Newbie Lots of ?'s

C

CraigW

New Member
picking up my female veiled cham tomorrow, and so far have nothing!

I'm going with a flexariu and flexitray from Exoterra, not too sure what size to go with though? I dont wanna switch alot, there are 38 65 and 100 gallon sizes, but the cham is only about 5-6 inches long w/o the tail....

also, I live in Alberta Canada, so humidity is a big problem, I have a small ultrasonic humidifier, do you think that'll be enough along with 3 mistings a day?

Can't get any plants around anymore, since the weather kills almost everything :p, so a 100% fake set-up is in the works, everything is exoterra, lemme know what u reccomend, I'm thinkin of going with about 8 or 9 vines, ranging in all sizes then inter-twining lots of borad leaf plants, then for substrate just some blue shop towls

Then I'm thinkin I need to have a basking light, probably exoterra heatwave, what do u recommend for wattage?
I will also need a small heat lamp on 24hrs a day to accomidate for the cold room temperature, is this ok?

Lemme know if I am missing anything or should look into anything else!

I'm in a real rush since the pick up is tomorrow!

thanx in advance, Craig
 
CraigW said:
picking up my female veiled cham tomorrow, and so far have nothing!

I'm going with a flexariu and flexitray from Exoterra, not too sure what size to go with though? I dont wanna switch alot, there are 38 65 and 100 gallon sizes, but the cham is only about 5-6 inches long w/o the tail....well i really dont like thos cages. they are very dark on the inside and light has a problem entering. i would go with an aluminum screen cage. you can pick one up for about 60-100 bucks depending on size. if you had to get one i wouldgo with the 65 gallon.

also, I live in Alberta Canada, so humidity is a big problem, I have a small ultrasonic humidifier, do you think that'll be enough along with 3 mistings a day? i would just get one from like a Walgreens or CVS. the ultrasonics i think are garbage. sorry

Can't get any plants around anymore, since the weather kills almost everything :p, so a 100% fake set-up is in the works, everything is exoterra, lemme know what u reccomend, I'm thinkin of going with about 8 or 9 vines, ranging in all sizes then inter-twining lots of borad leaf plants, then for substrate just some blue shop towls. no substrate just put something inside to catch the water with a screen overit. that way your cham or crickets can fall in

i just spoke with a guy from ottowa(sp) he went to local plant stores and found everything. find an indoor place like HomeDepot of AceHardware

Then I'm thinkin I need to have a basking light, probably exoterra heatwave, what do u recommend for wattage? well, you need two lights 1) a retisun 5.0(UVB) and 2)a basking light, any old house bulb probablly a 60-75 watt

I will also need a small heat lamp on 24hrs a day to accomidate for the cold room temperature, is this ok? only if temperatures in the home go bellow 55

Lemme know if I am missing anything or should look into anything else! supplements calcium, vitamins, miner-allI'm in a real rush since the pick up is tomorrow!

thanx in advance, Craig
Click to expand...

ill let you know if you missed anything.
 
here is a copy of a caresheet i am working on.

Veiled and Panther Care sheet

HOUSING- ADULT- With Veiled and Panther chameleons their seems to be a standard of 24(w)x24(d)x48(h). One chameleon per cage! These numbers can be tweaked slightly, such as width and depth. A chameleon cage can never be too high. I would try not to make your cage any less than 18x18, and this is if you don’t have any room. The cage should always be made up of screen. At least four sides (top, left, right, back and front) the top must always be screen because your light will be coming in from there. As far as the other four sides any choice off three is sufficient. I have found the best screen material to use is aluminum. It doesn’t rust or melt. It is also easier to see through and UV light enters the cage easier.
Juvenile- An average size juvenile cage is around an 18x18x36. This size cage is good until about the age of one year. If it is a large male you can upgrade sooner.
BABIES- newly born chameleons can be kept in a glass cage together for 7-8 weeks tops. After the age of two months they should be placed in a fully screened cage, and they can still be kept together. Once they are separated around the age of 2.5-3 months and sold they should be kept in a screen enclosure measuring 12x12x24-30. This should be sufficient until the age of 6 months. Now it’s time to upgrade to a juvenile cage.
Safe Plants- Hibiscus-my favorite choice, Jasmine, Ficus Benjamina, Croton, Scheffelera Arobricola (Umbrella Plant), Photos, and Airplants. I have used all of these personally and I have found them easy to find and care for.
WATERING- most chameleons will not drink from standing water. There are rare cases that this occurs, but is not a substitute for proper watering. Proper watering should be done through a dripper all day and misting. I have found that the “Big Dripper” will go all day long if you have it dripping at one drop per second. Hand or automated misting should be done 2-3 times daily. You can use a spray bottle or buy a Pro Mist set-up for about 200$ and it does it by itself. Chameleons drink by shooting his/her tongue out at water droplets on leaves. Live plants are far superior to fake plants. They hold water droplets at the end of each leaf. Silk plants usually have the water drip off as soon as it makes contact. I have found that fake moss is a great way to supply water. If it is placed right under your dripper the water will run down to the tips of each piece. This is between 30-70 ends. Waterfalls and bowls help to harbor the growth of bacteria some of these bacteria can cause an Upper Respiratory Infection (URI), so they should be avoided at all cost.
HUMIDITY- The ambient humidity in the cage should be in the 40-50% range. With a spike of 70-80% during/after misting. If you aren’t lucky enough to live in Florida a cheap humidifier from Walgreens will be fine. Try to stay away from foggers, as these can be frightening to your chameleon. Not to mention more expensive than a humidifier.
LIGHTING- This is a huge area of concern to a chameleon’s health. UVB light helps with absorption of calcium to create strong bones. UVB also aids in the absorption and production of D3. Without proper UVB light a chameleon can develop MBD (Metabolic Bone Disease). The most fool proof light on the market is the Reptisun 5.o. studies have found it superior to the Reptiglo 5.0 for chameleons. Do not purchase the compact bulb. These have been known to cause eye problems. Lights should be kept on for 10-12 hours a day. Chameleons can only absorb the UV from these lights close up. The maximum effective range is about ten inches. I have personally used the latest lighting on the market with great success, the Mercury Vapor Bulbs. They are an all in one, both heat and UVB output. The maximum effective range of these bulbs is over 12 inches. As far as temperature goes, Veiled’s are a little warmer about 95 basking temperature or what I call the “hot spot”. The “hot spot” temperature can be acquired using standard house light bulbs ranging from 45-75 watts. This should be the temperature in one area on the top of the cage and the rest should be in the 80’s. The rest of the cage should vary, and into the mid 70’s at the bottom. Pather’s should have a basking temperature around 90 degrees. Same goes for the cage having varying temperatures. Babies should always be cooler around 85 basking for both species.
SUPPLEMENTING- this is a key factor in the survival of your chameleon. In captivity we do not supply the chameleon with enough feeders to meet the vitamin/mineral demands of a chameleon. So this is taken care of through dusting and gutloading. Most of the feeders we buy today are high and Phosphorous and low in calcium. There is only one way to take care of this problem. I like to use Herpcares cricket duster because it saves supplement and you don’t need to touch the feeder. Not every cricket needs to be dusted either, nor do they need to look like ghost from being covered in so much calcium. Gutloading is a term used when feeder insects are given food to eat that is rich in nutrients. There are several cricket foods on the market today that can be used. Try to stay away from potatoes because they are very high in phosphorous. There are 3 main supplements used today. My schedule looks like: Mondays and Thursdays- Calcium, Tuesdays and Fridays-Rep Cal Herptivite, Wednesdays and Saturdays- T-Rex Chameleon Formula or Mineral-All(indoor). A lot of people have their own schedule and tricks. I also rotate every week between Calcium with D3 and without D3. A chameleon can overdose and die from too much D3.
 
Thanx for all ur help, I cannot get any other screen tank other than the Flexarium at my lo cal shop, or at any of the city pet shops around my area, also I have REP-CAL and HERPTIVITE left over from my PDF's, I have 2 12" flourescent bulbs I think they're Reptiglow 3.0's but I will get the two 5's and then the basking light, I have two small heat lamps to use, one for basking (probably a exoterra sunglow spot bulb either 50 or 75W) and one left on 24hrs, probably with a 55w nightglow bulb, if thats ok? ummm.... hmm...I dont think I'm missing much else! Thanx for all ur help tho man, I know I didnt want a female but its paid for without return policy so not much choice, I'll get some sand and a larger dish to prep for eggs in the future, I'm kinda rambling on now but I'm kinda nervous about all of this, dont wanna forget anything! Any important beginner tips?
 
i would go with the retisun not the reptiglo. test have shown the retisun is far better. i use mercury vapor, but will be using retisun in the future for test reasons. you may need to upgrade to an 8.0 or 10.0 with the dark screen. one should be plenty for that small cage.
 
Brad Ramsey's blog is great i have been there and it has a lot of information my care sheet doesnt. mostly it has a lot more detail. i would read it if you have the time.
 
Justin ur a savior!

Couple more questions to calm the nerve's

The 65G should be ok eh? not too big? and lots of room for her to grow?

Also, what do you recommend for drip systems? Tupperwear container with a lid and a small hole? or.....


I have a mist king also but its extremely loud, becuase of the tubing rattle and pump would this cause alot of stress for the lil girl?

The ultrasonic also does a really good job of creating droplets on the leaves on the plants, also I need it for my room, like I said before Canada is really dry :p

what kinda plants do you recomend? I read quite a bit on the forums in the last hour and I've read every care sheet I can find, but havent found too too much on the best types of plants, I'm just really happy I found all you guys to help me through this :)
 
CraigW said:
Justin ur a savior!

Couple more questions to calm the nerve's

The 65G should be ok eh? not too big? and lots of room for her to grow? Yea that should be a fine cage. i have one, but its in the addict.lol

Also, what do you recommend for drip systems? Tupperwear container with a lid and a small hole? or.....i use Big Drippers, but anything works as long as it can hold water. just poke it from the inside, it seems to drip better.


I have a mist king also but its extremely loud, becuase of the tubing rattle and pump would this cause alot of stress for the lil girl? i have a pro mist, but before that i used a hand sprayer.

The ultrasonic also does a really good job of creating droplets on the leaves on the plants, also I need it for my room, like I said before Canada is really dry :p ues it if you like it

what kinda plants do you recomend? I read quite a bit on the forums in the last hour and I've read every care sheet I can find, but havent found too too much on the best types of plants, I'm just really happy I found all you guys to help me through this :)
Click to expand...
here comes a list. lol




Abelia
African Daisy
Sweet Alysum
Chamomile
Arbutus
Asperagus Fern
Aster
Baby's Tears
Bird's Nest Fern
Boston Fern
Bottle Bush
Bouganville
Bridal Veil
Bromeliads
Camellia
Coleus-this plant is midly toxic, it is ok for most chameleons but if you have one that likes to eat plants like a Veiled do not use this plant.
Corn Plant
Corn flower-also known as bachelors buttons
Croton
Draceana
Emerald Ripple
Eugenia
Fuschia
Geranium
Hen and CHicks Succulent
Hibiscus-my favorite choice
Hoya
Iceplant
Japanese aralia
Impatients
Jade Plant
Jasmine
Lavender
Marigold
Monkey Plant
Mother of Pearl
Natal Plum
Painted nettle
Palms
Pampas Grass
Parlor Palm
Peperomia
Phoenix
Piggyback Plant
Pilea
Pink Polka Dot Plant
Ponytail Plant
Purple Velvet
Spider Plant
Staghorn Fern
Swedish Ivy
Tree Mallow
Umbrella Plant
Velvet Plant
Wandering Jew
Warneckii
Wax Plant
ZEbra plant
zinnias
 
Just make sure you thoroughly wash any plants in soapy water and rinse well as re-potting the plants. Chameleons will eat the dirt, and it will be bad news is they eat fertilizer balls, vermiulite, perlite or large chunks of bark or soil that will cause impaction.
 
the plants came from my old PDF tank, I rinsed the plants really well before puttin them into the tank, I didnt use soapy water though, I repotted them in some packed dendrobedding but left some furtilized soil at the bottom of the pot for the roots to get at, its almost done, I ordered a big dripper and more fake plants and vines just today so they should be in thursday next week
 



what do u think?

Also she's eating all the leaves off the lucky bamboo plant, what does this mean?
 
Last edited:
CraigW said:
the plants came from my old PDF tank, I rinsed the plants really well before puttin them into the tank, I didnt use soapy water though, I repotted them in some packed dendrobedding but left some furtilized soil at the bottom of the pot for the roots to get at, its almost done, I ordered a big dripper and more fake plants and vines just today so they should be in thursday next week
Click to expand...

the soap is there to rinse the chemical away from your plants.
It is detrimental for you to wash the plants thoroughly.
Rinsing it with water is not enough (unless you are absolutely sure that pesticides have never been used on the plants)
 
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