Veiled chameleon (bunch o' questions)

[nilesmarcko]

Hello everyone!
So I recently got a beautiful (but shy) male veiled chameleon, age 3-5 months and I have some questions.

Lighting. Right now I have a basking bulb, and two compact lighting bulbs, one of them is for UVB and one is for more light. I now realized that compact bulbs (exo-terra especially) can harm your chameleon. So do you have any tips for a tube? I live in sweden and exo-terra is very common here but not zoo-med.
Does a solar raptor light + uvb bulb work as both a basking and a uvb source?

Feeding. Since I got him about 1 week ago it's understandable that he's shy. So i've tried putting roaches in a plastic tub close to his branches but I have not seen him eat any from the branch. He will not eat from my hand as well. He will however eat if I let the roaches roam free in the terrarium but he's a very slow hunter and most of the time he misses his chance to eat before they disappear. I make sure that he at least gets 1 roach a day though.
Any tips on how I could get him to eat from a plastic container or from my hand? I fear 1 roach a day is not enough while he's still young.

And finally I was wondering if it's ok for him to be outside around 1 day per week when it's 20+ Celsius outside?

 

[Lathis]

Hello everyone!
So I recently got a beautiful (but shy) male veiled chameleon, age 3-5 months and I have some questions.

Edit: Welcome to the Forum! I think we have a few members here from Sweden, so you are in good company.

Lighting. Right now I have a basking bulb, and two compact lighting bulbs, one of them is for UVB and one is for more light. I now realized that compact bulbs (exo-terra especially) can harm your chameleon. So do you have any tips for a tube? I live in sweden and exo-terra is very common here but not zoo-med.
Does a solar raptor light + uvb bulb work as both a basking and a uvb source?

Feeding. Since I got him about 1 week ago it's understandable that he's shy. So i've tried putting roaches in a plastic tub close to his branches but I have not seen him eat any from the branch. He will not eat from my hand as well. He will however eat if I let the roaches roam free in the terrarium but he's a very slow hunter and most of the time he misses his chance to eat before they disappear. I make sure that he at least gets 1 roach a day though.
Any tips on how I could get him to eat from a plastic container or from my hand? I fear 1 roach a day is not enough while he's still young.

And finally I was wondering if it's ok for him to be outside around 1 day per week when it's 20+ Celsius outside?

The linear tube bulbs are better than the compact ones - better light distribution and minimizes a UV-intense spot. But, if that's all you have access to, the coil-type will work. If you want to upgrade to a really nice UVB bulb, you should see if you can order the Arcadia 6% on the internet. Most experienced keepers will recommend not using the combined UVB-heat bulbs and to provide separate lights. That way, if the chameleon is not basking, he still has access to the UVB, and you save money by using a cheaper bulb for basking. UVB lights usually only last about 6 months, the light still works but it is no longer producing UV, so plan on a regular replacement schedule.

Roaches are great feeders, but they don't move a lot. You should make a feeder cup - here is a nice tutorial for a good looking cup, but they don't have to be this fancy. Any juice or soda bottle will work. The roaches will climb the screen, and this helps catch your cham's attention. Plus, it keeps the roaches contained so that they don't escape!
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/diy-cricket-cup.135803/

20+ is a good temperature for outside time. Morning sun is always appreciated by chams. When it starts getting closer to 25-30, you want to make sure he has shade and dripping water. Always, always supervise him or have a cage that he can't escape. Chams are surprisingly fast when you're not looking, and we see many stories about people leaving their cham on a tree ("but he's never left it before!"), even only for a minute, and when they come back, it's gone.

 

[nilesmarcko]

Ok, thank you for your reply. I now noticed that my vitamin powder is empty, how long can he go without?

 

[Lathis]

Ok, thank you for your reply. I now noticed that my vitamin powder is empty, how long can he go without?

You only need multivitamins twice a month, so that should give you enough time to pick some up. You will need plain calcium without D3 for every feeding, so that is more critical to have right now.