Newbie advice for Yemens

B

Boudicca

New Member
Hi,
I am interested in getting a chameleon but I am researching as much as I can before I do. I was wondering if someone could just answer a few questions I have please?

1. Male Yemen? I have read that they are the best to buy for a beginner, is this true?

2. Juvenile? At what age should I buy a cham?

3. Enclosure size? I have found that here in the UK the most common vivarium for chams is the Vivexotic Viva which is wood/glass with ventilation. How long could I keep a Yemen in a 23x20x36 inch viv?

Thanks.
 
Well Im far far from an expert, but this is what I've found :
1. yes Male Yemen/Veiled chammy is the best choice for a beginner.
- First a male since, the females have some issues with unfertilized eggs and laying and things... which could be very dangerous and a headscracher for beginners.
-Veiled since they really are the ones that arent that demanding when it comes to temp, humidity and other factors, they are the most durable.
2. I'm a first time cham owner and I got him when he was 2 months old, I would think that a better age would be about 4 months.
3. Enclosure ... the bigger the better ! gotta be able to move around and have areas with different temps. Gotta be well ventilated. I really don't like any terrariums since I like the terrarium itself to be somewhat esthetic and look good in the room. Im not good with inches but i think that 23x20x36 translates to about 60x50x100 cm, which if you ask me is as big as he's ever gonna need.
I made a cabinet in one of my rooms into an enclosure and its 60x60x120 and its really big for a full grown chammy. If you wanna take a look for reference I posted it here :
https://www.chameleonforums.com/meet-marky-give-me-your-opinion-130822/

Hope I was of help :)
 
Hi,
Thanks for your replies! Yes the vivs I have seen in centimetres are 57x49x91cm (small) and 86x49x91cm (medium).
How long could I keep a cham in the small? I want to do what's best for the cham and if he will grow out of the small in a year's time but could cope with the medium as a juvenile then I will get the medium. However if the small is ample for an adult too then that would be an option.

I have another question; if the viv has a thermostat, can it be put anywhere in the house? It would be nice to put the viv in my conservatory but being in the UK it gets very cold in winter and very hot in summer.

Off to look at the links :D
 
It's been my experience that veiled grow quite fast in their first 6 months. If it were me I would get the large vivarium, and if you see he is having trouble finding his food just section it off to fit his size the remove the sections as he gets bigger. Why buy a small one just to have to buy the larger one in 6-7 months. I don't know about the UK but here in the states there quite expensive. Know about your temp question not sure I understand what you mean by thermostat, do you mean thermostatically controlled where your ambient temp stays constant? I don't see how this would work otherwise you would most likely be alright in the winter with enough basking temp, but in the summer you would have to have a way for the cham to cool down they must regulate their temps. True veileds are much more temp tolerant but they would still need to regulate, and if they couldn't get away from the high heat I don't see how they could do that? It would basically depend on just how hot you are talking about. They can take temps as high as 95, or as low as 45, but they need to regulate. Lastly I would get one that is at least 4 months old they can be a little delicate prier to that. Hope that helps you some but without more info that's the best I can do. Like others said there is good care sheets on this site.:)
 
Hi brownie64,
Thanks for your reply. With regards to the thermostat, one of the set ups I have seen comes with a "Microclimate B1 Dimming Thermostat 600w" so I wasn't sure if this set the temperature in the viv and maintained it if the outside air cooled or got hotter. Basically I don't know what a dimmer thermostat does!

I now have a new worry about the chameleon I don't own...I have family members who would look after him if I went on holiday but what would happen if they forgot to mist him one day?! Oh the worry lol (I would have a dripper in the viv too).

I know have another question...just been to a reptile shop in my county which has a good reputation. They sell babies from 6 weeks old?
 
A Male Yemen (Veiled) or male Panther are equally good for a first chameleon. Best to get one that is 6months old - 1 year. You'd want a cage that is 4 feet /1.22 meters tall, and at least 2 feet /60cm wide and 2 feet /60cm deep.
 
With that terrarium you would need to add more foliage and bendy vines, but as sides from that it looks nice!
 
Great, foliage and bendy vines I can do! One thing I am unsure about is the mesh and living in a colder climate. The temperature of our house never goes below 20oC (68oF) is that too cold for outside the cage?
Also how can these cages get humid?
 
Boudicca said:
Great, foliage and bendy vines I can do! One thing I am unsure about is the mesh and living in a colder climate. The temperature of our house never goes below 20oC (68oF) is that too cold for outside the cage?
Also how can these cages get humid?
Click to expand...

You live in the UK, it is plenty humid. Yemen chameleons come from Yemen, where the humidity is quite often below 20% They do not need the same amount of humidity as the tropical chameleons need.

The temperature is fine, just make sure that you have the proper lighting and heat lamps to raise the temps to the correct levels during the day. Take a look at Jann's links, they will help you.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

My_Chameleon
Advice for Jackson's Chameleon
Replies
9
Views
460
Sonny13
Sonny13
sidewindersnake
New chameleon owner be gentle :)
3 4 5
Replies
81
Views
5K
Beman
Beman
kelseymaire
Newbie! Please help!
2 3
Replies
44
Views
812
isaiah33
I
birdieelizabeth
Am I really not ready for a panther chameleon?
Replies
15
Views
557
Lindasjackson
L
AngryGremlin
Looking for advice for multiple questions
Replies
3
Views
377
AngryGremlin
AngryGremlin
Back
Top Bottom