Newbie with Enclosure Questions

[katlovesaandw]

Ok, as I posted in my newbie thread.... we finally adopted a veiled chameleon(F) from craigslist along with her enclosure, lighting, etc. and we have questions/issues with it! Maybe we can figure this out so we can make it the best for her.
The family we got her from bought her from the assistant of one of the largest reptile houses here in Portland. He bought her enclosure and all and didnt change much in the 10 months he had her.
It is an 18 x 18 x 36 plexi enclosure. With a plastic mesh grid top.
This contradicts everything we have read. As it all states no reflective.... But, she has lived in this her whole life and seems happy and ok with it.
So, should we get her a mesh or mesh/plexi enclosure instead OR will the whole new place stress her out?
It has a ficus in it and we are going to add more vines and plants for better climbing. She gets around ok but I think she would have more fun with a bit more.
Lighting is our next issue. We have 3 seperate lights on her now. 2 during daytime, 1 for heat and 1 for UV. We have a purple heat bulb for at night in a 3rd lamp. These are what came with her and at some point have been melted(outside plastic case) and have melted part of the plastic mesh grid top as well. We would like to replace these lamps and would appreciate some input!!
I saw a compact florescent light that held 2 at Petsmart yesterday. It stated so you could put heat on 1 side and UV on the other. Are these worth it?
I can take pics and post if needed.
We are letting her get adjusted to living in our house for the week and will be purchasing and adjusting her home on Friday when we are both off work... if needed.
Thank you for any and all input!!
FYI: She is approx. 14-18 months old. She is incredibly healthy, great colors, eats very well and is a busy climber.

Here are pics:

 

[dodolah]

It is an 18 x 18 x 36 plexi enclosure. With a plastic mesh grid top.
This contradicts everything we have read. As it all states no reflective.... But, she has lived in this her whole life and seems happy and ok with it.
So, should we get her a mesh or mesh/plexi enclosure instead OR will the whole new place stress her out?

The size of the enclosure is Perfectly fine for a female veiled. Although, if you can afford the money and space, you can get a larger one (24X24X48 inches). Usually, the rule is the larger the better for adult veiled.
I would also provide a laying bucket for her. She could lay eggs at any moment regardless that you mate her or not. The only difference is the eggs will be infertile if you have not mate her with a male veiled.

If you have any substrate on the bottom (like wood chips, stone pebbles, and big lump of dirt) take it out. At one time, your chameleon will eat the substrate.. making her susceptible to impaction.

I would recommend you to get a screen cage for her. It is absolutely better, imho, for her. The air will be fresh and the humidity can be maintained by misting and using real plants. If you do not want to change the cage, I would suggest drilling ventilation holes on each side of the enclosure; so, you can have an air circulation in the cage.
For a week or so, she will pace around in her new cage; but, i think the benefit outweigh the stress in the long run.

It has a ficus in it and we are going to add more vines and plants for better climbing. She gets around ok but I think she would have more fun with a bit more.

Absolutely.. with a larger screen cage, the more plants you can put, the happier she will become. Just make sure that her basking spot is not obstructed by the plants. and, you have a horizontal branch so she can bask to her heart content.

We have 3 seperate lights on her now. 2 during daytime, 1 for heat and 1 for UV. We have a purple heat bulb for at night in a 3rd lamp. These are what came with her and at some point have been melted(outside plastic case) and have melted part of the plastic mesh grid top as well. We would like to replace these lamps and would appreciate some input!!

Turn off the nightlight.. Unless the temp goes below 50F at night, you will not need the night light at all. A veiled chameleon can withstand cold temp in the night quite well and would actually benefit from having a 10 degree night temp drop to induce nice sleep. My first mistake as a chameleon keeper is turning on a night light for my cham. He goes downhill real fast. But, luckily, I figure out the problem fast.
And, the situation you mentioned means the more reason you should buy an aluminum screen cage, They will not melt. What is the wattage of your heatlamp?

I saw a compact florescent light that held 2 at Petsmart yesterday. It stated so you could put heat on 1 side and UV on the other. Are these worth it?
I can take pics and post if needed.

No. I would not suggest getting a compact light.
I would get Reptisun 5.0 LINEAR tube (see picture)

and, NO.. please do not separate the uvb and heat lamp and place them on the opposite corner.
Read this link:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/reminder-about-uvb-light-heat-d3-37702/#post350316

I would also suggest getting the tube at someplace else.. Normal price for this tube is 12 dollars.. Not 30 - 40 bucks like Petsmart suggested.

Congratulation for your new addition to the family and welcome to the forum!

 

[katlovesaandw]

THANKS!!!
Wow, what great advice!

We read on the laying bucket part. The guy we got her from said never laid an egg but we read about they can die, etc.
How large and deep should it be? I have read conflicting sizes.

We live in an old house and keep our own night temp at about 67* and if I read your reply correctly, she doesnt or shouldnt need any supplemental heat at night?
I am showing that to my husband! He was afraid his baby would be cold!

The purple night lamp thing is 150 watt and seems HOT to me. She moves away from it at night to sleep I have noticed.

Ok, the tube light you pictured is both a heat lamp AND UV light? Did I read that correct as well? We have a awesome reptile house/store that carries the mesh cages, lighting, etc. and we were there yesterday checking stuff out but it can be overwhelming. Hence the reason I joined this group!

Very excited about the advice!! Thanks a bunch!!

 

[dodolah]

THANKS!!!
Wow, what great advice!

We read on the laying bucket part. The guy we got her from said never laid an egg but we read about they can die, etc.
How large and deep should it be? I have read conflicting sizes.

We live in an old house and keep our own night temp at about 67* and if I read your reply correctly, she doesnt or shouldnt need any supplemental heat at night?
I am showing that to my husband! He was afraid his baby would be cold!

The purple night lamp thing is 150 watt and seems HOT to me. She moves away from it at night to sleep I have noticed.

Ok, the tube light you pictured is both a heat lamp AND UV light? Did I read that correct as well? We have a awesome reptile house/store that carries the mesh cages, lighting, etc. and we were there yesterday checking stuff out but it can be overwhelming. Hence the reason I joined this group!

Very excited about the advice!! Thanks a bunch!!

Ouch.. 150 watt is waaayy too hot even for a day lamp. Especially if you decide to keep that plexi glass cage, you can accidentally bake her alive.
Plexi glass trapped heat very well. I think your normal night temp is completely fine. She will appreciate the temp drop.

No. the picture is just the UVB light.
You will need a heat lamp.. But, you do not need a fancy heat lamp for reptile. An incandescent house bulb (pictured below) will do the job perfectly

I live in SoCal where it can get hot. I never need bulb any higher than 50 Watt.
150 Watt is usually an overkill in US.. Most used 50 - 75 watt.
There is serious burn risk using a high wattage heat lamp.

Here is an info about the laying bucket:
http://chameleonnews.com/?page=article&id=114

 

[bigcappa]

Welcome to the forums katlovesaandw!! and great reply dodolah!

 

[katlovesaandw]

Thank you!!!
We are in Portland, Oregon and while not COLD for the most part we are damp and cool 75% of the year.

I thought that lamp was WAY to hot! You can see the pics where it melted the other lamps at the previous owners home. YIKES!

If nothing else, I would like hubby to remove 1 plexi panel and put in mesh. So, the airflow increases. But, that being said I have been checking the advertisers for mesh cages on here and there are WAY better deals than the reptile store! WOW
So, we may do that.......

Thank you from myself and Karma! I am starting a list of changes so that we can go shopping on Friday!!! Tonight we will NOT turn on night lamp!

 

[dodolah]

Awesome! I can see Karma is lucky to have such attentive and passionate parents
and, katlovesaandw, it might be a good idea to start familiarizing yourself with available herp vet around your area.
search www.herpvetconnection.com for herp vet close to your city.
Otherwise, some other members from Oregon might be able to help you to give referral.

Again, congratulations for your new addition.

Thank you!!!
We are in Portland, Oregon and while not COLD for the most part we are damp and cool 75% of the year.

I thought that lamp was WAY to hot! You can see the pics where it melted the other lamps at the previous owners home. YIKES!

If nothing else, I would like hubby to remove 1 plexi panel and put in mesh. So, the airflow increases. But, that being said I have been checking the advertisers for mesh cages on here and there are WAY better deals than the reptile store! WOW
So, we may do that.......

Thank you from myself and Karma! I am starting a list of changes so that we can go shopping on Friday!!! Tonight we will NOT turn on night lamp!

 

[katlovesaandw]

Awesome! Thanks for the vet page! There are several close by my house! I have it saved!

 

[katlovesaandw]

We are definitely getting a new cage.
Not sure whether because our house has more windows for more light which equals more reflection but she has tried to grab and branch that wasnt there. And just now she was at the bottom clawing at her own reflection and getting dark brown color. I misted the plexi inside to stop the reflection part and she was fine after that.
I dont want to change the position of her cage as that would be stuck away from us then, so we get a new cage. Hubby and I will check the sites I found tonight and see about ordering something for her!

 

[Texas Panther Man]

Look at LLL they are a site sponsor and they are running a deal on the 24X24X48 cage. Also do you have supplements? You will need 3 types to dust your feeders.
1. Calcium without D3 -4-5 times Weekly
2. Calcium With D3 - Use twice Monthly
3. A Mutivitamin Dust -Used 1 month

Also dont forget to gutload all your feeders. You will need a dry gutload and a wet gutload. There are premade dry gutloads you can buy. Your wet portion should be made of: fruits, & veggies.

As for the laying bin just get a rubber made tote or ive used a small plastic bathroom trash can. It needs to be at least 12" deep in my opinion. Fill it 3/4 of the way up with a mix of clean sand and organic soil. Make sure the soil is free of perlite.

 

[katlovesaandw]

LLL is one of the ones I was looking at for new cages!
Got the dusting powders and the 2 types of gutload for the crickets! I got that part figured out!LOL
Ok on the tote then!!
Thanks!

 

[pssh]

You should be gutloading with fresh veggies like collard greens, kale, mustard greens, dandelion greens, and endive. Use fruits and other veggies like sweet peppers, sweet potatoes, sweet potatoes, oranges, papaya, and celery leaves.

Maybe it's just a weird picture, but the chameleon looks kind of lumpy in that picture?

 

[Brad Ramsey]

I would recommend keeping the size smaller (16x16x30 to 18x18x36) and building an enclosure with three solid sides, screen door and top ... OR covering at least the back and one side of a screen enclosure (2 sides would be better)
The benefits that I have seen (especially in females) in regard to how calm and secure they feel is remarkable.
She is reaching out and pawing at the sides because she is exposed and wants to get to a safer place.
This behavior happens when they have really large cages as well and their nervousness can be misinterpreted as them using/enjoying all the space, getting exercise, etc.
I don't really think chameleons need exercise and I think it's amusing when people talk about it.
Enrichment is a different thing and is more brain stimulation/problem solving ... such as introducing a new feeder or a handful of flies. It does result in some movement around the cage.
Anyway, I don't think reflection is a problem, airflow could be made okay pretty easily, but, that enclosure will not give the animal any security.
Concerning heat at night, 58 to 60 degrees f. is what we set it at for chameleons here. They REQUIRE a significant drop in temp at night.

-Brad