Help, UK noob having a panic !

[mightymart]

Hi, I have purchased a Veiled Chameleon but not picked it up from the pet shop yet as I was trying to keep the cost down by buying the set up online (Ebay etc etc) But after going to the pet shop today to have a look/check at my purchase I then got talking to another person there how has fried my brain ???
Basically I have been told to many different things & becuase i havent got time to do more research Im having a bit of a panic as i will be picking him up at the weekend,.
I thought I got all the info I needed from the pet shop with regards to set up & bought a Exo terra glass terrarium, but on receiveing the terrarium today the side was smashed & after reading on here the glass vivarium wasnt the way to go anyway, So maybe a blessing in disguise ?
At present i have Habistate dimming thermostat with day & night facility 3 jungle vines & a medium exo terra waterfall thats on the way & thats it !!!
WHAT else do I need ??? Please bear in mind my new Chameleon is about 3 months old & I live in the UK, The chamleon will be keeped in the back room that is heated the same as the rest of the house.

 

[AJA]

Hi MM

You haven't mentioned any lighting. UVB is a big one. Here is a link to one of our sponsors who has a "complete" set up. This should get you to thinking of what you may need.

http://www.flchams.com/complete_cages.asp


There are others as well. LLL Reptile (another sponsor) have complete set ups as well.

 

[ronnie]

I live in N.Ireland and use a glass viv with no problems whatsoever...the above link is great for info as is this forum....get reading!!....and good luck,oh and get rid of the waterfall!(you'll hear that a millon times)

 

[RSGriff]

Other members will recommend you don't use the waterfall.

If you had a screen cage, simple drip system (some sort of plastic container with a pin hole in it so that it drips) and a spray bottle you'll be fine for humidity and drinking water assuming you mist 2-3 times daily for a few minutes.

for lighting. Purchase a Reptisun 5.0 linear tube (not the compact fluorescent bulb) and a simple white house 40-60 watt bulb for uvb and heat. you can get fixtures for those at a home improvement store. You will also need a thermometer for the basking spot to make sure the temps dont get over 80* F. While at the home improvement store, look for golden pothos, ficus, hibiscus or some of the other trees/plants listed in the safe plants list under blogs.

make sure you have some sort of drainage system or a lot of newspaper to soak up the excess water.

you also need to be dusting your feeders with calcium daily, calcium with d/3 2x per month and reptive or a multivitiman 2x per month

For your feeders, crickets are a common choice for a staple or main feeder. make sure you keep them with fresh fruits and vegetables for a proper gutload. Ordering feeders in bulk is often the best way to go since petsores usually charge a lot more per feeder.

 

[mightymart]

I think I have that one partly covered ! I think I will be useing a repti glo 10.0 UVB strip light, but this is were it first started to go wrong, I was first told to use a Thermo socket reflector but was unsure what bulb to use , but then I was told to use a exo terra wire light for the heat that will work with my thermostat but just use a normal household bulb ???
Would a Flexaruim be ok for these lights ?

 

[Miss Lily]

I'm also in the UK. I too house my veiled in an exo terra. You can buy the hoods for the top of the cage in which the light bulbs are fitted. However, there are two types - Dual Top and Compact Top. If you get one of these hoods, get the Dual top - it houses the tube UV and heat lamp bulb. The Compact one houses compact bulbs which are bad news for chams (compact bulbs have been known to cause eye problems).

You won't need the waterfall. A good misting/sprayer bottle to mist the cage two or three times a day will be sufficient. You can also set up a dripper too using a plastic cup with a small hole pricked into the bottom. Remember you will need something to catch the drips in!

You will not need anything in the bottom of the cage as substrate either. I didn't like the bare glass bottom, so I got an offcut of vinyl flooring and sealed it into the bottom around the edges using aquarium silicone. This takes a couple of days to 'cure' though.

Your cham will need live plants too. These help wo keep humidity levels up and also provide places for your cham to hide and drink from the droplets of water that form on the leaves when you are misting. Schefflera (Umbrella plant), Ficus (Weeping Fig), Pothos (Devil's Ivy) are safe for chams and are widely used. You can buy these in several sizes from B&Q. Another favourite plant is an Hibiscus - my cham loves to eat hers!

You do not need any basking / heat lamps or UV lamps on at night - chams like darkness to sleep and also the temperature drop aids sleep.

Another great place for info is here: http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/

 

[Vic]

Hi Im in the uk and have never had a problem using exo terra viv. Ditch the waterfall as you would be shocked how much slime gathers inside in just a week!

 

[Syn]

I think my new statement for people with waterfalls is, "You have is running for a week and lick the waterfall.. if you can't do it then don't make your chameleons!"

Everyone has great advice on this thread, not really anything I can add.

Welcome to the hobby!

 

[RSGriff]

Instead of the waterfall, if you really want a watering system that is self automated, go with the mist king systems. I just purchased mine and set it up today and it by far exceeded my expectations. It is quieter than anything else I have used and it creates such a fine mist that is evenly dispersed throughout the cage. It really helps with humidity.

(Thanks again Marty )

 

[mightymart]

I know now the waterfall was a bad idea so I wont use it.
Getting back to the Vivarium, Will I be ok with the flexarium ? I was going to buy the big 100 one & section part of the bottom to make it smaller till he gets bigger ? But are the lights ok above this set up ?

 

[WelshOneEmma]

I know now the waterfall was a bad idea so I wont use it.
Getting back to the Vivarium, Will I be ok with the flexarium ? I was going to buy the big 100 one & section part of the bottom to make it smaller till he gets bigger ? But are the lights ok above this set up ?

You may have trouble keeping your temps up with a flexarium. We have our viv in the living room, and when the door is open we really struggle to keep the temps up.

 

[Vic]

I think you may struggle with temps and humidity, i live just outside london and to be honest it's hard work keeping my temp and humiditiy up in the exo terra glass viv over the winter. I do have the smaller flexarium that i use in the garden when the weather is warm enough.

 

[mightymart]

Thanks , I am picking up a new Exo terra 45x45x60 tomorrow , I will keep him in this till he gets a bit older & then transfer him in to something bigger.
At least this way I will have more time to sort out what type of viv I want.
As mentioned the fexi's have trouble keeping the temps up & the glass vivs have trouble with the humidity, What ever way it seems as if you have to try & find a happy medium ? Hence mentioning that I live in the UK because of our great weather & hopefully find out what most UK Chameleons owners use to provided the best enclosures for there chameleons.

Oh yer I forgot shall i keep the waterfall then lol

 

[SliK JiM]

Missed most of this conversation so I'll just tag on at the end!

Ditch the waterfall! They're **** and will just be a breeding ground for bacteria and other nasties!

This is my flexi for a male yemen:

I would really suggest using a flexi as it keeps the air fresh and lessons the chance of a RI. You can keep the heat up by 'blocking' the sides. In the picture I had two sides blocked by walls and another blocked by a wardrobe. It worked great. You won't struggle to keep temps up in all honesty as long as the enclosure isn't in a really draughty area. Having said that, you'll be fine with glass for a while, at least until he/she outgrows the exo, as they're not big enough for an adult!

If you can, try and keep the outside of the exo well lit, ie, don't keep it in a dark room. This'll stop your cham seeing a reflection of itself (glass has the property of a mirror if one side is dark and the other is very bright, so keep both bright, and they wont see a reflection!)

Oh, and in terms of size, I have had my guy in a 175 flexi since he was 3 months old and about 3" stv, so you don't have to start small.

 

[SliK JiM]

Oh yeah, as for lighting, it's your choice. I use a normal incandescent bulb for a basking spot (sometimes two if it gets too cold) and a megaray to provide UV (I have it placed 18" above the top of the enclosure so that it gives a good deep coverage into my enclosure - I wouldn't recommend this for your size enclosure though! ) I have had a 100w bulb literally touching the mesh and it didn't melt it at all (it got really cold in christmas!!! ) A nice 5.0 UV tube will do you just fine for UV just fine though in your size enclosure. Experiment with the incandescent bulbs to get the basking spot right, but you'll probably need a 40w to keep the temperatures sweet in an exo (as the glass will keep the temp in!). You could also use a 'new' halogen bulb as the basking bulb, as they produce a better spectrum of light, and they produce more heat per watt, so you would get away with a 30~35w bulb, but, they are a little more expensive!

 

[mightymart]

What lights do you have on top of your flexi as I see 3 ? I take it that the top bit is a home made addition for the lights to clamp ? I was told to get a 10.0 tube uvb ? I dont see any tubes on top of yours.
I was thinking of covering the glass sides with fish tank back ground.
Thanks for the pictures as this will give me ideas how to dress my Vivarium , In fact I will have alook round now at other pictures.

 

[jojackson]

Maybe something like this, depending on your climate/needs?

http://www.bigappleherp.com/Exo-Terra-Metal-Screen?sc=2&category=4#

main
http://www.bigappleherp.com/REPTILE-SUPPLIES/Habitats

 

[SliK JiM]

What lights do you have on top of your flexi as I see 3 ? I take it that the top bit is a home made addition for the lights to clamp ? I was told to get a 10.0 tube uvb ? I dont see any tubes on top of yours.
I was thinking of covering the glass sides with fish tank back ground.
Thanks for the pictures as this will give me ideas how to dress my Vivarium , In fact I will have alook round now at other pictures.

I did say, but there was a lot to take in! In that picture, I have two incandescents (only one was working at the time though) and the big one in the middle was a megaray 100W (positioned 12" above the top to provide adequate UV) I don't use a UV tube as I have the megaray bulb to produce the UV for me!

The debate between a 10.0 tube and a 5.0 tube is a pretty long one, and arguments can be made for both sides. I'd go with a 5.0 in your situation as you enclosure is only 60cm tall. Once you reach the 1m mark I'd say use a 10.0 tube. Go to www.uvguide.co.uk for more information on tubes (it has great diagrams of the output intensity at different distances)

I've known people do that and it works pretty well as long as you don't get one with a pirate ship scene or whatever! Just have plenty of live plants and you'll be fine. I use fake plants all around the top to create a nice jungle feel as you can't find real plants that'll fit in those sorts of spaces at the top!

Try www.captivebredreptileforums.co.uk for more advice and pictures from UK chameleon keepers (there's a chameleon section). But stay with this forum as there is a great deal of knowledge kicking around from people a lot more experienced than myself!

Don't quote me on this, but those all screen exo terra things aren't 'really' allowed in the UK as they don't meet some stupid regulation! They were meant to replace the flexi, but they still haven't got into circulation yet. I know a few people who have bought them from Germany, so you can get them, but it's a bit more hassle! {I think i saw somewhere selling the small one, but I can't for the life of me remember where!}

 

[mightymart]

I did look at the screen exo terras but they dont seem to do a large size ? 60 cm being the biggest

 

[SliK JiM]

I did look at the screen exo terras but they dont seem to do a large size ? 60 cm being the biggest

Yeah, there's something about them that doesn't conform to some UK standards! They make one as big as a 175flexi (72x72x122cm) which would be perfect. Can't wait for them to roll out in the UK!