Newbie looking for Cham Advice

[Knives]

So i'm about to jump into my first cham purchase and i'm EXCITED! My local pet store got a batch of Baby Veiled's in and I want one SO bad. I'm about low end average knowledge about cham's. Whats the best setup I can do to keep him/her healthy!

And speaking of the possibility of it being a her, how can I make sure she doesn't get egg bound.

Thanks for your interest!!!


P.S. Attatchment is a picture of 2 possabilities!

 

[SaintJimmy]

Okay, so here is what you'll need for a BABY chameleon.

• Pop up screen hamper
• Small ficus benjamina plant OR small schefflera plant/umbrella plant OR small pothos
• A few "bendy vines" from your local pet store (petco, petsmart, etc)
• Heat lamp and UVB light
• A way to make sure the heat lamp and uvb don't burn through the hamper
• a squirt bottle
• calcium powder with d3 (twice a month) on the food
• calcium powder without d3 every day on the food
• a LOW TRAFFIC room to put the chameleon
• do not let other pets around the chameleon

Any questions, just ask.

I recommend a small screen hamper with a zip screen lid, very cheap and perfect for babies vs buying a 50$ tiny cage.

Later on, you will need a tube UVB light and a 24x24x48 screen cage and a drainage system. But don't worry about it now.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/

here is a sheet that tells you the necessary humidity and temps for veiled chameleon.

keep in mind that you probably will not know what sex the chameleon is UNLESS you can see a little "spur" on the back foot.

that is a male.

 

[Knives]

So, I wanted to put it in my bedroom, would TV stress it out too much?

And where would i get a pop up screen hamper, are you talking about laundry hamper that zips?

 

[Psychobunny]

For a baby that size, you can get a all screen Reptibreez small for pretty cheap.
If this is your first, I would recommed a male.
Females require more care.

Also, I do not normally recommened buying a cham from a chain pet store, buying one from one of our site sponsors is safer, but seeing as they just received them, they havent had time to ruin their health from poor husbandy yet. So I would not put it off too long if thats the way you want to go.

There are several care sheets here for you to read, and they will answer all your questions.

 

[rajon1080]

Hey!

It seems people have covered most of the major requirements your gonna need for your baby.

As a new owner of a baby myself, one problem I had that I think is probably common among new keepers is the little guys burning when cling to the ceiling underneath the heat lamp. The metal mesh the screen is made of gets too hot and burns them. What I did was took some of those large paperclip like things used for large stacks of paper and clamped them on to the dome to elevate the lamp off the ceiling. You will likely need to get a stronger bulb to mantain the desired temp at the basking area, but this should help prevent the screen from geting burning hot!

Here's a picture of what I mean.

 

[Knives]

Would i be able to use an old hamster cage, for a week or so for it? Because they are running out and i wanted to get one ASAP

 

[Carlton]

Would i be able to use an old hamster cage, for a week or so for it? Because they are running out and i wanted to get one ASAP

I know you want to dive in right now, but its a lot better for you and your future cham to get the proper setup ready and start testing it first, rather than cause stress for a tiny baby because you didn't have everything ready (and are new at it). Babies are delicate. These are not the only veileds available...far from it!

 

[JaggedHorizon]

Sorry to hijack here, but where are other veileds available?

 

[Natepollock92]

There are many places and breeders to order from and some would be cheaper, most likely better specimens than a pet store. Dont worry about availability.

http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog/animals/chameleons/

http://www.flchams.com/inventory_all.asp?id=1026

Ive heard good things on this forum about both these companies, baby veileds are quite affordable from these. They ship in like a day or two.

You could also go through the sponsors to check others https://www.chameleonforums.com/index.php?page=sponsors

There most likely are breeders here that you could probably buy from as well.

Get everything set up and then make the purchase. Gl in advance and have fun.

 

[qdude46]

If i were you id avoid the pet store, take the time to do as much research as you can and do not in any way rush things. Veileds are practically never out of stock when it comes to reputable breeders. Also getting one about 3-4 might be better, that way it wont be as fragile.

 

[brownie64]

If i were you id avoid the pet store, take the time to do as much research as you can and do not in any way rush things. Veileds are practically never out of stock when it comes to reputable breeders. Also getting one about 3-4 might be better, that way it wont be as fragile.

I totally agree IMO I think you should get a male of at least 3-4 months old. You will have a much better chance of success. It's been my experience males live twice as long as females. They don't lay eggs which is something you don't want to deal with just starting out.