First veiled

[Kiraral]

Hi all -
I have kept all sorts of critters but am getting my first veiled chameleon. She is a 5 month old female. I have been doing a lot of research but want to get feedback before she comes home.

I am sure my reptile collection will end up growing (lord knows my T collection sure has!) and I have no problem investing in quality equipment.

The consensus seems to be screened cages are preferable. With a screen cage, though, wouldn’t I need to block 3 sides (possibly w/ acrylic) to keep the moisture from a mist system in, much like the combination screen/solid cages I have seen? I am imagining the mist otherwise covering the entire room the cage is in otherwise.

I want to put the lights and misting system on timers. I know she will need a UVB light (the long kind?) as well as a basking light. I am thinking of just getting a Mist King system right off the bat....what settings would people recommend with this system? I’m drawn to the quality, reliability, and ability to use for multiple set ups down the line.

I am thinking of doing a 18x18x36 screen cage for now, upgrading to a 24x24x36 down the line when she’s full grown.

Planning to start her off with a combo of fake and real plants while the real ones grow. I keep a mix of feeders around and am planning to dust hers with calcium each feeding , as well as D3 2x month and a multivit 2x month.

Also intending to put a screened drainage hole in the bottom of the cage leading into a bucket. I’ll definitely post some pics for some feedback, but wanted to see if some experienced keepers have any thoughts before I do my initial shopping. It is my first time dealing with the misting system portion, which may be obvious by my questions, and I appreciate any and all feedback. I have been reading through the resources tab here as well as older threads. Thanks in advance!

Tl;dr first veiled chameleon, help appreciated!

 

[JoshD49]

Seems like you are on the right track. For my screen cage (24 x 24 x 48) I used a clear shower curtain on 3 sides but the acrylic would look nicer. My cage is in my office so I didn't want water all over the room or on the computers haha.

Everything you said though looks spot on with the care sheets.

 

[Syreptyon]

I would definitely follow your instinct and get that MistKing system from the start! You'll find that it makes life with a cham many times easier. And actually, I find that I don't personally need anything to block the sides of my screen cage. The mistking nozzle makes a pretty concise spray radius that, when positioned properly, doesn't manage to get out of my enclosure at all. It just land on my many plants and drips down into their soil for the most part.

Honestly, I would also skip the fake plants entirely and just buy large-ish live ones to begin with. It's pretty easy to find ficus and schefflera which can fill up you enclosure pretty well from the get-go. But that's just mostly a personal preference because I think live ones looks so much better

 

[jannb]

Welcome to the forums. Its nice to see you here researching before you get your chameleon. I keep veileds and they are awesome chameleons. I have a blog that you might find helpful and also the forums care sheet linked below.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-with-young-veiled-or-panther-chameleons.325/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/

 

[NickTide]

Congrats on entering the world of chameleon servitude. I use screen cages and I don't cover the sides for my panthers. I use live plants (mostly pothos) which keeps the humidity up. I guess it depends on where you live as to whether you need to cover the sides of not.

18x18x36 is nice because you can move the whole cage outside in mind days for some sunshine.

The biggest advice I can give is to have feeder variety. When I first kept veildes 20 years ago, I had access to crickets and superworms. I fed wild insects in warmer weather. 2 years was a pretty good life expectancy back then. I recommend a nice big starter colony of dubias or orange heads. You can buy super worms cheap or raise them yourself. You can also get black soldier fly larvae pretty cheap in bulk but you will need a wine fridge to keep them from pupating too quickly. Stick insects are pretty easy also. That would give you a good base for cheap.

 

[JoshD49]

Like @NickTide said you can start a good colony but to expand on his servitude title that we owners now have. I would recommend trying to see what your Cham will take. So far mine doesn't want anything to do with superworm or butterworms. He likes crickets and seems ok with Dubia. Loves hornworms so I'm going to try silk worms and Phoenixworms to see how he does. Once I nail down his top 4 I'm going to start keeping the ones I can. Obviously I probably won't be able to keep horns or Phoenix but I will know to look for them at stores online. I also plan on trying mantis and sticks in the future. He may not have been fond of the supers because they were a little big.

 

[NickTide]

Black soldier fly larvae, aka bsfl, Phoenix worms, calci worrms and repti worms.

Josh had a good point of testing out what she will eat. Vieldes aren't normally picky unless the the food scares them... Either too big of it they never had worms, a super might scare them. If they do refuse a staple items like supers or dubias, don't give up.

I feed my bsfl as adult flies. It's easier and chams love the hunt. I don't think they will ever get bored. Btw. Bsf or bsfl don't need calcium powder.

 

[JoshD49]

I like that about Phoenix worms which is why I'm really hoping my Cham will take them. I also like silks since they can have a lot of nutrition. Was thinking about red runners since Dubia don't move as much but I found that if I put the feeders and the side of the cage he takes them better (except supers). If they sit in a dish he ignores them.

 

[NickTide]

I like that about Phoenix worms which is why I'm really hoping my Cham will take them. I also like silks since they can have a lot of nutrition. Was thinking about red runners since Dubia don't move as much but I found that if I put the feeders and the side of the cage he takes them better (except supers). If they sit in a dish he ignores them.

Ive been thinking about red runners but haven't gotten definitive answers about whether or not they can infest. I am currently working on an orange head colony since they are more lively and are supposed to have more meat to waste ratio. They are bigger than dubias and the nymphs are too so I will keep my dubias.... Plus they have to vary in nutritional value a little.

 

[JoshD49]

@NickTide I was considering orange heads for the same reason but they are not that ready available. The store close to my house has Dubia so I tried it with them first. If I can find a place that has orange heads to try I will. I read they are similar to Dubia in that they don't fly or climb which is the most attractive and why I don't really want to try any other roach. I haven't read into the reds much eaither but will let you know what I find out.

 

[JoshD49]

Ok just did a quick search in this forum and found there is absolutely no way red runners are comming anywhere near my house. Huge infestation risk since they seem to survive no matter the temp.

 

[NickTide]

@NickTide I was considering orange heads for the same reason but they are not that ready available. The store close to my house has Dubia so I tried it with them first. If I can find a place that has orange heads to try I will. I read they are similar to Dubia in that they don't fly or climb which is the most attractive and why I don't really want to try any other roach. I haven't read into the reds much eaither but will let you know what I find out.

I got lucky, local pet shop who I used to work for had orange heads and dubias. Since their employees couldn't understand that the note on each cage that said 'only sell small nymphs' meant to not sell the big guys, the colonies were being decimated... So they let me take them home. I grew the colonies out and paid them back at least 10x on the dubia. The O.H.'s were down to 1 adult and a few nymphs. I probably have 100 -200 now. After probably 1.5 - 2 years, the colony is taking off. Now that I have plenty of adults and nymphs of all sizes, the Colony be pretty steady.

If you order them... I think fullthrottlefeeders normally carries them but they aren't listed... Maybe out of stock. Roach crossing has a decent price on nymphs and kfcfeeders has a decent price on adults or nymphs. They sell nymphs by the gram so not sure what that works out to.

 

[Kiraral]

Thanks all!

I am in MA, for what’s its worth. Dubias and meal worms are my current staples (but I have seen the meal worms are not great for Chams). I can get various types of worms locally and will be ordering offline as well.

Josh, that was my reaction to reds as well! I have heard people say they are easy to contain, since they can’t climb smooth container walls, but I have enough non-invasive options, thankfully!

I absolutely cannot wait to get her home. Glad to have found these forums!

 

[JoshD49]

For staple worms I think people prefer silks since supers are hard to get the Cham to eat something else once they have them. My Cham wouldn't try it since it was a little too big.

 

[Kiraral]

Updated to include a pic. The enclosure is 18”x18”x36”. The right side and back have plastic covering all but the top 5 or so inches to keep mist in. She has a money tree with a couple tiny spider plant pups at the base, a hibiscus bush, and a pothos. I hope the pothos will replace the fake leaves fairly soon. I’d have liked to have varried the plant heights more, but haven’t found a stable way to do so. Depending on how they grow in I may repot one or more.

Totally open to any thoughts or suggestions before I bring the little lady home tomorrow!

 

[GreenChameleons]

Welcome to the Chameleon community of Chameleon Forums and congratulations on your chameleon!
I would definitely recommend a Drangon Strand enclosure for your next enclosure with branch/vine ledges. Bill Strand makes a high quality product and nothing rusts even the screws. And even though I don’t have a Mist King currently I plan on getting one soon so @Syreptyon is exactly on point. I bet since you researched you washed the plants and reported them with organic soil or reptile soil. I like the fact you used live plants! The setup is a good start .

 

[Brodybreaux25]

Updated to include a pic. The enclosure is 18”x18”x36”. The right side and back have plastic covering all but the top 5 or so inches to keep mist in. She has a money tree with a couple tiny spider plant pups at the base, a hibiscus bush, and a pothos. I hope the pothos will replace the fake leaves fairly soon. I’d have liked to have varried the plant heights more, but haven’t found a stable way to do so. Depending on how they grow in I may repot one or more.

Totally open to any thoughts or suggestions before I bring the little lady home tomorrow!

View attachment 210876

Maybe add some more branches to take up some of the empty space? Empty space = wasted space in a Cham viv. Having plenty of sticks in there is important because chams regulate their body temp by moving in and out of the different temperature gradients in his viv. Think of them as roads. Example:

 

[Curlytails]

Hi all -
I have kept all sorts of critters but am getting my first veiled chameleon. She is a 5 month old female. I have been doing a lot of research but want to get feedback before she comes home.

I am sure my reptile collection will end up growing (lord knows my T collection sure has!) and I have no problem investing in quality equipment.

The consensus seems to be screened cages are preferable. With a screen cage, though, wouldn’t I need to block 3 sides (possibly w/ acrylic) to keep the moisture from a mist system in, much like the combination screen/solid cages I have seen? I am imagining the mist otherwise covering the entire room the cage is in otherwise.

I want to put the lights and misting system on timers. I know she will need a UVB light (the long kind?) as well as a basking light. I am thinking of just getting a Mist King system right off the bat....what settings would people recommend with this system? I’m drawn to the quality, reliability, and ability to use for multiple set ups down the line.

I am thinking of doing a 18x18x36 screen cage for now, upgrading to a 24x24x36 down the line when she’s full grown.

Planning to start her off with a combo of fake and real plants while the real ones grow. I keep a mix of feeders around and am planning to dust hers with calcium each feeding , as well as D3 2x month and a multivit 2x month.

Also intending to put a screened drainage hole in the bottom of the cage leading into a bucket. I’ll definitely post some pics for some feedback, but wanted to see if some experienced keepers have any thoughts before I do my initial shopping. It is my first time dealing with the misting system portion, which may be obvious by my questions, and I appreciate any and all feedback. I have been reading through the resources tab here as well as older threads. Thanks in advance!

Tl;dr first veiled chameleon, help appreciated!

my only tip is to not handle or try to tame them. they are the grumpiest buggers. good luck to you
curly

 

[Kiraral]

She’s is actually the least grumpiest one I have ever seen, it’s what drew my attention to her in the first place. I have like Chams for some time, but found their attitudes off putting.

I am going to create a lattice type thing for her, like a chameleon jungle gym, I think! Thanks for the inspirational pic, Brody. I’d rather use natural wood, but may have to wait until I can get to an expo. I’ll make something in the next couple days for her to use in the mean time.

I actually saw dragon stands, and was drooling over them. She may very well get one as her adult enclosure.