New to Chams and looking for some input

[Something Cold]

Hi everyone, my name is Ian and I'm looking for some feedback towards my first chameleon setup. I built this cage from scratch and it measures roughly 2'x2'x4'. I have three plants in there, a majesty palm, bromeliad, and a dracaena marginata, along with branches of various shapes and sizes. I just bought a little dripper, a 60w zoo med basking bulb (with lamp), and a exoterra repti-glo 5.0 UVB bulb. Within the next few days I intend to get another lamp, for the UVB bulb, a misting system of some sort, and possibly a few artificial plants. Hopefully by the end of the week I'll have a veiled to put in there So the real question I have is how am I doing so far? Is the branch placement alright? And what type of mister should i get, or could I even make my own? All comments/critiques will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[SpartyTessy]

Hi and welcome to the forums. The cage looks really good but you will want to put more vertical branches up higher to give him more highways to walk around. You really do not want branches down low like you have as they need to be up higher as they are arboreal. You also want one closer up about 6"-8" away from the top of where the basking spot will be so they can bask. You will want to make sure he does not get closer than 6-8" from the Bulb. You can use thumb tacks to secure the branches in place very easily. Also maybe a pothos plant up higher to give him more vines and cover.

As far as the Zoo med basking bulb you only need a standard house bulb of the correct wattage to do the job. It is just as effective as the more expensive Zoo Med basking bulb. As far as the wattage that will be determined by the basking temp your Cham needs. You will want to test the temperature before you put the Cham in the cage so you know all the temps are right. Start off with the 60 watt basking bulb that you have already and go from there, if its too hot then lower the wattage, too low then up the wattage. Again a standard house bulb will work.

Oh and as far as the misting system I and many others feel the best one out there is the MistKing. You can get the starter kit for $99 which has everything you pretty much need for a single cage setup. It will hard to beat that price even if building your own as the pump alone you will need will be pricey. Here is a great Blog done by Wykd on the different Misting system's and their comparison.

 

[azgnoinc]

Being arboreal tree dwelling animals- you are going to want to put plants in there that have branches the chameleon can hide in and seek different temperature ranges as well. I personally prefer ficus trees as they can be watered everyday and can hold the weight of the chameleon along with providing cover for hiding & feeling secure - but there are many different types of plants to choose from. I would also remove the bromeliad in the bottom of the cage- they hold water in between their leaves, which can harbor bacteria when the chameleon defecates (poops) can lead to health issues if the cham were to ever drink that water.

You came to the right place for help and lots of knowledge, welcome to the forums and the wonderful world of chameleons. Keep asking questions - lots of questions - but do your homework and search the forums for other posts because a lot of the questions you have and will continue to have most likely have been asked by many others. Talk to other people who keep the same species to get advice from people who have tried to create the best environment for that species too.

 

[Something Cold]

Thanks for the responses guys! You both make some really good points about the branch arrangement and I'll definitely add some more branches higher up. I also have another question. I have an aquarium hood towards the front of the cage to help light it up better. Is this alright? Will the chameleon see that and try to bask under it or will he naturally go where it's warmer? Again thanks for the tips.

 

[SpartyTessy]

Its generally not a good idea to have a light pointing at the front. The idea is you want the top to have the basking temp and then the temps to drop as it gets lower in the cage. This way your Cham can bask and then if he gets too hot he can move to other cooler areas in the cage. I am not sure of the basking temp for your Vield but you do not want it to exceed that. The problem with a light in the front would be that it would heat up more of the cage not giving the temperature drop lower in the cage like it needs. I am not sure what kind of light you have in that hood but if it generates heat then probably not a good idea. All you typically needs is the two lights up top, the regular bulb and the UVB tube which should provide it plenty of light. Some also use a plant light up top that provides light specific to keep the plants alive.

 

[jannb]

Welcome to the forums. This is a great place to learn about chameleons. I keep veileds along with a few other species. Veileds have so much personality and they are such a pleasure to keep.

For your mister I vote Mistking. Your enclosure looks good. I'm just not sure if your plants are safe. You'll need to Check the safe plant list to make sure. I'll get you a link to that list. http://www.flchams.com/safe_plant_list.asp#p

I also have a blog for new keepers of veileds attached for you below.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html

 

[Something Cold]

Its generally not a good idea to have a light pointing at the front. The idea is you want the top to have the basking temp and then the temps to drop as it gets lower in the cage. This way your Cham can bask and then if he gets too hot he can move to other cooler areas in the cage. I am not sure of the basking temp for your Vield but you do not want it to exceed that. The problem with a light in the front would be that it would heat up more of the cage not giving the temperature drop lower in the cage like it needs. I am not sure what kind of light you have in that hood but if it generates heat then probably not a good idea. All you typically needs is the two lights up top, the regular bulb and the UVB tube which should provide it plenty of light. Some also use a plant light up top that provides light specific to keep the plants alive.

Thanks for the answer! The hood has a florescent bulb in it and it gives off almost no heat. I have been measuring the temp throughout different parts of the cage and it's about 75 degrees. So the hood is having no effect on the temp in the cage.

 

[Something Cold]

Welcome to the forums. This is a great place to learn about chameleons. I keep veileds along with a few other species. Veileds have so much personality and they are such a pleasure to keep.

For your mister I vote Mistking. Your enclosure looks good. I'm just not sure if your plants are safe. You'll need to Check the safe plant list to make sure. I'll get you a link to that list. http://www.flchams.com/safe_plant_list.asp#p

I also have a blog for new keepers of veileds attached for you below.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html

Thanks for the great links! I have been looking into a mistking but i have an opportunity to get a really good deal on a zoo-med reptifogger. Is there a huge discrepancy between the two? Also with regards to the safe plants, my cousin who has bred veileds has had no problems with the palm and the draecana is on the list. I plan on taking out the bromeliad because of the point made earlier where the leaves can retain water and could get the cham sick.