New Veiled Chameleon!

K

KamBam2019

New Member
Hello everyone. Im new here , and new to owning a chameleon. First chameleon and reptile I’ve owned.
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He just started his first shed since I got him. Got him on Jan. 7th , 2019 . Was 4 months then. Just recently got done with his mansion.
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I’ve installed a reptirain and a little dripper. All living plants in his cage too. He eats pretty well. With the small crickets was eating about 20 a day. Now I’ve gotten medium crickets and he ate 12 today.

I’m just looking for any kind of suggestions , etc for the cage and well being of this dude I call Kammo!

I get home prettt late , 1045 pm pacific. I am trying to hold him everyday and get him used to me. He did flare his mouth at me today when the reptirain machine went off. He’s not comfortable yet with it. His basking spot runs about 87 to 92 Fahrenheit. And I got him into a 24x24x48 sized mesh cage.

He eats from the tongs , and sometimes I’ll put just a bowl in there for him to eat the crickets right out of.

Thanks for taking the time. And I look forward to speaking with you all and continuing a relationship with you all through this forum!

Kameron
 
Put T5 HO or T8 linear UVB bulb or you will have problems like me. I was with compact uvb bulb and my cham has problems with her eyes now.
 
I think hot spot bulb is ok, but UVB is not. You need linear T5 or T8 bulb. Those compact uvb bulbs cause eye problems. I used it 2 monts and my cham started to miss his pray with his tongue. Also they don't make enought UVB for your cham.
 
KamBam2019 said:
These are the bulbs I have. No good ?
Click to expand...
Welcome!
You will want to switch out to a T5 UVB source. and get a different dome for your heat bulb. I would recommend one with a dimmer switch so you can pull your heat down. Your basking spot is a little too hot. You can get additional support from Todd with lightyourreptiles.com to pick out a fixture and UVB for your setup and Cham. He is really great.

Live plants look great just make sure your little one is not going after the dirt in them this can cause them to become impacted. Typically to avoid this you can put about 1 inch or bigger river rocks on top of the soil in the pots. It is important that these are bigger so he does not try to eat them as well so no small pebbles.

I would be very cautious of the plants sitting in water at the bottom. Not only can your cham drown in the water but it will grow icky stuff that you don't what your guy getting into.

You could add more vines through the middle to give more options as well.

You might want to take a look at these to attach and mount stuff to your screens. They will hold the weight without damaging your cage. https://dragonstrand.com/dragon-ledges/

Here is the link to the caresheet on this site. https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/
Here is the link to other additional resources. https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/

Here is a wonderful podcast resource for you as well. Bill Strand you is the owner of Dragon Strand does these. https://www.chameleonbreeder.com/
 
Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
  • Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

--------------

Please Note:
  1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
  2. Photos can be very helpful.
Fill this out so we can check all your care welcome to the forum!
 
Has anyone tried metal halide, mercury vapor or other "one bulb" solutions? I am adding a mercury vapor bulb today.
 
iMi said:
Has anyone tried metal halide, mercury vapor or other "one bulb" solutions? I am adding a mercury vapor bulb today.
Click to expand...
This is what the lighting care sheet says about Mercury Vapor and here is the link to read more https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/lighting/
Mercury Vapor/ Metal Halide UVB
These specific bulbs are only stable at high wattages and thus put off too much heat and light for typical enclosures and should only be used in very large free range settings (10’x10’ or larger). These bulbs may require special fixtures and are much more expensive than other UVB options.
 
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KamBam2019 said:
So I’m looking for the strip lights correct ? Almost to the store
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Yes, you are looking for a T5 strip lighting fixture with a 5.0 UVB florescent bulb. Make sure the fixture has the metal reflector in the hood. You need this to direct the light down. Until your little one gets bigger and your plants fill in you will want to do a 5.0 bulb then switch up to a 10.0 bulb when you have lots of foliage.
 
Beman said:
Yes, you are looking for a T5 strip lighting fixture with a 5.0 UVB florescent bulb. Make sure the fixture has the metal reflector in the hood. You need this to direct the light down. Until your little one gets bigger and your plants fill in you will want to do a 5.0 bulb then switch up to a 10.0 bulb when you have lots of foliage.
Click to expand...
image.jpg

Ok awesome ! This is what I’ve purchased.
 
KamBam2019 said:
View attachment 221962
Ok awesome ! This is what I’ve purchased.
Click to expand...
So this is good! just note it is a T8 so it will not be quite as bright as a T5 set up. T5's are about 30% brighter then a T8. T8 fixtures can not be used with T5 fixtures. The T8 and T5 refer also to the diameter of the bulb if I remember correctly. But this will be so much better for baby then the compact! Good Job!
 
Oh oops. I didn’t see they had t5 so I grabbed this ! But glad to hear it will be better for the chameleon ! Thanks !
 
My local pet stores didn't carry T5 setups, either. Only T8, so I got those to start with and I'm about to order a T5 setup from Arcadia in the next few weeks. (y)
 
KamBam2019 said:
Oh oops. I didn’t see they had t5 so I grabbed this ! But glad to hear it will be better for the chameleon ! Thanks !
Click to expand...
Yeah Godrick is right.... You can always upgrade later to T5 to get additional light. I have a quad lighting fixture from Lightyourreptiles.com. I am running two 6500 daylight bulbs, 1 12%arcadia UVB (but I have a ton of plants and my guy is older then yours), and 1 plant pro bulb. In the mean time this is so much better for your Cham to have the right light. The compact ones are really poor quality. This youtube video really shows the difference. Since you are dealing with light that we can not see it really helps explain it better I think with the way they showed it.
 
Last edited:
Got home too late tonight. Lights are off. So will install tomorrow since it’s my day off finally. Need to reposition the tubes for the reptirain and the little dripper to accommodate the light hood. Can’t wait to start tomorrow ! Pics will be up tomorrow .
 
KamBam2019 said:
Got home too late tonight. Lights are off. So will install tomorrow since it’s my day off finally. Need to reposition the tubes for the reptirain and the little dripper to accommodate the light hood. Can’t wait to start tomorrow ! Pics will be up tomorrow .
Click to expand...
Good Morning! Also fill out the form that @KamaKamaChameleon! posted previously so we can double check all of your husbandry. This will give us a better idea if you need assistance in other areas that you might not even be aware of. I look forward to seeing your new pics!
 
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