First chameleon...maybe

JohnR

JohnR

Member
So I thought that I really wanted to get a veiled chameleon as my first chameleon. I got the cage (30hx30dx18w) and then I looked into lighting...ouch.

Talk about expensive! I am seriously reconsidering getting one. I know I got too big of a cage, and maybe that's what I need to change, but I figured hey...this is a nice cage for one to go roaming about.

I am having a hard time wrapping my brain around getting a light for $150 when the lizard is $40.

I kept Green Tree Pythons and Amazon Basin Emerald tree boas (both of which are high dollar) in cages that were considerably cheaper and they thrived. Now it's been flipped.

Should I get a smaller cage and cheaper lighting? I really want a chameleon...
 
Your cage is not too big at all. An adult veiled would use all that space. Going smaller is not an option. Cham setups are expensive...no getting around that. If you don't use the correct lighting you'll lose your animal so how much the CHAM cost isn't that meaningful. Don't forget that just about all pythons/boas are crepuscular or nocturnal so UV exposure isn't as critical. What type of light were you pricing?
 
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I'm pretty cheap but want best quality here are some links for good stuff cheap
for Lighting http://www.roxiespetden.com/zoo-med-reptisun-led-uvb-terrarium-hood-24/
for basking http://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/flukers-clamp-lamp-with-dimmer
for cage http://www.diycages.com/collections...ducts/sc4-48x24x24-jumbo-vertical-screen-cage
for climbing vines http://www.ebay.com/itm/btkhouse-2-...608645?hash=item4d3f11bc05:g:UAgAAOxyVaBSo9em
for Plants http://www.homedepot.com/b/N-5yc1vZ...?Ntx=mode+matchall&NCNI-5&Ns=P_REP_PRC_MODE|0
Sray bottle for misting or for misting http://www.climist.com/climist-cyclone-misting-system.html
no links here
for Dripping ZooMed little dripper under $8 any pet store
for sticks for free! go out side look around (there are some really good ones in the woods)

This is just good basic start up stuff People on this forum may have other opinions/suggestions
 
I say this with total respect. Chameleons are money pits. If right now you're not in position to drop some funds on proper housing and necessities that are needed to properly care for a chameleon, maybe you should hold off a bit. Getting a chameleon its self is the cheapest part of owning a chameleon.
 
Lazereth said:
I say this with total respect. Chameleons are money pits. If right now you're not in position to drop some funds on proper housing and necessities that are needed to properly care for a chameleon, maybe you should hold off a bit. Getting a chameleon its self is the cheapest part of owning a chameleon.
Click to expand...

Unless it's a CB female baby Parson's
 
I'd definitely recommend making sure you have a proper set up before you pull the trigger on getting a chameleon. I've always spent much more on housing and lighting for all my reptiles than the reptiles themselves. In fact the two reptiles that have cost me the most money are my two rescues that were "free", a blue tongue skink and now my chameleon. Think of it as investing in the health of your animal. Cutting corners on getting a proper set up means you'll pay much more in vet costs.
 
JohnR said:
Talk about expensive! I am seriously reconsidering getting one. I know I got too big of a cage, and maybe that's what I need to change, but I figured hey...this is a nice cage for one to go roaming about.

I am having a hard time wrapping my brain around getting a light for $150 when the lizard is $40.
Click to expand...


Your cage isn't too big at all. Actually, a 24 x 24 x 48 cage is the minimum cage size recommended for most adult chameleons, included Veiled Chameleons. So that means you would probably want a bigger cage in the future if you want your chameleon to thrive. Most people get chameleons as babies or juveniles, and have to have a smaller cage for them when they are that young so that way they don't have a hard time finding their food. Then, when they are adults, you upgrade the cage. That will be about another $100, give or take - or more, if you do a fancy D.I.Y. project.

Also.... your veiled would cost $40? That's cheap. I have a panther chameleon I bought at a Reptile show - it was 3 months old at the time - and it cost me $200. That even, is cheap, considering that some super big online breeders sell panthers for $300 or even more, then you add in overnight express shipping costs..... $40 is a bargain. And then there are super rare-to-find chameleons that I've seen people selling for $700 and more.....

As for the lights... There are different routes you can go with that. A basking lamp is deff necessary, but don't get the bulbs at pet shops. Use a standard household incandescent 60 or 100 watt bulb as the heat bulb and save money. I have a dual deep dome heat lamp from Zoo Med, with two household 60 watt bulbs in it as my basking lights (I've had a 2 - in case one of them ever decided to go out when I'm not home, he won't get cold (y)) The dual dome basking lamp I use was $20 or less. There are other, single light, heat clamp lamps that can be had for $10-$15.

As for UVB.... when mine was younger, I used a singular UVB coiled bulb in a Fluker's 8.5" clamp lamp, which was $11. Now that he is bigger, I got me a 24" Zoo Med AquaSun T-5 HO Double Light Linear Fluorescent Hood (which is actually on sale right now at Petco until tomorrow $40.79 instead of $67.99) In it, I have a T5 HO Reptisun 10.0 and also, a T5 HO Ultra Sun 6500k bulb for my plants. Both bulbs can be found for around $20 usually, and the 6500k bulb can be found at hardware or plant store for a lot less usually. The clamp lamp is now housing a 100 watt bulb suspended above a few small ventilated jars of pupating insects, to provide heat for them to pupate faster and better.

Then you got fake plants and real plants. I use a mixture of both. Fake plants add color and variety to your cage, while real plants clean the air a bit and maintain humidity a million times better than any fake plant will. Both will cost $$. Fake plants are anywhere from a few bucks, all the way up to $20 for huge ones. Then the real plants.... found at plant nursery stores and such... can range in a variety of prices, but cheaper than buying them online. Get branches and vines as well for him to crawl around on, which can be found outside (and cleaned) our purchased online.

Then there is the misting system. Many out there, typically around $100. Mistking, Monsoon RS400. Climist, D.I.Y. systems....

Then add in feeders. Chameleons need variety, so the more different kinds of insects you can offer, the better. You wouldn't eat the same ham sandwich, day after day, year after year, and be happy. They won't eat the same bugs either day after day after day, every day - typically going on hunger strikes when they are fed the same thing over and over and over... So you need a variety of feeders.These are found at local pet stores, local bait shops, and online. Crickets and roaches are the best staple diet feeders. There are many many others. A quick google search or a search here at the forums will give you a wide variety of feeder info.

Now supplements. Calcium with D3, calcium without D3, Multivitamins.... you gotta have them all, and dust your insects with a schedule. You also have to gutload a lot of the insects you feed your chameleons so that way the insects are healthy, and they pass that onto the chameleon. Otherwise, an empty insect is like eating a piece of meat with no nutrition. Fatten your insects up!!! Have to provide proper gutload to make them healthy, and that makes your chameleon healthy.

Now there's the water issue... If you spray lots of water when misting, it has to collect somewhere. So you can either wipe it up daily, or build a drainage system of some sort. You can also purchase drainage TRAYS online. These have a wide range of values, depending on what route you go.

Speaking of water.... that brings me to humidity. And temperature. Gotta have a way to measure both, so now you need some dial gauges, or some digital gauges, to measure each. These have a wide range of prices as well, depending if you get dial or digital. Either way, you're looking at $10-$20 for a set of proper gauges.

There's a few more things I could add to the list.... but the point is..... Chameleons are not cheap, that is for sure. It's deff not like keeping other reptiles. There's a lot more to know, and a lot more time, patience, and $$ put into raising and caring for them.

It's a commitment, but you gotta make absolute sure you are going to follow through with it before you make your decision. It's called a hobby by many for a reason; hobbies tend to be a little pricey :)
 
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Here is the lighting I used: (I ordered it through amazon prime)
5.0 Reptisun 18" UVB $16
GE 18" Basic Flourescent Light Fixture $13
Zoo Med 100w (you can use any 100w bulb, it doesn't have to be for reptiles) $9, but amazon doesn't sell it anymore :(
Zilla 8-1/2 Inch Reflector Dome $12
 
How_I_Spend_Money.jpg
 
Well, I guess I had sticker shock, but after working all day I realized that it's something that I have to do if I want to have a chameleon.

Here's my cage. I bought two pothos to get them started. I would like to get a ficus tree. I have it in my reptile room in the basement. Temps stay around 65-70 in the room.

i-jQmpbqZ-L.jpg


When people mention incandescent bulbs, I think of those bulbs with the spring in the middle, that they don't sell any more. Which bulbs are you all talking about...that I could pick up at say Lowe's? (for heat)

I'm thinking of getting a younger veiled, that's why I was wondering if I got too big of a cage. What age would be good to have in that size of a cage?

I have one of those pesticide looking container with a spray wand. I planned on using that to spray once in the morning and then using a handheld sprayer in the evening. Would that be good?

My buddy 2 streets over has dubia roaches and wax worms that I plan on getting from and I might try my hand at crickets.

As for supplements/vitamins, where is the best place to purchase from? By best, I mean cheapest. :)

I did purchase this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00101KWYW?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00
It's the Exo Terra Digital Hygrometer with probe, if the link doesn't work. I also got a temp gun to measure temps..

btw, those are 18" lights under the shelf. Could I use 2 or 3 of them on this cage to provide UVB rather than one 24? Is there such a thing as too much UVB?
 
Yes, incandescent bulbs are those classic screw-in bulbs with the coiled filament inside. Herp supplies will offer various "basking bulbs" that are incandescent, but you don't really need one of those. All the basking bulb needs to do is produce heat. A GE halogen porch light from a local hardware store will do the same, they are sturdy and long lasting, and will fit in spotlight fixtures. I'd suggest using a ceramic socket rather than plastic. The UV emitting bulb is the one you do need to be more choosy about.

Either one of your sprayers will work as long as it hasn't been used for other chemicals. Those that pressurize will save your hand all that trigger squeezing.
 
I got my supplements from amazon I use repcal without Monday-Saturday and 1 and 3 Sunday with d3 and 2 and 4 Sunday multivitamins
 
Lazereth said:
I say this with total respect. Chameleons are money pits. If right now you're not in position to drop some funds on proper housing and necessities that are needed to properly care for a chameleon, maybe you should hold off a bit. Getting a chameleon its self is the cheapest part of owning a chameleon.
Click to expand...

Preach it dude. :cool: This pic was before we updated our enclosure and we dropped almost a stack... lol. He was only 2 months at the time (miscommunication w our breeder thought he was 4 months) he learned to be a big boy though. Now he hates it when he has to leave his house.
 

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JohnR said:
Sorry, but I'm having a bit of trouble understanding what you posted.
Click to expand...

Meaning from
monday-Saturday dust without d3
1st and 3rd Sunday with d3
2nd and 4th Sunday with multivitamin (ex. Herptivite)

Usually I dust without d3 every 2 days then skip then again. Sometimes vitamins could be distasteful so I give him a cheat day.

Over dusting can cause problems so just a dab (not to overcoat feeder)
Over supplementing can cause problems as well so scheduling is mandatory.

This is a good site for basic "need to knows"
http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Care-Sheets/Lizards/Veiled-Chameleon/
 
Thanks everyone for the responses. Lots of information to digest and learn!

Oh, and I forgot to address the price of the veiled. There is someone fairly local to me that breeds and sells them. Now that I think about it, they may be $60.
 
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