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Mommahen7

Mommahen7

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Hello! I am new to the forum, but I am not so new to Chameleons! DH and I have had both Veileds and Jacksons in the past as did my mom ;)

We haven't had any in years and the time has come, it is my son's birthday and he is getting a baby Veiled for his birthday! He is so fascinated with the stories we tell him about our experiences in the past. Chameleons are all he talks about now!

We have several different enclosure options that will suit him/her best as it grows,but what should we start out with?

We are going to go to a reptile show in Haver de Grace, MD on the 19th and my mom is going to surprise him and buy him one. I want to make sure everything is set up and ready when we get him/her home.

Is one ok, or would 2 be better? I always thought more than one would stress them out...we always had them housed separately.

How many plants should be in there?

What would be good for him to climb around on? Like vines and stuff..

Best lighting?

Drip system?





Thank you in advance :)
 
hi,

stick with just one chameleon. yes, 2 or more will stress out the weaker one and it will slowly die.

use as many live plants as you can to help with humidity and hiding spots.
yet in a small baby cage, you might only be able to fit 1 or 2 planted pots to them.

for lighting or heat, just use a regular household bulb, not compact floresent.
yet you will also need a UVB light bulb. try reptisun 5.0 for D3 production.

you can run outside after any storm and gather a few branches that fell to the ground or buy any of the bendable vinzes you can find at any petstore.
I use a combo of both.

let's not forget to gutload well the feeders with high quality washed veggies and fruit like kale, dandilion, romain, carrots, orange slices, strawberries, and so on.

dust crickets and some other feeders with plain calcium at every feeding.
then once or twice a month you can dust with D3, and once or twice a month you can dust with vitamins.

keep asking any questions if needed.

Harry
 
Welcome to the forum and this crazy addiction!!!


Is one ok, or would 2 be better? I always thought more than one would stress them out...we always had them housed separately.

You should only keep one per enclosure.

How many plants should be in there?

You should have enough plants so your cham can hide and drink well... use pothos, umbrella pants, or any plant of off FLCHAMS safe list.

What would be good for him to climb around on? Like vines and stuff.. '

You can buy vines or you can use sticks from trees outside if you clean them right before you add them to the enclosure. Best way to clean is to bake them at 350 for about 10-15 minutes and then whipe them down with water and bleech.

Best lighting?

for heat you want to use a 40watt bulb and keep his basking spot at 80-83ish and the rest of the cage 75-79 and this is during the day at night it should drop to mid to upper 60's

for uvb you should use retisun 5.0 fluorescent bulb.

Drip system?

At PETCO or PETSMAART you can buy a zoomed lil dripper that works very well..



If you can fill out the how to ask for help form to show us exactly how you are set up. Also pictures alwasys help!
 
Well I am not set up yet, so I don't have any pictures.

What would be best to start in, a 10 gallon? We are hoping to get a pretty little one. We seemed to have the best luck raising them when we had them.

As he/she grows, I have a 29 with an appropriate sized tank topper and then after that I have an approximate 3hX3wx2deep custom built cage that was used for my Chameleons years ago.


You mentioned wiping the branch down with bleach and water after baking it...is the bleach safe for them?


I was reading that sometimes the babies can get "lost" in their enclosure of there are too many plants and are notorious for baking themselves. Should they have a spot for basking?
 
Mommahen7 said:
Well I am not set up yet, so I don't have any pictures.

What would be best to start in, a 10 gallon? We are hoping to get a pretty little one. We seemed to have the best luck raising them when we had them.

As he/she grows, I have a 29 with an appropriate sized tank topper and then after that I have an approximate 3hX3wx2deep custom built cage that was used for my Chameleons years ago.


You mentioned wiping the branch down with bleach and water after baking it...is the bleach safe for them?


I was reading that sometimes the babies can get "lost" in their enclosure of there are too many plants and are notorious for baking themselves. Should they have a spot for basking?
Click to expand...


Yea a very diluted water bleech mix, but if you bake them you should be fine... For younger veilds they need a basking spot of 80-83 degreees....


You want to use an all screen cage.

If you have a big cage and a small cham you should cup feed because if the cage is to big the cham wont know where to hunt.

For veiled you want a cage about 24Lx24Wx32H you can find these cages on LLL one of the site sponsers. Or you will see them at the reptile show...


I have a 3.5 month veiled and its cage is 36Lx32Wx42H
 
I recomend not buying any younger than two months old. I use a 16x16x30 Screen cage for my two month old babies with three or so plants and a cup for feeding just fine. Basking should be 80 and the bottom should be 70. Screen is best unless your house is extremely cold all the time.

Use a 10:1 water:bleach ratio and rinse well.

Here's the form


Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information, you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.


Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.


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?


Pictures are helpful
 
 
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