Please help me set up cage for jackson cameloen I have a front opening vent exo terra with screen top because that all they sell were I live so I have to order or make My own but for now thiss mini exo terra has to do and yes I know ..... but help Me make the best of it while My hubby orders or builds PLEASE ...I also have a heat light the vines and fake plants I now need some sort of uvb for that small of a cage but what will work in that small size ? and what else do I have to do Please help I am so worried I cannot even sleep at night.Thank You all Tami and baby Jewel
Recued Jackson Cameloen HELP ME PLEASE
- Thread starter xotamilxo
- Start date
laurie
Retired Moderator
Hello Tami, I am sure we can help you get a set up until you get the real thing. What are the dimensions of what you have, is the jackson full grown or smaller, and what did you mean by rescued? Can you get a pothos, ficus tree or umbrella tree? I would guess even where you live you could buy a cheap mesh hamper. Sadly they have no top. Just secure the hamper down to a board or piece of styrofoam with tape or staples put a piece of screen or net across the top. Ugly but it will work for a few days. If you are unable to get to plants then take a good number of sticks and stretch them across the cage going every way you can. Put in a fake plant or even a piece of cloth so the cham has a place to hide. Don't cover lots of the cage, just a small area for the cham to be able to feel secure. Decide what size cage you are going to have, get a cheap florescent light fixture same size your cage will be and order a repti sun 5.0 bulb the length to fix the fixture. This will get you started, then jst make sure you have food and we will supply a blog to tell you how to really get started.
This is Jann's blog all the info you need but if yours is an adult enlarge the size to fit.
Info for new keepers with young veiled or panther chameleons
Posted 08-11-2010 at 12:31 PM by jannb
Updated 08-31-2011 at 05:57 PM by jannb
When I had baby veileds this was the info that I provided to the new owners. Hopefully it will help you with your new veiled or panther. I have some additional information at the bottom for the female chameleon which should be handled differently.
You will need a starter cage to begin with. I'd get a cage no bigger than 30 high at the max to start with. Too big he will not be able to find his food. Even a little smaller would be good. lllreptiles has about the best cages for the money and get something small enough that it will fit in your car so you can use it for travel......vet visits and so forth when he moves up to a big boy cage (48 inches high) or a free range tree. http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog/...reptile-cages/
You need a Reptisun 5.0 tube light. You can see a pic of it here: It's the best UV bulb.
http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog/...n-50-uvb-bulb/
You probably will not need a basking light right at first if he's young.....under 4 months old. He'll be so young he'll only need to bask at about 80 to 82 until 4 or 5 months old. Luie (my adult male veiled) bask at 88 or 89 for an adult panther 85. You can use a household bulb and you'll have to keep testing the temps. (25 to 40 watt or so)
Your lights need to be across the top of the cage and you need allot of vines and branches 8 inches or so down from the top.....under the lights. Veileds love to bask and you don't want him to get a burn or rub his veiled on the screen or he'll wear the top off.
You can buy the Little Dripper or you can make a homemade dripper. Take a plastic cup or bowl and poke a couple of very small holes in the bottom. As adults you can use a plastic milk jug. Fill it with warm water and make sure it drips very slowly over a vine with leaves so your little guy can drink from the leaves. Also mist for a pretty long time. It takes awhile for them to start drinking. I would mist 3 or 4 times a day for 3 minutes or so at first. Just make sure the cage dries out real good between each misting. As adults I mist twice a day for about 5 minutes and mine drink water from a dropper. You will need drainage for your cage. Maybe some holes in the bottom with a bucket or pan sitting under it to catch the water.
Branches from outside are ok from most trees. Clean them well and some member bake them in the oven. Cut the branch the size you need and thumb tacks can be use on each end to hold the branches up. You can also get vines and branches here: http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog/...arium-accents/
You will need live plants for your cage to help keep up the humidity. I really like the Pothos it seems to hold the water for a long time and also does quite well inside. The Ficus and Schefflera also do great indoors. The Hibiscus is a favorite of the veileds but needs allot of light so your need to use hibiscus outside or have a couple to rotate from inside to outside for sun. Your plants will need to be washed and rinsed well and replanted before you use them. Use organic soil and buy large river rocks to cover the soil so your cham will not be able to get to the soil. Make sure the rocks are very large so the cham cannot eat the rocks.
You really need the 5.0 UVB bulb like the one in the link above. It has to be the tube style. A must to keep you guy from having MBD. If it's fairly warm in your house at 2 to 3 months old you will not need a basking bulb, when older or if your house is cold you might need one. Measuring the heat is very important. I have a temp. gun. Very important to know their temps. They can fry in a very short time in the heat. At night he needs to be dark, no light, and cool so he can rest. He should be 10 degrees cooler at night than in the daytime but not below 65........70 as a baby.
The feeders have to be "lightly" dusted with 4 kinds of supplements. Plain calcium (no d3) at just about every feeding...... if you skip one or two days a month that's ok. Calcium with d3 twice a month, a multi. vit. once a month and reptivite without d3 once a month. In this link I use the 13th, 15th, 17th and 25th one. http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog/...-and-vitamins/
You need to gut load the feeders with greens they are excellent. You can use collard greens, kale, bell pepper, carrots, butternut squash apple and orange. You can also buy a premixed dry gut load. My vet makes one that I use and one of the Forums members sales it.https://www.chameleonforums.com/dry-gutload-sale-37717/
The Raising Kitty link on keeping veileds is excellent. I still refer to it from time to time. http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleo...max-results=11
A female will probably never need a basking light. I use a double fixture with one UVB bulb and one regular fluorescent bulb and that works perfect. As a baby her basking temps should be at 80. Being female 80 or 81 her entire life unless you breed then you could up it a bit...83 or 84......you'll still want a small clutch. If your house is really cold you might need a 15 or 25 watt basking bulb for a female.
This is Jann's blog all the info you need but if yours is an adult enlarge the size to fit.
Info for new keepers with young veiled or panther chameleons
Posted 08-11-2010 at 12:31 PM by jannb
Updated 08-31-2011 at 05:57 PM by jannb
When I had baby veileds this was the info that I provided to the new owners. Hopefully it will help you with your new veiled or panther. I have some additional information at the bottom for the female chameleon which should be handled differently.
You will need a starter cage to begin with. I'd get a cage no bigger than 30 high at the max to start with. Too big he will not be able to find his food. Even a little smaller would be good. lllreptiles has about the best cages for the money and get something small enough that it will fit in your car so you can use it for travel......vet visits and so forth when he moves up to a big boy cage (48 inches high) or a free range tree. http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog/...reptile-cages/
You need a Reptisun 5.0 tube light. You can see a pic of it here: It's the best UV bulb.
http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog/...n-50-uvb-bulb/
You probably will not need a basking light right at first if he's young.....under 4 months old. He'll be so young he'll only need to bask at about 80 to 82 until 4 or 5 months old. Luie (my adult male veiled) bask at 88 or 89 for an adult panther 85. You can use a household bulb and you'll have to keep testing the temps. (25 to 40 watt or so)
Your lights need to be across the top of the cage and you need allot of vines and branches 8 inches or so down from the top.....under the lights. Veileds love to bask and you don't want him to get a burn or rub his veiled on the screen or he'll wear the top off.
You can buy the Little Dripper or you can make a homemade dripper. Take a plastic cup or bowl and poke a couple of very small holes in the bottom. As adults you can use a plastic milk jug. Fill it with warm water and make sure it drips very slowly over a vine with leaves so your little guy can drink from the leaves. Also mist for a pretty long time. It takes awhile for them to start drinking. I would mist 3 or 4 times a day for 3 minutes or so at first. Just make sure the cage dries out real good between each misting. As adults I mist twice a day for about 5 minutes and mine drink water from a dropper. You will need drainage for your cage. Maybe some holes in the bottom with a bucket or pan sitting under it to catch the water.
Branches from outside are ok from most trees. Clean them well and some member bake them in the oven. Cut the branch the size you need and thumb tacks can be use on each end to hold the branches up. You can also get vines and branches here: http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog/...arium-accents/
You will need live plants for your cage to help keep up the humidity. I really like the Pothos it seems to hold the water for a long time and also does quite well inside. The Ficus and Schefflera also do great indoors. The Hibiscus is a favorite of the veileds but needs allot of light so your need to use hibiscus outside or have a couple to rotate from inside to outside for sun. Your plants will need to be washed and rinsed well and replanted before you use them. Use organic soil and buy large river rocks to cover the soil so your cham will not be able to get to the soil. Make sure the rocks are very large so the cham cannot eat the rocks.
You really need the 5.0 UVB bulb like the one in the link above. It has to be the tube style. A must to keep you guy from having MBD. If it's fairly warm in your house at 2 to 3 months old you will not need a basking bulb, when older or if your house is cold you might need one. Measuring the heat is very important. I have a temp. gun. Very important to know their temps. They can fry in a very short time in the heat. At night he needs to be dark, no light, and cool so he can rest. He should be 10 degrees cooler at night than in the daytime but not below 65........70 as a baby.
The feeders have to be "lightly" dusted with 4 kinds of supplements. Plain calcium (no d3) at just about every feeding...... if you skip one or two days a month that's ok. Calcium with d3 twice a month, a multi. vit. once a month and reptivite without d3 once a month. In this link I use the 13th, 15th, 17th and 25th one. http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog/...-and-vitamins/
You need to gut load the feeders with greens they are excellent. You can use collard greens, kale, bell pepper, carrots, butternut squash apple and orange. You can also buy a premixed dry gut load. My vet makes one that I use and one of the Forums members sales it.https://www.chameleonforums.com/dry-gutload-sale-37717/
The Raising Kitty link on keeping veileds is excellent. I still refer to it from time to time. http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleo...max-results=11
A female will probably never need a basking light. I use a double fixture with one UVB bulb and one regular fluorescent bulb and that works perfect. As a baby her basking temps should be at 80. Being female 80 or 81 her entire life unless you breed then you could up it a bit...83 or 84......you'll still want a small clutch. If your house is really cold you might need a 15 or 25 watt basking bulb for a female.
Hello and Thank You so much for the quick reply Here is the cage I have
http://exo-terra.com/en/products/natural_terrarium_mini.php
and also have some of the brown vines you can buy at the pet store buy the foot and some fake plants and reptile carpet for the bottom .She is a baby and I bought her from a guy that did not know what to do with her and I swore to Myself and her that I would figure this out so here I am ?
http://exo-terra.com/en/products/natural_terrarium_mini.php
and also have some of the brown vines you can buy at the pet store buy the foot and some fake plants and reptile carpet for the bottom .She is a baby and I bought her from a guy that did not know what to do with her and I swore to Myself and her that I would figure this out so here I am ?
laurie
Retired Moderator
If she is a small baby you are ok, but not for long. Those are tiny, i have 2 of those for baby gecko's. They are about 1/2 inch long. What size cage do you plant to have for her? i would go to an 18x18 x36. That means you will want an 18" fixture and the uvb bulb I mentioned before to go in the fixture.
bechsgaard
New Member
i wouldnt recomend you put her in that tank, if you have a tall tree (make sure its not toxis to chameleons FL chams has a list) or a bush such as hibiscus or weeping fig, put her in that with no cage. She could walk down but she will probably just stay in it if you keep it elevated, then until you get a cage, just cup feed
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