I've got Questions....Just need answers???

[azzidoo33]

Hi everyone! My names josh by the way, think i should have stumbled accross your forum a few weeks ago as i have loads of questions but have all ready build my cham viv. the yemen chameleon i'm wanting to get is around 3-5 months old but i've built a viv that is 5x2x2 (hightxwidthxdepth) is it ok to put him straight in here or do i need a smaller viv first?????

MISTING!!!.... how often is this done n how wet will the eviroment in the viv be???? stupid joshy used mdf to build his viv witch won't last long if wet wet wet. i have painted it witch should give a good seal....plz don't tell me i'm gunna have to start over!

ummmm..... uv 5 or uv 10???

what wattage buld would you recomend?

how to give my chameleon water....... could do with as many opinions as possible on this matter?


Will be greatfull of your replys

cheers guys

 

[kinyonga]

Welcome to the forum!

You said..."do i need a smaller viv first?????"...I always keep my babies in a long low aquarium (about 2' x15" x 12"H) with a screen lid for the first few months. In ensures that they will stay close enough to the UVB light to make sure that they get enough. They should still have some foliage that they can hide in to get away from it if they want to though. It also makes it easier for them to catch the food.

You said..."MISTING!!!.... how often is this done n how wet will the eviroment in the viv be???? stupid joshy used mdf to build his viv witch won't last long if wet wet wet. i have painted it witch should give a good seal....plz don't tell me i'm gunna have to start over!"...you will find out on your own if the wood will take the amount of wetness you will create! Does it have screen areas/sides/lid? Drainage? For a young veiled chameleon you will need to mist the cage at least twice a day. I don't use drippers until they are several months old since large drips have been known to be aspirated sometimes. The misting should be fine IMHO too so that the water won't pool.

You said..."uv 5 or uv 10???"...I have used the Reptisun 5.0 linear/tube light for years now. Lately its been discovered that some compacts and tube lights are causing eye problems. You can read about it here...
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/uvinviv.htm

You said..."what wattage buld would you recomend?"...the wattage will depend on where you place the bulb. What is important is that it produces the right temperature in the basking area. I just use a regular incandescent light in a hood. For hatchlings, I keep the basking area in the low 80's because small bodies heat and dehydrate quickly.

You said.."how to give my chameleon water....... could do with as many opinions as possible on this matter?"...misting is the only way I provide water for hatchling chameleons. When they are old enough to handle bigger drops of water I add a dripper. You can stay this simple or you can go more elaborate with automated systems.

Are you getting a male? Females can produce eggs even when not mated so you need to have a suitable place in their cage for them to dig to show you that they are ready to lay them.

Do you know about gutloading and supplementation?
I don't recommend substrates or the use of waterfalls or fountains.

Here are some sites that you might like to read...
http://www.adcham.com/
http://www.chameleonnews.com/

Hope this helps!

 

[Chamero]

Make sure to gut load your feeders nutritiously. I'm assuming you will be feeding with crickets and these are way easy to gut load. You can feed them things like carrots, broccoli, spinach (not too much), apple, orange, banana..etc. Anyway, the more greens they have the more water they will also have. So, along with the misting described above, properly gut loaded feeders will provide your cham with an additional water source.

 

[dodolah]

umm no broccoli and spinach as they contain oxallates that halt your chameleon ability to absorb calcium.

I found dandelion green is the best veggies for your cham

 

[azzidoo33]

Cheers for the replys.....great help!!!

My viv has 6ft square of screen to allow air flow, Thease are positioned either side. i will post a pic tonight once i've fitted the screen and the glass!

i would like to get a male... which leads me to another question (how can you tell male from female) somethin like barbs on there back legs???? My local pet shop have only just started selling reptile... they have 3 chameleons in but the bloke working there couldn't tell me if they where male or female!!!

i think they have one male there, he's about 10 inches long....surly thats a few months old and is ready for my big viv....

Cheers, Josh

 

[kinyonga]

Tarsal spurs....
http://www.adcham.com/html/husbandry/glossary/tarsalspur.html