Newby with questions

[e30nate]

I am looking into getting a chameleon, but want to make sure i have everything i need and the setup works properly before i bring one home. I am looking at a veiled, so i was thinking of a medium sized cage. i was browsing at petsmart earlier and saw the All Living Things lizard startup kit for $35, and was wondering what experienced cham owners thought of it. it says it comes with the following:

Lizard Kit Includes:

* Clamp dome lamp 5.5"
* Deep dome 5.5"
* Two thermometers
* Hygrometer
* 8.5 oz spray bottle
* Calcium supplement sample
* Setup & feeding guide

i just want to see what others opinions are of the setup, and hopefully make a decision soon. right now im in the research stage, and want to make sure i have everything right so i dont potentially harm an animal. thanks in advance.

 

[kinyonga]

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/

 

[e30nate]

wow thanks for all the info. i was curious as to why the kit came with two dome lights too. i read all the info in the links that i could, but the web.archive.org links didnt work. i did however find the raising kitty blog very informational. thanks again for the info.

 

[e30nate]

is there a preferance on what brand supplements to get, and should i get calcium with d3 and without d3, or should i get one or the other?

 

[carol5208]

you want to get both. The calcium without the d3 is the one you use at every feeding and the cal with d3 twice amonth. There are several different brands out there. I use repcal for the cal with d3 and the multi vitamin(which you need also) and I use Sticky Tongue Farm Miner-all for the regular calcium.

 

[PrettyInInk87]

I am new also and don't really know about the brands and if one is better than the other but I can tell you that you need both Calcium with D3 and calcium without. You will also need reptivite... Dust Calcium without D3 at every feeding, Calcium with D3 every 2 weeks, and Reptivite 2 times a month as well. Hope I helped a little, i'm new to Cham keeping but am more than happy to help out with what I can.

 

[pssh]

D3 dusting regularity depends on the brand and general sun exposure. Two brands can be very different. For example, you could use sticky tongues minerall with d3 6+ times a month and still not give your reptile as much d3 as you would with 1-2 dustings of repcal calcium with d3.

I like both, but I prefer how fine the sticky tongues minerall is.

Basic check list:
Screen, partial screen, or well ventilated glass/wood cage
One dome lamp and incandescent bulb of a wattage that works for you
Live plants, enough to make the chameleon secure
Vines/perches that allows the animal several different levels to bask at
DIGITAL thermometer and hygrometer
Pump style mister or automatic misting system
Three supplements (calcium w/ d3, calcium w/o d3, and a multivitamin that does not have a preformed source of vit A)
Quality UVB light (linear reptiglo 5.0 and linear reptisun 5.0 are most recommended)
Optional plant light for optimal plant growth
Caging and food/water for feeder insects (you will need several different insects)
Optional timer for lights
And at least $400 extra put aside for emergency vet funds.

 

[e30nate]

for the mister, would a fogger work or would they not produce enough humidity?

 

[pssh]

A fogger would be extra and is not needed. Foggers suck though. Humidifiers are better but they don't eliminate misting 2-5 times a day.

 

[e30nate]

ok thanks. sounds like i have all the info i need to start buying supplies. thanks for all the info

 

[pssh]

Sure thing. Lllreptile.com sells most things for the cheapest price on the web. Don't get a reptibreeze (they suck.) A dome, incandescent bulb, UVB fixture, plants, mister, and wooden dowels(perches) can be bought at home depot for less. Warning: Even when being thrifty, expect to pay around $150+

 

[e30nate]

yeah i was looking at reptibreeze at first, but read some not so good reviews about them. i was actually looking at the DIY medium enclosure

 

[e30nate]

and i have some stuff like a dome light and bulb, and a ubv fixture from my turtles, but pretty much the rest of the stuff i have to buy.

 

[pssh]

I don't have any experience with DIY, but the LLL brand screen enclosures are awesome! No rust, no breaking, and they are sturdy. Also check your local classifieds. I find screen cages on there all the time.

 

[e30nate]

ive been looking around on the local craigslist and stuff, but there isnt really much in my area. theres some that are about an hour and a half away, but with gas and stuff it would be about the same price as ordering one.

 

[PrettyInInk87]

Go on Craigslist and look around for used cages. They usually go for really good deals and it'll save you lots of money. I found my baby Cham's mesh cage for free along with the hood that holds his linear UVB bulb. I still spent 100 dollars on other stuff but is no where near what I would have paid if I bought everything new. Go to garage sales... You might get lucky! A friend of mine even bought me my baby Panther.

 

[pssh]

Might as well get a new one then! Good luck with everything. If you need anything else don't hesitate to ask.

 

[PrettyInInk87]

Hahah! Yeah, you beat me to it.

 

[e30nate]

i cant believe the good and fast replys you get on here. thanks a million everyone.

 

[pssh]

Isnt it great? The forum is very active compared to most other reptile/invert related forums.