Buying Veiled Cham Soon

[kuskye25]

I've been researching veileds for a few weeks now, I'm looking for honest opinions and basic instructions if needed on my encloser.....

That being said, i built this myself, its got dripping water, lots of cover and places to hide, moonlight, heat light, and uvb lights all on timers. before i get the Chameleon i will be adding a water drip dish to catch the water i have dripping and a sand box on the other side of the bottom, also all fake plants so far but i need help with what to buy for that.... (size 4' tall x 3' wide x 2.5' deep)

I'm sure I'll think of other questions as this thread goes on.

 

[THECHAMMAN]

everything seems fine, but get rid of that compact bulb (if that is one.) and u dont need a night bulb unless the temp gets below 70F. get a repti-sun 5.0 bulb linear florescent tube.

 

[kuskye25]

everything seems fine, but get rid of that compact bulb (if that is one.) and u dont need a night bulb unless the temp gets below 70F. get a repti-sun 5.0 bulb linear florescent tube.

yes it is a compact florecent, ok ill switch it out for a repti-sun before the cham goes in, thanks..... I think ill keep the night bulb as the temp does vary with my central air on in the house...

 

[dodolah]

Hi Kuskye25,
it's good that you have set up a cage and discuss it first in this forum be4 you actually purchase the animal.
Here are the things, imho, that needed to be corrected.
I put red mark on the problematic area.

its got dripping water, lots of cover and places to hide, moonlight, heat light, and uvb lights all on timers.

I see no need for moonlight as chameleon is diurnal lizard. Darkness during the night is beneficial for your chameleon. Also, unless your room temp drop below 60F at night (veiled chameleon can withstand 50F but i would not subject your pet to that temp), i don't see the need to heat your chameleon at night.
So, get rid of the moonlight.

I know you say that he will have a lot of coverage. But, looking at your pics, that is not a lot of coverage. you need to add more plants (real live one).

a sand box on the other side of the bottom, also all fake plants so far but i need help with what to buy for that.... (size 4' tall x 3' wide x 2.5' deep)

A sand box? and a substrate? Those are the biggest concern that i have for your enclosure. Substrate is a nuisance. It harbors bacteria, food items often bury themselves inside, possibility of inflicting impaction to your chameleon. If you want to keep humidity, use real live plants instead.
Seriously, Real plants are FAR more superior than the fake ones.
for my indoor cham cage, i use 100% real plants with fake vines.
Use hibiscus, ficus benjamina, golden pothos, and/or schefflera arboricola,

I'm sure I'll think of other questions as this thread goes on.

 

[Eyal]

Seems fine, but the water dish.. remember to change and clean it every day. Sorry but i hate fake plants Especially for veiled, they eat alot of green. My female loves to eat baby leaves. I would of buy a plant. photos and benjamin ficus, their very cheap.

I dont like fake cause if they get them down their stomachs it could cause troubles.

David!

Good luck!

 

[Ryan Jarosek]

If you temp doe not fall below 60 degrees in the night a night time bulb is not required and not recommended. Chameleons require a cooling off period during the night. I agree with the linear bulb good that you are replacing that. Do you have substrate in teh bottom of the cage. That is not necessarey if you do. It is easier to clean and safer if it is bare.

Other than that nice setup!. Welcome to the world of Chameleons .. Warning you will become addicted.

Edit: everything was answered while I was typing..

 

[kuskye25]

ok cool guys all these changes will be made asap, and yes i think before i buy now-a-days ahaha

i have a full grown RB piranha, bumblebee-kenyi-yellowlab cichlids full grown, and two tarantulas one of which you can see her encloser in the pic, so yes i know build first then post and fix accordingly...


thanks for the info once again anything you guys tell me will be fixed before the cham goes in, stupid LPS's never set you up right...

 

[chrisandpugs]

Clip or hang fresh leaves in cage!

Hi Kuskye25,
Another solution will be to clip real leaves such as freshly washed Collard Greens, Romaine lettuce..etc. to your vines/fake tree for your Chameleon to munch on! Suggestion: Trader Joe's in the Salad aisle has a package of Lettuce leaves called, "Just Greens" and it's very convenient to use! Take out the amt. of leaves (2-3 leaves) you need, wash it, and put it in his cage. Remove the old leaves every morning and put new ones in! Simple as that!
All Veiled C. do love chomping on fresh leaves(You'll see V marks on the edges of the real leaves at the site where they munch on) and it's a very valuable source of Vitamin A!!

Love to see the pics of your newly arrived Chameleon when you get him or her!!

Christine

 

[Justin Carl]

All the advise has been very good so far.

By the way... crickets can chew holes into porch screen.
You may consider replacing it with aluminum screen.

Check out my signature.
You can buy Veileds from Juli.

Good luck,
Justin

 

[kuskye25]

All the advise has been very good so far.

By the way... crickets can chew holes into porch screen.
You may consider replacing it with aluminum screen.

Check out my signature.
You can buy Veileds from Juli.

Good luck,
Justin

i bought special pet resistant screen, so will see how it holds up, i was worried when i got it myself but i think itll be fine after using it its really really strong...

 

[chamlover]

Good job!!!! It is so refreshing to read about someone who has done their homework and has everything set up BEFORE you even have your cham. Pat on the back to you. The only other suggestion that i have would be the size of the cage. Are you planning on getting a full grown veil or a baby? If it is a baby i would suggest using a smaller enclosure for the first few months then switching him to a bigger one. Make it easier on him to find his food and stuff. The only investment you would need to make is just the cage and then switch everything over to it. Good luck. By the way i have baby veileds available. They are approx 2 mos old and if you are interested send me a PM i will show you a pic of mommy and daddy.

Debby

 

[kuskye25]

so what is everyones favorite plant to use and where do i get it locally, if possible.

 

[jannb]

I use ficus and pothos. Wal Mart usually has them or Lowes or Home Depot.
Jann

 

[Brad Ramsey]

http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/

-Brad

 

[kuskye25]

great info.... thanks guys +1 to being able to buy them locally!!!

I was worried about that, and i dont know plants well enouph to know if these types are common.

Anyway good to go now.

 

[THECHAMMAN]

for plant that need more sun, get a plant grow light. i get them at either my local hardware store or lowes.

 

[kuskye25]

ok so i have fixed most everything in my encloser, i also bought live plants from lowes, pothos, and hibiscus.

i understand i need to wash the live plant, but what about its soil will it hurt a chameleon, and also should i quarantine the plant for a while to ensure there is no bugs in it, if so how long.

 

[kuskye25]

update!!!!!

Ok so i redid the hole inside and the lighting, i got rid of the substrate and put in reptile carpet. I added another fake vine and 3 more bamboo perches, then 2 pothos plants that i repotted with organic soil, took out all fake plants.

My lighting is now a dual florecent fixture with a plant bulb and a zoo med reptisun 5.0, and a 120w flood light for heat.

Then i gutted 3 of my feeder fish tanks "10 gals. each" and cleaned them so i now have room for lots of feeders for the cham.

let me know what you think?

 

[dodolah]

Ok so i redid the hole inside and the lighting, i got rid of the substrate and put in reptile carpet. I added another fake vine and 3 more bamboo perches, then 2 pothos plants that i repotted with organic soil.

My lighting is now a dual florecent fixture with a plant bulb and a zoo med reptisun 5.0, and a 120w flood light for heat.

Then i gutted 3 of my feeder fish tanks "10 gals. each" and cleaned them so i now have room for lots of feeders for the cham.

let me know what you think?

WOW! What an improvement!

lol bare with me kuskye...
A simple plastic bottom will be better than a reptile carpet i think.
Anything that will not allow bacterias or mold to grow and reproduce is ideal.
Usually material that can absorb water is a bad idea to put as a chameleon cage bottom.

how much heat that 120 Watt heat bulb give?
Can you manage to get the right temp without overheating with that bulb?
If you can't you might benefit from switching to smaller wattage.

you can save money too

I can't see it well but just want to double sure, the reptisun is linear tube, right?
Also, you need a thermometer and hygrometer combo to monitor his temp and humidity.
i recommend this one:

 

[SoCaliSon]

I just wanted to add cause I didn't see it unless I missed it...

You mentioned your house can get cold at night... You can buy a CHE (Ceramic Heating Element) from LLL Reptile and attach it to a thermostat... This will keep the temp up for your cham if it gets to cold, without keeping him awake with lights. Good Luck... Keep up the good work.


~Joe