Preparing for new chameleon.

Lpsouth1978

Lpsouth1978

Avid Member
Hi all,

I am getting ready to purchase my first chameleon and want to make sure I am not missing anything. I am hoping to get a male Ambilobe Panther, but may get a male Turquoise Veiled instead and wait till my next (show) enclosure is ready to get the Panther.

This is what I have so far:

- DIY screen mesh cage w/drainage - 36x18x48
- Several fake vines strung throughout the cage
- 75w Basking bulb and dome fixture
- 4x24 watt T5HO fixture w/ built in timer and 6500k bulbs, 1 bulb will be replaced with an Arcadia 6% bulb (will arrive sometime this week)
- A number of Bamboo poles to be used as horizontal walking paths (will arrive Thursday)
- Calcium powder w/o D3
- Calcium powder w/D3
- Multivitamin powder
- Digital Hygrometer
- Digital Temp gun
- Pump type hand sprayer
- RO/DI water system for misting system (was used for saltwater tanks).

I am still planning to get the following (before the chameleon)

- MistKing Misting system
- Several plants, currently thinking an umbrella plant, and a pothos, but would like at least one other type to keep things interesting.

I will have the plants, and hopefully the misting system, in the enclosure for several weeks before getting the chameleon. That should allow plenty of time for me to ensure correct temps and humidity. I live in Colorado and it is quite dry here, so the humidity could be difficult to nail down. To complicate things even further I have 2 Bearded Dragons, so I have to give each species very different humidity, but I am up to the challenge.

I have a LARGE supply of Repti-worms and also get crickets often for my Dragons, so I will be feeding the same insects to the chameleon. I can also offer the same greens I give my beardies, even though the Chameleon may not eat them. These include mostly Turnip, Mustard, and collard greens.

I have been reading NON-STOP on this forum, and I think I have everything covered. If I forgot anything please let me know. I would like to have everything in place and stable before purchasing the chameleon.
 
The only things I can think of is stuff to gutload your crickets with (if you aren't already doing so for your bearded dragons) and maybe some dubia roaches or something to make sure your cham is getting a good variety of food.
 
Let me just applaud you for doing so much research before hand and then doubling checking with the forum to make sure you have everything. You are obviously going to be a fantastic chameleon keeper!

A Ficus would also go great with that mix of trees.
 
kj9 said:
The only things I can think of is stuff to gutload your crickets with (if you aren't already doing so for your bearded dragons) and maybe some dubia roaches or something to make sure your cham is getting a good variety of food.
Click to expand...

I am already gutloading the crickets, and have even looked into a Dubia roach colony, but I'm not ready for that just yet.

bbprinting said:
Let me just applaud you for doing so much research before hand and then doubling checking with the forum to make sure you have everything. You are obviously going to be a fantastic chameleon keeper!

A Ficus would also go great with that mix of trees.
Click to expand...

Thank you. Nothing is more frustrating to me than people who get animals without EVER even attempting to learn the best requirements for them, before OR after purchase.

Anyway, I was unable to even find a ficus at my local nursery today. I did however pick up a Gold Cappela. I was told that it is a variety of Scheflerra that has more yellow leaves in it.

My new lights arrive tomorrow and then I could technically get my chameleon. I would like to hold off on that purchase until I have the MistKing system in. That won't happen for about 3 weeks. I still need to get the Pothos. I almost bought a Marble Queen Pothos today, but decided to get just the Scheflerra for now.

Here are a couple of pics with the Scheflerra and bamboo poles added to the enclosure. Let me know what you think. I only used half of the poles, so I can add more if needed, though I don't think I will need more once the other plants are added.


 
I'm sure it will be awesome with the other plants. :) Bromeliads are nice kind of decorative plants that are safe for chameleons, if you want something to just fill up space.

Just a personal preference for me at least, is to have some kind of branch, or vine that runs low enough that if your chameleon does end up on the ground, he can get back up easily.

And I totally agree with you, about how frustrating it is when people don't do research. Especially with a sensitive animal like chameleons!!

:D
 
I had not even considered a way for a chameleon to climb back up if they went to ground. I will have to use a couple of the remaining poles and make an easy way back to the free tops.

Thank you for that little piece of wisdom!!
 
Update:

I have made some changes to the setup, including a couple of bamboo poles that go to the ground, a new plant, and an automatic misting system. I also got the drainage figured out. All I need now is to test everything over the next week and then I am ready for my chameleon.

Here is a short video of the setup with the misting system. Let me know what you all think.

http://s1192.photobucket.com/user/l...F6-3879-0000022796FA67B8_zps13dc1e4e.mp4.html
 
Day 1 of testing is now done. I had to adjust the basking light a couple times to get the right temps, but all is well there now.

I'm not sure what to do about the humidity though. I have already wrapped the two sides and back of the enclosure in a clear shower curtain. I am misting at 7am, 11am, 3pm, and 6pm, for 3 minutes each cycle. Right after I mist the humidity will be 90-95%, but within 30 minutes it will drop to about 60% and by the time it mists again it is down to 45-50%. Everything is pretty much dry after 3 hours.

I thought about misting every 3 hours, but I would still only get 4 mistings a day. Instead, should I switch to 5 minute mistings rather than 3?
 
The hunt is on!!! I am looking for a beautiful male Veiled. I found a beautiful juvenile chameleon at my local pet store this week, but it was a female, so I passed on it.

The enclosure has been running for a few weeks now and things look great. The plants that are in there are growing well and seem to be very healthy. I have added rocks on top of the soil in the plant pots and am truly ready for a chameleon.

I hope I find one soon so I can finally put something in the enclosure other than plants.



 
I just purchased my first chameleon!!!:D

I bought him from a member here, chamcapture. I think he is stunning! He should be here Tuesday. Can't Wait!




 
Yayyy that's so exciting! Congrats! He has some amazing chams for sure! I'm sure you will be very pleased!!! Can't wait to see him settling in! Good luck! :D
 
laurenleeg said:
Yayyy that's so exciting! Congrats! He has some amazing chams for sure! I'm sure you will be very pleased!!! Can't wait to see him settling in! Good luck! :D
Click to expand...

Thanks, I am very excited. He will be here Tues. I will, OF COURSE, post pics as soon as I get him.
 
He's HERE!!!!:D

I just got him a couple of hours ago. He is now in his enclosure and will have the rest of the afternoon to explore in peace.

He seems to be a pretty docile guy. He was, of course, a bit nervous and skittish when I opened the bag he came in. He actually refused to come out of the bag. He just curled up in the bottom of the bag after I opened it. I had to cut the bag open. As soon as the bag was no longer wrapped around him he really perked up and did not have a problem with me placing my hand under his chin and chest.

It did take him a couple of minutes to decide to climb on my hand however. as soon as I got him within about 8 inches of his open enclosure, he stretched as far as he could trying to reach the vines and branches. From there he climbed to the very top back corner and stayed there until I left to go back to work.

I only got 1 good pic of him, but will surely be posting more later.

Thank you chamcapture for the AWESOME chameleon!!

 
A couple more pics. He is still VERY nervous any time I am in the room. He will just freeze and not move a muscle as long as I am in the room. If I go anywhere near the enclosure he will start to run and hide from me. He has not been aggressive as of yet, but VERY apprehensive.



 
Lpsouth1978 said:
The hunt is on!!! I am looking for a beautiful male Veiled. I found a beautiful juvenile chameleon at my local pet store this week, but it was a female, so I passed on it.

The enclosure has been running for a few weeks now and things look great. The plants that are in there are growing well and seem to be very healthy. I have added rocks on top of the soil in the plant pots and am truly ready for a chameleon.

I hope I find one soon so I can finally put something in the enclosure other than plants.



Click to expand...
Whats that plant on the left, the cage looks great :)
 
Today is 3 days since I got Bean (short for Green Bean), and I think he is starting to settle in a bit. He did not seem to be as concerned about me being in the room and was willing to climb around his cage this morning even though I was watching. He still does not like me to open his enclosure, but we will work on that. He has yet to eat anything, though he did poop for the first time since I've had him. I am going to stop on my way home and get some super worms to see if those are more enticing to him.

I also think he is still a little dehydrated from his long journey to me. he gets misted 4x a day for 3 minutes each time, and I have set up a DIY dripper on top of the enclosure. It drips once every 2-3 seconds. I hope he can get the water he needs soon.

In the mean time, here are some more pics.








 
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