New Here

[Funez]

Hey guys, I purchased my second Veiled a couple days ago. I had my first one some years ago, but after she passed, I decided to wait until the right time to get another.

Last time I had a female, and it was pretty troublesome with the whole egg laying business. So this time I decided to go with a male although they're more likely to be aggressive.

My little guy cant be much older than a month, he is tiny. Im not sure that pet store should be even selling them that young, but I figured I already have experience with one, so I should be ok.

Im trying to hand feed him, but so far no luck. Since hes young, Im hoping I can get him use to my presence so hes not a physco when hes older. Hes pretty active, and thats why I picked him out, he was moving about looking around. Hes a bit scared when I go into his cage, but once he sees Im not attacking him he climbs on my hand. I dont wanna bug him too much cause I dont want to stress him out. But once a day I try hand feeding, and then when that doesnt work I just get him to climb on and come out for 10 mins.

Im having a bit of a problem with humidity tho. It drops very fast after I mist it. I have a screen cage and Im thinking about putting up styrofoam on the back wall to keep some moisture in. I also purchased some pathos today so hopefully that helps. Does anyone know if styrofoam is dangerous? I saw someone here did it, and it gave me the idea. What can I use to colour it brown?

I will post pictures of the little guy as soon as I can. Im looking forward to being around here. Ttyl

 

[jleahl]

the more plants you put in the enclosure, the more humidity it will hold. Think about adding a small ficus or sheffelera. I put the expanding styrofoam in the back of my tanks, but they ARE tanks...I have brevs and frogs. I usually coat it with a mixture of peat moss and some kind of adherent (glue or silicone); the peat holds moisture much better than styrofoam, I think.

What kind of temps do you have? What kind of lighting? Do you have RepCal (with and without D3) for supplementing? I would try putting some pinheads or flightless fruit flies in a small cup or something, and see if he'll take them that way; the smaller worms would be the easiest thing to feed by hand, if you're determined.

How often are you misting? Have you seen him drink? I think it will be tricky to take care of such a little one, but if you get through the first couple months, you'll probably be OK. Do a lot of searching on these forums...lots of good info out there! Good luck with your baby!

 

[Marc10edora]

hungry crickets will eat styrofoam like crazy. If you do use it, make sure that you don't leave any feeders in there over night or else they might eat the styrofoam. Then your cham will eat the crickets and get sick.

 

[Funez]

Well the good news is hes already hand feeding. I've had him for about a week. I was never able to get my old cham to hand feed, so this is a good sign.

Once he started hand feeding, he didnt seem to mind my presence in his cage. He still hesitant to climb on my hand, but Im hoping with a little more time he'll jump on board.

The temperature near the top of the cage is a bit over 30 celsius (86 farenheit). The humidity is around 30. When I spray it down, it goes as high as 55 but quickly drops down again. I bought 3 small pathos plants, but they dont really seem to be helping with the humidity. For now, I put a black plastic bag on the back wall to help keep in some moisture. But Im not sure how much this is really helping.

Your idea of glueing peatmoss to some styrofoam sounds like it could help. Can you find peat moss at the local garden store? Would a glue gun be safe to use?

Ps. I mist him 3 times a day. He does drink, and I do have reptical. When I went to the petstore they were out of Reptisuns 5.0 so I got a Reptiglow 10.0 instead. Could this be problematic? I figured the more uvb the better, but Im not sure

 

[Cherron]

The 10.0 bulb may be a little too intense for a cham that age. I have used the reptiglo 5.0s with my little chams (in smaller enclosures) for years with no problem. Just be sure that they can get within a few inches of the bulb to soak up as much light as they need and I believe that it is equally important that your cage is planted heavily enough that they can also get out of the rays if they feel the need to. Also remember to replace the bulb every six months so that any UVB loss doesn't affect your chameleon.

 

[kinyonga]

Reptical or Rep-cal? Check to see if it has a preformed or beta carotene source of vitamin A.

 

[Funez]

Im not at home right now, but Im pretty sure its Rep-cal
White container with a pink logo

 

[jleahl]

that would be repcal with D3, which is OK for now; but you will want to get some RepCal without D3 (pure calcium), too; the older he gets and the more his growth slows, he will not need as much D3 and too much can cause problems. Herptivite is a good thing to have, too; I use the Herptivite and the RepCal w/D3 about twice a month. The rest of the time (3-4 times a week) I use pure calcium. I think this is approximately the same schedule some other keepers use.

Glue guns are safe for enclosures, but the glue doesn't stick for long. The silicone (and you want pure silicone, not with any mildew-resistant additives) will last much longer, and is easier to cover (and not burn your fingers doing it!).

 

[Cam]

What about adding cork bark half way up or down a couple walls? What about using a humidifier? These are two ideas I have read before, go under the search mode and enter "humidity".
I have read a lot of people say the 10.0 is too strong. Go with 5.0 perhaps it also won't be so drying. Also make sure the enclosure is the right size, not too big, several people say to grow the enclosure with the cham...as you succussfully raised one before this is probably old info to you. Good luck!

 

[Funez]

Thanks guys, I will take your advice. The cork idea sounds good. It would probably be easier to work with than peatmoss

 

[jleahl]

Cork is certainly not as messy as peat moss! But it can be a pain to cut. It does hold moisture well, but you have to work a little harder to get it wet in the first place.

 

[FaunaBgirl]

Just a suggestion, but I use a towel at the backside of my cage, hanging the full length, to hold moisture content and retain humidity. Works like a charm. I spray it as well as the plants and when I come home the humidity is way up. Will be good for the hot hot days up ahead. But I did get him an evaporizing cooler with hepa filter. Nothing but the best for my guy.

 

[Funez]

Hmm isnt there a bit of a risk of bacteria developing with a towl? Just doesnt seem as sanitary as cork. Im just guessing tho, it could be the same? Do you wash the towl sometimes?

 

[FaunaBgirl]

You don't put the towel on the bottom. You hang it at the back side of the cage. That way, when you mist, it gets a bit moist. It holds and disperses the humidity nicely and the cham does not touch it. It dries in between mistings and has caused no troubles. It's a good fix when you don't have enough plants, etc.