New to everything. Looking for education.

[TheGuyInTheChair]

I am looking into getting a chameleon soon and I am trying to peice together the abundance of information that i need to know beforehand. I want to take it very seriously considering it is the well being of the animal.
I have read most of the informative articles on this forum. So far i think i will be getting a veiled. Although im open to any suggestions.
So i have a few concerns before i get invested.
1). I work 2 days on 2 days off. 12 hour shifts and i leave my house at 530 in the morning
I read that they should eat earlier in the day so they have time to digest throughout the day. Will this be a problem with my schedule?
If so is it possible to transition the cham to be awake (with the lamp on of course) a bit earlier and go to sleep earlier in the night?
2). Also, iv never worked with live food before and im not sure how i feel about the crikets. I’m sure its something i can get used to working with. I guess i just need some peace of mind to help my confidence on the subject.
3). Lastly this may be a dumb question but when i mist the cage multiple times a day, where does the water go thats not consumed? Will i need a basin under the cage?

I know that was a long post, but like i said i want to be as prepared as possible
I appreciate any advice.

 

[Darthroastcoffee]

Welcome to the forums! The lighting schedule shouldn’t be a problem as long as you stick to it should be about 12 hours on 12 hours off, keeping a good humidity level in the cage is key, it will mostly likely for the most part level off around 50% but try to mist and spray often more then 2 times a day you want to mist the cage down for a few minutes each time to provoke drinking. That being said if you get a good sized potted plant that will fit with ease in the cage That will help with humidity and it will take in a lot of water you will want to get a dripper this will drip water continuously you can try to put that above the plant so a lot of the water will go in the plant base but there is drainage systems you can buy also. You want to fill a lot of the cage with vines and fake leaves and make a basking spot about 7-8 inches from the top so he can get heat you want that to get NO Hotter that 90 on that spot you can burn him badly “I keep my guys at 85 but that’s me”. You do have to give more then crickets tho they are the main food source. you want to give them hornworms, silkworm, bsfl, roaches, super worms etc... you also want to gutload you crickets meaning feed them a good diet what they eat goes into your chameleon there’s a lot of knowledge on gutloading on these forums im sure there’s a lot that I missed that others will fill in there’s a start..

 

[TheGuyInTheChair]

Welcome to the forums! The lighting schedule shouldn’t be a problem as long as you stick to it should be about 12 hours on 12 hours off, keeping a good humidity level in the cage is key, it will mostly likely for the most part level off around 50% but try to mist and spray often more then 2 times a day you want to mist the cage down for a few minutes each time to provoke drinking. That being said if you get a good sized potted plant that will fit with ease in the cage That will help with humidity and it will take in a lot of water you will want to get a dripper this will drip water continuously you can try to put that above the plant so a lot of the water will go in the plant base but there is drainage systems you can buy also. You want to fill a lot of the cage with vines and fake leaves and make a basking spot about 7-8 inches from the top so he can get heat you want that to get NO Hotter that 90 on that spot you can burn him badly “I keep my guys at 85 but that’s me”. You do have to give more then crickets tho they are the main food source. you want to give them hornworms, silkworm, bsfl, roaches, super worms etc... you also want to gutload you crickets meaning feed them a good diet what they eat goes into your chameleon there’s a lot of knowledge on gutloading on these forums im sure there’s a lot that I missed that others will fill in there’s a start..

Thanks so much for the advice.
If i end up cup feeding the food, am i able to put in the food before he is ready to wake up? Or will I absolutely need to change his waking hours to fit my schedule?
Also, how far in advance can i buy the different kinds of food? Or i guess more apparently: how long can i keep each type before i feed them to the cham?
Thanks again.

 

[jamest0o0]

Just leave food in a feeding cup the night before when hes sleeping. When he wakes up he can eat. Once hes older you can just feed on the days you don't work. You will need drainage and I suggest investing in a mistking system. Add plenty of live plants and branches. As for the crickets, if you are particularly against crickets, roaches make a great replacement(I don't feed crickets personally, but offer a lot of other feeders and roach species). You can't get away from live feeders though, they are insectivores and need a variety of well-gutloaded and supplemented feeders.

Good luck. Post any questions you have

 

[jamest0o0]

Just saw you asked about the cup already, yes that will work fine