New Vieled Chameleon just a cpl Questions...

Trav

Trav

New Member
I have just purchased a Veieled Chameleon from a petstore about a month ago, The information that i got from them and reading a couple articles on the internet pryor to buying the chamleon had me thinking i was well prepared with a 55 gallon tank and a pothos and some sticks and vines, as well as a some reptile bark for the substrate. I have a 150 w sun glo Neodymium lamp, provides brod specttrum daylight and UVA, and a red basking lamp 100 w. My chameleon shortly after i had at home ( about 2 weeks) started rubbing his eyes alot and bulging them out, he then would start running around the terrarium with his eyes closed and has even gotten to the point of sitting with his eyes closed during the day, well i started misting him when i did the tank daily and he freaked, cuz i didnt know i was supposed to mist him as well , and i payed careful attention to his eye area to make sure he got his eyes wet, well he is taking better to it now and rubbing his eyes a little less often but i just wanna know if i have helped fix his eye problem or at least starting to?? I dont want anything bad to have happen to him... Just to state i just finished a 4 ft high, 3 ft wide, 1.5ft deep screen terrarium to get him outta the tank and i wanna know what i should change my lighting to , i was looking at the lamps that provide all UVA UVB and heat and light...Do they work as good as they say??
 
from what i seen, everyone usually reccomends the reptisun 5.0.

and a heat bulb depending on your temperatures will determine the wattage.

make sure he is getting calcium suppliments, vitamins.
 
Great job on noticing that something wasn't right- many people don't notice that their cham is sick until it is way too late.

Okay, definitely switch your cham to the new screen cage as soon as you can. Ditch all the lights you have now and get a Zoo Med reptisun 5.0 linear tube fluorescent and a hood to fit it (lllreptile.com is the best place to get these) and provide a regular household light bulb for heat to achieve a basking temp of 90 degrees (I think- I am used to keeping montane species so someone with veileds will know better about exact temps) You don't need any infared or night time bulbs at all so long as your house doesn't get below 65-70 degrees at night. The drop in temps is good for them.

As for the eye problems, get your cham to a vet that specializes in chameleons as soon as you can. In the mean time, mist your cham at least three times a day for at least five minutes at a time with warm water. I have read about other keeps saying NOT to do what I am about to suggest so take it with a grain of salt and observe your cham because he may not like it like mine do, but try misting around his enclosure and then slowly move the mist towards him and eventually onto him. I always do this and mist my chams directly in their eyes (gently!!) and they will clean their eyes out by bulging them around in the water. Mine sit still and enjoy it for minutes on end. It may take some time for your cham to warm up to it and he may panic a little the first few times you do it. In that case, I would suggest a short shower a day to help clean your chams eyes. Put your cham onto a safe potted plant, or better yet, his whole enclosure if you can, into the shower. Turn the shower on warm and direct the spray onto the wall near the plant so that the mist and spray bounces back onto part of the plant. Do this for 15-30 minutes and it should help your cham clean his eyes and rehydrate. After you mist him and mist his eyes and also after you shower him, try taking a cotton swab soaked in warm water and gently use outward circular motions to help clean his eyes of any debris. Be very very gentle and slow and try not to stress him out with this.

What kind of plants do you have in your enclosure?
 
Oh and I forgot to mention, ditch the substrate and just have a bare bottom tall screen cage. If you don't have any live plants, go out and get pothos or an umbrella tree from a nursery, remove it from its pot and wash it down with mild soap twice (and be thorough!) and re pot it in organic potting soil with vermiculite and perlite mixed in for good drainage. (I also put chunks of styrofoam in the bottom of my plants for good drainage since cham cages are so moist) Cover the soil in the pot with smooth river rocks so your cham and feeders can't get into the dirt. The plants will help keep your air clean and the humidity up (which you really need if your cham is having eye issues) along with providing hiding places to help your little guy feel secure.

Can you provide some photos of your enclosure and your cham? It would help.
 
Ok well i was just checking out and i am gonna get a reptisun 5.0 asap and my cham shoould be in my new enclosure in about 2 days max, there are still some finishing touches to be made, as for the vet i have not checked yet there all closed but i feel skeptical about the vets around here as i live in a smaller city but i should check that out tommorow, but thanks for the info i feel like even reading what i have read in the last 2 days on this forum i have learned soo much that i fear my cham wouild have died really soon had i not decided to look into it further.. also my cham is about 8 " from head to tail, but rather dainty, can you tell the age by this?
 
Great! Welcome to the forum, by the way. You are making some really good decisions and it is nice that you care so much about your chameleon.

Go ahead and put him into the screen cage- you don't need the UVB light right off and he will be fine without it until it arrives if you order it right away. lllreptile.com is the cheapest as I said...just make sure to wash those plants off so you don't have problems with pesticides.

You may want to put a bit of plastic on the back of the screen cage- I do this with my enclosures so the wall doesn't get drenched from all the misting that I do and that you will also be doing :) It will keep some humidity in but let air flow.

I wouldn't be able to guess an age on your veiled but another member might so just be patient on that one :)

As for a reptile vet, make these changes and monitor your cham the next few days and see if he improves. In the meantime, http://www.herpvetconnection.com/ is a good place to start when looking for a vet. You may also want to ask around the health clinic board and ask forum members in your general area.
 
well thanks alot i feel like i am well on my way to succsess if i keep up with the proper info and make sure he gets what he deserves!
 
Trav said:
well thanks alot i feel like i am well on my way to succsess if i keep up with the proper info and make sure he gets what he deserves!
Click to expand...

You are in the right place :) We have all been where you are and are now doing much better for our chams thanks to this wonderful site and all of the knowledgeable and helpful keepers on it.
 
One other question, whats the difference between the linear tube style Reptisun 5.0 and the compact bulb?? if the tube is better what size should it be for the tank size i have posted?
 
Trav said:
One other question, whats the difference between the linear tube style Reptisun 5.0 and the compact bulb?? if the tube is better what size should it be for the tank size i have posted?
Click to expand...

The biggest and most important difference in the compact bulbs and the linear tube style is the UVCs that are emitted. UVCs are deadly and will give your chameleon major eye problems. Your chameleon will also receive ultraviolet burns if you use a compact UVB bulb. The compacts are terrible and should be banned in my opinion.

The Repti Sun 5.0 by zoo med is the BEST as far as bulbs go. Remember that they need to be replaced every 6 months though because they will stop producing UVB after time. If you search the forums for "compact UVB" you will find tons of info on how harmful the bulbs are.

It is best just to stick with the 5.0 linear.

As far as the size goes, get a tape measure out and decide if you want the bulb and fixture to go all the way straight across the top of your enclosure or diagonally across. I like doing it diagonally personally because I feel that the cham will get more exposure. Your hood and light doesn't have to go all the way across; you can just center it over the majority of your chams favorite basking spots. Make sure the bulb you will be using for heat is about in the same spot so when your cham basks for heat, he also basks for the UVB.

When you get your fixture, put shiny metallic tape on the inside plastic where the bulb will sit so that more light is reflected down (many fixtures will already have it but the hoods at lll don't)
 
well i do got one more concerning lighting. well like i said i have a sunglo 150w neodymiuim UVA lamp, and was thinking would it be alrright if i keep it instead of a regular house light for heat once i switch over to the Reptisun 5.0 because it will then give both heat , light and additional UVA rays for the chemelon... just a thoght..
 
Trav said:
well i do got one more concerning lighting. well like i said i have a sunglo 150w neodymiuim UVA lamp, and was thinking would it be alrright if i keep it instead of a regular house light for heat once i switch over to the Reptisun 5.0 because it will then give both heat , light and additional UVA rays for the chemelon... just a thoght..
Click to expand...

i think i would be concerned about that light if he is having eye problems .
 
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