Pied Chameleon Cage

[madeleyp]

Hey everyone i got my Chameleon 3 days ago from petco. Im having trouble keeping the temperatures set for her. I have her in my room because i have 2 cats. I currently have her cage in my dresser but i also needed ideas as to where to put her cage. Like an affordable small table or ?? Shes always a green color which im okay with shes been eating her food. But im concerned for her weather in there. I do not have a cover for her so do i need to get that as well ?

pls note im a little slow so i need things explained with fuller detail.

 

[kinyonga]

Welcome to the forum and the world of chameleons!
Cute healthy looking little chameleon!

You need a proper UVB light...it should be either a reptisun 5.0 long linear tube light or an Arcadia 6% long linear tube light.
I would remove the miss covered vines and replace them with other vines. Veileds tend to try to eat greenery and the miss could cause an impaction.

If you answer the questions in the how to ask for help thread near the top of the health forum we can go over your husbandry and help you to make sure things are right for her.

Also...females need special care so they won't develop reproductive issues....we can go over that too.

 

[madeleyp]

Thank you! I can message you directly?

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi and welcome! You do have a little cutie! If you could answer the following questions, we can then look over all that you are doing/plan on doing and help you get everything just perfect for your sweet little girl.

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?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

--------------

Please Note:

1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
2. Photos can be very helpful.

 

[madeleyp]

Im out of home right now but as soon as i get back i will answer these thank you for the warm welcome in so excited for the future with my Chameleon her name is Lizzy btw

 

[skywes13]

If you're having trouble maintaining temperature & humidity in a full screen enclosure, you can tape a clear shower curtain on 3 sides to help retain moisture and heat. Chameleons actually need lower temperatures than you would imagine, for a baby veiled like you have it should be somewhere around 80F-85F, but ideally on the lower side.

 

[madeleyp]

Hi and welcome! You do have a little cutie! If you could answer the following questions, we can then look over all that you are doing/plan on doing and help you get everything just perfect for your sweet little girl.

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?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

--------------

Please Note:

1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
2. Photos can be very helpful.

My chameleon is a pied veiled chameleon, the guy at petco told me it was a girl, i have had her for 3 days.

I am currently not handling her, she walks away but doesn’t turn brown.

I am feeding her 3 meal worms ( with calcium no D3) daily. I am currently not gut loading her ( didn’t know this was a thing) she eats her worms with no hesitation.

She is taking Repti Calcium without D3 daily.( i put the worms in a container and coat them with Repti Calcium) she has reptivite vitamins but it does not say if it has D3. I feed her when i wake up 8am-11am.

I put her purified water on a pressure mister and add the drops of reptisafe. She goes to the plants whenever i mist (2 minutes) i dont’t see her drink.

Fecal is normal the 2 dark parts and white urate.

She is a screen cage 16x16x30

For her light she has the reptisun 5.0 and the i turn it on when i wake up for 10-12 hrs.

Her temperature is usually 70/60.

Humidity is usually 40-75 , i dont know how to balance the temperatures

She has natural plants - golden pothos, wandering jew, parlor palm and. Rubber plant tree.

My cage is located ontop of my dresser in the corner.

I live in Los Angeles , California.

( i did purchase the chameleon kit but didn’t use the fake plants it came with, only the moss vine)
The current problem i have it maintaing the temperatures at their ideal stage. I also do not know her age the guy at petco wasn’t sure either

 

[madeleyp]

My chameleon is a pied veiled chameleon, the guy at petco told me it was a girl, i have had her for 3 days.

I am currently not handling her, she walks away but doesn’t turn brown.

I am feeding her 3 meal worms ( with calcium no D3) daily. I am currently not gut loading her ( didn’t know this was a thing) she eats her worms with no hesitation.

She is taking Repti Calcium without D3 daily.( i put the worms in a container and coat them with Repti Calcium) she has reptivite vitamins but it does not say if it has D3. I feed her when i wake up 8am-11am.

I put her purified water on a pressure mister and add the drops of reptisafe. She goes to the plants whenever i mist (2 minutes) i dont’t see her drink.

Fecal is normal the 2 dark parts and white urate.

She is a screen cage 16x16x30

For her light she has the reptisun 5.0 and the i turn it on when i wake up for 10-12 hrs.

Her temperature is usually 70/60.

Humidity is usually 40-75 , i dont know how to balance the temperatures

She has natural plants - golden pothos, wandering jew, parlor palm and. Rubber plant tree.

My cage is located ontop of my dresser in the corner.

I live in Los Angeles , California.

( i did purchase the chameleon kit but didn’t use the fake plants it came with, only the moss vine)
The current problem i have it maintaing the temperatures at their ideal stage.

 

[madeleyp]

It is currently 9:16 pm

 

[MissSkittles]

I’ll put my feedback in red.
My chameleon is a pied veiled chameleon, the guy at petco told me it was a girl, i have had her for 3 days.

I am currently not handling her, she walks away but doesn’t turn brown.

I am feeding her 3 meal worms ( with calcium no D3) daily. I am currently not gut loading her ( didn’t know this was a thing) she eats her worms with no hesitation. Mealworms aren’t suggested for chameleons. There are several great staple feeders, although some you may need to order on line. For many, crickets and/or roaches (dubia) are primary staples. All feeder insects need to be fed nutritious food and kept as healthy as possible so that they are more nutritious for your chameleon. It’s hard for me to determine your little one’s age, but she looks pretty young. You should be feeding her much more. She should be getting at least 15+ feeders once daily in the morning. As she gets older, this amount will be reduced.

She is taking Repti Calcium without D3 daily. Perfect! ( i put the worms in a container and coat them with Repti Calcium) she has reptivite vitamins but it does not say if it has D3. I feed her when i wake up 8am-11am.
If you have the Reptivite that came with the chameleon kit, I believe it does have vitamin D3 in it. It’s a great combination multivitamin and D3 (I use it) and you’ll want to use it for one feeding every other week. As the sample you received in the kit won’t last long, when you buy more, make sure it says on the label that it has D3 in it.

I put her purified water on a pressure mister and add the drops of reptisafe. She goes to the plants whenever i mist (2 minutes) i dont’t see her drink. If you’re using purified water, I don’t think you need to add the reptisafe. Misting for 2 minutes, 2-3 times a day is perfect…once just before lights go on, mid day (or you can use a dripper for 15-20 minutes instead) and then right before lights go out. It is common for many chameleons to be secret about drinking.

Fecal is normal the 2 dark parts and white urate. Good! I always think it’s a great idea to have a veterinary wellness visit and have a fresh fecal checked for parasites. Especially coming for Petco, the chances of having parasites is higher.

She is a screen cage 16x16x30 This is fine for now while she’s small. In a few months though, she will be much bigger and be needing a larger enclosure. A 2x2x4’ is the minimum size.

For her light she has the reptisun 5.0 and the i turn it on when i wake up for 10-12 hrs. Unfortunately, the screw in uvb bulbs are pretty worthless for our chameleons. They can only provide adequate uvb levels within a very narrow area and just 2-3” directly below. The standard is a linear T5 fixture with either a ReptiSun 5.0 or Arcadia 6% uvb bulb. Usually the bulb will come with the fixture. Arcadia is only a few dollars more and the bulb is good for a year, while ReptiSun bulbs need to be changed every 6 months. This is what you would need. https://www.pangeareptile.com/colle...5-6-uvb-bulb-with-hood?variant=39549876109354

Her temperature is usually 70/60. This is too cool. Basking temperature should be around 80, but no higher than that. You may need to try a couple of different bulb wattages to find the right one. Since she is little, she may climb over the top of the screen. You’ll need to raise your basking lights a few inches above the top to prevent her from getting burned.

Humidity is usually 40-75 , i dont know how to balance the temperatures Ideal humidity is between 30-50% during the day. Naturally, it will spike when you mist and that is ok. I believe the kit comes with an analog thermometer/hygrometer, which are notoriously inaccurate. The best kind to get is either digital with a probe end or a smart device like a Govee. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R586J3...colid=KJ5ZG5Z20HLW&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

She has natural plants - golden pothos, wandering jew, parlor palm and. Rubber plant tree. Perfect! Veileds will often nibble their plants, so it is important that they have no fake ones and their live ones be clean and safe. You do need to raise the plants though. You may need to get creative in this or get a taller plant, like a schefflera. When you upgrade her to a larger enclosure, I love Dragon Ledges! https://dragonstrand.com/dragon-ledges/ They are a bit of an expense, but so very worth every last cent. You want to try to recreate a forest edge for your sweetie. Lots of leaves up higher, like a tree has. You’ll also want to give her lots of places to take shade if she wants or to hide. I’ll post a pic below of one of my enclosures.

My cage is located ontop of my dresser in the corner. Good! The higher they are, the safer they feel.

I live in Los Angeles , California.

( i did purchase the chameleon kit but didn’t use the fake plants it came with, only the moss vine) The moss vine looks very pretty, but the fake moss can be a problem if she decides to nibble it. You can use natural branches that you collect outside, just avoid pine and other sappy trees. An assortment of widths will help keep her little feet muscles exercised and healthy. To clean, you can wash with a mild dish soap, like Dawn, rinse very well and then let them dry in the sun.
The current problem i have it maintaing the temperatures at their ideal stage. Covered this above. I also do not know her age the guy at petco wasn’t sure either If you can post some clearer pics of her along with something to give an idea of size, it would help. You may also want to confirm that she is a girl by posting some pics of the backs of her back feet.
I have to ask…are you aware that she will lay eggs even though she may never even see a male? She’s too young to worry about that now, but she will grow fast. That is an entire little novel on it’s own…at least if I tell about it.
You’re actually off to a pretty good start with your little one, but do need to make the changes I’ve suggested sooner rather than later. The most important is getting the correct uvb and feeders. If you’d like to learn so much more, check out https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-basics/ and be sure to also check the species specific info for veileds. Of course, feel free to ask as many questions as you need here...or post your progress, share pics and whatever else.

 

[Thatcher]

So cute! Glad you came here fast!