Husbandry & Care Tips & Tricks

[ChameleonMom]

In my (almost) 7 years of keeping chameleons I have come up with a few tips & tricks that have helped me in the ultimate care and contentment of my chams. I figure if I've got my own idea's as to how to keep a happy, healthy Cham then I'm certain other members must have some of their own ideas to share. It may be helpful and or interesting to see what others do to keep their chams on the road to a healthy, long life.

A couple of my tips:

Whenever I replace my UVB bulbs, before replacing I write the date on the bulb stem with a sharpie pen so that I know exactly when they will be due for a change.

Most of my chameleons are in my living room and their lights go out at 6pm, however my family will spend the evening watching TV in the same room. Since I don't like to be disturbed by light and noise when I try to sleep, I afford my chams the same courtesy. I purchased an inexpensive black shower curtain and once lights are out, the curtains go up for Cham 'privacy' during the evening. This is such an essential part of my chams bedtime ritual that if I am out or forget to put the curtains up, my chams will not go to sleep until they are. As soon as the curtains are up, their eyes close. I have convinced myself that this affords them a private, quiet and serene space to rest.

I have more to share but will add them if/when others chime in with their own tips and/or tricks!!

 

[Deevo]

Just yesterday I bought a timer for $6.00 at wal-mart and with an extra two-outlet power bar I had laying around at home I was able to easily automate my lighting. I still mist by hand but that's more of just my personal preference.

Garden centres will often have small supports used for flowers and small tress that can be used as ladders for your chameleon. I have never even paid for any as they will just give them away.

Spanish moss can be an inexpensive way to add some of that jungle looking effect to your enclosure. It will just take in water from the mist and nutrients from the air.

 

[SaintJimmy]

Buying timers is an awesome way to not have to worry about the chams going to sleep or getting to bask in the day time.

I want to get shower curtains and a mist king and I assume that will make things 100% easier too. Put it on a timer as well and half my cham care is automated.

Also a drainage system is amazing. Change the bucket every 3-5 days instead of cleaning out the bottom of the cage with paper towels every day.

 

[ChameleonMom]

Great ideas, guys! Anyone else? Nobody else has anything 'special' or have a different idea regarding husbandry or Cham care?

 

[ChameleonMom]

Okay, another tip that saves time and keeps my chams healthy; once a week I do my 'gutload' shopping and then spend an hour it so slicing & dicing and packaging everything up into little ziplock bags and then put it all into my gutload container in the fridge.

Every second day I provide fresh fruit and veg to my feeders and its very convenient to just reach in the fridge and get fresh food.

 

[Olimpia]

Here are a few of my favorite little tricks or products:

Fishing line. So useful for hanging plants, tying branches together, and securing anything in the cage discretely. I use the very thin type to tie pothos vines, for example, to train them, or the heavy-weight type to hang the pothos plant entirely.

Ait-tight food containers. If you've ever had little beetles find their way into your gutload or suppements, you'll appreciate this trick. Plus, airtight food containers to store your supplements and dry gutloads will keep them fresh longer. I keep about a month's supply of each product in a container and the rest of the bag in the fridge, which prolongs the shelf-life.

Collect all plastic containers. Any time I order Chinese food or go through a yogurt container I will wash and keep them in a spare drawer. I find that I can never have enough extra plastic containers, especially the perfect size to cup-feed from. These are useful for cupfeeding, containing bugs, transporting baby chameleons, etc.

Branches from outside. I am surprised more people don't use FREE supplies from outside! I find that fresh-cut branches from a safe, smooth-barked tree make the best perches in the world, they last years, and look great.

Get supplies via Amazon.com or at home improvement stores. I get my 48" long Reptisun 10.0 UVB bulbs for more than half of what pet stores charge, for example, on Amazon. And a lot of good chameleon supplies can be found at Home Depot or Lowe's for less than at pet stores as well. The obvious options being heat bulbs and light fixtures, but other things too.

 

[kplatvoet]

I use those velcro buttons to attach my feeding cups to the side of the cage and sometimes hide a few treats (silkworms or phoenix) in a new place so they can hunt around for them-

 

[SaintJimmy]

Here are a few of my favorite little tricks or products:

Fishing line. So useful for hanging plants, tying branches together, and securing anything in the cage discretely. I use the very thin type to tie pothos vines, for example, to train them, or the heavy-weight type to hang the pothos plant entirely.

Yes yes! Fishing line all the way. Seriously. Fishing line is a must in screen cages. How do you even manage to NOT use fishing line?

Ait-tight food containers. If you've ever had little beetles find their way into your gutload or suppements, you'll appreciate this trick. Plus, airtight food containers to store your supplements and dry gutloads will keep them fresh longer. I keep about a month's supply of each product in a container and the rest of the bag in the fridge, which prolongs the shelf-life.

Collect all plastic containers. Any time I order Chinese food or go through a yogurt container I will wash and keep them in a spare drawer. I find that I can never have enough extra plastic containers, especially the perfect size to cup-feed from. These are useful for cupfeeding, containing bugs, transporting baby chameleons, etc.

Branches from outside. I am surprised more people don't use FREE supplies from outside! I find that fresh-cut branches from a safe, smooth-barked tree make the best perches in the world, they last years, and look great.

Thank you! I agree with this. Just grab an attractive, safe branch from outside and wash it off and drill some holes in it. Use fishing line and attach and wallah.

Get supplies via Amazon.com or at home improvement stores. I get my 48" long Reptisun 10.0 UVB bulbs for more than half of what pet stores charge, for example, on Amazon. And a lot of good chameleon supplies can be found at Home Depot or Lowe's for less than at pet stores as well. The obvious options being heat bulbs and light fixtures, but other things too.

Regular house bulbs, light fixtures, etc are found in hardware stores and are VERY cheap compared to what you pay at a pet store. Same goes for amazon? See a reptile supply you like? USE AMAZON or another store besides the big chain stores.

In green is what I second/agree with! Seriously. All of this is good advice

 

[ReptiGeek]

Creating Horizontal Pathways
If you are using a screen enclosure, it has never been easier! Cut your branches (or dowels) to length. Then take a 1/16" drill bit and drill a hole on either end of your branch or dowel, around the length of a 1/4" screw. Now have someone hold up your branch or dowel to where you want it in your enclosure. Take a 1/4" screw and slowly screw it through the outside of your mesh and in to the hole you previously drilled in the ends of your horizontal pathways so it is tight to the mesh. Following these steps will prevent your branches and dowels from splicing when you screw the screw in.

Affordable Waterproofing
Do you have a dollar store near you? I buy so many things from my local Dollarama that I use for my chameleons it is ridiculous! I had previously boughten a nice bamboo designed shower curtain from walmart for $15. Then I found a jungle-themed shower curtain at my Dollarama for only $3! They are the exact same size and both look great, but I would choose the dollarama shower curtain any day to save on cost.

Hanging heavy plants in a screen enclosure
Go to your local hardware store and find yourself some stainless steel 'S' hooks. I personally use the 1" size because they are thicker and more supportive. Now grab a 3/4"-1" sized dowel rod. Cut your dowel rod to fit across the top of your enclosure perfectly. Make a small hole in the top mesh underneath the dowel that is just big enough to poke one end of the 'S' hook through. Take the end of the 'S' hook that you poked through and secure it to the dowel. You now have a sturdy support-beam that can easily withstand two hanging plants, such as pothos.

 

[Olimpia]

Oh, and thumb tacs. I use tacs to pin up my branches through the screen of screen cages. The points are so thin that they don't ruin your screen and if you use push-pins you can remove them and adjust the branches around. The tacs lay flat agains the screen and, although not easily removed, hold up a surprising amount of weight. I've pined up pretty thick branches with just one tac on each end.

 

[qdude46]

Yes! I put twisty branches on the screened sides of my glass screen combo vacant pygmy viv, and pushpins worked great!

 

[JFodera]

One of the most valuable lessons I discovered while attempting to afford this wonderful, yet expensive hobby, goes as follows:

Utilize any and all available methods to avoid the purchase and dependence on mass produced, reptile specific brands.

Almost every product we need for successful chameleon care can be found, either whole or in pieces, at your local hardware store or online. It will be exceedingly cheaper and usually of higher quality. As many of you have said in this thread, there are so many inexpensive alternatives to what one finds in a reptile or pet shop. Cages, decorations, plants, branches, fixtures, timers, tubes, valves; you name it, odds are you can find it or make it cheaper than any product that has a reptile printed on the packaging. Except for things like UVB bulbs, supplements, feeders, and (for the most part) high pressure piston pumps/misting systems, one need never waste their time and money on overpriced products that will soon break or never properly function.

If you can learn this as a brand new member to the chameleon keeping community, you will be much more satisfied (and wealthier) as a result.

 

[ChameleonMom]

These are great ideas!! Olimpia, I use zap straps but agree that fishing line is nicer to look at (if you can even see it), the black zap straps aren't very aesthetically pleasing! I also like to use outdoor branches, they add the lush, natural look that I like my cages to have.


HAHA!! Travis, what a fantastic idea!!!!

Hanging heavy plants in a screen enclosure
Go to your local hardware store and find yourself some stainless steel 'S' hooks. I personally use the 1" size because they are thicker and more supportive. Now grab a 3/4"-1" sized dowel rod. Cut your dowel rod to fit across the top of your enclosure perfectly. Make a small hole in the top mesh underneath the dowel that is just big enough to poke one end of the 'S' hook through. Take the end of the 'S' hook that you poked through and secure it to the dowel. You now have a sturdy support-beam that can easily withstand two hanging plants, such as pothos.

 

[ChameleonMom]

I also view every empty container in my home as a potential dripper! You never know when you'll need a new one!!!

 

[ellbodavis]

I use wall plant hooks to hang my basking lights above my screen enclosures.

 

[ridgebax1]

Instead of thumb tacks or push pins, I use wooden toothpicks to hold my branches through the screen. I push one pointy end into the end of my branch through the screen, the just clip off the excess leaving about a half inch protruding through the screen.
I covered the back of my screen enclosure with that shrink fit window film and it is not even noticeable. I am going to make two more for the sides by getting that framing they sell at home depot to make window screens, cover that with the plastic film then put it up on the cage using neodymium magnets. The frames are 36 x 36 so I am going to cut them down to be 24x36. My cage is 24x24x48 so there will be some open area at the top and bottom for air circulation and I can take them down or put them up as needed to adjust humidity. The only problem is they are white and the cage is black so I was thinking of spraying them with rustoleum before putting the plastic on.
I also have my lights and misting system on a timer. I had been expecting a refund from the monsoon people but they sent ANOTHER unit, this is the third and so far it seems to be working. We'll see how long that lasts.
I never thought I would be growing bugs either but have two colonies of roaches and am working on silks. In the spring I will try hornworms.
I also save the foam trays from the meats I buy at the supermarket. I use them for fruit/veggies for the roaches. I also save take out containers and any type of little plastic lid that looks like it would be good for holding gutload or water crystals.

 

[ChameleonMom]

Instead of thumb tacks or push pins, I use wooden toothpicks to hold my branches through the screen. I push one pointy end into the end of my branch through the screen, the just clip off the excess leaving about a half inch protruding through the screen.
I covered the back of my screen enclosure with that shrink fit window film and it is not even noticeable. I am going to make two more for the sides by getting that framing they sell at home depot to make window screens, cover that with the plastic film then put it up on the cage using neodymium magnets. The frames are 36 x 36 so I am going to cut them down to be 24x36. My cage is 24x24x48 so there will be some open area at the top and bottom for air circulation and I can take them down or put them up as needed to adjust humidity. The only problem is they are white and the cage is black so I was thinking of spraying them with rustoleum before putting the plastic on.
I also have my lights and misting system on a timer. I had been expecting a refund from the monsoon people but they sent ANOTHER unit, this is the third and so far it seems to be working. We'll see how long that lasts.
I never thought I would be growing bugs either but have two colonies of roaches and am working on silks. In the spring I will try hornworms.
I also save the foam trays from the meats I buy at the supermarket. I use them for fruit/veggies for the roaches. I also save take out containers and any type of little plastic lid that looks like it would be good for holding gutload or water crystals.

ALL really great tips!! When you mentioned meat cartons you made me think of the egg cartons I save for my cricket colony!

 

[ridgebax1]

ALL really great tips!! When you mentioned meat cartons you made me think of the egg cartons I save for my cricket colony!

I save those too! I work as a nurse taking care of very sick children in their homes and have asked all my families to save me egg cartons, toilet paper and paper towel rolls for my bugs!. I also shop a lot on Amazon. I have the prime membership so it really saves money for shipping. Another money saver is buying connectors for misting system from the plant irrigation department. You can get T-connectors and straight connectors plus the black 1/4 inch tubing for much less that the reptile misting system websites.