Can someone answer a few questions for me?

[svt2nv]

I'm trying to get together all the info I can before I gopick up a chameleon but I'm having a little trouble gathering it all.

So far, I'm pretty sure I'm going to get a 36" tall by 24 by 24 aluminum screened enclosure. A few questions I have are..

1) What are the essentials for lightning? From what I've read I'll need one UV light (i think) and one that gives up some heat.

2) Drinking. Is that what the misting is for? Do you just kind of soak down the enclosure twice a day or so? How exactly does that work. That seems a bit weary... how do they get enough to drink?

3) The bottom of enclosure. What do people put at the bottom of it's constantly going to be wet inside?

4) room temperatures. I have a/c in my room and I like it somewhat cold in here becuase my room gets really hot in here. Is that ok, seeing as though the encolsure is open to air? This is what I'm most concerned about. Will room temperature be a bid deal if he/ she will have an area in the enclosure with the heat lamp?

 

[Dave Weldon]

Howdy,

Gotta dash so I'll leave the specifics to others but I'll add a few links to study just in case you haven't had a chance to see them:

http://www.chameleonsdish.com/

http://www.chameleonnews.com/ especially http://www.chameleonnews.com/ref.html

http://www.adcham.com/

 

[westcoastchameleons]

I'm trying to get together all the info I can before I gopick up a chameleon but I'm having a little trouble gathering it all.

So far, I'm pretty sure I'm going to get a 36" tall by 24 by 24 aluminum screened enclosure. A few questions I have are..

1) What are the essentials for lightning? From what I've read I'll need one UV light (i think) and one that gives up some heat.

2) Drinking. Is that what the misting is for? Do you just kind of soak down the enclosure twice a day or so? How exactly does that work. That seems a bit weary... how do they get enough to drink?

3) The bottom of enclosure. What do people put at the bottom of it's constantly going to be wet inside?

4) room temperatures. I have a/c in my room and I like it somewhat cold in here becuase my room gets really hot in here. Is that ok, seeing as though the encolsure is open to air? This is what I'm most concerned about. Will room temperature be a bid deal if he/ she will have an area in the enclosure with the heat lamp?

1. Yes, you need a 5.0 UV light, with a hood. You also should get a 10 in. clamp lamp, with a 75 WT. heat bulb.

2. Chameleons do not drink standing water. This is why misting is used, and you could also use a drip system. If you mist, mist 2-3 times a day...In between mistings, let the cage completley dry. They will get enough to drink if you make sure that the misting sessions last for around 5 to 10 minutes, or more if you can do so.

3. You do not have to put anything at the bottom. Also, you SHOULDNT have any bedding of ANY kind. You could however use paper towel for easy clean up. Or, you can drill a hole in the middle of the cage floor for drainage, and cover the whole with aluminum screen so no crickets get out.

4. You should try to maintane an ambient tempurature of about 75 degrees. As long as that is around there, and he/she has a basking temperature in the mid 90's, you should be fine.


Thanks,
Jake

 

[Julirs]

I'm trying to get together all the info I can before I gopick up a chameleon but I'm having a little trouble gathering it all.

So far, I'm pretty sure I'm going to get a 36" tall by 24 by 24 aluminum screened enclosure. A few questions I have are..

1) What are the essentials for lightning? From what I've read I'll need one UV light (i think) and one that gives up some heat. You will need UVB light and fixture-most recommend Reptisun 5.0's flourescent in a fixture the length of the top of your cage. A clamp lamp and regular household bulb will work for basking heat.

2) Drinking. Is that what the misting is for? Do you just kind of soak down the enclosure twice a day or so? How exactly does that work. That seems a bit weary... how do they get enough to drink? Hand misting or an auto-mister and/or a dripper. I hand mist with a $1 sprayer 3X daily for 2-3 minutes and my male veiled has a drip for most of day.

3) The bottom of enclosure. What do people put at the bottom of it's constantly going to be wet inside? I have nothing in bottom. Some build elaborate drainage, I have a large butter container covered with mesh that catches water from dripper.

4) room temperatures. I have a/c in my room and I like it somewhat cold in here becuase my room gets really hot in here. Is that ok, seeing as though the encolsure is open to air? This is what I'm most concerned about. Will room temperature be a bid deal if he/ she will have an area in the enclosure with the heat lamp?

I live in FL air runs all of the time at 74 degrees. Basking heat lamps keep cages where they need to be temp wise.

 

[svt2nv]

thanks for the quick replys... i know it's hard answering questions that probably every noobie asks.

So I should put a thermometer somewhere in my room and try and maintain an 75 degree room temperature? that sound easy enough.

also, when you say misting for 10 minutes... does that literally mean you'd be standing there with a misting bottle soaking the enclosure for 10 minutes, twice a day? Wouldn't that make the inside SOAKING? I also read somewhere That you can put a plastic cup on top of the enclosure that drops whater at an average of 1 drop/ second to cascade down trees and such? this is the part that is most puzzling for me. it seems you'd always have a soaked enclosure and ground below.

and lastly (for now hehe) the lights. so i'll need one uv light that'll sit on top and shine down? is it something you'd turn on during the day and off at night when you're sleeping (he'll be in my room). oh... and what is a canopy? and for the heatlamp, same sort of hours or must that be on all the time? and for the position... is that something you clip outside of the enclosure but fairly close to the side so that there is a nice amount of heat just inside?



pics of some good setups would help me get an idea as well. thanks.

 

[westcoastchameleons]

thanks for the quick replys... i know it's hard answering questions that probably every noobie asks.

So I should put a thermometer somewhere in my room and try and maintain an 75 degree room temperature? that sound easy enough.

also, when you say misting for 10 minutes... does that literally mean you'd be standing there with a misting bottle soaking the enclosure for 10 minutes, twice a day? Wouldn't that make the inside SOAKING? I also read somewhere That you can put a plastic cup on top of the enclosure that drops whater at an average of 1 drop/ second to cascade down trees and such? this is the part that is most puzzling for me. it seems you'd always have a soaked enclosure and ground below.

and lastly (for now hehe) the lights. so i'll need one uv light that'll sit on top and shine down? is it something you'd turn on during the day and off at night when you're sleeping (he'll be in my room). oh... and what is a canopy? and for the heatlamp, same sort of hours or must that be on all the time? and for the position... is that something you clip outside of the enclosure but fairly close to the side so that there is a nice amount of heat just inside?



pics of some good setups would help me get an idea as well. thanks.

For misting, in a 10 minute span, i will spray...then walk away for a second and spary a little more, and do this for about 5 to 10 minutes. The cup thing you are talking about is called a drip system. You can use a cup, or you can get a "dripper"(water pilled bucket, with a adjusment nozzle for speed of the water flow). You can put this in you cage so it hits some leaves, and then where it hits the floor, you can out a cup.

As for the lights...Yes, a UV buld with a hood( i use the reptisun 5.0 UV bulb, with a hood). I rest my heat lamps on the cage over a perch for the chameleons to bask on. Both the UV, and the heat lamps need to be on during the day, from when you wake up til 8pm(thats what i do).

Sorry about the graphic pic!

i dont have anyother ones though


Jake

 

[Kam808]

Run the lights on a timer for 12 hours per day. You want a UVB/UV lamp like the zoomed 5.0 or 10.0. Heat lamps are usually clipped near the top of the enclosure, away from any live plants, and near a branch of perch that the cham can get right up against the light. Depending on your natural temps, various heat bulbs will be needed. I only use a 30w basking bulb and the heat spot gets up to 90.

Most people here use an automated misting system of some sort, like a Pro Mist. If you are going to hand mist with a pump sprayer or bottle, you probably dont need to spray for 10 mins each time. Just spray until your cham starts drinking. The reason for spraying that long is that chams are triggered to drink after sessions of rain/mist are occurring.

The plastic cup dripper will work, but will run out real real fast. I use a 1 Gallon Big Dripper and have to fill it up every just about every day.

Drainage can be an issue when you are using that much water. If you do not have it all draining out of the cage somehow (like into a basin) then you are going to have to get creative. Most people will advise against using substrate because it can be eaten, can develop mold and bacteria, etc. I use a substrate (ECO EARTH) that is wrapped up in weed blocker. I then put paper towels over that which soak up most the water. Whatever water that seeps through gets absorbed by the substrate, and dries pretty quick. I have plant catch basins on the bottom of all my plants, which I have to extract the water from each day with a turkey baster. I also have a 1 gallon tupperware that is covered in screen mesh, which catches all the water from the dripper. I have to empty that once a day too.

With the misting, the dripper, and some hand misting..I probably go through about 2 gallons per day. My enclosure dries out real fast, cept for the water that collects in basins and in the towels, those dry out overnight.

Placement of the thermometer and hygrometer can vary. Ultimately you want to create a temprature gradient in the enclosure. Hotter up top and cooler down below. I use a temp/hygro that is digital and has sensors which can be placed in various parts of the enclosure. So you will know how humid and how hot/cold it is. You want a daytime temp of around 85, nighttime temp of around 75 (or at least a 10degree temp drop).

 

[svt2nv]

That's probably what my area will look like in that picture below, where it's in the closet there. I have an open closet in my room with the doors off that it'd probably go in. Those enclosures look perfect. Are the bottoms of them just as open as the sides? How do you control the dripping?

I hope I can find enclosures like that at my local stores. What size are those? 36 x 18 x 18?

Also, in that last pic.. is that two attached together or just two side by side.

And finally, so watering them isn't too precise? Just soak them down pretty good on/off over a 5 minutes spawn, twice a day with a trigger sprayer? I can't really afford to buy one of those expensive misting setups yet.

 

[Tygerr]

And finally, so watering them isn't too precise? Just soak them down pretty good on/off over a 5 minutes spawn, twice a day with a trigger sprayer? I can't really afford to buy one of those expensive misting setups yet.

Watering isn't a precise science, but it is one of the most important things you'll be doing for your chameleon.
You need to provide them with lengthy misting sessions - it is usually recommened that each misting sessions is about 15-20mins long, and you should mist them 2-3 times a day.
You shouldn't stop misting until after you have seen the cham drinking (either the cham will lick off drops of water that have collected on its casque/head and rolled down over its lips, or the cham will actively lap up water from the leaves in its cage).

It is also important to have long, dry spells between misting to allow for everything to dry properly too.

Some keepers would recommend that you also keep a dripper for a large part of the day, in addition to misting.

You'll know that you are getting the watering right if your cham's urates are bright white and firm (but moist): signs of yellow or orange in the urates usually indicates that the cham is dehydrated.

 

[Tygerr]

I just wanted to add something about the sprayer...

twice a day with a trigger sprayer? I can't really afford to buy one of those expensive misting setups yet.

Make sure you get one of those pump-up garden sprayers, where you can keep the trigger locked down for constant spraying. Something that looks like this:

You don't want one of those trigger type sprayers that only spray each time you squeeze the trigger (that would be hell on your wrist, and it would irritate the cham).

 

[westcoastchameleons]

That's probably what my area will look like in that picture below, where it's in the closet there. I have an open closet in my room with the doors off that it'd probably go in. Those enclosures look perfect. Are the bottoms of them just as open as the sides? How do you control the dripping?

I hope I can find enclosures like that at my local stores. What size are those? 36 x 18 x 18?

Also, in that last pic.. is that two attached together or just two side by side.

And finally, so watering them isn't too precise? Just soak them down pretty good on/off over a 5 minutes spawn, twice a day with a trigger sprayer? I can't really afford to buy one of those expensive misting setups yet.

The bottom of those cages are not like the sides, they are PVC floor. I have not gotten to drainage yet, but for now, i just wipe up the water that gets on the floor.

The tree that are the same size are 18x18x36's, the last is a 24x24x48.

No, those two are not attached, just placed side by side.

wtaering isnt percise, just the MOST important thing in my opinion! Chameleons need a ton of water...but the post above me answered that for you^^.

 

[svt2nv]

I went and checked him out today. It IS indeed a veiled. They wouldn't let me put a deposit on him though, which kind of sucks.

But while I was there I did notice that sprayer that is posted two posts back or so. when pumped up well, will that spray for 10 minutes? If so, you could setup a sprayer to the top of the enclosure and pump it up/have it on a coupe times a day, right?

Also, NO local stores have enclosures liek those ones. I'm going to order online. Is 18x18x36 big enough for a "sub-adult" to adult veiled?

I'm thinking about ordering from here

http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog...ges/-/24-x-24-x-36-inch-aluminum-screen-cage/

That one on the right that is narrow and tall, what size do you think that one is?

 

[svt2nv]

two other things i was wondering.

A) you guys posted that you leave the UV light on half the day, is that the same with the heater lamp or does that always stay on?

B) how much does an adult eat a day, roughly...

 

[TylerStewart]

That's probably what my area will look like in that picture below, where it's in the closet there.

See if Jake can find you some more of those posters to match... Blondes are nice, but I think I've grown pretty fond of redheads.

 

[Chameleon Company]

No joke, but I believe Jake has noted in private conversation that at least one of his male chameleons fires up to those pictures. Regarding this by Jake:

1. Yes, you need a 5.0 UV light, with a hood. You also should get a 10 in. clamp lamp, with a 75 WT. heat bulb.

I think he was too brief. There is no hood requirement for a 5.0, although it will have to be in a fixture by necessity. You heat source need not be anything except a blub that gives off heat, like a simple incandescent. The wattage will vary based upon your set-up, and distance from the bulb to the basking spot. Your goal is to maintain 95-100 degrees F in the basking spot only, with a reduction in temperature by up to 20 degrees as the chameleon moves away.

As for watering, misting, etc. Your first best option is a drip or rain, not a mist of fog. If the logistics of your set up allow, you want to drip or rain for up to 30 minutes a day, with two sessions being optimum. Simple drippers can accomplish this using less than a quart of water total. Misting is a lesser substitute, and fogging to be avoided altogether. As mentioned by others, drying out is important. The best way to insure this is air circulation in the room using a fan pointed indirectly towards your caging area. If you mist four times a day such that your chameleon is drinking four times a day, you are being told that the chameleon needed more water the last time you watered it. Twice is more than adequate providing the drink opportunity is available for 15-30 minutes each time, and will help you to better manage your water overflow. Check out several links and websites. Good luck.

 

[westcoastchameleons]

No joke, but I believe Jake has noted in private conversation that at least one of his male chameleons fires up to those pictures. Regarding this by Jake:

LOL...Jim is right! My male ambilobe absolutley fires up when he sees those pictures! He seems like he is for the inter-species "thing" hahaha.

 

[filip]

I just wanted to add something about the sprayer...



Make sure you get one of those pump-up garden sprayers, where you can keep the trigger locked down for constant spraying. Something that looks like this:

You don't want one of those trigger type sprayers that only spray each time you squeeze the trigger (that would be hell on your wrist, and it would irritate the cham).

Why would a trigger sprayer irritate a chameleon? If you spray them or mist them 2 or 3x a day, why is there a need for a dripping system??? Isn't that too much water? I don't think that it rains 3x a day in their natural habitat...Then again, I don't think all species need that much watering, am I right?

 

[svt2nv]

I'm so on the fence about buying him. I have so many "what if's". I'd be pretty unhappy to spend all this money and time if the little guy got sick or died due to my lack of knowledge. I went through this all with piranhas before but keeping that water chemistry perfect was amazingly hard.


How do you guys keep your live plants alive that are inside the cages? If you're pouring water on them for a good portion out of everyday, wouldn't they die?

Also, when you clean the cage everyweekend, do you ahve to totally take everything out from inside it to spray it down with the 10:1 bleach? And where do you ptu yoru cham's in the meantime?

I'm so weary about having not enough or too much water, and about the fluctuating temperatures of my room.

Lastly, how do you monitor temperatures best? Do you just put those little round cheap temp gauges in the cage? One right by the heat bulb and one towards the bottom?

 

[Hempa]

I understand your concern but I think you´ll will do just fine. Just keep updates I check forums like this and read threads and you will get great tips on how to keep your cham healthy.

How do you guys keep your live plants alive that are inside the cages? If you're pouring water on them for a good portion out of everyday, wouldn't they die?

If you have enough drainage in the pots it will work. But I don´t water them in the pot that often. I rely on the water I mist.

Also, when you clean the cage everyweekend, do you ahve to totally take everything out from inside it to spray it down with the 10:1 bleach? And where do you ptu yoru cham's in the meantime?

Maybe I´m a bad keeper (no problems this far anyway)but I don´t totallyclean the cage that often. But I take out the plants and then clean the rest of the cage. I usually put here in a big plant and give her a shower in my shower.

I'm so weary about having not enough or too much water, and about the fluctuating temperatures of my room.

Get your cage running for a while before you get your cham and check the temps. If the temps are stabile in the cage I dont think its should be any problems.

Lastly, how do you monitor temperatures best? Do you just put those little round cheap temp gauges in the cage? One right by the heat bulb and one towards the bottom?

There are digital temp gauges that are mcuh better then the little round ones. The digital ones usually have 2 gauges and then you put one under the basking spot and the other in the middle or the bottom of your cage.

 

[svt2nv]

I understand your concern but I think you´ll will do just fine. Just keep updates I check forums like this and read threads and you will get great tips on how to keep your cham healthy.



If you have enough drainage in the pots it will work. But I don´t water them in the pot that often. I rely on the water I mist.



Maybe I´m a bad keeper (no problems this far anyway)but I don´t totallyclean the cage that often. But I take out the plants and then clean the rest of the cage. I usually put here in a big plant and give her a shower in my shower.



Get your cage running for a while before you get your cham and check the temps. If the temps are stabile in the cage I dont think its should be any problems.



There are digital temp gauges that are mcuh better then the little round ones. The digital ones usually have 2 gauges and then you put one under the basking spot and the other in the middle or the bottom of your cage.

Thanks for the vote of confidence. lol.

how much, roughly, are these digital gagues? i've been adding up my costs and i'm looking at 600 CAD or so.

oh and do chamelons bite? lol!