The very first thing I suggest is heading over to https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/ and learn all about husbandry and the needs of specific species.
Thank you so much for the wonderful advice! Is panther and veiled the two recommended for beginner chameleon owners? I have a terrarium build for a young chameleon currently, and will probably buy a larger one as it grows up as It is a bit small right nowHi and welcome.
Then set up your enclosure. If you haven’t yet purchased anything, I highly recommend one of Neptune the Chameleon’s kits. https://www.pangeareptile.com/colle...tarter-chameleon-kit-by-neptune-the-chameleon It’s not only the easiest way to buy everything needed, but is at a great price.
If you are brand new to having a chameleon, I definitely advise to get a male and avoid the egg laying anxiety that comes with our sweet females. I have to say that the majority of veileds just want us to feed them and leave them alone. It is the rare veiled that willingly comes out to us, unless it hates its enclosure. While panthers can have just as much attitude and sass, they are more likely to adjust and as they learn to trust us, be more accepting of being handled. Buying from a reputable breeder will also make a difference. There are several breeders who are reputable that are forum sponsors. https://www.chameleonforums.com/sponsors/?tag=chameleons
One is currently having a sale. Several members have had wonderful experiences with this breeder. https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/happy-fall-y’all.193651/
There is also a member who several of us have gotten some beautiful panthers from. https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/3-mo-old-ambanjas-only-got-a-few.193482/ I don’t know if she still has any.
Do feel free to ask as many questions as you need.
Yes. Of the various species, these are the most beginner -friendly. All chameleons can be a challenge and be expensive to set up and care for, but taking the time to learn and do things correctly will help ensure you have success.
Yeah! I got a veiled! I got a girl, I know I know, but there was no males being sold around me and I was too scared to order one online lol! Her name is Jalapeno and she's currently close to seven months old, and doing well!
oh dang lol. The dude I got him from told me it was a girl and I kinda just ran with it, I didn't check because I didn't think it was a huge deal, kinda the same thing for the age. What problems do you see with the cage? I'd love your advice, I was planning on revamping and getting a bigger one soon anyway.
WOAH. I didn't know about the moss thing but thank you so much for thatYour little cutie is indeed a boy and a younger one of I’d guess 2-3 months, if that. Because he’s so very young, it’s absolutely essential to have everything correct and as perfect as possible. Young chams have zero resources to fall back on and can decline and fail very quickly. One of the things I see in your pics is a lot of moss, which is a risk. Whether he eats it intentionally or accidentally, it can cause a bowel obstruction. It also may create and hold too much humidity for a glass tank, creating a respiratory infection risk. While I can only see a small part, it does look rather terrestrial and not arboreal enough. The analog gauge that you have is notoriously inaccurate after a very short time of use. Your cutie also looks quite close to that light which is a big risk for burns. Little ones like to walk upside down along the screen top, so lights need to be raised above by a few inches to prevent burns. I’d like to see what kind of uvb you have and ask a million questions. But it would be much easier for both of us if you post more pics of the whole enclosure top to bottom and answer the help questions. Then we can make sure your cutie has everything he needs to grow and thrive.
Just copy & paste with your answers and we can get started.
the tank I had came with some materials for an animal, including moss, so I put some at the bottom but I'll take that out now that I know! It has become clearer and clearer to me the breeder I got him from knew absolutely nothing about him, so I will be more careful. The light kinda close to the top which I have just used a little cardboard piece to raise up so he didn't burn himself, but I will get some light extender things when I get a bigger tank.) I wake up at 5:30 daily, get ready for my day and then wake my chameleon up before I leave, at 7:30, so usually he's awake because his bedtime is at 6:30, and the light from the outside is usually peeking in through the curtains, but because of winter I don't think it will be waking him up anymore. He has a UV lamp and a brighter light for basking, the UV is on a timer, but if he wanted to get away from it before it turns off there are a lot of places for him to hide from it.
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the tank I had came with some materials for an animal, including moss, so I put some at the bottom but I'll take that out now that I know! It has become clearer and clearer to me the breeder I got him from knew absolutely nothing about him, so I will be more careful. There’s a ton of bad info out there and it’s hard to know what is right. The best and correct sources are https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/ and Neptune the Chameleon on YouTube. The light kinda close to the top which I have just used a little cardboard piece to raise up so he didn't burn himself, but I will get some light extender things when I get a bigger tank. I use small wire baskets from the dollar store to elevate my lights when needed. 
) I wake up at 5:30 daily, get ready for my day and then wake my chameleon up before I leave, at 7:30, so usually he's awake because his bedtime is at 6:30, and the light from the outside is usually peeking in through the curtains, but because of winter I don't think it will be waking him up anymore. A 12 hour light schedule is best. Timers are wonderful! He has a UV lamp and a brighter light for basking, the UV is on a timer, but if he wanted to get away from it before it turns off there are a lot of places for him to hide from it. I’m guessing that your uvb is a screw in light and not a linear/long fixture. Unfortunately the screw in lights aren’t able to provide the uvb levels needed by your cutie. The standard is a T5HO fixture with a 5.0 or 6% uvb bulb. The only brands that I would trust are ReptiSun or Arcadia. I tested one of the better brands of the cheaper options and was very disappointed. The uvb levels were lower than those of an Arcadia bulb at over a year old. I did look for sales and not able to find any at any better price than this. https://www.lightyourreptiles.com/arcadia-pro-t5-fixture-6-bulb-22-5-sale-now-only-69-99/ The gentleman who owns this company is very helpful if needed too. Correct uvb is something that can’t wait. 
I’ll add a separate post about setting up the enclosure. ! Do check out the resources links I provided and keep asking questions and sharing with us here. It’s the best way to learn. 
Thank you so much for all your amazing help! I'll take everything into account, I already removed the moss because of your recommendation, and I'll make sure to remove the lucky bean plant! Thank you so much! If you think of any more tips I'm all ears<3Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
All of it it glass except for the top which is metal mesh and a piece of cardboard to keep it up so jalapeno won't burn himself. That doesn’t sound too safe. The lights can get really hot and I’d be afraid the cardboard could catch fire. I'm ashamed to admit I'm on my second tank right now which is 20 gallons right now I believe, my friend was joking around with me and managed to shatter the corner of my og tank, which was bigger, so I'm saving up for a new, bigger tank. The tank that was shattered was bought before I got Jalapeno btw, so he wasn't around any broken glass! I’m afraid the tank that you are describing is not at all appropriate for a chameleon, primarily because of lack of adequate ventilation. Size is also another issue. Since you live in what I assume has to be a humid area, I suggest either an all screen enclosure or a hybrid. It’s that time of year for really good sales and you can likely buy an XL ReptiBreeze at a great price. Here’s just one that’s already on sale. https://www.petsmart.com/reptile/ha...GKu2YjEQkXLCGNhrqS-2vFuA0ZqqI57xoC_80QAvD_BwE If you are able to buy it tonight in the next few hours, use the code SAVE20 and the total cost is like $65. You can’t beat that for savings! Another option is to buy Neptune The Chameleon’s kit which is a really good price for all that it contains. https://www.pangeareptile.com/colle...tarter-chameleon-kit-by-neptune-the-chameleon
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
The brand I'm using is Zoo med, I don't know what model it is sadly, I could go digging around in my receipts and look. (It says item LF-19 if that means anything
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
The very top place he can get to is on the top of a Erythrina lysistemon, (a lucky bean plant) that when the light is on stays at 85-95. The bottom is usually at 75ish, so the entire range of temperature is 75-95. This is much too hot for a young chameleon. You don’t want your temp any higher than 80 for him now. When he is fully grown, he can go up to 85 max. The lowest overnight temp is 60, because that's what my entire house is set too at night, including jalapenos tank. Your night temps are fantastic and you could/should run a cool mist humidifier for a few hours at night to boost humidity as high as you can get. That simulates the hydration chams get in the wild from fog. Never raise humidity unless your temps are below at least 68. I have a hydro-thermo temperature gauge, but I also have tons and tons of thermometers and stuff I use because I'm paranoid. Ok, good! The analog gauges are so unreliable. You at least want one digital thermometer/hygrometer with a wired probe end.
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
His tank stays consistently from 30-50 during the day, but usually spikes pretty high after watering, but goes back down pretty quickly. Ok, good. 30-50% is the ideal range for daytime. At night sometimes it goes pretty high, which I'm trying to find a solution too, No no no! Cool and humid is perfect at night and helps hydration. but the levels have been to flimsy to actually record, but I'm trying my best to make them more consistent. I have an infrared tool because my dad's a giant nerd which measures humidity somehow?? I don't know what it's called but whatever. And then a hydro thermo measurer which I will replace soon.
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
Absolutely every plant is real in Jalapenos tank is real, but I have some fake plants for a few reasons, 1, if I need to take him to the vet I have a large carrier for him which I will put a fake plant in for him, 2, when I need to take him out his tank he will hang out on a fake plant while I do whatever to his tank. I have an nematanthus, radiator plant, Castanospermum australe (try saying that five times fast, and a alocasia macrorrhiza, which is called a stingray plant but doesn't sting, it is also called elephant ear plants, and then a Erythrina lysistemon . Both the alocasia macrorrhiza and the Erythrina lysistemon are very fast growing and larger plants so he can climb, and I have a piece of dried wood for him to climb. I only looked up the toxicity for the lucky bean plant (it’s quite toxic - needs to be removed), but the others aren’t on the safe plant list for veileds or any chameleons. Our veileds like to nibble their plants for reasons we don’t it yet understand. Because of that, it’s essential that they be clean and safe. Here’s info and lists for veiled tested plants. https://chameleonacademy.com/plants/ and graphics of some below. Pothos is perhaps the most versatile and best for chameleons. I like to place a taller plant like a schefflera in the center of the enclosure and then pothos, tradescantia zebrina, calathea or prayer plant, etc around it. If you place a pothos on the floor of the enclosure and train it to grow upwards, the leaves grow larger.
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
Is next to a mini fridge that I keep the mealworms in if that counts? But No, no vents are fans near by. Jalapenos tank and all of his stuff has its own desk in my study. The only thing taller than his cage in my room is the bookshelf, which reaches the ceiling. Perfect! Height is safety for chameleons.
Location - Where are you geographically located?
Bainbridge Island, Washington! Seattle, basically.
Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
Just looking for tips and advice, everyone has been very helpful
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*just realized these were all for panthers, so my plant choices were a bit more liberal. 
Your tank is so prettyYou want to create a forest edge in your enclosure. You want lots of branches and vines to provide lots of little chameleon roads to travel on, patrol his enclosure (an adult male thing) and exercise. I like real branches. Avoid ones from trees with heavy odors or saps, like pines, eucalyptus. Oak is great. Wash with some soapy water, rinse extremely well and air or sun dry. No need to bake, bleach or otherwise sterilize. I even leave lichen on mine. Then your plants should be dense enough to provide areas to hide in, take shade from the heat/uvb, collect water droplets for drinking and just exploring.
It can be a challenge to hang things, especially with screen. One awesome solution is Dragon Ledges. https://dragonstrand.com/dragon-ledges/ Some have crafted their own, but I don’t recall how. When I needed to set up an enclosure and there was no time to wait for Dragon Ledges, I used some scrap garden trellis. I secured it with thin wire to the frame of the enclosure. I did add a couple of screws on each support so they wouldn’t slide down. It’s much sturdier than I thought and looks better than I expected, so it’s what I’ve been doing with additional set ups. I can attach lots of branches and even some potted plants.
My enclosures are bioactive (nothing you need to think about now), but for now you want to keep your floor bare. No moss, no soil, no nothing except maybe a substrate (drainage) tray and potted plants. I also have been able to give my chams double sized enclosures, which I encourage anyone who has the space. But here’s some of my set ups to give you ideas of what you are looking to create.
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. my tank has soil already because I planted the plants inside the dirt so make them easier to grow, so there's clay balls which soak up some of the water from the soil and then refeed the soil so I don't have to water them, I'm removing the lucky bean plant like you said, but is it a huge deal that there's soil?
In actually amazing with plants, so it came as a huge surprise to me when I heard the lucky bean plant was toxicYour tank is so pretty
I'm in school currently and studying botany, so really any plants you recommend I can put in.
