frist chameleon - need advice

[feli]

hello,

i just got a veiled chameleon (male, 2 months old) and i might need some advice. could you help me? (and sorry in advance for my poor english)

1. i thought i would buy some sort of misting system. but the women i bought my chameleon from told me, that veiled chameleon need´s dry environnement and misting system wouldn´t be good for him. i was told, that i should only spray my chameleon twice a day and that is enough. i also sprayed the screen of his terarium and he drinks water from it. is that enough water and humidity?

here, i read several times that you use misting system. what is it for? do you use it instead of spraying your chameleon? or is it just for humidity?

2. i am not sure wheter my chameleon likes spraying water on him. he sort of inflates every time i mist him. i dont use cold water, but he still looks like he is cold... is that normal?

3. my chameleon sometimes almost frantically touches the screen, as if he wanted to escape. could you guess why is that? does he need something? or does the screen (reflection?) bother him?

4. i have got a terraitum that is 65cm x 40 cm x 40 cm big. will that be enough when he grows up?

thank you and sorry my post is so long

 

[jamncristian]

misting system bring up humidity and give your chameleon a chance to drink

chameleons only drink moving water (waterfalls are bad though)

veiled chameleons come from the semi-humid areas in yemen

a misting system would be beneficial

water dramatically cools down when sprayed into mist so yes it is still cold for him

full grown male veiled needs a cage minimum of 2'L 2'W 4'H

 

[Ocelot357]

1.Yes he will need misting, but not directly on him!.Just mist the cage and plants so he can drink from them and have humidity.

2.If he wants to climb on screen its ok.Just make sure their is a top so he wont escape!

3.I don't really know centimeters, so you r gonna have to post up inches.

Your gonna need:

Repti sun 5.0 uvb light- this re-creates the uv rays they need.
http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=465

Heat lamp-They need to warm up to digest their food
http://www.lnt.com/product/uva-uvb-bulbs/45814/zoo-med-repti-halogen-heat-lamp.html

You don't need a misting system, unless you have the money to get one.Meanwhile just mist the cage and plants , do not mist the chameleon directly!

 

[feli]

You don't need a misting system, unless you have the money to get one.Meanwhile just mist the cage and plants , do not mist the chameleon directly!

- i sprayed my chameleon directly. poor guy. but that is what i was told to do :-(

- should i also install some water dropping system? or is misting the cage and plants enough?

- i got a uv light - it´s called repti glo (manufacturer: exo terra). hope it´s ok. as a heat source a use normal light bulb.

- the cage is aprox 1,5´x1,5´x 2,1´. i guess that won´t be enough, when he grows up...

thank you for your answers. and my chameleon thanks also

 

[Titan]

I would install a dripper. They are easy to make and work effectively to provide hours of drinking opportunities.

As for your cage, 4' tall would be good for your Chameleon.

 

[Ocelot357]

- i sprayed my chameleon directly. poor guy. but that is what i was told to do :-(

- should i also install some water dropping system? or is misting the cage and plants enough?

- i got a uv light - it´s called repti glo (manufacturer: exo terra). hope it´s ok. as a heat source a use normal light bulb.

- the cage is aprox 1,5´x1,5´x 2,1´. i guess that won´t be enough, when he grows up...

thank you for your answers. and my chameleon thanks also

-Yeah instal a dripper also.

-The repti glo is good enough, but i suggest you get a real heat lamp from exo terra or zoo med.

-Yeah, you will need a bigger cage, and make sure its all screen.

Also, when the weather is warm and sunny take him out, let him get some real sun.Just make sure he has a part where their is shade for him to cool off, I place a rag on half top of the cage.And have a dripper too.

 

[kinyonga]

Be careful with a dripper for such a young chameleon...they can aspirate the water and drown.

 

[Texas Panther Man]

You dont need to buy a basking bulb. Just use a normal household incandescent bulb for his basking light. Just make sure you buy a dome fixture for the bulb. Also do you have supplements for dusting his feeders. You will need Calcium w D3 & cailcium without d3, also a multivitiamin dust.

 

[kinyonga]

Dusting the insects with a phos.-free calcium before they are fed to the chameleon at most feedings will help make up for the usually poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in many of the feeder insects we use.

Dusting with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder twice a month will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdosing it. It leaves it to produce the rest of the D3 from its exposure to the UVB. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic. D3 from supplements can build up in the system but as long as the chameleon can move in and out of the UVB the D3 produced from the UVB should not build up.

Dusting twice a month with a vitamin powder with a beta carotene (prOfiormed) source of vitamin A ensures that the chameleon gets some vitamins without overdosing the vitamin A. Beta carotene will not build up in the system, but its controversial as to whether all/any chameleons can convert it....so some people give their chameleons a little prEformed vitamin A once in a while. Be aware though that prEformed sources of vitamin A do build up in the system and excesses may prevent the D3 from doing its job pushing the chameleon towards MBD.

Appropriate temperatures help with digestion and gutloading/feeding your insects a nutritious diet also helps.

Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A all play important roles in bone health and need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed to the insects and the chameleon.

I know this is long and complicated...but its important for your chameleon.

 

[feli]

i bought some kind of multivitamin - it has vit. A, vit D., calcium and some other minerals (i don´t know exactly, i wil have to look later), i got it recommended from the seller of my chamelleon. so if i understand it well, i might overdose my cham. with vitamins (i was told to use it daily)? so i should probably get calcium for daily "crickets dusting".

btw, i´ve been giving him as many crickets as he wants. is that ok? how many crickets does a young chameleon usually eat? also, i read somewhere, that a chameleon should be 1 day a week without food (1 day for young one, 2 days when he is older). is that correct?

 

[jamncristian]

that would keep him very hungry

I would feed a young one every day but in small amounts

I would do the samething with an adult

 

[Texas Panther Man]

Most keepers on this site will recomend daily feeding up til 1 yr old. And with veiled and panthers every other day feeeding schedule after 1 yr of age.

 

[kinyonga]

I feed hatchlings as much as they will eat in a couple of minutes once a day and then leave a couple of crickets in the cage for a "snack" until they are about 5 or 6 months old. I then feed every second day until they are adults. Sometimes I stretch the feeding to three days when they are full grown.

 

[feli]

so a young veiled - every day (seems like you all agree on that )
jamncristian - what is a "small amount"?

and when they are adults - probably every second day? did i get it right?

also, i started looking for a new terrarium (i hope that´s what it is called in english). i found a very nice one for a good price, but as it is a glass terrarium, the shop is unable to provide shipment. so, will my chamelleon be ok in a terrarium that has net screens? (like the one frome exo terra) otherwise i will probably have to buy something overpriced in my local pet shop...

 

[glaceauz]

so a young veiled - every day (seems like you all agree on that )
jamncristian - what is a "small amount"?

and when they are adults - probably every second day? did i get it right?

also, i started looking for a new terrarium (i hope that´s what it is called in english). i found a very nice one for a good price, but as it is a glass terrarium, the shop is unable to provide shipment. so, will my chamelleon be ok in a terrarium that has net screens? (like the one frome exo terra) otherwise i will probably have to buy something overpriced in my local pet shop...

every second day after he's a year old, yep
and when they're as young as yours, you can feed them 10-12 crickets a day if they're adequately sized. depending on your local climate, (sufficient temps/humidity) a screen would work perfectly. they need good air circulation so screens are preferred. congrats on the new cham!

p.s. when they're that young its important to have a low wattage bulb as anything above 85 is too hot for them.