( new Member) few questions about a setup

[mark246lynn]

http://www.lllreptile.com/products/19666-aluminum-screen-cage-ultimate-chameleon-package

I have been looking around for a while now and think this is the setup i will be getting for a yemen.

Has anyone had one of these setups before? or know if everything i need is there. i will be buying real plants but any advice on the setup and any extras i may need.

Thanks

 

[Lovereps]

Welcome to the forum!

It's always nice to hear from someone who wants to get all the info and supplies they need before they get a cham.
This forum is an excellent resource for people interested in chams and has members ranging from those considering chams to those with decades of experience keeping chams.

The forum's resources section is an often overlooked area of the forum which has a huge amount of excellent info.
One page there is about setting up a new enclosure: https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/enclosures/
It has such need to know info as these things:

Use only non-toxic plants in your cage since chameleons or their feeder bugs could eat them. Commonly used plants are Schefflera arboricola, Pothos, Hibiscus, and Ficus.
Store-bought plants have fertilizer and insecticides in the soil that are unsafe for your chameleon. Repot the top ½ of the soil with organic soil and cover any soil with large rocks or screen because your chameleon could ingest soil causing impactions. Wash all the leaves first to rinse off chemical residues.

I use Dawn dish soap and water to help remove pesticide and fertilizers from the leaves, then I rinse very thoroughly.

Another very useful page for you is the caresheet about Veiled chams https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/

Plenty of people on the forum use LLL Reptile's screen cages.
More people use a dome light with a regular household incandescent light plus a fluorescent fixture with a Reptisun 5.0 bulb but the lighting they provide should be OK, as it adds both warmth and UVB
There are a few things missing from the setup.

The first and a very important thing to know is that the calcium in the picture they are providing contains D3 and although this is a necessary calcium to use 2x a month for Veiled chams, you definitely would not use D3 for daily feeder dustings, as it will cause serious health problems when used too often.
The calcium for daily use (by the same company) is http://www.lllreptile.com/products/2309-rep-cal-calcium-without-d3.
It can safely be used on feeders at most feedings because it contains only calcium.

The next thing you need is a multivitamin to dust feeders with 2x a month
This one is one of the ones commonly used on chams' feedershttp://www.lllreptile.com/products/11417-zoo-med-reptivite-without-d3-2oz

An infrared digital temperature gun will give you the most accurate temp readings and many buy one from Home depot, Lowe's Amazon, etc.

Missing as well is an inexpensive electronic humidity gauge, like the one shown here https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/water/
Humidity is very important for chams, as you don't want it to be excessively dry or constantly wet in their environment.

 

[mark246lynn]

Thanks, I will read through all of those links and then go ahead and order the cage and the extras you have stated. Once I am ready to get my chameleon I will be posting lots of pictures of him and his enclosure so people can help me.

Can't wait, they are such beautiful creatures.

 

[Lpsouth1978]

I personally am not a big fan of the "packages". They often lack some important pieces of equipment, or even include incorrect equipment.

As addressed above, the calcium supplement that comes with this package is needed, but not the only supplement needed. Many keepers, including myself, do not recommend the MVB bulbs. It is preferred to use separate bulbs for basking and UVB. Also, the thermometer they include is useless and the leafy vines won't be very useful if you are using live plants. I prefer to pick out the things I need individually and pay for only the things I need.

That being said, this package is a good START. With some tweaking and a few additional purchases, it will be a great cage for a young male Yemen (veiled) chameleon or a female of any age. If you get a male you will eventually need to upgrade him to a 24x24x48" cage by 9-10 months of age.

 

[mark246lynn]

I might buy then all separate then as i think i know everything i need now lol, which site do yu think offers the best equipment?

 

[Lovereps]

LLLReptile is good.
They've got all the supplies you need and quite a large number of people here use their cages without complaint.
A water tray or pan underneath is good to get so you can set up drainage.
A plastic appliance drain pan might be found cheaper at a Lowe's or Home Depot or maybe Amazon.

The Zoo Med clamp, clip, dome fixtures are nice because they use a ceramic socket which is far better than the cheap plastic sockets found in many hardware store dome fixtures.
This one takes up less space on top of the cage http://www.lllreptile.com/products/92-zoo-med-black-ceramic-mini-clip-lamp