Setup suggestions

Leviwebb7

Member
Chameleon Info:

  • Your Chameleon - Chamaeleo calyptratus, 5 months old, and has been in my care for around 2 weeks
  • Handling - twice a day
  • Feeding - 10 medium sized crickets, 6 Dubai’s, gut loaded with carrots and flukers orange cubes. He eats usually in the morning.
  • Supplements - Repti-calcium zoo meds lightly dusted on insects
  • Watering - misting by bottle and reptirain
  • Fecal Description - Daily stool normal solid with white urate solid
Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - screen cage 30x16x16 repti-breeze
  • Lighting - Uvb, daylight basking 60 w combo. Although getting a Zoo Med Reptisun Led Uvb Terrarium Hood w/ t5ho 14inch light and red and white led for plant.
    switching the basking light to a 50w exoterra basking spot halogen
  • Temperature - Lowest night 69’f highest day 80’f. To monitor I have a temp gauge and a probe inside of the cage
  • Humidity - I have a humidity monitor outside of the cage. Typically reading 40-60%. Bottle misting, and a reptirain mister
  • Plants - Dwarf tree umbrella plant
  • Placement - It is located in the guest room in the corner with a big hibiscus metal poster behind it. And I can control temp as well.
  • Location - breaux bridge, Louisiana

Current Problem - To leave a cup of crickets and Dubai’s in the cage or not?
If I’m doing the right lighting system
How to get the humidity up a little bit
How to get him to eat while in cage rather than me feeding him with a cup in the morning.
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I would ditch the orange cubes and gut oad with fresh veggies. Calcium w/NO D3A needs to be given every feeding. In two weeks[lets say the 15th] you will give him the calcium with d3 and then in another 2 weeks you would alternate the d3 with a multivitamin. Hope this helps?
 
@Leviwebb7 See my feedback in red bold.

Chameleon Info:


  • Your Chameleon - Chamaeleo calyptratus, 5 months old, and has been in my care for around 2 weeks I think he is a bit older then you think he is. You have a 16 inch enclosure and he is taking up quite a bit of width.
  • Handling - twice a day
  • Feeding - 10 medium sized crickets, 6 Dubai’s, gut loaded with carrots and flukers orange cubes. He eats usually in the morning. Food items need to be cut back. Veileds start getting fat rather then continued growth. So he should be getting 5 feeders every other day now. When he hits 9 months we reduce them down to 2-3 feeders every other day. Gutload should be switched to either a commercial product like repashy bug burger or a variety of fresh veg. See image. You can do away with the orange cubes.
  • Supplements - Repti-calcium zoo meds lightly dusted on insects... So this should say on it without D3... If that is the case you want to buy reptivite with D3 and give this 2 times a month every other week at one feeding. This will be your calcium with d3 and your multivitamin. Then the calcium without D3 is given at every other feeding. Lightly dusting the feeders. No powdered donut look to them. cricket shakers are a great product for dusting lightly without the mess. I get one for each supplement.
  • Watering - misting by bottle and reptirain. How often?
  • Fecal Description - Daily stool normal solid with white urate solid
Cage Info:

  • Cage Type - screen cage 30x16x16 repti-breeze This is already way too small for him. You will need to upgrade the enclosure now to a 2x2x4 min.
  • Lighting - Uvb, daylight basking 60 w combo. Although getting a Zoo Med Reptisun Led Uvb Terrarium Hood w/ t5ho 14inch light and red and white led for plant.
    switching the basking light to a 50w exoterra basking spot halogen.. I would order the 24 inch T5. THe one your getting will not be adequate for a larger enclosure due to its length.
  • Temperature - Lowest night 69’f highest day 80’f. To monitor I have a temp gauge and a probe inside of the cage Make sure the probe is directly below the heat fixture at the branch. This is the only way to get an accurate temp. 80 is fine for daytime basking. But it would be better if you can get your night time temps a bit lower.
  • Humidity - I have a humidity monitor outside of the cage. Typically reading 40-60%. Bottle misting, and a reptirain mister So your humidity outside the enclosure will not be the same as inside. It will be lower. Need a hygrostat inside the enclosure. Daytime humidity for a Veiled is best at 30-50% max. Night time can be higher when the lights are off and cage has cooled.
  • Plants - Dwarf tree umbrella plant Great plant!
  • Placement - It is located in the guest room in the corner with a big hibiscus metal poster behind it. And I can control temp as well.
  • Location - breaux bridge, Louisiana

Current Problem - To leave a cup of crickets and Dubai’s in the cage or not? See below.
If I’m doing the right lighting system Should be a longer lighting system for a bigger enclosure. I am not a fan of the fixture you bought but it is not bad either.
How to get the humidity up a little bit Humidity needs to drop not be higher.
How to get him to eat while in cage rather than me feeding him with a cup in the morning. Your going to be reducing feeder amount and switching to every other day. If you want to get away from holding the cup then get a feeder run like this one. https://tkchameleons.com/collections/accessories/products/shooting-gallery However I do hand cup feed all my boys. It allows me one on one time with them where I can get an up close look at their bodies as well as mouth. Also reconfirms that I am the bringer of the food and not a danger to them.


Accurate info and Product links for things I like:

https://chameleonacademy.com/

https://www.chameleonbreeder.com/

https://www.youtube.com/c/NeptunetheChameleon?sub_confirmation=1

www.dragonstrand.com

https://tkchameleons.com/collections/accessories/products/shooting-gallery


chameleon-food(1).jpg
chameleon-gutload.jpg
 
Thank you so much beman for all of the great info!! I’m so happy to own a chameleon it’s been kind of a dream of mine. The cage and the new light will have to wait a month but, I will lower his intake of food, and hand cup feed him every other day. I just became certified as an emt so I will have my fiancé feed him on my off days I’m working. Other than that again I do appreciate all this great information. Thank God for chameleon forum!
 
@Leviwebb7 See my feedback in red bold.

Chameleon Info:


  • Your Chameleon - Chamaeleo calyptratus, 5 months old, and has been in my care for around 2 weeks I think he is a bit older then you think he is. You have a 16 inch enclosure and he is taking up quite a bit of width.
  • Handling - twice a day
  • Feeding - 10 medium sized crickets, 6 Dubai’s, gut loaded with carrots and flukers orange cubes. He eats usually in the morning. Food items need to be cut back. Veileds start getting fat rather then continued growth. So he should be getting 5 feeders every other day now. When he hits 9 months we reduce them down to 2-3 feeders every other day. Gutload should be switched to either a commercial product like repashy bug burger or a variety of fresh veg. See image. You can do away with the orange cubes.
  • Supplements - Repti-calcium zoo meds lightly dusted on insects... So this should say on it without D3... If that is the case you want to buy reptivite with D3 and give this 2 times a month every other week at one feeding. This will be your calcium with d3 and your multivitamin. Then the calcium without D3 is given at every other feeding. Lightly dusting the feeders. No powdered donut look to them. cricket shakers are a great product for dusting lightly without the mess. I get one for each supplement.
  • Watering - misting by bottle and reptirain. How often?
  • Fecal Description - Daily stool normal solid with white urate solid
Cage Info:

  • Cage Type - screen cage 30x16x16 repti-breeze This is already way too small for him. You will need to upgrade the enclosure now to a 2x2x4 min.
  • Lighting - Uvb, daylight basking 60 w combo. Although getting a Zoo Med Reptisun Led Uvb Terrarium Hood w/ t5ho 14inch light and red and white led for plant.
    switching the basking light to a 50w exoterra basking spot halogen.. I would order the 24 inch T5. THe one your getting will not be adequate for a larger enclosure due to its length.
  • Temperature - Lowest night 69’f highest day 80’f. To monitor I have a temp gauge and a probe inside of the cage Make sure the probe is directly below the heat fixture at the branch. This is the only way to get an accurate temp. 80 is fine for daytime basking. But it would be better if you can get your night time temps a bit lower.
  • Humidity - I have a humidity monitor outside of the cage. Typically reading 40-60%. Bottle misting, and a reptirain mister So your humidity outside the enclosure will not be the same as inside. It will be lower. Need a hygrostat inside the enclosure. Daytime humidity for a Veiled is best at 30-50% max. Night time can be higher when the lights are off and cage has cooled.
  • Plants - Dwarf tree umbrella plant Great plant!
  • Placement - It is located in the guest room in the corner with a big hibiscus metal poster behind it. And I can control temp as well.
  • Location - breaux bridge, Louisiana

Current Problem - To leave a cup of crickets and Dubai’s in the cage or not? See below.
If I’m doing the right lighting system Should be a longer lighting system for a bigger enclosure. I am not a fan of the fixture you bought but it is not bad either.
How to get the humidity up a little bit Humidity needs to drop not be higher.
How to get him to eat while in cage rather than me feeding him with a cup in the morning. Your going to be reducing feeder amount and switching to every other day. If you want to get away from holding the cup then get a feeder run like this one. https://tkchameleons.com/collections/accessories/products/shooting-gallery However I do hand cup feed all my boys. It allows me one on one time with them where I can get an up close look at their bodies as well as mouth. Also reconfirms that I am the bringer of the food and not a danger to them.


Accurate info and Product links for things I like:

https://chameleonacademy.com/

https://www.chameleonbreeder.com/

https://www.youtube.com/c/NeptunetheChameleon?sub_confirmation=1

www.dragonstrand.com


https://tkchameleons.com/collections/accessories/products/shooting-gallery


View attachment 282799View attachment 282800

could u perhaps give a rough estimate on age?
 
I would ditch the orange cubes and gut oad with fresh veggies. Calcium w/NO D3A needs to be given every feeding. In two weeks[lets say the 15th] you will give him the calcium with d3 and then in another 2 weeks you would alternate the d3 with a multivitamin. Hope this helps?
Crickets can eat lettuce? Carrots?
 
I gotta say i dont see many happy veileds, But he looks happy as a clam.


I would like to mention i could not keep that plant alive with even 2 T5 HO's. So you might want to get a sansi LED full spectrum grow light, or invest in a variety of low light house plants. Also that plant (why can i not remember its name...) likes to drop all of its leaves and regenerate new ones if the environment changes drastically. So if you say install a well aimed basking light, it will drop them and grow a set more suited for the basking zone.


Here is a pic from the glory days with a 2x2x4 reptibreeze XL (which beman is hinting you should buy fairly soon). Only the plant on the right survived (why cant i name plants today?). The hibiscus needed rotated out with other stunt hibiscus every 4-6 months, and the plant on the left died after 6-9 months.

new tank day.jpg
 
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I would like to mention i could not keep that plant alive with even 2 T5 HO's. So you might want to get a sansi LED full spectrum grow light, or invest in a variety of low light house plants. Also that plant (why can i not remember its name...) likes to drop all of its leaves and regenerate new ones if the environment changes drastically.
It's not a Schefflera arboricola? :unsure:
 
could u perhaps give a rough estimate on age?
So this is the hard thing... They grow at all different rates based on not only food intake, husbandry, and genetics. But looking at him against that 16 inch enclosure width he looks to have a good 6-7 inch body... So that is comparable to 2 of my boys at about 6-7 months. My however though... based on these other influences he could be younger but without a hatch date we are just giving our best guess.. Good news is you have a male so knowing is not as important. I would say give him another 2 months at the 5 feeders every other day but watch his casque if it is showing signs of holding fat then you want to cut back to 2-3 every other day prior to the guessed 9 month mark. If that makes sense? :)
 
Crickets can eat Romain lettuce? Carrots?
So this is the hard thing... They grow at all different rates based on not only food intake, husbandry, and genetics. But looking at him against that 16 inch enclosure width he looks to have a good 6-7 inch body... So that is comparable to 2 of my boys at about 6-7 months. My however though... based on these other influences he could be younger but without a hatch date we are just giving our best guess.. Good news is you have a male so knowing is not as important. I would say give him another 2 months at the 5 feeders every other day but watch his casque if it is showing signs of holding fat then you want to cut back to 2-3 every other day prior to the guessed 9 month mark. If that makes sense? :)
thank you!
 
Your "however though":rolleyes: :LOL:


Says you! :p :ROFLMAO:

Ahh... (heavy sigh) It could be shaping up to be one of those days...
Well I am glad that you find humor in picking apart my responses... Because I can't tell you how much I love starting my day off with rude people. So yeah I think it is going to be one of those days.
 
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