Opinions on my Chameleons house!

B

Bennny

New Member
Hi,

As I am new to owning a Chameleon, I wanted to hear people's opinions who are a bit more in the know. I was given my Chameleon by a family who didn't take such good care of him and therefore, my knowledge isn't fully up to scratch. Still, I am learning fast and enjoying owning a male veiled Chameleon named Hugo. 2 weeks ago I knew nothing, now I am planning on getting a panther Chameleon too!

As for Hugo, I have tried to make his home a little more interesting as the previous owners just had one small plant in there for him to climb on. I have since put 3 Ficus plants in for him and a bunch of sticks but I wasn't sure if it is now possibly a little over crowded in there... I thought he would like lot's of different places to go. I do plan on building a much nicer and taller encolsure for him but that will have to wait for a while because of money. Would love to hear your opinions.

Cheers,
Bennny
 

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Congrats on the new cham!
First, please remove that substrate, chameleons can eat it and become impacted.
Is there a uvb light for him?
also, chams like cages that are taller than they are wide.
Good luck!
Oh, what are you supplementing with?
 
Hey Benny, Could you please put all your Beginning questions in one thread? This way the answers will always be together for you to reference back and you won't get duplicate links and such:D:)
 
lindawaz said:
Hey Benny, Could you please put all your Beginning questions in one thread? This way the answers will always be together for you to reference back and you won't get duplicate links and such:D:)
Click to expand...

Hi, yeah sure sorry. I'm sure I will get the hang of everything here soon.

I know they prefer height, but this is what he came with originally. I've just tried to make the best out of what I have got with him. Unfortunately, the tank is only about 2.5ft high. I want to build or buy him a tall, narrow encolsure with one huge plant in there - but for the meantime it's this or nothing.

I was also against having the substrate in there, and I want to take it out and clean the whole thing, and make it nice and fresh but the problem I have is actually getting him out while I do that. He is quite a grumpy fella indeed!
I have noticed people not having anything on the floor, but I do prefer the look of a natural encolsure. Maybe I will just put a very thin layer of soil on the floor - I could actually free up about 10cm of room with it gone.
There are 2 Uv bulbs in the top and I mist the whole thing 3 or 4 times a day, and give him a phosphor free calcium supplement, although he is on a hunger strike at the moment.

Cheers
 
camimom said:
Congrats on the new cham!
First, please remove that substrate, chameleons can eat it and become impacted.
Is there a uvb light for him?
also, chams like cages that are taller than they are wide.
Good luck!
Oh, what are you supplementing with?
Click to expand...

He lives in Germany, so the glass enclosure would be fine for him since the environment and how cold it gets there, although I do agree with you about the substrate and needing a UVB bulb if he doesn't have one already.
 
No Worries Benny I did the same thing when I started too! But it is easier when you go to look something back up and I did that a lot :)

Just knowing you need the taller cage and attempting to do so is great. Everything takes time.

UV is ultra-violet not the same as UBV- they need the UBV, you may just have posted it wrong but check. Most of us use The 5.0 linear tube reptsun.

I am sure you will do fine with your new buddy. You came here seeking education and information, both are the first steps to raising a healthy cham- Kudos for that :)
You have been given a lot of information in a very short time. It takes a bit to read through it all, and digest it.
You will though and soon it will not be so overwhelming. Happy Chamming :D:)
 
ChameleonRave said:
He lives in Germany, so the glass enclosure would be fine for him since the environment and how cold it gets there, although I do agree with you about the substrate and needing a UVB bulb if he doesn't have one already.
Click to expand...

I was not saying dont use glass, I was sayin get something taller. they make tall glass enclosures.
 
Thanks for all the advice guys, much appreciated! Yeah, Munich is pretty cold in winter - is usually hanging in the 0 to -10c temp but can drop down to around -20c, therefore I think that might rule out a flexarium or anything other than glass.

So, first thing I will do is throw that substrate out. It will make quite a bit of extra room too which is cool, well, Hugo will think so. The bulb's we have are for Vit D3 metabolism, so I think they are right. The temp in there is around 20 - 22c so not too cold either.

How would you suggest to get him out while I empty the substrate? I have not held him yet, and I don't want to freak him out. Also, would you guys just keep the floor bare then?

Thanks again :)
 
A cage that is 2.5-3ft high is PERFECT for right now, even if it does have lots of width too. I actually think this is going to be a perfect cage for him until he approaches a year of age. I don't know if I've read how old he is, but if he's young then this is plenty of space. I actually like horizontal space, I feel it's way more natural. My male lives in a cage that is 5ft across.

My personal opinion is that a substrate like organic top soil with no fertilizers or things in it will pose very little risk, but that is just my opinion. I can't begin to imagine how many mouthfuls of dirt my dog has swallowed during her puppy-hood, and she's still here. Dirt is something we've existed with for eons, I don't think that a little bit of it now and again will harm them. I keep my floors bare to cope with the amount of water I use in the cage, but I keep my geckos and snakes on organic soil and so far not a single issue. So, up to you. I'm not opposed to substrates.

To get him out you can take a small stick and have him climb onto that, and then move him out. They usually don't fight against a stick and will quickly climb on if you hold it under in front of their front legs. And then put him in a little bucket or on a little houseplant while you do things to the cage, somewhere where he can't escape and run off.
 
The stick to plant that Olimpia suggested worked for me in the beginning.

@Olimpia- I know you are way more experienced than me so this is a real question Chams can run? I have never seen Lily do that- are they fast?

To the OP sorry just had to ask will not hi jack you post:cool:
 
Great advice, thanks! I might just take all the soil out too, so to maximise space. I guess it's cleaner that way. But you are absolutely right in what you say - I bet they bump into, eat and climb on all sorts of things in the wild anyway. But to be practical (by the way, I'm not German, I just live here. That would of sounded very German) I will keep it clean.
I will try the stick method too. Thanks.

Btw @lindawaz. I sprayed mine the other day with water and he moved suprisingly quick. I was really suprised. He kind of ran and leaped onto another plant. It must of been at least 10x faster than normal!
 
lindawaz said:
The stick to plant that Olimpia suggested worked for me in the beginning.

@Olimpia- I know you are way more experienced than me so this is a real question Chams can run? I have never seen Lily do that- are they fast?

To the OP sorry just had to ask will not hi jack you post:cool:
Click to expand...

Lol Yea, they can move if they want! I once hatched out my own hornworm moths and when I had one in my tweezers I cannot explain to you how fast Daedalus was moving to try to get to it! He wasn't making a very graceful approach, but he was really trying to move. They won't "run" like a gecko or anole will, but they will speed walk and get a decent little speed going.

They'll never be in the Olympic races, but they have their own version going to get somewhere faster :D
 
haha yes they totally run when you spray down the cage.
i always try to use warm-luke warm water when spraying down the cage
but no matter what my jackson (jackson pollock) always twists and turns or runs away as if he is absolutely pissed about it
soon thereafter he turns light green and roams around :D
 
Speed run is definitely the correct description. It is one of the funniest things I have witnessed. Here's to spraying him all the time! haha...jk
 
@ Bennny I just want to compliment you as you looks like you have a definite interest in making sure you do and give the best for you Cham
 
Benny, I suggest you contact the forum member eisentrauti. He is also german and could guide you to different stores and explain things better for you.
 
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