Hi I have a veiled chameleon and we recently introduced her to a new tank and she got sick. I have taken her to the vet and she is making a wonderful recovery. When she is ready I want to make sure I do not make a mistake with the lighting. I wanted to know if I should have 2 lights one at each end? I have the UVB/UVA light in there as well in the inside of the tank (so the screen doesn't take away anything) Any suggestions would be great. It will probably be a few weeks before I will move her again, she is on antibiotics until Tuesday and I take her back to the vet for a check-up on Wednesday morning. Also I have noticed in pet stores they have a red light on them as well as the heating light, what is that for? No one in the pet stores seem to be able to answer a question properly and if they do I get 3 or 4 different answers. Thank you for any answers you may have.............
Proper heating for a 55 gal. aquarium (veiled chameleon - female)
- Thread starter Renee
- Start date
AFH
Avid Member
Renee, part of the problem may be the habitat. Chameleons (aside from pygmys) don't belong in an aquarium. They don't get ventilation, among other things, and it leads to health problems.
Check out Brad Ramsey's website, it will probably tell you most of what you need to know, and are going to be told here, on proper care. If you have more questions after that, come on back and we'll try to help.
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/
Hope she starts getting better soon, the vet visit is a good start.
AFH
Check out Brad Ramsey's website, it will probably tell you most of what you need to know, and are going to be told here, on proper care. If you have more questions after that, come on back and we'll try to help.
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/
Hope she starts getting better soon, the vet visit is a good start.
AFH
Hi Renee,
First, I think we all appreciate the fact that you clearly want to do what is best for your chameleon. Taking it to the vet and also asking for help on this forum are signs of someone who really cares and is willing to do whatever they can to provide the best for their pet.
With that in mind, there are a few things that sound like they need to be changed in regards to the way you have your enclosure setup.
Most people on here (including me) advocate keeping veiled chameleons in screen enclosures. There are a number of reasons for this, including ventilation, increased surface area, no reflection in the glass, ect...
Also, in-cage lighting has been known to cause problems (such as burns) and most experienced keepers place their lighting outside the enclosure just to be on the safe side. Normally what is recommended is an incandesent heating bulb that would create a hot-spot and be on one side of the enclosure and also a reptisun 5.0 UVB straight tube flourescent bulb spanning most of the cage.
Others will want to add to this I'm sure, but a picture of your set-up would be really helpful for us. If I were you I would dig around some older threads and see pics of how some other people are housing their veilds.
Hope this helps a bit
Joe Farah
First, I think we all appreciate the fact that you clearly want to do what is best for your chameleon. Taking it to the vet and also asking for help on this forum are signs of someone who really cares and is willing to do whatever they can to provide the best for their pet.
With that in mind, there are a few things that sound like they need to be changed in regards to the way you have your enclosure setup.
Most people on here (including me) advocate keeping veiled chameleons in screen enclosures. There are a number of reasons for this, including ventilation, increased surface area, no reflection in the glass, ect...
Also, in-cage lighting has been known to cause problems (such as burns) and most experienced keepers place their lighting outside the enclosure just to be on the safe side. Normally what is recommended is an incandesent heating bulb that would create a hot-spot and be on one side of the enclosure and also a reptisun 5.0 UVB straight tube flourescent bulb spanning most of the cage.
Others will want to add to this I'm sure, but a picture of your set-up would be really helpful for us. If I were you I would dig around some older threads and see pics of how some other people are housing their veilds.
Hope this helps a bit
Joe Farah
S
SuperRad
Guest
Yes definitely keep the lighting outside. If your chameleon touches a heat lamp or the fixture, he could seriously get burnt.
Justin Carl
Avid Member
yea i cant stress on how much you veiled needs to be in a fully screened cage.
it could be possible an Upper Resp. Ifection could be caused form a glass aquarium.
What lighting are you using? be specific, such as brand.
supplement scheduel?
it could be possible an Upper Resp. Ifection could be caused form a glass aquarium.
What lighting are you using? be specific, such as brand.
supplement scheduel?
AFH
Avid Member
Also, read this for next time you run into a health issue.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/
It helps people help you faster. I learned the same way.
AFH
https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/
It helps people help you faster. I learned the same way.
AFH
Last edited by a moderator:
Kiwi had an infection
The vet looked down Kiwi's throat and said she had an infection. He put her on antibiotics and I was feeding her baby food (from the vet's). I actually was feeding her every hour on Thursday and giving her the antibiotics twice a day. She pretty co-operative until she started feeling better and then the hissing began. The vet figured it was because I only had one heating lamp going and the enclosure is large. I have her quarantined in a terrarium right now and she is doing so much better. She is eating crickets pretty much normally today but she is on antibiotics for another few days.
The vet looked down Kiwi's throat and said she had an infection. He put her on antibiotics and I was feeding her baby food (from the vet's). I actually was feeding her every hour on Thursday and giving her the antibiotics twice a day. She pretty co-operative until she started feeling better and then the hissing began. The vet figured it was because I only had one heating lamp going and the enclosure is large. I have her quarantined in a terrarium right now and she is doing so much better. She is eating crickets pretty much normally today but she is on antibiotics for another few days.
