New Veiled Chameleon owner. Thoughts on my enclosure etc?

[jmb0030]

I am the new owner of a female veiled chameleon. Her name is Ranga, like Rango but female . I have attached a few pictures of my enclosure. My previous lizard was a bearded dragon and I modified the unit a little for her. In it are silk vines, and some silk ivy plants. Also in it is a living Schefflera with a coco fiber wrap around the pot. There is live moss at the bottom to help with humidity and a dripper on top of the cage. I make sure not to leave her any standing water because i have heard they can drown. The very bottom of the cage is a rubber mat to help retain moisture and a little heat. The moss covers about 1/3 or the bottom of the tank. The log i soak in some water every now and then, and she seems to like it, I think it helps with the humidity. Any thoughts or concerns about this setup? Thanks guys.

 

[jmb0030]

Sorry if this is a double post. Testing out tapatalk app on my phone.

 

[Carlton]

There are several aspects of this setup that may not work for her. I know you put time and effort into converting this from a beardie's enclosure, but the needs of these two species are quite different a nd you may spend a lot more time/$$ trying to make this one work. You may find that your enclosure is too small to house an arboreal cham...not enough vertical space for her to climb and thermoregulate. Chams need a gradient of heat and humidity from upper to lower areas of the cage, and solid-sided, horizontally-oriented setups don't provide this as well. There may not be enough air exchange in this tank unless you have some sort of small fan pulling stagnant warm air out of the top grill. Tank type setups can be too warm overall and don't cool down at night (chams need at least a 10 degree drop in temp at night, and no visible lighting at night). Chams use overhead heat/light to bask, not belly heat, so your undertank mat is pretty much a waste. Substrates can cause problems for chams if they pick up pieces of it and ingest it. There isn't much foliage cover for her...and most chams don't want to be out in plain view or observed. Some chams are bothered by glass...they keep trying to get out of a too-small space and paw at it endlessly. How old is your UVB strip light? If its been in use for 6 months, replace it.

What I'd suggest you do is read the "cham care basics" tab on this forum and compare your setup and climatic settings to the ones described. You may find you have a lot to adjust. Also, make sure to read the nutritional and supplemental sections as they do differ from other herps. This will help you modify your space to avoid problems as she grows.

 

[jmb0030]

There are several aspects of this setup that may not work for her. I know you put time and effort into converting this from a beardie's enclosure, but the needs of these two species are quite different a nd you may spend a lot more time/$$ trying to make this one work. You may find that your enclosure is too small to house an arboreal cham...not enough vertical space for her to climb and thermoregulate. Chams need a gradient of heat and humidity from upper to lower areas of the cage, and solid-sided, horizontally-oriented setups don't provide this as well. There may not be enough air exchange in this tank unless you have some sort of small fan pulling stagnant warm air out of the top grill. Tank type setups can be too warm overall and don't cool down at night (chams need at least a 10 degree drop in temp at night, and no visible lighting at night). Chams use overhead heat/light to bask, not belly heat, so your undertank mat is pretty much a waste. Substrates can cause problems for chams if they pick up pieces of it and ingest it. There isn't much foliage cover for her...and most chams don't want to be out in plain view or observed. Some chams are bothered by glass...they keep trying to get out of a too-small space and paw at it endlessly. How old is your UVB strip light? If its been in use for 6 months, replace it.

What I'd suggest you do is read the "cham care basics" tab on this forum and compare your setup and climatic settings to the ones described. You may find you have a lot to adjust. Also, make sure to read the nutritional and supplemental sections as they do differ from other herps. This will help you modify your space to avoid problems as she grows.


Thank you for the response. As for the size of her cage, its about 20"d X 40"w X 24"h , I know that it could be taller, but thats what i have for now. It antique walnut and hand built and thats what she has for now. The glass also isnt as good as screen could be, but in my home she isnt going to be getting screen. I have intentions of bringing a small fan over the top of the enclosure to help circulate more air, also she doesnt stay in there 24/7 i try and have her out for a bit. Mainly i do this because I want to be able to handle her as she gets older and want her used to it. The lower temp of the cage is about 70-75 degrees and 70-80%humidity while the upper area is about 75-80degree and 60-70% humidity. She is able to get directly under the heat lamps, almost as close as she wants for a higher temperature to bask and the temp there is around 100. The mat in the bottom is not actually a heating mat, its black rubber, the black will help keep in heat and the misting that ends up on it helps keep the humidity a little higher at the bottom, also it makes cleanup simple. At night her cage temp does drop to the lower to mid 60 degree range. The floliage is going to be changed a little as i figure out what she likes, for the most part it seem like she prefers the reptirope that is in there over anything else. All my bulbs are brand new, like within the last week new; i got new bulbs after i got her because i read that if they arent getting much sunlight then they need to be getting the uva and uvb from the bulbs, therefore i bought the strip light and also another heat lamp and true blue bulbs for the other two fixtures. As for now she has been getting medium/ large crickets and a couple of mealworms a day. I dust them almost every time that she gets them. I have seen different reports of how often they need to be dusted. Any thing else you want to add, answer or concerns for me?


Josh
from Alabama

 

[ZiggyStardust]

100 degrees is way, way to hot as a basking temp for even an adult chameleon, let alone one as young as yours - you should be aiming for the high eighties at most with a juvenile.

I also agree with everything that Carlton has said- as lovely as the viv is and the materials that it is made from, it is not going to be suitable for an adult chameleon.

I would also get rid of the cocofibre immediately as well, it can cause impaction and serious issues if accidentally ingested.

You mention that you are not intending to get a screen cage, can I ask why that is? You are going to need to upgrade as your chameleon gets bigger (and take it from me, they grow like weeds) - is there any particular reason why screen is out of the question?

 

[Bush baby]

That fact that it's made of all glass and that it's horizontal, as opposed to being vertically oriented makes it unsuitable for a cham.

 

[jmb0030]

Should the cocofibre be ok as long as she isnt eating it? I wanted her to be able to easily get up to the bottom of the plant if she wanted. The screen is not a viable option in the great room here due to the aromoas that i think would come from it and because of two dogs i wouldnt want getting any crazy ideas. possibly could look in to doing a screen on the back side with a small fan to help circulate the air.

ZIggy, ill keep a check on the temp and raise the lights if i need. Im going to move the thermometers closer to the lights and see exactly where the temp is at near them.

 

[Psychobunny]

Young veiled chams WILL eat the cocoa fiber, so no!

Also, you are likely to cook that cham to death inside that glass box!!

 

[jmb0030]

"The best ambient temperature for veiled chameleons during the day is room temperature, between 72 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. By placing the heat bulb approximately 6 to 8 inches above a perch inside the enclosure, a basking spot of approximately 85 to 95 degrees should be achieved."

Temp in the lower portion of the cage is 70, the temp in the upper area is 78. She has basking spots under the heat lamps so she can get as close or as far away as she wants. the cocofibre is gone. Sorry if you guys dont like the glass enclosure, with proper ventilation it should be ok. Numerous resources do say that they are fine as long as air flow is acheived as to not give them a respiratory infection. Im doing what I can to make it better for her.

 

[Psychobunny]

Your sources are correct in that glass is okay, but they mean a proper reptarium, not a 'aquarium' type box with 4 enclosed walls.

How are you going to maintain RH, temp zones, and ventilation inside that?

How are you measuring the temps?

 

[jmb0030]

Your sources are correct in that glass is okay, but they mean a proper reptarium, not a 'aquarium' type box with 4 enclosed walls.

How are you going to maintain RH, temp zones, and ventilation inside that?

How are you measuring the temps?


There are thermometers and humidity gauges at the top and bottom of the enclosure.

It isnt an aquarium even though it is shaped like on. The sides are plexi glass, and have been siliconed into place.

How do you suggest measuring RH(radiant heat?), temp zones, and ventilation?

As far as ventilation is concerned I am planning to place a small ac axial fan in an upper corner.

 

[Psychobunny]

Sorry, by RH I meant relitive humidity, but I see you already have hygrometers.

Do you have holes or something in the floor for drainage?

Why dont you just get a cheap reptibreeze screen cage and make your life easier?

 

[Carlton]

Sorry if you guys dont like the glass enclosure, with proper ventilation it should be ok. Numerous resources do say that they are fine as long as air flow is acheived as to not give them a respiratory infection. Im doing what I can to make it better for her.

We know you are. As you had requested, we're just trying to alert you to problems that will most likely come up over time, and how we've dealt with or prevented them based on lots of combined experience. Some people do keep chams in all glass setups but it takes attention. I still think you'll find she needs a lot more space as she matures, and that's the one thing hard to provide with the current setup. Its great that she'll get to spend time out of the tank of course, but you may find that she frets and paces when its necessary to put her in again.

 

[jmb0030]

A screen cage isnt ideal for the area she is kept in, and we have a boxer, and a maltese that could see her as a chew toy if they ever got the opportunity. Also aromas would linger around the house more from a screen cage. That unit is made from 100 yr old walnut by my father, i really dont want to get rid of it because of that, id rather have to pay more attention and do more to keep her comfortable in it. As she gets larger I can def see that i will need to make some attempts/ construction to give her a taller area to roam about in. As far as making it taller, there is more wood here and we could do that, but the plexiglass is going to have to stay or she well have to go to a different home and i really dont want to put her through that. With the right setup i think the glass will be manageable

thank you guys for the input and concern. Im looking into more living plants to fit in the unit and give her better hiding climbing areas than the mostly afake stuff that is in there at the moment.


There are not drain holes in the bottom of the cage, it seems as if the water will soak through the mat and the wood. Ive had a mess or two to clean up already and am trying better ways of keeping that from happening.

Tip for some of you: I believe some of you may use the IR thermometers, like the ones that have the laser on them so you can tell what you are pointing them at. In case you didnt know before, those are actually garbage unless you have something such as a black peice of tape or paint to point it at. Because of difference in reflection and such and emmissivity settings you will never get a proper reading from these. They will mostly be best for alerting you to major differences in temperature rather than say the actual temperature on a log in the cage. If you take a metal plate and paint a spot gray, a spot shiny black, a spot matte black, and a bare spot, and check the temp across this, you will get majorly different readings on each spot.

 

[MelissaB]

My chameleon cages don't really have an odor. Usually if there is an odor, it's from rotting plant roots (need faster draining potting media) or a dead cricket.