new to the forum and chameleons!

[joey]

hello
my wife recently acquired an Exo Terra terrarium from a friend, it is 18" x 18" x 24" high and she really wants a chameleon.
the friend had a chameleon in it already, and it has a heat lamp, 18" UVB tube with ballast, a twisty reptile vine thing and 2 heat mats.
we have been researching like crazy, and our local pet store has yemen chameleons available, of which my wife has ordered 1 but we dont know what sex we will get.
we plan on putting in 1 or 2 small plants like pothos and umbrella and have read all the rig-marole regarding misting and feeding.
now the question (first of many i must warn) is can we put in dry dead sticks for it to climb (scrubbed and boiled) and what trees are safe to use such sticks from?

thanks

 

[Jay1501]

Welcome to the forum Yes as long as scrubed and backed etc a male chameleon will be much easier to look after (as a first) as females can become eggbound even with no mate and can be fatal if you dont realise

 

[Sinfulintent]

You shouldn't need the heating pads with the heating lamp unless your house gets extremely cold at night.. just a thought


Edit: OH AND WELCOME TO THE FORUMS!

 

[ReptileLove18]

Welcome to the forums!!

you can use pretty much any kind of dead sticks as long as you clean them well with soap and water, rinse them realllllllly well and you can bake them if you want to to kill any bugs. the only thing you have to worry about is if the sticks have been treated with pesticides, the pesticides can leak into the cage. as for live plants, this is a link to a list of safe live plants to have in your future cham's enclosure https://www.chameleonforums.com/live-plant-database-2632/
glad to hear you two are doing research before hand, that is great! its always best to be prepared before you bring your cham home if you havent seen it already, this is a ccaresheet for veiled chameleons, aka yemen chameleons https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/
males tend to be the best to start with because females require a bit more special attention as they lay eggs, but that is all up to you two as it is whatever you feel comfortable with!
cant wait to get to know you both and see your chameleon when you bring it home!! let us know whenever you have any questions, we are here to help

 

[joey]

cheers guys.
ambient temp in the house is around 20-22 degrees (approx 68-71 F) pretty much all the time. do i need the basking lamp on for a set time on thermostat controlled?

 

[camimom]

basking temp needs ot be around 85ish for 12hours a day.
UVB bulb needs to be on for 12 hours a day as well.

and they should have total darkness at night.

 

[Kate]

Hi welcome. Your viv size is fine for a little one but you will have to upgrade to 36 or 48" before long

 

[Hakai]

Welcome! and thank you for doing your research and getting setup ready BEFORE you bring your friend home. Keep the questions coming! Everyone here wants the very best for every chameleon and will offer you advice from their many years of experience. Post pics of your enclosure when it's all set up so everyone can give you the "okay" to bring your little guy/gal home!

 

[laurie]

Hello, happy you decided to join the forum. I assume you are not from the US. people here always assume everyone is here. I love the variety of people we get from all over the world. Where ever you are welcome & I hope to see more of you.

Hi welcome. Your viv size is fine for a little one but you will have to upgrade to 36 or 48" before long

Kate you read my mind.

 

[sandrachameleon]

hello
my wife recently acquired an Exo Terra terrarium from a friend, it is 18" x 18" x 24" high and she really wants a chameleon.
the friend had a chameleon in it already, and it has a heat lamp, 18" UVB tube with ballast, a twisty reptile vine thing and 2 heat mats.
we have been researching like crazy, and our local pet store has yemen chameleons available, of which my wife has ordered 1 but we dont know what sex we will get.
we plan on putting in 1 or 2 small plants like pothos and umbrella and have read all the rig-marole regarding misting and feeding.
now the question (first of many i must warn) is can we put in dry dead sticks for it to climb (scrubbed and boiled) and what trees are safe to use such sticks from?

thanks

Welcome!
That size terrarium is fine for a young yemen (Veiled) chameleon, but not an adult veiled.
You will not want the heating pads. Chameleons bask as if in a sunbeam - hence the basking light bulb.
Pothos is a good choice, and umbrella too (though it will outgrow that terrarium quickly unless it is a dwarf).
I prefer branches from Arbutus, but most are safe. If you do a web search on what tree branches are safe for bird perches, you'll get a good list. There are a few to avoid, like walnut, some types of maple, cedar.

Here are some links to information that is especially useful to new chameleon owners:

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/ryan-jarosek/119-new-arrival-bringing-home.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/syn/226-frequently-asked-questions.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/frequently-asked-questions-71620/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs...hameleons.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/74-feeders.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/92-hydration-importance.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/65-supplements.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/75-feeder-nutrition-gutloading.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/407-gutloading-isnt-just-crickets-roaches-gutload-everything.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/olimpia/522-average-cost-owning-chameleon.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/olimpia/573-chameleon-physiology-supplements.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/662-temperature.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/659-green-leafy-goodness-gutloading.html
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/chameleons/