: The information panflip they gave me when I purchased him says 50-80% humidity(doesn't specify night or day). I know there is so much mixed information though.
 
Beman: The information panflip they gave me when I purchased him says 50-80%(doesn't specify night or day).
You are thinking lower is better though?
Well what they gave you was incorrect. This happens very often. Daytime for a veiled is 30-40% with a 50% max level. Night can be up to 100% when temps have dropped and lights are off.
Reading through that link I gave you and anything on that website is going to give your accurate and up to date husbandry info.
 
You said.."what would your verdict be on the type of enclosure?"...
I use mostly the exoterra cages but there are others that are just as good too.

You said..."From the information I have gathered, I try to keep my basking spot around 85 and low spot is around 70-75. at night It goes down to 65-70, but I may have to move him downstairs when I get my new enclosure, which is a bit colder especially colder winter nights.(not sure exactly how cold it gets but I will be monitoring when its time)"...for the age of your chameleon 80 to 85F should be find for a basking area. All lights off at night. Veileds can take temperatures down into the 50's F at night.

You said..."not 100% sure it is male. I didn't know if there was an easy way to figure it out but the pet store owner wasn't 100% so I assumed I couldn't be lol."...look at the back of the back feet.
https://www.adcham.com/html/husbandry/glossary/tarsalspur.html

You said..."I am also concerned if I need a light upgrade when I get my new enclosure( assuming I probably will) but I know absolutely 0 about lights and whenever I try to find information on it, it doesnt really make sense to me."... @Beman is good at answering this...so I'll let her answer it.
 
If your not using a T5HO fixture with a 5.0 or 6% linear bulb and your using the dome uvb lighting then you would actually need a new uvb fixture now.

Compact bulbs are very shallow in their output so they do not do what we need them to do for chameleons. They are often the cause for chams developing MBD.
 
So I got a beautiful 4 month old veiled chameleon and could be happier. But of course, caring for a chameleon has proven to come with the stress of making sure he is happy and healthy and I am doing everything properly.

First, some background info to help answer my questions:
Age: 4 -5months
sex: Male
Country: Canada (southern ontario)
Regular humidity in my house in November 2020: 40-50%

Question one: Right now I currently have a standard exoterra glass terrarium(18x18x20-30) with a screen top and front door opening. I am going to be upgrading him to a bigger enclosure and I have heard so many mixed messages that I think my brain is going to explode lol. From my knowledge, Veiled chameleons need proper airflow in there enclosures or they run a risk of respiratory infections, more bacteria buildup in the enclosure etc. I have also heard from some that glass enclosure can work(i dont really know what the rebuttal argument for this is but). I would love to get a screen enclosure, but up here in Canada, our winters get cold and humidity is low and I dont know how I could counter balance those issues with a screen enclosure and hold in humidity properly.( I have also heard mixed answers to what humidity levels should be at night, and day/ fluxuations/ ranges etc) I know it is different stroke for different fokes but with my natural humidity and temps, owning a veiled chameleon specifically, what would be best? I also have seen enclosures that are part glass and part screened and thought this may be a good option to consider? If somebody with good veiled chameleon knowledge could give me recommendations, I would appreciate it so much. I just want to make sure I get the proper information for my new guy.
PS: I have more questions but this is a start lol.

Thanks Alot!
First off, welcome! I’m in London, ON, so I know Ontario keeping ?
 
Back
Top Bottom