my new chameleon need advice

kellyb29

kellyb29

New Member
Hello all. I just purchased my new baby. I decided to set up the tank as close as I possibly could to the way the store had it set up so I wouldn't shock him. To me he seems happy and content. But im concerned.. im reading on here I need to give him suppliments. I was never told this. I asked at the store to give me everything I would need. I want him to be happy n healthy for as long as hes supposed to live. Any suggestions? Also I knew I should mist his tank but how often. And would it be bad to add another into his tank with him from the same place so hes not alone? :confused:
 
Hi Kelly, welcome to the forum. What kind of chameleon did you buy? There are some really good care sheets here on the forum, that will help you get your setup correct.
Unfortunately a lot of the pet stores do not know the proper way to set up a chameleon cage. They end up giving bad advice, and have you purchase the wrong things. If you have the time, listing what you have will help people help you figure out what you need to add and take away. Pictures are helpful, too.
2 Chameleons in the same enclosure is a very bad idea. They, with the rare exception, do not like being in each other's company. It will stress them out and lead to a shorter life. Even in the wild they live a solitary life, only getting together to mate.

Link to care sheets: https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/
 
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Welcome! Unfortunately, MelissaB is right - pet stores seem to give out terrible advice on caring for chameleons. There are exceptions, sure, but it pops up regularly here on the forum that new keepers are given poor advice, told to buy things they don't need, and not told about other extremely important things.



But, we can help get you squared away! Read through the care sheets, look at the enclosure sticky posts for tons of photos of good setups, and ask lots of questions. The people here are great - lots of experience, very helpful, and patient!



The learning curve for a new keeper can seem intimidating (oh, I remember exactly how that feels!), but one step at a time, and we'll figure it out :D



First: Post photos of your chameleon and the cage and make a specific list of what you have, plans for watering and feeding, and other basic stuff.



On the Health Forum, there is actually a great form called "How to ask for help" that would make it easy to organize your info.



You're going to love having a chameleon. They have to be one of the quirkiest and cool pets you can have!
 
Hi Kelly. Is that tank as in fish tank or tank as in terrarium? Terrarium ok, fish tank is not. Because they did not tell you about supplements(which are very critical) tells me they are not too educated in chameleon care. The care sheet you have been linked to should provide you with everything you need to buy to keep your chameleon happy and healthy.
 
Thankyou :)

Thankyou everyone for responding. Heres a list of what ive got. Moss (the kind you soak in water and it expands) 2 sets of vines made for chameleons a large piece of driftwood a shallow water dish and ive been misting a few times a day. These are all the things they said I needed. Oh and a heat lamp/light and uvb light. The tank is a terranium. It was purchased used and the previous owners used it for the same pet. He is a veiled chameleon. They did not tell me his age. I asked for everything I need I didn't care what it costs I just want him to live a long happy life. I had one about 8 years ago and she died eggbound this is why o opted for a male. I will include photos i am trying to figure out how to attach them for some reason it is not working. Thankyou again!
 
Hi Kelly. To post a picture, you click on the paperclip icon and upload pics that way. :) I'd get rid of the moss. Sometimes a chameleon will shoot at it's prey and accidentally eat the moss. That could end up with a blockage in his intestines, which can be fatal. I'd also either cover the water dish with screen or something so he can't get into it or remove it completely. Most chams won't drink out of a water dish. I'm guessing that you're using the water dish to catch the drips from a dripper? Feeders can fall in the dish, and chams like to poop in water, so it can quickly become a nasty breeding ground for bacteria.
 
I tried thay with the pic n it wouldn't work. Ill try again. What would be appropriate bedding? And the store is actually only a reptile shop. She said to put the water dish in because they like options. And how would I figure out his age?
 
Hi Kelly, most of us don't use any bedding. Some people use paper towels for easy cleaning, some use reptile carpet but it needs to be cleaned often. I think, if you have a photobucket account you can post a link and share the pictures that way, if the paperclip thingy isn't working for you.

Someone here could probably give you a guestimate on his age by his size.

Does your cage have a glass bottom? I'm just wondering if you have any drainage options. I'd set up a dripper for him. It could be as easy as a cup with a pin hole set on the screen top, or you can make/buy a dripper. But if your cage has a glass bottom with no drainage you'll need somewhere for the extra water to go. Maybe a potted plant? Plants are great for keeping humidity up, but they have to be nontoxic to chameleons. There's a safe plant list here on the forum, one of the easiest is Pothos. You'd have to cover the soil with big enough rocks so your guy can't eat the soil, and clean the leaves so he's not exposed to pesticides.
 
For bedding, most keepers use nothing at all - just a bare bottom. It's much easier to keep dry and clean - less worry about bacteria and fungal growth. If it looks too bare to you, get some smaller chameleon-safe plants in pots to fill out the bottom. Easy to clean around and rotate. I recommend making it as easy on yourself as possible.



Ditch the water dish, again just another thing to have to clean everyday that will grow bacteria. Misting and a dripper will provide all the water your cham will want. Most chams only drink from moving or dripping water; they don't recognize standing water except as a place to poo :)



There is a post under the "Site Assistance" subforum that walks you through how to upload photos. (I'd link to it directly, but I'm on my phone.)



I think the best way to judge age would probably be to post pics and let some experienced veiled keepers weigh in. Length and weight figures would be really helpful too.



Keep an eye on the driftwood. They have a tendency to grow fungus. I scrub and then bake mine in the oven monthly. If it didn't look so cool, I'd toss it :)



EDIT: MelissaB, you're so fast - you beat me to it! :D
 
You all are awesome! I am so thankful for all this great advice :) ill get pics up asap. Even just to show him off. Hes so cute! Im still tossing around about the name too. I am just nervous im not doin things right. I will def check out the links you have suggested. This forum is wonderful for new owners like myself. And im glad you said that about the driftwood. As far as the dripping.. I have tried the cup with pinhole n for some reason it doesn't drip through the screen it piled up n started to make its way towards the lamp. I think ill buy a drip system. Ive been misting his tank with a bottle of warm water n comin home from work on lunch to do it through the day. He has been climbing right on me every time I put my hand in there. Hes quite social :) Maybe the pictures don't load because ive been trying with my phone. Thank you again! :D
 
Oh. And yes the bottom is glass. That's why she suggested the moss. I have a lot to do to get him situated!
 
Terranium is the size of a 30 gallon tank he is about the size of my index finger. Im gonna try and put pictures up now that I'm home
 
here is one of the photos camo.jpg
 
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - veiled
Handling - only a few time as he climbs right on me when i put my hand in the tank, i was advised not to handle him too much as of yet
Feeding - he is only eating crickets from the store. I put a few in his tank every day and he seems to eat them well.
Supplements- I was not advised to add any suppliments.
Watering - as of now I am misting his tank with a water bottle with warm water, and have attempted the cup with pinhole trick about 4 times a day. I have not seen him drink anything...
Fecal Description - I have only had him for a couple of days and have not noticed any fecies. the pet store said they are tested through them before they can sell them and he is very healthy
History - I am unsure of his age because they did not tell me. He is approx the size of my index finger.

Cage Info:
Cage Type -glass cage, size of a 30 gallon tank.
Lighting - it is the eco heat lamp the pet store uses.
Temperature -I have two thermometers in the tank. is averages about 80 degrees and at night about 75
Humidity - I can tell there is moisture in his tank, but am unsure how to measure the amount.
Plants - I have the vines the store sells, and just found out this morning I can add live plants so i am looking for the list of appropriate plants.
Placement - The tank is about 4ft off the floor and is not located near any fans or windows. it is in my living room.
Location - Michigan

Current Problem -I am concerned in general that I do not have everything I need to keep him happy/healthy as the reptile store did not give me half the advice I have seen on here. I want to make sure I have everything he needs.
 
Congrats kelly. he's a cutie pie. i too am new around here, and also about 20 years ago lost a female panther after a 2nd session of spending alot of time in the egg laying bin. with in my first day poking around here, i learned more about chameleons that i could have ever imagined. this kind of a dedicated group didn't exist, or i couldn't find them. these folks are great. keep asking questions and reading other posts, and you'll soon be doing everything 99% right. you always have to leave 1% out there for learning something new each day.
 
You should be dusting with plain calcium daily, calcium with d3 twice a month, and a multi vitamin twice a month. Also, he seems young so he should be having at least 10 cricks daily and be sure to add a variety of feeders. Don't really listen to the store workers as most don't have a clue on their care. Could you post a pic if the set up because most glass enclosure aren't good for chams except for a few.
 
yes i can post a few more pics, just a fyi the tank is glass but the top is mesh/screen as that is what they sold me at the store.
 
He's adorable! And I think it's fantastic that you're doing the research to make sure he stays healthy and happy. :) Do you have a UVB bulb for him? He'll definitely need one, or he could end up with MBD.
If you add live plants, be sure to clean/rinse the leaves so that they're no pesticides or fertilizer on them, and make sure he can't get to any of the little fertilizer balls, or white chunks of perlite.
Some people take out the first couple inches of dirt and add some organic soil, then cover the soil with rocks that are too big to go in their mouths. Be careful if you have a tray under the plant. I've read a story, here, of a little guy getting stuck in the tray and almost drowning.

Here's a safe plant list from FlaChams:
http://www.flchams.com/safe_plant_list.asp
 
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