New Veiled Cham Owner!

[BigBoyLuLz]

New Veiled Cham Owner and Questions

Hey everyone!

My fiance out of the blue one day said she wanted a chameleon and never really thought about owning one I am glad and very excited to take on the responsibilities of these awesome creatures!

I just have a few questions I would like to ask everyone here about my setup and the observed personality of the chameleon so far. Pictures are attached.

The cage. I have a 18x18x36 reptibreeze with a about a 2 1/2 silk ficus plant, Flukers natural vine that spirals down around the plant and onto the bottom of the cage. The light fixture is a ZOo Med combo 60w/UVB. The light is a 24 hr red 60w light, the UVB is a Zoo Med 2.0 I believe. The basking temperature is 80 to 85 degrees, with a humidity of 60 (gauge says Desert). The bottom of the cage says 70 degrees. I have a little dripper that will drip water from the top of the cage on to some leaves and seems to be working fine. I also mist the cage 4 time daily so far.

My question is does this work for a setup? I feel that there is a lot going on in the cage and I don't want to stress the cham out. He infact will just stay on the top part of the cage and has yet to venture off to the bottom layers. I feel as if he knows that it's too cold down there for him because, well no light seems to reach all the way to the bottom of the cage.

Another question is if you take a look at the cham how does he look? He seems to not be very active. He is shedding right now and I don't know if that plays a part in his activity. He has eaten some crickets already (which I free range them) but, he will catch them and then let them sit in his mouth for up to 5 minutes before finally chewing them up and swallowing them. Is this normal?

Sorry, if I seem paranoid he just doesn't act like the chams I see on youtube videos and on this forum. I am hoping he is just adjusting to his new environment from petsmart and will start becoming more active. Let me know what you guys think!

Thank you

 

[LLGabriel]

Hello and welcome to the forums! First, the caresheets here are amazing. Here is a link for your little one. https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/

How old is your chameleon? How long have you had him?

If he's still fairly new to his enclosure, it is very normal for him to check everything out and be... not the happiest. That can last for a few weeks. He could be still trying to settle in. Also, the shedding really seems to make them miserable for a short time.

The different temperature gradients are good. He will move about as he wants.

I can't tell from the photos really.. but I think I see substrate at the bottom of the enclosure? If so, you will want to remove that just to prevent him from snatching it up and possibly becoming impacted. Also makes for MUCH easier clean up.

He looks healthy and plump to me. When you free range the crickets, just don't put many in. If there are a lot left uneaten in the enclosure they can have a feeding frenzy on your chameleon at night while he sleeps.

I'm sure others will chime in too! Again, welcome to the best chameleon forum EVA! Haha!

 

[xcrystalx]

hi there and welcome.

the uv should be 5.0.
also the red light is not needed and a normal daylight bulb should be used.

also the viv needs to be higher.its not good to have them on the floor.he would feel more comfortable higher up.
i would also remove the substrate.its cleaner and safer.if you struggle with humidity either add live plants or cover up the sides.
basking temps is fine,so is the ambient.
the decor looks good too x

nice cham btw

 

[BigBoyLuLz]

Thank you for the quick response!

Glad to hear that it's just me being a worry-wort and him not actually being ill or sick looking! lol

Yes, sorry about the pictures they are from the ones I took last night and I am work today so don't have access to take better ones.

I will take your advice though and remove the substrate, I just thought it made a nice addition to it's cage besides the bare white floor. I didn't think he would actually eat the stuff lol

Also, glad to be here and I will be taking a look at those care sheets thank you!

 

[LLGabriel]

Thank you for the quick response!

Glad to hear that it's just me being a worry-wort and him not actually being ill or sick looking! lol

Yes, sorry about the pictures they are from the ones I took last night and I am work today so don't have access to take better ones.

I will take your advice though and remove the substrate, I just thought it made a nice addition to it's cage besides the bare white floor. I didn't think he would actually eat the stuff lol

Also, glad to be here and I will be taking a look at those care sheets thank you!

You're very welcome. All of us are worry warts and most times very paranoid about our sweet little ones. Hahaha. I almost live on here. I learn something new pretty much everyday.

Also, there are several different UVB lights that can be used. I have 5.0's and 10.0's and just recently switched some of my enclosures over to the Arcadia T8 12% tubes. Here is an awesome thread on lighting. https://www.chameleonforums.com/definitive-lighting-thread-everything-you-really-need-know-80869/ Cheers!

 

[xcrystalx]

i was just stating the minimum really.of course you dont have to use that..there are lots you can use instead.
what i ment to say was you CAN use a 5.0 if you want.excuse my mistype.
i also use arcadia and wouldnt use anything else but its entirely down to personal preference.

 

[LLGabriel]

i was just stating the minimum really.of course you dont have to use that..there are lots you can use instead.
what i ment to say was you CAN use a 5.0 if you want.excuse my mistype.
i also use arcadia and wouldnt use anything else

Yep, absolutely loving the Arcadia's.