New to the forums

[clairebear]

Hi everyone I am new to this forum and i dont really know how theses work very well or if im posting in the correct place.
I have lots of questions il tell you a bit about me.
I live in England(not sure if theres loads of people from different places on here) I am at uni studying animal behaviour and we where looking at chameleons had one out at uni a few weeks ago and I just fell in love.
I work for a pet retail place that sell reptiles so have been around them, but I was only in the dog grooming part and have only recently been moved to a store where I have to be a store college and learn about reptiles and all the animals we sell. But have never been interested in having a reptile until i met the chameleon all i have done since i met the chameleon is read books magazines and internet pages about them.
I have been to 3 places that sell them to ask questions but to be honest i felt i knew more than they did even though i have only just learnt about them and never owned a reptile before.
So I have decided I really want to keep a chameleon a Yemen/veiled as ive read they are the hardiest to start with, I want a male as i have never owned a reptile and the egg bound thing with females scares me.
I know some people will say I shouldn't start with a chameleon as they are the most sensitive and people say the hardest to keep, but they are the only reptile i am interested in keeping and I would never get an animal if i didn't research how to care for them or understand what they need and i hope im fairly intelligent .
So my questions are can someone explain the lighting heat to me in simple dummy terms as ive never had to deal with temperatures and lighting and this is the only part that scares me?
I live in England its winter so cold and my house is a pretty cold house and I know they do better in a screen enclosure for ventilation so will this affect keeping the correct temperatures if so what can i do to counteract it?
I want to keep the enclosure in the living area but i live in a flat and own 3 toy breed dogs, will this stress the chameleon out too much? my bedroom is colder and I spend most time in my living room?
I will not be getting the chameleon untill i have the enclosure set up and i wont be getting one until after Christmas as i don't have the money and want to get the correct things.
I cant think of any more questions right now but i will remember more im sure, sorry for the ridiculously long post.
If someone can reply id appreciate it loads thanks. claire
P.S this is a link to the enclosure im going to get.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zoo-Med-Repti-Breeze-Screen/dp/B001PHABI8

 

[tim2505]

http://chameleonworldmuji.co.uk/starter-kits/

try these cages they are based in the uk. add them on facebook they are really helpful. good luck.

 

[scout83]

I have a male veiled and he was my first reptile ever it is a lot of work to research and get everything like safe plants plenty of things to climb on do your homework on them read about where they come from and there natural environment make sure your cages is big enough the right temps just research a lot and know it can be expensive to get everything you need so make sure you're committed to making sure he has a happy and healthy life because it's not far to your chameleon if your not ready and willing to put in the time and effort and ask questions on this forum there are so many people on here that know a lot and have great ideas and solutions

 

[clairebear]

questions

So my questions are can someone explain the lighting heat to me in simple dummy terms as ive never had to deal with temperatures and lighting and this is the only part that scares me?
I live in England its winter so cold and my house is a pretty cold house and I know they do better in a screen enclosure for ventilation so will this affect keeping the correct temperatures if so what can i do to counteract it?
I want to keep the enclosure in the living area but i live in a flat and own 3 toy breed dogs, will this stress the chameleon out too much? my bedroom is colder and I spend most time in my living room?
I will not be getting the chameleon untill i have the enclosure set up and i wont be getting one until after Christmas as i don't have the money and want to get the correct things.
I cant think of any more questions right now but i will remember more im sure, sorry for the ridiculously long post.
If someone can reply id appreciate it loads thanks. claire
P.S this is a link to the enclosure im going to get.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zoo-Med-Rept.../dp/B001PHABI8
these where my origional questions if anyone can awnser them id apreciate it

 

[scout83]

Does your house ever get below 65 degrees

 

[absolutbill]

OK, lighting and heating are a little daunting at first. You need 2 bulbs, one that provides UVB and one that provides heat to the cham. I use the linear (long tube) bulbs for UVB and use the Zoo Med 5.0. For the heat you can either use a regular light bulb (no coiled ones, but that's a longer story), or a flood light, depending on how cold your house is. So, you'll also need 2 light fixtures - here we can get them more cheaply in home improvement stores, but I'm not sure about England. You can buy them through reptile supply stores, but they will be more expensive and do the same thing. I have an all-screened cage and position the UVB bulb diagonally across the top of the cage, from the back right to the front left as I look at the cage. I place the heat bulb in the front right hand corner on top of the cage.

Make sure that you have a basking area under the bulbs for your cham to be able to take advantage of the benefits of both. I'd also recommend you buy a temperature gun that has a laser that you just point at the area you want to take a temp of, and it registers. That way you can take the temperature of different spots of the cage and know that you have a gradient of temperature. Also, take the temp of your house overnight so you know how cold it gets - typically it's coldest around 5AM or so. If your house drops below the low 60's at night you'll need an extra night heat emitter for your cham.

As for the living room, you want the cage to be in an out of the way area from foot traffic, maybe in a corner. Also remember that their lights should be on for 12 hours and off for 12, so if you are staying up late in the living room, even though his lights are off in his cage he will still be awake because of the surrounding lights. You can place a sheet over his cage (like you would for a bird) to darken it if you want. He needs to feel secure in his cage, that's the biggest point.

Don't worry that you want a chameleon for your first reptile - I did the same thing, but bought an ambanja panther. Just read all the caresheets on the home page and they are extremely detailed. Also, there are a lot of members from England on here, so you may want to PM them about where to buy supplies or reptiles from. You will find that many stores sell them without a clue as to how to care for them - Petco and Petsmart here in the States are 2 major retailers that you'll always find horror stories about. Good luck and feel free to PM me with any questions!

 

[Nala90]

Hello fellow UK'er! I'm also new to chameleons (but not to reptiles) I recommend finding a breeder over purchasing from a shop. My new pather Cham came from muji. I recommend them

 

[clairebear]

Thank you everyone is so nice on this forum, I will take the temperature in my apartment at night and see.
Is there a set temp to go by for the basking spot for veiled chameleons and a set temp for the cooler part of the enclosure? if not is there a temp i should aim for as in books I think it says 80 or 90 basking spot cant remember off the top of my head.
I am also defiantly going to be using live plants for the enclosure but im guessing i am best asking someone from england which are the best/safe plants incase in England we might not be able to get the same plants though im not sure.
are males not as tame as females or does it just depend upon the personality of chameleon?
I don like the females but im scared about the fact they lay eggs and can get egg bound, and for my first chameleon I think its better having less complications.

 

[clairebear]

Hello fellow UK'er! I'm also new to chameleons (but not to reptiles) I recommend finding a breeder over purchasing from a shop. My new pather Cham came from muji. I recommend them

Hi thanks I live in hull and that is one thing that is a concern as there does not seem to be any breeders near me, I do drive but don't want to drive too far.
did u buy enclosure and lighting separately or as a starter pack?
I know its cheaper to get a starter kit but none of the ones ive seen have the enclosure that I want- this is the one i want. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zoo-Med-Rept.../dp/B001PHABI8
I am tryinh to sort out the set up before i think about getting the chameleon but I am defiantly going to get a veiled or some people say Yemen but ive figured there the same species.
But I am worried about buying a cameleon as in how do you know if they have been captive bread because ive read lots of places say there captive bred but lie and if there not captive bred its bad they will die easily and not adjust properly

 

[ridgebax1]

I think you would fare better by buying your enclosure and supplies separately as those kits have things in them that you do not need, like an infra-red basking bulb that they recommend you leave on 24/7. That is incorrect as chams need total darkness to sleep properly and you can use an ordinary light bulb or halogen light for heat. It is much cheaper than the red lights. If you consult the breed specific care pages available by clicking the care resources link to the left of the page you will see just what you need for a Veiled chameleon.

 

[Nala90]

Hi thanks I live in hull and that is one thing that is a concern as there does not seem to be any breeders near me, I do drive but don't want to drive too far.
did u buy enclosure and lighting separately or as a starter pack?
I know its cheaper to get a starter kit but none of the ones ive seen have the enclosure that I want- this is the one i want. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zoo-Med-Rept.../dp/B001PHABI8
I am tryinh to sort out the set up before i think about getting the chameleon but I am defiantly going to get a veiled or some people say Yemen but ive figured there the same species.
But I am worried about buying a cameleon as in how do you know if they have been captive bread because ive read lots of places say there captive bred but lie and if there not captive bred its bad they will die easily and not adjust properly

I have a large reptibreeze and bought everything separate, because I work in a shop that can order things in a trade prices
Muji will courier the chameleon to you using a proper reptile courier. All Yemens will be captive bred as far as I'm aware.

 

[clairebear]

I have a large reptibreeze and bought everything separate, because I work in a shop that can order things in a trade prices
Muji will courier the chameleon to you using a proper reptile courier. All Yemens will be captive bred as far as I'm aware.

Thats good too know I would kind of like to choose my chameleon in person rather than having it posted but if I cant find a suitable breeder il consider them thank you

 

[clairebear]

substrate

Hello fellow UK'er! I'm also new to chameleons (but not to reptiles) I recommend finding a breeder over purchasing from a shop. My new pather Cham came from muji. I recommend them

Do u have substrate in your enclosure? I have read you shouldn't put it in incase they get impacted, but ive seen a frw in shops with it in.
Also i emailed the place u got your chameleon they said they dont have yemen chameleons,

 

[absolutbill]

Don't put substrate in your cages for that very reason that you mentioned. They can shoot at a bug and get some substrate and impact themselves. You can put down paper towels for an easy clean up, or just a smooth plastic bottom.