crystalseas
Member
hi! I’m about to get my new male veiled cham- which is also my first. can i have some advice on setting up a terrarium?
New Cham
- Thread starter crystalseas
- Start date
Carloscruz
Avid Member
crystalseas
Member
also adding he is about 3-4 weeks old
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
Hi and welcome! Well, I can give you a massively long reply or I can send you to https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/
I suggest reading them all of the modules and also make sure to check the species specific info.
I do need to say that is quite a young age. Usually it’s best to get a chameleon that is at least 3 months old. The younger they are, the more susceptible they are to even the smallest husbandry errors. Plus there’s always a chance that even if you’ve got everything perfect, the chameleon could just pass away for no apparent reason as can happen at times. So, I’m not going to tell you not to get such a young cham…I just want you to be aware of these things.
Even though at that age your chameleon will be super tiny, I would still advise getting a 2x2x4’ enclosure. The floor can be moved up (placing something stable below it) to create a shorter space and then moved back down as your cham grows. Lights are very important and you’ll need a T5ho fixture with either ReptiSun 5.0 or Arcadia 6% uvb bulb. It will need to be as long as your enclosure’s width, so 24”. Most chain pet stores don’t carry T5s so you may need to order online. In addition to uvb, you’ll need a basking light. You’ll need to raise it above the screen as baby chams screen climb the top and that can cause burns. Ideal basking temp should be no higher than 80f. I suggest starting with a 60w bulb and see what temp that gives.
Very important! Don’t fall for the chameleon kit! Most of it isn’t appropriate and IMO is responsible for the illness and death of too many chameleons.
Supplements are also essential. You’ll use a phosphorus free calcium without D3 at every feeding except one per week. For that one feeding you’ll alternate between using a calcium with D3 and a multivitamin so that each is given once every other week. OR, to simplify things you can use a combined D3/multivitamin such as Reptivite with D3 at one feeding every other week.
Lots of branches and vines to travel on and only use safe live plants to create a forest edge environment. Your cham will need lots of opportunity to move around and take shade as desired. Veileds tend to eat their plants and have been known to eat artificial ones and become impacted.
I strongly advise to get a male instead of female. The females will lay eggs even if not mated and so their care really needs to be absolutely perfect to prevent laying problems.
For feeders, at that young age you may be needing to get fruit flies, bean beetles and pinhead crickets. The rule of thumb for feeder size is anything larger than the space between the eyes is too big. Until about 3-4 months old, you’ll be needing to feed twice a day as much as the cham can eat in about 15-20 minutes.
I also suggest checking out Neptune the chameleon on YouTube for accurate info. Do be careful so where you get your info from as there is a ton of inaccurate and outdated stuff out there. Of course, feel free to ask any questions you have here.
*Looks like I gave a massively long reply anyhow.
I suggest reading them all of the modules and also make sure to check the species specific info.
I do need to say that is quite a young age. Usually it’s best to get a chameleon that is at least 3 months old. The younger they are, the more susceptible they are to even the smallest husbandry errors. Plus there’s always a chance that even if you’ve got everything perfect, the chameleon could just pass away for no apparent reason as can happen at times. So, I’m not going to tell you not to get such a young cham…I just want you to be aware of these things.
Even though at that age your chameleon will be super tiny, I would still advise getting a 2x2x4’ enclosure. The floor can be moved up (placing something stable below it) to create a shorter space and then moved back down as your cham grows. Lights are very important and you’ll need a T5ho fixture with either ReptiSun 5.0 or Arcadia 6% uvb bulb. It will need to be as long as your enclosure’s width, so 24”. Most chain pet stores don’t carry T5s so you may need to order online. In addition to uvb, you’ll need a basking light. You’ll need to raise it above the screen as baby chams screen climb the top and that can cause burns. Ideal basking temp should be no higher than 80f. I suggest starting with a 60w bulb and see what temp that gives.
Very important! Don’t fall for the chameleon kit! Most of it isn’t appropriate and IMO is responsible for the illness and death of too many chameleons.
Supplements are also essential. You’ll use a phosphorus free calcium without D3 at every feeding except one per week. For that one feeding you’ll alternate between using a calcium with D3 and a multivitamin so that each is given once every other week. OR, to simplify things you can use a combined D3/multivitamin such as Reptivite with D3 at one feeding every other week.
Lots of branches and vines to travel on and only use safe live plants to create a forest edge environment. Your cham will need lots of opportunity to move around and take shade as desired. Veileds tend to eat their plants and have been known to eat artificial ones and become impacted.
I strongly advise to get a male instead of female. The females will lay eggs even if not mated and so their care really needs to be absolutely perfect to prevent laying problems.
For feeders, at that young age you may be needing to get fruit flies, bean beetles and pinhead crickets. The rule of thumb for feeder size is anything larger than the space between the eyes is too big. Until about 3-4 months old, you’ll be needing to feed twice a day as much as the cham can eat in about 15-20 minutes.
I also suggest checking out Neptune the chameleon on YouTube for accurate info. Do be careful so where you get your info from as there is a ton of inaccurate and outdated stuff out there. Of course, feel free to ask any questions you have here.
*Looks like I gave a massively long reply anyhow.
FloridaChameleonLiving
Avid Member
Have you done any research prior to this post? Just curious . & is this your first chameleon? Like do you have others you can relate to their enclosures if so ?
crystalseas
Member
i have done ab 20-30 hours of research, and it’s my first cham but not my first reptile or exotic pet.
crystalseas
Member
thank you so much! I was thinking to get a smaller enclosure first and upgrade. would a cham kit be ok if i didn’t really use most of the things it came with, and just bought it for the terrarium as the size of it is good for the smaller chameleon?Hi and welcome! Well, I can give you a massively long reply or I can send you to https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/
I suggest reading them all of the modules and also make sure to check the species specific info.
I do need to say that is quite a young age. Usually it’s best to get a chameleon that is at least 3 months old. The younger they are, the more susceptible they are to even the smallest husbandry errors. Plus there’s always a chance that even if you’ve got everything perfect, the chameleon could just pass away for no apparent reason as can happen at times. So, I’m not going to tell you not to get such a young cham…I just want you to be aware of these things.
Even though at that age your chameleon will be super tiny, I would still advise getting a 2x2x4’ enclosure. The floor can be moved up (placing something stable below it) to create a shorter space and then moved back down as your cham grows. Lights are very important and you’ll need a T5ho fixture with either ReptiSun 5.0 or Arcadia 6% uvb bulb. It will need to be as long as your enclosure’s width, so 24”. Most chain pet stores don’t carry T5s so you may need to order online. In addition to uvb, you’ll need a basking light. You’ll need to raise it above the screen as baby chams screen climb the top and that can cause burns. Ideal basking temp should be no higher than 80f. I suggest starting with a 60w bulb and see what temp that gives.
Very important! Don’t fall for the chameleon kit! Most of it isn’t appropriate and IMO is responsible for the illness and death of too many chameleons.
Supplements are also essential. You’ll use a phosphorus free calcium without D3 at every feeding except one per week. For that one feeding you’ll alternate between using a calcium with D3 and a multivitamin so that each is given once every other week. OR, to simplify things you can use a combined D3/multivitamin such as Reptivite with D3 at one feeding every other week.
Lots of branches and vines to travel on and only use safe live plants to create a forest edge environment. Your cham will need lots of opportunity to move around and take shade as desired. Veileds tend to eat their plants and have been known to eat artificial ones and become impacted.
I strongly advise to get a male instead of female. The females will lay eggs even if not mated and so their care really needs to be absolutely perfect to prevent laying problems.
For feeders, at that young age you may be needing to get fruit flies, bean beetles and pinhead crickets. The rule of thumb for feeder size is anything larger than the space between the eyes is too big. Until about 3-4 months old, you’ll be needing to feed twice a day as much as the cham can eat in about 15-20 minutes.
I also suggest checking out Neptune the chameleon on YouTube for accurate info. Do be careful so where you get your info from as there is a ton of inaccurate and outdated stuff out there. Of course, feel free to ask any questions you have here.
*Looks like I gave a massively long reply anyhow.
Ambilobe123
Avid Member
The chameleon kit would be ok for a baby’s enclosure, but what I’d recommend is getting the enclosure only- that way you save about half the cost. You then don’t have as much waste from the kit, and you can either sell or reuse the enclosure for something else.
crystalseas
Member
ok thanks
