New Chameleon! Making sure everything looks alright.

[Crosstoads]

Hello! I recently just got my baby veiled chameleon Delta from Petco about 2 weeks ago. About a month and a half ago I got another chameleon from a Petco a little farther than mine, but unfortunately when I bought him he was sick and had a broken leg. I am a new chameleon owner so I noticed it a few days after I bought him and took him back. Petco took him to the vet but unfortunately he did not make it . I was pretty upset and talked to someone at the Petco nearest me who had previously bred chameleons. He informed me that they would be ordering more baby chameleons. When they arrived Petco kept them for a week and let me pick out which one I wanted. Their were two girls (2-3 months old) and Delta was the smallest but the less stressed of the two so I chose her. I most likely will buy from a breeder next time. Sorry this is kind of long but I just wanted to explain how I got her lol. I have done a lot of research and have been looking on here for a while but just want to make sure that her enclosure is how it should be.
The two lamps near the front of the cage are for heat. The one on the left doesn't produce much heat at all so I just use it for light but the one on the right is more like a basking lamp. The lamp in the back is uvb bulb. I use a dripper which is in the back left (it's kinda hard to see) and I have a bowl on the bottom which catches the water. I have a fogger which I turn on for a few hours everyday and I mist the cage about 3 times a day. The temperature is usually around 80 degrees and the humidity is around 40%. I turn off all of the lamps at night. I have all artificial plants but am hoping to get some real ones soon. The heating rock on the bottom is never plugged in I just use it for decoration at the moment. Delta completed a full shed yesterday and seems to be doing really well. She has never hissed or tried to bite anyone. I take her out of her cage about every other day to roam around usually while I clean up her cage. I feed her gut loaded crickets, probably about ten every day. I dust them with calcium once a week. I try to feed her mealworms but she prefers the crickets. Sorry this is so long! Any advice on anything that needs to be fixed will be greatly appreciated!
-Kayla

 

[trickedoutbiker]

What kind of calcium are you using? WITH D3 or WITHOUT D3?

You need to dust with calcium WITHOUT D3 at almost every feeding. Once a week isn't quite adequate. Don't over-dust and make them ghost white; they should just have a very thin layer of dust on them and appear slightly lighter than their normal color. Also, you need to dust them 2x a month with calcium WITH D3 and you also need to dust them with MULTIVITAMINS 2x a month. The best way to do this is to give them calcium WITH D3 on the first and third week every month, and give them the MULTIVITAMINS on the second and fourth week of every month. I do mine on a Sunday of every week to keep it consistent and not forget.

As for the mealworms.... they are really not good for a chameleon. It's debatable for some people, but when it comes down to it, a mealworm is composed of mostly hard exoskeleton that isn't the greatest for a chameleon. In moderation is probably okay, but I deff would not be feeding mealworms to a cham on a regular basis. They are also high in fat, and you don't want to overload your chameleon with fatty insects. You also need more variety with your insects; there are so many to choose from, and the more variety you have, the better off your chameleon will be as far as health and happiness. There is a section in the "RESOURCES" area of this site that gives you lots of good info about feeders and good gutload items to feed them. There are also countless forums where people discuss the feeders they use.

The humidity in your enclosure is also at the low end. Between 40-70% is where you want it, so at 40% you are okay..... I'd personally try to keep it more in the 55-60% range. Getting live plants will deff help you achieve this, and will also be better overall for your chameleon because they purify the air within the cage and they also hold water on their leaves a lot better, allowing more opportunities for the chameleon to drink. Lots of different plants you can use. Just research it to make sure they are safe plants to use for your enclosure, as veiled chameleons like to eat plants.

Overall, it seems like a decent cage for a beginner. You said your temperature was around 80 degrees.... is that the basking temp, or the ambient temp of the rest of the cage?

 

[Crosstoads]

What kind of calcium are you using? WITH D3 or WITHOUT D3?

You need to dust with calcium WITHOUT D3 at almost every feeding. Once a week isn't quite adequate. Don't over-dust and make them ghost white; they should just have a very thin layer of dust on them and appear slightly lighter than their normal color. Also, you need to dust them 2x a month with calcium WITH D3 and you also need to dust them with MULTIVITAMINS 2x a month. The best way to do this is to give them calcium WITH D3 on the first and third week every month, and give them the MULTIVITAMINS on the second and fourth week of every month. I do mine on a Sunday of every week to keep it consistent and not forget.

As for the mealworms.... they are really not good for a chameleon. It's debatable for some people, but when it comes down to it, a mealworm is composed of mostly hard exoskeleton that isn't the greatest for a chameleon. In moderation is probably okay, but I deff would not be feeding mealworms to a cham on a regular basis. They are also high in fat, and you don't want to overload your chameleon with fatty insects. You also need more variety with your insects; there are so many to choose from, and the more variety you have, the better off your chameleon will be as far as health and happiness. There is a section in the "RESOURCES" area of this site that gives you lots of good info about feeders and good gutload items to feed them. There are also countless forums where people discuss the feeders they use.

The humidity in your enclosure is also at the low end. Between 40-70% is where you want it, so at 40% you are okay..... I'd personally try to keep it more in the 55-60% range. Getting live plants will deff help you achieve this, and will also be better overall for your chameleon because they purify the air within the cage and they also hold water on their leaves a lot better, allowing more opportunities for the chameleon to drink. Lots of different plants you can use. Just research it to make sure they are safe plants to use for your enclosure, as veiled chameleons like to eat plants.

Overall, it seems like a decent cage for a beginner. You said your temperature was around 80 degrees.... is that the basking temp, or the ambient temp of the rest of the cage?

I am using calcium with D3 so I'll definitely have to go pick some up without it. The temperature is of the entire cage. I know the basking bulb is 100w but I'm not sure of the exact temperature it gives off. I have been looking at some safe live plants to put in there I think that she would really like that and it will fix my humidity problem. Thanks so much for the info! Also what type of multivitamins do you use?

 

[trickedoutbiker]

I use Reptivite WITHOUT D3, but there are many different calcium supplement brands that are good. Yes, deff go get Calcium without D3 and use it at almost every feeding. And only use the D3 calcium 2x a month. Same with multivitamins, only 2x a month. But make sure the multivitamins have NO D3 in it... you don't want to be overdosing your cham on D3.

As for the basking bulb.... need to get a thermometer to monitor the temp of the basking spot. Dial temperature gauges are super cheap at the store.

 

[Crosstoads]

I use Reptivite WITHOUT D3, but there are many different calcium supplement brands that are good. Yes, deff go get Calcium without D3 and use it at almost every feeding. And only use the D3 calcium 2x a month. Same with multivitamins, only 2x a month. But make sure the multivitamins have NO D3 in it... you don't want to be overdosing your cham on D3.

As for the basking bulb.... need to get a thermometer to monitor the temp of the basking spot. Dial temperature gauges are super cheap at the store.

Alright thanks! Looks like I'll have to make a trip to the store lol

 

[LindsayG]

I would suggest getting a temp gun. They work best and you can get an exact reading for the spot the cham will be basking at. You can get them for fairly cheap on amazon. I just ordered one and I think it was about $12.

 

[urawrath]

Also, It would be best to have a lot more horizontal branches inside so she can better thermoregulate her temperature

 

[Crosstoads]

I would suggest getting a temp gun. They work best and you can get an exact reading for the spot the cham will be basking at. You can get them for fairly cheap on amazon. I just ordered one and I think it was about $12.

Oh I've never heard of one of those, I'll definitely look into it thank you.

 

[Crosstoads]

Also, It would be best to have a lot more horizontal branches inside so she can better thermoregulate her temperature

I do have some of the bendable vines in there but they kept bending down. I cleaned out her cage today and propped then up a little more so hopefully they will stay put lol

 

[LindsayG]

Oh I've never heard of one of those, I'll definitely look into it thank you.

This is the one I just bought and it works great.

 

[LindsayG]

Sorry, I don't know why it looks so blurry like that.

 

[Crosstoads]

Sorry, I don't know why it looks so blurry like that.

That's alright i can still see it, it looks good and for a good price too! I have Amazon prime so I'll probably order it soon.

 

[LindsayG]

That's alright i can still see it, it looks good and for a good price too! I have Amazon prime so I'll probably order it soon.

I love amazon prime! I love having the option to use amazon smile that way I'm able to donate to my local animal shelter. Well I guess I'm not donating but amazon is. Either way it's a good way to help out.