New. Wanted to say hello and welcome any comments

[aggy78]

After doing loads of research I've finally got our 1st chameleon.
His names Kwincy (my kids idea, he's a 4-6 week old veiled cham and he's adorable.
So far he's been eating well (10-15 small crickets), seen him drink from the dripper and he's been pretty active.We got him on the 28th Dec and he's not been handled since.
Any comments on his viv are more than welcomed. The info we got of the reptile shop differes to what i've read on here in terms of temperatures. The care sheet says 80F ambient in the day, 70F at night. Basking 85ishF.
He seems too hot tho so we lowered them and unsure if i should turm the ceramic heater at night or leave in on?


Anyway, Happy New Year to everyone!

 

[Chameleomom]

Welcome to the forums. Bottom temp should be around 68 to 70 and your ambient around 75 and basking 85. They do not need heat at night unless your house gets REALLY cold...like below 50. No lights at all on at night .Hope this helps some.

 

[Randall-the-Chameleon]

I recommend hanging a vine plant like pothos right in the middle of the cage. Live plants keep humidity up and he will get a thick plant to hide in (good for a Cham of his size) and a perch near the light. Good luck with him.

 

[aggy78]

Thank you for the input.
He's got 2 ficus plants for now and some artificial plants. So.loads of hiding places. So many that I'm actually struggling to find him most of the time.
Will be replacing the fake plants as soon as there are some in the garden centres here. Ficus was the only one I managed to find in December.

 

[aggy78]

Welcome to the forums. Bottom temp should be around 68 to 70 and your ambient around 75 and basking 85. They do not need heat at night unless your house gets REALLY cold...like below 50. No lights at all on at night .Hope this helps some.

That was what I thought. Will turn off the ceramic bulb as of tonight. All the lights are off at night.

 

[Randall-the-Chameleon]

Thank you for the input.
He's got 2 ficus plants for now and some artificial plants. So.loads of hiding places. So many that I'm actually struggling to find him most of the time.
Will be replacing the fake plants as soon as there are some in the garden centres here. Ficus was the only one I managed to find in December.

I always find my Cham before misting the cage 2/3 times a day so it has gotten to the point where I can find her almost instantly while my mom and sister have there face aginst the cage for five minutes and can't. I really shouldn't but I find a little bit of entertainment in it. -_-

 

[Peachypink]

After doing loads of research I've finally got our 1st chameleon.
His names Kwincy (my kids idea, he's a 4-6 week old veiled cham and he's adorable.
So far he's been eating well (10-15 small crickets), seen him drink from the dripper and he's been pretty active.We got him on the 28th Dec and he's not been handled since.
Any comments on his viv are more than welcomed. The info we got of the reptile shop differes to what i've read on here in terms of temperatures. The care sheet says 80F ambient in the day, 70F at night. Basking 85ishF.
He seems too hot tho so we lowered them and unsure if i should turm the ceramic heater at night or leave in on?
View attachment 172766 View attachment 172767 View attachment 172768

Anyway, Happy New Year to everyone!

Looks good, he's got lots of pathways and thats the key. Make sure you are using a digital temp gauge and hydrometer. Those analog ones are not vary accurate. I use a digital probe to check the basking spot. That is a very important accurate temp you need. The branch under his light looks a little low but it could just be the angle of the picture too. Check the temps and just adjust it higher or lower to get the desired basking temp. Should be around 85 for a juvenile veiled and will go up when they get older.

And as always, read, read, read and reread then read again the care sheet for veilds.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/

 

[aggy78]

Thanks!
There are 2 digital thermometers with probes close to basking spot and another closer to the bottom. And the thermostat probe. Got myself a temperature gun as well. Digital hydrometer is also on a "to buy" list.

I was wondering if they're picky enough to have a preference in the size of crickets.
I ordered a new batch and the new ones are way smaller than the ones I was given at the reptile shop (even though both were supposed to be size 2).
He picked the big ones and left all the small ones. I could tell he was going round the feeding cup looking grumpy when only the small ones were left.
Probably need to order new crickets from another supplier tomorrow

 

[Peachypink]

Thanks!
There are 2 digital thermometers with probes close to basking spot and another closer to the bottom. And the thermostat probe. Got myself a temperature gun as well. Digital hydrometer is also on a "to buy" list.

I was wondering if they're picky enough to have a preference in the size of crickets.
I ordered a new batch and the new ones are way smaller than the ones I was given at the reptile shop (even though both were supposed to be size 2).
He picked the big ones and left all the small ones. I could tell he was going round the feeding cup looking grumpy when only the small ones were left.
Probably need to order new crickets from another supplier tomorrow

They can be fickle like that. I have one that will only eat the smaller roaches.