Help me get ready!

Slug

Slug

New Member
Hey everyone, I had an idea (I hope it is original) to use the "How To Ask For Help" form to help get me prepared more for the upcoming purchase of my cham. I will fill in the Chameleon info portion more when I actually get it.

So far we have some frogs that will be feeding off of the same crickets that we will have so I will include that info in here as well for reference.

Here we go!

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - None yet

Handling - None yet

Feeding - Crickets (not sure on how much or how often, please offer suggestions) Gutloading with Orange Cubes, but willing to change that with suggestions on better options.

Supplements - Dusting with Rep-Cal Phosphorus-Free Calcium with Vit. D Ultrafine powder. Unsure on the schedule for a cham, but our frogs get it about once a week. (My girlfriend cares for the frogs, so she would know better)

Watering - Will be misting with a hand held pump sprayer similar to this one.

Fecal Description - None yet

History - None yet

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Reptibreeze 18x18x36 large screen cage on an end table stand.

Lighting - The following 2 bulbs are in a Zoo-Med 18 inch naturalistic Terrarium Hood
Heat: Zilla Day Blue Light Incandescent 75 Watt
UVB: Zilla Tropical Series 25 Fluorescent Coil Bulb 13 Watt
I also have a a dome fixture that I can put any other lighting that is needed in it. Lighting schedule will be 12/12.

Temperature - Still establishing this, but so far the basking spot is in the low 80's. Temp. being measured with a Fluker's Digital Thermometer / Hygrometer

I am not sure on overnight temps, but I will update this post when I find out.

I also have a Ceramic Heat Emitter 120V 60W that I will be controlling with a Zoo-Med ReptiTemp 500R Thermostat.

Humidity - Still working on the humidity levels but I will update the post when I get it determined. The humidity is coming from regular mistings from the hand sprayer. I may also set up a Reptifogger in the future to help with humidity. Any tips are welcome.

Humidity is being measured by the same Fluker's Digital Thermometer/Hygrometer mentioned in the Temp. section.

Plants - A mix of live and fake. Real Schefflera in a pot, with various tropical fake plants obtained from Hobby Lobby (local craft store). I have also installed a few bamboo like branches for horizontal climbing.

Placement - Cage located in the front of our house near the window in our living room (intended to let in some light and ambient heat during the warmer months). It is currently under a closed air vent that we have covered with a magnetic air blocker. It is about 6 feet away from the ceiling fan in the middle of the room, but it is rarely on.

The top of the cage is 5 feet from the floor. I am also attaching a removable vine to the ceiling that can attach to the branches inside the cage when the cage is open to allow for more climbing area.

Location - Peculiar, Missouri

Current Problem - None yet, and hoping to keep it that way with your help.


Let me know what I am doing wrong and what I should do to correct any issues I may have.
 
What type?

I know you said you don't have your cham yet, but do you have an idea of what type you plan on getting?

This will make a big difference on what suggestions you will recieve about standard care.
 
I am thinking of Graceful or veiled. Male for both. I know I am not ready to deal with eggs just yet.
 
Good idea :) always great to know everything possible before buying a chameleon. I researched for a week or more called and went to pet stores. Ok so for feeding and dusting, depends on male female an age, but everyday dusting of calcium is needed d3 needed 2 times a month. Along with misting, get a dropper for drinking (can make one).with the cage size you mentioned you would be looking along the lines for a non-baby chameleon .i have a baby veiled and she's in a 16x16x20 screen (no glass) . Only reason for having slightly older then baby with the cage you want is because the babies are so small and may slip and the environment needs to match their size. Also if you are wanting a "tame" chameleon or one that lets you feed it or get it out. I recommend a baby 2 months . And buy from a reptile store like lllreptile ( love this place) quality and behavior are different from generic pet stores . -trust me I know- their are always exceptions but, my personal experience is that. Also watch the window situation . My windows let in extreme heat or cold. So in winter time it might get a little chilly despite heating lamp. Well good luck to you! Chameleons are amazing :) If you want some pointers or info on them check out my YouTube video of baby Cham and tame - just search baby chameleon care/tame and it's by Lucy lue oh!and veiled chameleons are good starters ;)
 
I definitely do not want a baby right off the bat. Maybe in the future, but not as a first. We have gone through LLLReptile to get our Red-Eyed Tree Frogs, and we couldn't be happier! I have been looking for breeders in my area and have had very little luck, so I think shipping is my only option aside from an upcoming reptile expo. I am even willing to buy from a forum member (hint hint).

We have made a few drip systems for our frogs in the past, so that is not a problem. I will just put one on the cage. But with that comes the question of drainage. I really don't want water dripping all over our carpets...any tips on preventing this for the Reptibreeze?

Thanks for the video suggestion!
 
Dusting with Repashy Calcium Plus is much easier. IMO. It's one duster you can use it every feeding - and you don't have to keep track of what dusting you used when, and worry about over dosing your chameleon!
 
I second what KMW says, otherwise you definitely need separate calcium-only and calcium with D3 supplements. I found it tough to get the calcium-only powder at pet stores and ended up ordering some from eBay, but when I'm getting my chameleon, I'm pretty sure I'm going with the Repashy option, he already feeds my cresties, I adore the research he does to help out scatterbrains like me, and just reduce the stress levels slightly.
 
Repashy is good.. there are several. You want the calcium plus... http://www.store.repashy.com/calcium-plus-4-oz-bag.html << that stufff

I disagree with not getting a baby, u don't need a small age. Just make sure they eat. That's the only downfall is if they find there food.. many members put 2 month old in a 2x2x4 cage and just cup feed for awhile.. it take a veiled male about 5 months to need a big boy cage.. there commonly sold at 2 months.. so there very fast growers! And too cute to pass up :)
 
For the dripping on. Wrote issue, use like. Dog small Dow water bowl put it under we're the drips are going to fall, then empty it when it gets full. And put a stick in it or mesh tape over top I case they fall in or down :) and yes cage size is dependable on your personal opinion. Me , I'm growing my chameleon family so I have three cages diff size , just prefer small to big with babes but ya what ever chameleon you get I hope it's great ! :)
 
I think that when I say "baby" I mean "hatchling". Young is fine. I just don't want anything too young. We have unfortunately dealt with animals being sold to us far too young. My girlfriend was sold a very young Red-Eyed Tree Frog from a local pet store and they informed us all too late that it was just a baby and they had no idea if it was eating on it's own. They also told us to feed it small crickets, when it really should have been eating fruit flies. It died less than a week after we got it. However, our current red eyes are thriving and seem happy.

Now do you see why I am doing as much research as I am? I want to avoid past problems.
 
I would say you don't need to blue light, heat emitter, maybe or the thermostat. Most people just use a reg clamp lamp and house hold bulb. I measure my temps with an infrared temp gun and the temps stay in the same area and im also able to get my chams direct temp w/o getting too close. I really don't see the need for a thermostat as it would just be going on and off.
Next gutloading
 
Chams need a varied diet of feeders. To name a few crickets, Dubuque roaches, flour beetles, fruitflies, silk worms, Phoenix worms, wax worms as treats and to fatten baby's up, these waxworms should be a very small percentage of their diet as a baby and almost never recomemend for adults, same as the Phoenix unless you poke a hole in them. But there are many feeders to use.
My cricket and Roach gutloads I mix up a bag of fish flakes( not recommended by most but crix are only a percentage of my chams diet) a lil bit of the vitamin supplement you'll use mine is rep-cal brand, and dinofuel=great. I mix all these together and crush up the flakes which they love, same as dinofuel ratoor edition. I don't measure these out just put it together and they love it as far as dry gut load goes.
wet gutload sandrachameleon on the forums has great blogs I can't attach;( but most fresh Vega or fruits will be excepted along with your cubes and I also use cricket total bites vitamin/water source. Gut load the prey fresh veg and feuits the day before feeding or offer it all the time to your crickets or roaches. Don't let wet come in contact with dry also;) hope this helps and good luck with your future cham:)
 
Also.a young one 2-3 month old is best if you can get him from a breeder like flchams. You can watch him grow and will likely be more friendly and easier to handle at that age to accustom to you.
Also cage being in your living room is there a lot of traffic?
 
Veileds are so cool hah of course its my first cham too:) They have funny attitude at a young age and I've seen the females with some nice colors. My camille's are starting to come in nice:) the big casque on a male seems to be a probable risk for.burn since its so big near the basking lamp.
 
RealIzeRecognIze said:
Veileds are so cool hah of course its my first cham too:) They have funny attitude at a young age and I've seen the females with some nice colors. My camille's are starting to come in nice:) the big casque on a male seems to be a probable risk for.burn since its so big near the basking lamp.
Click to expand...

It.seems its more of making his cage full of hiding spots bit minimizeing the spots he can't go because his big oh head..
I use two 100 watt bulbs in a double dome fixture lifted Like a foot from the top and his basking is 6 or so from the top. I don't want burns!
 
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