Yemen enclosure help

[Betta5]

Im getting 1 yemen chameleon in maybe a month, maybe more but defo not before. Well im pretty confused about what i need. I gather i need a

-Tank (flexarium 65 to start and get bigger as it grows)

-Exo-Terra Sun Glo bulb (heat bulb what wattage? i know you need to measure with a thermometer but what would be a good watt to get 60W?)
http://www.livefoods.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=68&products_id=369

-Would the Exo-Terra Sun Glo bulb be compatiable with this?
http://www.livefoods.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=84&products_id=130

-UV lighting, http://www.livefoods.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=50&products_id=138
and
http://www.livefoods.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=84&products_id=130

Would any of these plants be good?
- http://www.livefoods.co.uk/index.php?cPath=41

I can get logs and branches from my LFS so thats ok, i have tried to chose the corect products made for reptiles. I know i need more things, if you could look through the list on the left hand side of the site and tell me what else i should get or what i should get instead of what i have chosen.

Thanks
Sean

 

[Betta5]

Is there a sort of all in one type thing? (english)

 

[Jordan]

The size of the cage really depends on the size of the chameleon. If you where getting a chameleon in the 3-4 month range you will be better off with a smaller cage. Say a 38 gallon or smaller version. Little ones are not as good at hunting or regulating their temperature. A smaller cage will also be easier for you to stabilize in the beginning. This will give you and your chameleon sometime to get the hang of it together.

As far as setting up a basking area goes you will not need that much for a small chameleon. I would say a dome reflector out of a local harware store and normal run of the mill incandescent light bulb will be adequate. The Sun-Glo bulbs are neodenium (sp?) bulbs. At the cost of one of these in a local pet store I can buy a four pack of GE Reveal light bulbs at WalMart. They are the same type bulbs. A little veiled will probably do best in temperatures from 75-85*F, I believe that is 23-29*C. You can experiment with bulbs you already have in the house and then decide whether to go up or down in the wattage when you go out to buy.

Now a little veiled with lower temperatures will not have a problem with this but I figure I would bring it up so you would know a head of time. Veileds do not feel their big heads (casques) or the spikes along their back very well. This means they can get burns pretty easily at times. When setting up the branches in the basking area do not allow them to get directly under the bulb or at least not until there is enough distances for the air to have cooled off a bit.

As far as branches go, I mix and match. The store bought vines with real branches I get outside. The real branches need to be washed with soap and water. It might be advisable to cook them in the oven for several hours some where in between 200-240*F, 93-115*C. This will help to kill any bugs or eggs that exhist in the wood. One advantage you will find with the flexarium is that you can anchor the vines and branches off of the plactic frame rails with wire ties or twist ties.

Not sure about the food place I am in America.

The plants...I probably would not. I like to think of the cages as having primary and secondary plants. The primary plant should be something that is climbable and basically they could live in. On the homepage you will see a live plant link on the left hand side this will help a little bit. It might be a good idea to hit some local places and see what you can get a hold of then try and figure out if they are good or not. If you have something like a digital camera take pictures. It will be a lot easier to match up the plant again later or to have it identified. If your ghetto you can just rip off a leaf too.

 

[Betta5]

Haha! loved the last bit, if ya ghetto.
Thanks for the post, im off to my LPS to see some yemens in the week so i will ask about age then i can match it to the enclosure size. They are a good LPS (crystal palace pet shop) and i live really close, 10 mins and all other internet ones wont deliver so pet shop is all really. Yeah small yemens need a 75-80oF basking spot right? Oh is that UV bulb any good? i have herd good things but it wasnt about chameleons so.

I have a question, how many and of what will a small chameleon eat. Small mealworms and pin head crickits? What else?

is Limestone Calcium , diff to normal calcium when dusting?
Thanks

 

[Tygerr]

-Exo-Terra Sun Glo bulb (heat bulb what wattage? i know you need to measure with a thermometer but what would be a good watt to get 60W?)
http://www.livefoods.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=68&products_id=369

You don't need a Sun-Glo (or any reptile brand name) heat bulb. Just get a regular household spot globe, like this: http://www.thelightbulb.co.uk/product/detail.php?id=108
I have been using 40W and 60W bulbs for my baby chams, but then as I said in the other thread, you must also get something like this, http://www.livefoods.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=66&products_id=767 so that you can accurately measure the cage ambient and basking temps. That's the only way to know if you have the right wattage bulb, and that the bulb is the right distance away.
(The infrared non-contact thermometers are also very hand to have to measure the actual surface temps on your cham's skin whilst it is basking)

-Would the Exo-Terra Sun Glo bulb be compatiable with this?
http://www.livefoods.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=84&products_id=130

That fitting is another plastic fitting, rather get a ceramic fitting like this: http://www.livefoods.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=84&products_id=133

-UV lighting, http://www.livefoods.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=50&products_id=138
and
http://www.livefoods.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=84&products_id=130

The Arcadia D3 lights fared well in the tests conducted on the UV Guide site, but I would still recommend a linear flourescent tube over the compact bulbs. As evidenced at that web site, the UV light from a compact flourescent is more intense and very localised. I think a UV light that spreads out over more of the cage (like from a tube flourescent) is better, since it allows the cham to decide whether to obtain UV exposure in his basking spot, or away from the basking spot when it wants to cool down. Also, the compact flourescents supposedly degrade faster than the tube lights.
So get this instead: http://www.livefoods.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=50&products_id=157 or this http://www.livefoods.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=50&products_id=159
And for those bulbs, you will need a ballast like this: http://www.livefoods.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=84&products_id=161

Would any of these plants be good?
- http://www.livefoods.co.uk/index.php?cPath=41

They don't seem worth it to me. They aren't very leafy plants, so they won't provide much cover for your cham. Rather just go down to your local plant centre and get some of the plants recommended here: https://www.chameleonforums.com/plants/. Most of them are not expensive, and they all generally do well in chameleon enclosures: the lighting in the cage, and frequent mistings are pretty much all the plants need to keep going for a long time (except for Hibiscus, which don't do well in cages).

The other thing you are going to need to get is supplements. You need at least 3 supplements: a calcium supplement without vit. D3 that will be used at most feedings, a calcium supplement with vitamin D3 that will be used much less frequently, and finally a multi-vitamin supplement that does not contain preformed vitamin A, which will be used 2-4 times a month. Note that the calcium supplements must be phosphorous free.
These are good products:
- http://www.livefoods.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=72&products_id=529 (without D3)
- http://www.livefoods.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=72&products_id=529 (with D3)
- http://www.livefoods.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=72&products_id=110 - you can use this as a multivitamin, but it contains preformed Vitamin A, which can build up to toxic levels if overdosed, so this would have to be used very sparingly.
A safer multi-vitamin supplement would be Herptivite (made by Repcal) - I think you can find it on eBay to be shipped to the UK. But some experienced keepers use both Reptivite and Herptivite to ensure that they cover all bases (including Vit. A) - just make sure you don't oversupplement with anything that contains preformed Vit. A or Vitamin D3.

Also, while you're at it, get a good hand-held pump mister, like this http://www.horse.com/products/sku-BRA54__id-350__scode-hnextag.html (Don't get a trigger-type sprayer that sprays intermittently - rather use one like this which will give a nice uninterrupted spray of water during the long (20 minute) misting sessions you're going to give your cham at least twice a day).

Don't get too confused by all the products that are offered to you on reptile web sites and at pet stores. Rather read through the forums here thoroughly, and read through some of the good chameleon care sites (like http://www.chameleonnews.com and http://www.chameleonsdish.com) and you'll eventually be able to decide exactly what is good for your cham, and your setup.

 

[Tygerr]

I have a question, how many and of what will a small chameleon eat. Small mealworms and pin head crickits? What else?

They'll also eat flightless fruit-flies, and phoenix worms (which are soldier-fly larvae). They might also eat small silkworms.

is Limestone Calcium , diff to normal calcium when dusting?

Not exactly sure what you are referring to, but you need a calcium powder that is phosphorous free (like the ones I mentioned above).

Oh, and I also want to make it clear that when I supplied those links to products on that site, I am not saying you must buy it from that specific site - I have no knowledge of UK reptile retailers, nor what prices are like in the UK. But the products I linked to are mostly recommended brands.

 

[Betta5]

Thank so much for that that has really made things very clear, im going to make a complete list of things and start buying in a while. Im going to the plant center 2morro so i will have a look if they have any species listed.

Once again thanks for answering all of my questionsm things are starting to become much clearer. Thanks very much

Sean

 

[Jordan]

When I said 75-85 I mean like the basking spot at 85 and the coolest part of the enclosure like at 75.