Newby with questions

e30nate said:
one last question for the night. what would be a good cage size for a young veiled?
Click to expand...

16inx 16in x 30 in is okay..but in reality u dont need a small cage, ..ppl only get the small one for the cham to find its food quickly and so that if it falls it wont b too high...but basically you can get a big cage and put him in there until full grown..if u want ..order the big screen cage 24in x 24 in x 48 in..and play with it by using half of the cage and use more space as he grows...:cool:JMHO
 
Depends on how young. Most like to keep babies in smaller cages. You can either get a small cage and upgrade or you can just get a larger cage. (males 2x2x4, females 16x16x30 to 2x2x4) you can also block off part of the cage so it's smaller when the animal is young.
 
so i finally got the funds together to get everything i need, and my fiance is getting me a cham for christmas. just wondering if the reptarium packagees from lll reptile are good, or if i should spend the extra and get one of their aluminum cages. heres the link to the package i was looking at

http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog...-cage-packages/-/38-gallon-chameleon-package/

and the link to the cage i was looking at.

http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog...ges/-/18-x-18-x-36-inch-aluminum-screen-cage/
 
I like the reptarium cages, but some people hate, hate, hate them. To me, they are "private" for the animals...it's nice and bright in there, but to us, it looks dark. It's the nature of the mesh. If you want to be watching him, you might be happier with a screen cage.
 
thats what i was thinking. il probably get a screen cage then, that way i can observe and make sure hes getting used to his new surroundings and is staying healthy.
 
i ordered most everything. i picked up a cage off craigslist for $20 that is 24x24x12. i ordered supplements, a reptiglo 5.0 linear bulb, a digital thermometer and hygrometer, and a few supplies to make a rain system. gonna go to home depot tomorrow and get some plants and the rest of the stuff for the rain system. hopefully i will be able to set everything up and running by tomorrow or sunday. i will post pics after everything is set up
 
just waiting for the stuff i ordered from joshs frogs to get here to complete everything. sorry no pics yet, but soon.
 
heres a pic of what my future new pets cage looks like. i still need a few things like plants and stuff, but i gotta wait to get paid again to buy the rest.

IMG00109-20101129-1511.jpg
 
That looks like a great start. Where are you getting your cham from? I would suggest getting one from one of our sponsors instead of a pet store. You'll find that your cham will be much more healthy.
 
im not sure exactly where im gonna get one from, for sure one of the site sponsors though. i want a male baby veiled, so it should be easy to get one.
 
Lighting

How Long do you use the UVB light?

kinyonga said:
Why two domes?
What brand of calcium supplement?

Here's some information you might like to read......
Exposure to proper UVB, appropriate temperatures, supplements, a supply of well-fed/gutloaded insects, water and an appropriate cage set-up are all important for the well-being of your chameleon.

Appropriate cage temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part indirectly in nutrient absorption. For a young panther or veiled, I keep the temperatures in the low 80's. Their small bodies can dehydrate, cool and warm up more quickly than the adults will.

Exposure to UVB from either direct sunlight or a proper UVB light allows the chameleon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system to make/keep the bones strong and be used in other systems in the chameleon as well. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic no matter whether its from the sun or the UVB light. The most often recommended UVB light is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light. Some of the compacts, spirals and tube lights have caused health issues, but so far there have been no bad reports against this one.

Since many of the feeder insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in them, its important to dust the insects before you feed them to the chameleon with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it.

If you dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. It leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of what it needs through its exposure to the UVB light. (Some UVB lights have been known to cause health issues, so the most often recommended one is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light.) D3 from supplements can build up in the system but D3 produced from exposure to UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it.

Dusting twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while.

Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs....so its important too. I gutload crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms, etc. with an assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.)

Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon (muscles, etc.) and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.

Here are some good sites for you to read...
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200605020...Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200604210...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/
http://web.archive.org/web/200601140...ww.adcham.com/
Click to expand...
 
I don't think you're that far from the new LLL Reptile store in Menifee. They are an amazing resource and have lots of chameleons. You should call the store before going in because "online" and "in store" are not the same thing!
 
so i finally got everything set up, just waiting till christmas for my new little guy. the only question i still have is how much should i dust the feeders? do i just like pour some on there or get like a little brush and dust them.
 
im going to lll reptile in menifee right now to pick up my little guy :D im so excited. i have all my lights and everything on and ready. the humidity seems really high though. it says its at 83% at the bottom of the cage with just a ficus in the cage. is that too high or should it be lower?

DSCN0862.jpg
 
e30nate said:
so i finally got everything set up, just waiting till christmas for my new little guy. the only question i still have is how much should i dust the feeders? do i just like pour some on there or get like a little brush and dust them.
Click to expand...

Check out my "Random" photo album in my profile. I took some pics of the look I go for when I am dusting crickets, plus one that has way too much on it.

Looking at the last pic you have here your still going to have to work out a drainage hole in the bottom. Don't want any standing water within the cage or any spill off to ruin the floor or table its on.
 
Depending on the age of your baby, you may want to add more plants. If you can't find it, then it's good! I find that they settle in better/faster that way. You want your dusted feeders to only be a teeny tiny shade lighter. You should almost not even be able to tell they were dusted. I just throw my bugs in a cup sprinkle a little powder on and swirl them around in the cup. :) it disorientates crickets.
 
Time to introduce.....Fez

hes finally here. hes getting settled in quite well. hes roaming around and everything. he already took a drink from the dripper, and is hiding in the fake plant on the back of the cage. the basking spot is at a cozy 79 degrees and the rest of the cage is at 71. heres a pic of him basking.

DSCN0867.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

LisaMichelle
Enclosure suggestion's/review
Replies
8
Views
1K
Eileen
Eileen
U
UVB Lighting for hatchlings
Replies
7
Views
1K
Unknown_Userx
U
BugzNelson
First Chameleon Died… now what?
Replies
10
Views
969
BleuSaphir
BleuSaphir
Niyah12
New chameleon keeper (husbandry check)!!
Replies
2
Views
897
Niyah12
Niyah12
H
Advice for a new keeper :)))
Replies
13
Views
2K
LizardLurkin
LizardLurkin
Back
Top Bottom