New Veild Chameleon Owner

Charliefoxtrot98

Charliefoxtrot98

Member
Good evening everyone! First and foremost, im so glad I came across this forum! Ive leaned so much about my new Veiled it’s fascinating! My question is, am I going in the right direction as far as setup and care? I have a juvenile female Veiled Chameleon. Currently I have the two bulb light fixture that came with the setup from Petco. I learned that I need to ditch both the bulbs and start with a normal house bulb, about 65W and buy the 12% UVB T5 bulb and fixture for her as well. I went to a local pet shop and the lady handed me a 100W basking light. My poor Veiled was being torched today so I took the light out and will be getting my money back. I also bought a ceramic light for at night because I was told too... I read I was supposed to shut the lights off at night and a little temperature drop for a Veiled is good? At this point im all over the place! Please help! Thank a million everyone!
 
Yes I looked over and read the care sheet for the Veiled Chameleon! Really good stuff! Another issue im having is keeping my setup from becoming too dry despite misting every 2. hours
 

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A clear shower curtain will help. You will have to play around a bit to find what works best. 1 side, 2 sides or their some window sealing plastic sheets that look really clean. If i can find the thread i read it in i will post it for you.
 
No worries. For complete transparency, i am a new keeper. This forum has a ton of info! If you want some husbandry advice you can fill this out and let the more experienced keepers chime in. It will help identify points to improve on to get the most out of your new chameleon! Nothing wrong with trying to be a better keeper.
 
Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
  • Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?
Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

--------------

Please Note:
  1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
  2. Photos can be very helpful
 
Charliefoxtrot98 said:
Good evening everyone! First and foremost, im so glad I came across this forum! Ive leaned so much about my new Veiled it’s fascinating! My question is, am I going in the right direction as far as setup and care? I have a juvenile female Veiled Chameleon. Currently I have the two bulb light fixture that came with the setup from Petco. I learned that I need to ditch both the bulbs and start with a normal house bulb, about 65W and buy the 12% UVB T5 bulb and fixture for her as well. I went to a local pet shop and the lady handed me a 100W basking light. My poor Veiled was being torched today so I took the light out and will be getting my money back. I also bought a ceramic light for at night because I was told too... I read I was supposed to shut the lights off at night and a little temperature drop for a Veiled is good? At this point im all over the place! Please help! Thank a million everyone!
Click to expand...
Hi there we would be happy to help you. I would love for you to fill out the form and provide more pics of your set up and your cham.

First thing though in case you don't fill it out tonight. good call on the 100 watt that is a quick way to roast a chameleon. And NO heat at all at night. Unless your house gets colder then 50 degrees you will never have use for a ceramic heat emitter. Yes, you do need to upgrade to the T5HO fixture with either a 10.0 bulb or a 12% Arcadia bulb. I would suggest doing a 2x2x4 cage for her. You will need to have room to incorporate a permanent lay bin for her because they lay infertile eggs.. So I would get the 24 inch light fixture now then you wont have to buy a new one for the new cage later.
 
krikinit said:
A clear shower curtain will help. You will have to play around a bit to find what works best. 1 side, 2 sides or their some window sealing plastic sheets that look really clean. If i can find the thread i read it in i will post it for you.
Click to expand...
Duck Brand Indoor 10-Window Shrink Film Insulator Kit, 62-Inch x 420-Inch, 286216 https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B002GKC2GW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Geq1CbEHQRPMB

I believe this is the stuff you are talking about. I used it on my enclosure and it is wonderful.
 
krikinit said:
There it is! I really like that look and will be copying you for sure. Thats right i said im going to copy off your work!:p
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Well, I cant be too upset about that considering I copied it off of someone else's thread that I saw on here! :LOL: it's worked wonderfully, and I think it's a much better alternative to the shower curtain! It's not even more expensive, unless you dont already own a hair dryer lol
 
Beman said:
Hi there we would be happy to help you. I would love for you to fill out the form and provide more pics of your set up and your cham.

First thing though in case you don't fill it out tonight. good call on the 100 watt that is a quick way to roast a chameleon. And NO heat at all at night. Unless your house gets colder then 50 degrees you will never have use for a ceramic heat emitter. Yes, you do need to upgrade to the T5HO fixture with either a 10.0 bulb or a 12% Arcadia bulb. I would suggest doing a 2x2x4 cage for her. You will need to have room to incorporate a permanent lay bin for her because they lay infertile eggs.. So I would get the 24 inch light fixture now then you wont have to buy a new one for the new cage later.
Click to expand...

Its pretty upsetting that I go to a "Reputable" pet store and they give me the absolute wrong information. So I never needed the ceramic light smh.. So as far as the complete setup that I bought from Petco, was that a waste of money as well? Im going to go ahead and find a 2x2x4 cage for her and buy her the T5HO light ASAP. Im assuming once shes gets bigger I can use the cage that I have her in now? Thanks so much for the help!
 
Charliefoxtrot98 said:
Its pretty upsetting that I go to a "Reputable" pet store and they give me the absolute wrong information. So I never needed the ceramic light smh.. So as far as the complete setup that I bought from Petco, was that a waste of money as well? Im going to go ahead and find a 2x2x4 cage for her and buy her the T5HO light ASAP. Im assuming once shes gets bigger I can use the cage that I have her in now? Thanks so much for the help!
Click to expand...
Yeah unfortunately wrong advice from even reputable pet stores happens very very often. I too got all the wrong things and had to start replacing everything. Yes, you can use the cage now and even the double dome light for heat only though with 1 bulb. Once she hits about 5 months old I would upgrade her cage though. But get the T5 fixture in a 24 inch so you dont need to replace that. It does not matter if it hangs over the side a bit.

Since you were misinformed about pretty major areas of husbandry I would love for you to fill out the form with detail. That way we can make sure they did not give you other bad information as well. The quicker you correct the items the less likely she will have health issues. :)
 
Charliefoxtrot98 said:
Its pretty upsetting that I go to a "Reputable" pet store and they give me the absolute wrong information. So I never needed the ceramic light smh.. So as far as the complete setup that I bought from Petco, was that a waste of money as well? Im going to go ahead and find a 2x2x4 cage for her and buy her the T5HO light ASAP. Im assuming once shes gets bigger I can use the cage that I have her in now? Thanks so much for the help!
Click to expand...
Keep the cage you bought as a back up. She can stay in there when you have to deep clean. The rest is no good. I had a reptile shop tell me a female panther cham couldnt survive without a male. Thats when I found the forum to find out how deep it was getting! He was so full of it, chest waders couldn't keep me dry! Dont know if it been mentioned but the Chameleon breeder podcast is full of great info. Im not on facebook but i hear there is a cham group that offers mentorship. I served a 2 year apprenticeship for falconry and i made a lifelong friend. Maybe something to look into. Im not big on FB, the cham fams got my back here and i dont see as many pitchforks here!
 
krikinit said:
Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
  • Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?
Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

--------------

Please Note:
  1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
  2. Photos can be very helpful
Click to expand...

Your chameleon: Veiled Chameleon, Female, age not sure. Been in my care for 4 days
Handling: Only handled when I absolutely have to
Feeding: 12-15 small crickets in the morning or wax worms
Supplements: Rep Cal Calcium with D3 every 2 weeks, Repti Calcium without D3 every feeding and Multivitamin will soon be bought
Watering: Spray down the cage every 1 1/12 - 2 hours. Mist down the cage for about 2 min every time. Once in a while I will see her drinking
Fecal Description: Solid dark brown. Has not been tested for parasites
History: Was bought from Petco

Cage Info:

Cage Type: Screen enclosure measuring 16x16x30
Lighting: ZooMed double bulb fixture. 75W regular house bulb and UVB bulb that came with the ZooMed multibreez setup. 12 hours of UVB and basking light and shut everything off when I go to sleep.
Temperature: The cage stays at about 80 degrees out of the basking spot and around 86 in the basking spot. Overnight can get to about 72 degrees
Humidity: This is something that I have been struggling with. I recently learned about covering the sides and will give it a try. Humidity is really low currently
Plants: No live plants
Placement: In my bedroom where the is a ceiling fan and my air vent is located 7 feet away from the cage. The top of the cage is about 5/12 feet from the floor
Location: Fort Lauderdale, Florida



Current Problems:
Keeping a stable humidity and making sure her temperature levels are accurately kept. I also now worry after reading everything that I have done the setup absolutely wrong and feel absolutely awful about it.
 
Setup and Veiled Chameleon
 

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Beman said:
Yeah unfortunately wrong advice from even reputable pet stores happens very very often. I too got all the wrong things and had to start replacing everything. Yes, you can use the cage now and even the double dome light for heat only though with 1 bulb. Once she hits about 5 months old I would upgrade her cage though. But get the T5 fixture in a 24 inch so you dont need to replace that. It does not matter if it hangs over the side a bit.

Since you were misinformed about pretty major areas of husbandry I would love for you to fill out the form with detail. That way we can make sure they did not give you other bad information as well. The quicker you correct the items the less likely she will have health issues. :)
Click to expand...
I just filled out the forum now! Im going to get right on it and start fixing things! Which cage would you suggest? Thank yo so much for your help!
 
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