Hey Everyone :)

Lingling

Lingling

New Member
Hey everybody, new kid here. I thought I'd go ahead and introduce myself, since I'll probably be around a bit. I'm new to chams as well as the forum.

I got my first veiled in June, a little guy who goes by Ling-Ling (or "dingaling" when he's running off or being hissy). Up until then I'd only kept a few anoles. I walked into the pet store with the intention of spending $9.99 on another anole, rather than $65 on a chameleon, but my anoles were nothing compared to this little guy! I work at a pet store, so I already had some knowledge on how to care for chams, but I was still relatively unfamiliar with my unexpected 'upgrade'. He's turned out to be a fascinating addition!

Currently, he's in a 40 gallon planted terrarium. In about two months we'll be moving to a new 'cham proof' room where I'm planning on free-ranging him the majority of the time. I also have a bigger screen cage on the way, for times when it may be necessary to cage him.

I'm looking forward to adding a panther to my 'zoo' pretty soon. He'll be taking Ling's 'baby cage' until he's large enough to be free-ranged also. If anyone has panthers for sale, I'd be interested in taking a look. I'm looking for a young male, hopefully under $200 + shipping.

Also looking for any tips that experienced keepers may have for me!
 
Alot of members would ask for a few pictures to help out. So there is a heads up. Other than that no real questions. I wish you the best of luck and they are wonderful additions!
 
welcome to the forums! enjoy your stay and countless hours on here :)

first of, i just want to say that, in the same room, i would avoid free ranging two different species together.

but anyways, lets start you off. if you would ever so kindly fill out this help form, the members here on the forums can see how your husbandry set up is, we will see if your temperatures are correct, and we will see how your supplementations are. we can thoroughly help you tweek your set up to perfection! a sufficient set up is a happy and healthy chameleon! :)

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.


Pictures are helpful
 
Welcome! I am from the Chicago area, what part are you in?

Here is a picture of one of my cages to give you an idea of setup....

KevinZamp05_30_20102922RS.jpg
 
Welcome to the family! Now prepare yourself for the addiction :) free roaming two chams in the same room might not be such a great idea, I would suggest setting up a barrier between the two. Other than that good luck and glad to have you with us!
 
Thanks for the responses and picture!

Here's some more info. Some I've already provided, but I put it here also, so it's easier for you to keep track of. Let me know what I can change.

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Male Veiled, unsure of age (about 5 inches w/ tail), I've had him since June 2010.
Handling - A couple times a week. I take him outside or let him chill on the pothos in my bedroom.
Feeding - I feed him 8+/- medium crickets daily. The crickets are gut loaded with a mix of fruits/veggies/grains/dog or cat food.
Supplements - I alternate Reptivite vitamin powder and a calcium supplement. Not sure the brand of the cal sup.
Watering - I mist him heavily twice a day. The plants hold a good deal of moisture. I do see him drinking off the glass or leaves.
Fecal Description - How do you describe chameleon poop? He's never been tested for parasites.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Currently he's in a class terrarium with screen top. 30L x 23Tall x 12Deep.
Lighting - I have a dual fluorescent strip light, with a reptisun 2.0 & 5.0, and a 60 watt (I think... the package is around somewhere) Nightglow bulb that provides enough heat. UVBs are on 9-10 hours, "basking" (nightglow) is always on. Using a digital dual thermometer/hygrometer, unsure of brand.
Temperature - Low end of the cage ranges around 73-76. Basking area stays around 90-93 day and night.
Humidity - Humidity ranges 50-70%, higher immediatly after misting. The plants maintain some humidity, as does regular misting.
Plants - Several live plants, a pothos and a couple other reptile safe plants, unsure of species.
Placement - Cage is currently in the living room. No direct sun or drafts. Top of the cage is roughly 5' high.
Location - NW IN

I'm still planning the logistics of the free-ranging. So far I'm thinking about this: Plants will be a 5-6' ficus benjamina/alii, really big hanging pothos, and possibly a few others. There are no windows in the room, so the ambient temperature easily remains constant, 73-75. I'll be using a humidifier during drier months, or year-round if needed. I know I'll need a dripper, and I'll also mist by hand once or twice daily. I'm doing a lot of reading on the pros and cons of a MV bulb like the powersuns. It will hang from the ceiling, about 2.5-3 feet from the top of the ficus. What do you guys think about the UVB output? What are the best ways to make this work? I can make necessary adjustments. I just want the little guy to be comfortable and healthy. I'll probably need additional grow lights for the plants, maybe a 24" shop light with 6500 Ks. Cup feeding will probably work best, I'd assume.

As far as free ranging a panther and a veiled in the same room... I was doubtful. Can it be done if they're at different ends of the room? Or at least attempted? Otherwise someone will go in the office across the hall.

I'm sure I have problems with my setups, as I'm new to all this. Please point them out! Constructive criticism appreciated!
 
I'm not the person whos should answer or reveal the mistakes since i am not so experienced tha the seniors here :), so i just want to say HELLO and Welcome to the forum :):)

Ricardo
 
Ah i cant believe no one has said anything. Stop gut loading with dog/cat food. Can make your cham sick. The night light is not needed as long as temps dont go below 65. Also only the reptisun 5.0 is needed. And as far as plants, look into getting a 6500k daylight bulb to replace that 2.0. Helps brighten the cage and keep the plant healthy. Also set up a good dripper and try to run it most of the day. And with the plant repot it with organic soil and use something like big rocks to cover the soil. veildes are know to eat dirt and plants so do your research on safe plants. Hope this helps. Also for a baby make sure his basking spot doesnt go over 90 at the most. Less is better.
 
Thanks for the info. What should I use to gut load instead of dog/cat food? I throw in plenty of fruits and veggies also. The night light is more his heat source during the day - I just don't like the look of the red bulbs or the glare from a lot of the basking bulbs. The nightglow provides enough heat without me being able to see it. I'll replace the 2.0 with a plant bulb. His terrarium actually has a built-in waterfall, but I'm still tweaking it - it had a leak. Misting him by hand is a temporary fix. I'll be sure to keep a close eye on the basking spot, so it doesn't get too hot. Thanks!
 
welcome to the forum and I am sure you will learn lots of valuable info here as I have. Stay away from the waterfall, ya they look nice but they are a breeding pool for bacteria. As for the gutload, fruits and veggies are good (stay away from brocolli and spinach as they keep your cham from absorbing calcium properly) and the reason cat/dog food is not good is because of the high protein levels init can cause gout in your cham. I personally like to make gutload salsa that the crix like, its a bit different each time but I use/have used bee pollen, kale, dandilion greens, oranges, berries, sweet potato, squash, collards, etc... One other thing I noticed, exactly what supplements are you using? you should have 3. 1) calcium without d3 (used at most feedings) 2) calcium with d3 (used every 2 weeks depending on if your cham spends alot of time outside or not) and 3) a multi vitamin (used every 2 weeks) that is my schedule and it seems to work well. try doing a seach of 'gutloading' and 'supplements' for more info and ideas. the only other thing I would recommend besides what other members have also posted is to add some variety to his diet, maybe some roaches, silkworms, hornworms, superworms etc
 
Hello and Welcome. Could you give some information on how the terrarium is set up? I have several terrariums set up so may be able to offer advice.

The advice you were given on supplementing, and not using a light at night are both point on. A night time drop in temp is a good thing. Just a question about his size, how big was he when you got him and did they tell you how old he was?

The way to describe poop is healthy poop has a formed brown part with a white part on the end. If the white part is orange that is a sign of dehydration. All of us watch the poop of our chams as one way of judging health.

I don't really do a lot of free ranging but I am sure Jannb will come on and explain how she does it with her two.
 
Welcome.

You may find some of these links useful:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/jannb/325-info-new-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/syn/226-frequently-asked-questions.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/ryan-jarosek/119-new-arrival-bringing-home.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/74-feeders.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/92-hydration-importance.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/65-supplements.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/75-feeder-nutrition-gutloading.html
http://www.chameleonnews.com/Reference.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/68-lighting-links.html
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/
 
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