Please Give Advice

[petparadisevt]

I have a baby veiled cam coming on Tuesday evening. He is 2 1/2 inches long. I have a ZOO NATURALISTIC TERRARIUM 12x12x12. Is this ok to start out with? I have fake plant leaves and vines to crawl on. I have a water fall inside also. The bottom of the terrarium in hydro balls covered with screen and then eco earth.

I have a uvb 5.0 and a 50 watt black heat bulb. The terrarium front and center is at 90 degrees. Is that too hot?

I know he is going to be cold and scared when he arrives and would love some advice on how to make his welcoming a good one. Any help, suggestions and or comments are welcomed.

Thanks Patty

 

[Elizadolots]

The description of that terrarium suggests it has both front and top ventilation which is what you need.

I would take the waterfall out. They seem to be more trouble than they are worth. To avoid it becoming a bacterial disaster zone you'd pretty much have to clean it daily which is a hassle (he'll poop in it...he will!).

90 degrees seems definitely too hot to me. I'm sure someone with more experience will chime in, but be ready to change that.

That enclosure is a good size for a little one. You'll need to be getting his big boy cage ready though because before you know it, he's going to need some room to roam.

 

[laurie]

I have a baby veiled cam coming on Tuesday evening. He is 2 1/2 inches long. I have a ZOO NATURALISTIC TERRARIUM 12x12x12. Is this ok to start out with? I have fake plant leaves and vines to crawl on. I have a water fall inside also. The bottom of the terrarium in hydro balls covered with screen and then eco earth.

I have a uvb 5.0 and a 50 watt black heat bulb. The terrarium front and center is at 90 degrees. Is that too hot?

I know he is going to be cold and scared when he arrives and would love some advice on how to make his welcoming a good one. Any help, suggestions and or comments are welcomed.

Thanks Patty

Hello Patty & welcome to the forum. Here are my opinions, first a 12x12x12 is really small by the time you put substrate in, maybe start with it but change up as soon as you can. Yes, 90 is too hot for a baby and in a terrarium it would cook him, bring it down to 75, 80 max and you can use a regular white bulb. If you need heat at night you could use a SMALL heat emitter, as it causes no light. But a temp drop of 15 f is good for him. Lose the waterfall, all it does is breed bacteria which can really mess up your cham. To help him get used to you and feel at
home mist him 3 or 4 times a day, with warm, not hot, water. Hopefully you will see him drink.

I am sure there are more questions so come on back.

 

[petparadisevt]

Thank you, The water fall is GONE. I will get a drip system and for now just mist mist mist. I will also get a 25 watt bulb instead of a 50 which i tried today and it was at 90 so maybe the 25 will work just fine. I will test before baby comes. I am so excited but I am told when they are this little it's a 50/50 if you can keep them alive. Fingers are crossed.

 

[petparadisevt]

Laurie,

Will this be ok?

ReptiBreeze Aluminum Screen Cage (24"x24"x48")

Great for small species of Old World Chameleons, hatchling Green Iguanas, geckos (including Crested Geckos), anoles and other arboreal species of lizards.
Large front door for easy cage access plus bottom door for easy substrate removal.
Beautiful corrosion resistant, black anodized aluminum screen cage.
All hardware included – easy to assemble using only a screwdriver.
Use with Zoo Med’s Naturalistic Terrarium Hoods (LF-50, LF-55 or LF-60)or Zoo Med’s Deep Dome Lamp Fixture (LF-17)

 

[laurie]

Thank you, The water fall is GONE. I will get a drip system and for now just mist mist mist. I will also get a 25 watt bulb instead of a 50 which i tried today and it was at 90 so maybe the 25 will work just fine. I will test before baby comes. I am so excited but I am told when they are this little it's a 50/50 if you can keep them alive. Fingers are crossed.

Not to worry with some help from here your chances of keeping him alive and healthy are greatly improved. here are a few links to get you started off well. These are from Bridgofaith, one of our senior members. Some of these will be very helpful.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/bridgofaith/320-most-used-links.html


https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html

 

[Elizadolots]

Patty, if it's not mentioned there, darkness is good at night too. If your enclosure is in a room where people are up and about using TVs and computers, you might want to drape the enclosure just like people do birds to make sure he doesn't see the light.

 

[petparadisevt]

I have a pet store and where I planned on putting the Veil was in my reptile room. There is some light from heat bulbs on other reptiles. Should I move the Veil to a area in the store where it would be dark? I so appreciate your help. Thanks a bunch.

 

[Elizadolots]

You can cover him at night if the other reptiles are lit for the evening. I would check "line of sight" for your chameleon's location. If he can see the other reptiles he might find that threatening. Simple cloth or cardboard barriers will help with that.

 

[petparadisevt]

Thank you!!

 

[Elizadolots]

Oh, you're welcome. We all help each other, that's the reason for being here.