Size of first Home

[AdamJB]

Hello all I am looking to add a nice young vieled to collection of herps. I've been looking around the forums and various care sheets, and well I cant seem to find a size of cage for a first home?

I was thinking of purchasing a 18x18x36 cage from http://www.bluebeastreptile.com/cages.htm

Let me know what you guys think.

Any info or Help is greatly appreciated


~Adam

 

[stevereecy]

Hello all I am looking to add a nice young vieled to collection of herps. I've been looking around the forums and various care sheets, and well I cant seem to find a size of cage for a first home?

I was thinking of purchasing a 18x18x36 cage from http://www.bluebeastreptile.com/cages.htm

Let me know what you guys think.

Any info or Help is greatly appreciated


~Adam

It really depends on how old it is. If you're talking about a hatchling, thats too big, and you need something about half that size so the little guy can find the food. For one that is 2 to 3 months old, that is plenty. I think that its a tad small for an adult.

 

[Dyesub Dave]

I have my adult veiled - 4+ yrs. old - the one in my Avatar pic - in a 30" x 30" x 48" mesh enclosure with a ficus and hibiscus plant and some natural vines. I now have a hard time getting him to come out!

I have 2 female veileds - around 7 months old - in a 75 gal. tank set vertically with a screen door - 18.5" x 18.5" x 48" with a hibiscus plant.

I have 1 other male veiled - approx. 8 months old - in a smaller screen cage - 12" x 24" x 26"H - and he could use a slightly larger enclosure.

Hope that gives you some guidelines!

Dyesub Dave.

 

[bg77]

My Veiled is 2 months old and he is in a 16x16x30 from Bluebeast. He has had no problems finding his food. I think it is a perfect size. I also have a 24x24x48 also from Bluebeast waiting for him when he gets a little bigger. If yours is going to be around this size that is what I recommend, don't get to tall because they are clumsy at this age. Don't want them falling too far.

 

[koabich]

I went a little different route with my cage. I bought 2 cages:

1) 3'H x 3'W x 2'D as his every day cage. Sure this is way huge for a new born but he'll be able to grow into it and I don't have to worry about buying something new down the line.

2) I bought a medium size screen cage from the Kammers, which severs multiple purposes. This is the cage I feed him in so I didn't have to worry about him not being able to find food and I don't have to worry about decaying food in his every day cage. I also use this cage for when I put him outside and as a holding pen for when I am cleaning out his normal cage.

Some on here might say that moving him from one cage to the next is too stressful on the Cham and they may be right, depending on the cham. My is fine with it and knows that when I come to get him out of his primary cage that it's feeding time. When I the screen cage he auctomatically searches for food.

 

[PardalisGirl]

Welcome Adam

Welcome to the forum Adam! So how old is your baby? An answer to that will give you your answer to the cage size question. It sounds like you have not gotten your Veiled yet and are just getting prepared. Good for you! What else do you keep?

 

[stevereecy]

I went a little different route with my cage. I bought 2 cages:

1) 3'H x 3'W x 2'D as his every day cage. Sure this is way huge for a new born but he'll be able to grow into it and I don't have to worry about buying something new down the line.

2) I bought a medium size screen cage from the Kammers, which severs multiple purposes. This is the cage I feed him in so I didn't have to worry about him not being able to find food and I don't have to worry about decaying food in his every day cage. I also use this cage for when I put him outside and as a holding pen for when I am cleaning out his normal cage.

Some on here might say that moving him from one cage to the next is too stressful on the Cham and they may be right, depending on the cham. My is fine with it and knows that when I come to get him out of his primary cage that it's feeding time. When I the screen cage he auctomatically searches for food.

Thats a pretty cool idea. I guess if you didn't change the layout of the feeding cage, they might not get too stressed. Perhaps they can "feel familiar" in two areas.

 

[booshified]

i picked up a 3.5 month old female at the annaheim show from bluebeast and put it in a 18x18x36 and she is fine. yes when she gets bigger I will want to upgrade to something a little bigger.

also by buying from bluebeast you will be making some of our fellow forum members very happy as they work for/run bluebeast

 

[bg77]

Well I agree, you cannot go wrong with Bluebeast. I have 2 cages and love them. I will been buying more from them soon.

 

[koabich]

Thats a pretty cool idea. I guess if you didn't change the layout of the feeding cage, they might not get too stressed. Perhaps they can "feel familiar" in two areas.

The layout of the cages is different but only because of the size difference. I have the same plants and same vines in both however. I think it definatley depends on your specific cham. Some may be able to deal with it no problem and some will get too stressed out.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

Kitty's first home was a 1/2 gallon size plastic jar with a screen lid that I put some artificial vines in and hung a uvb light over.
He was 5 weeks old.
At somewhere between 2 and 3 months old I moved him into a 12x18x20 screen enclosure where he lived until he was almost 6 months old, at that point he was moved into the 4 foot screen enclosure.

-Brad

 

[AdamJB]

Welcome to the forum Adam! So how old is your baby? An answer to that will give you your answer to the cage size question. It sounds like you have not gotten your Veiled yet and are just getting prepared. Good for you! What else do you keep?

Im looking to get one from here http://www.flchams.com/veiled_chameleons.asp either a 2 month or a 4 month. What do you guys recomend.

And currently I have 1.0 bearded dragon, 1.1 cornsnakes, 1.0 ball python, and 2.2 leopard geckos. I've been looking at gettin something new I was lookin at a Uro or a carpet python but after researching chams dont look to hard and look like fun

 

[bg77]

That is a Great choice.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

Depends on your definition of "hard".
They are very specific animals, and the levels of success keepers have with them now are relatively new.
The research and learning never stops with these animals and they do require very regular (more than once a day) care.
Range of temperatures, humidity levels, feeder variety, quality of feeder gut-load, calcium and vitamin supplementation, regular mistings, care of live plants, proper basking and UVB lighting....and the list goes on!
They are fun!!!
And very rewarding animals to keep....but it's a decent amount of work.
They are considered to be among the most difficult (if not the most difficult) reptiles to maintain in captivity.

-Brad

 

[AdamJB]

oh and i forgot 0.0.2 crested geckos

And by hard I just meant that it wouldnt be a huge change from caring for my other herps to a cham.

Thanks for all the input!!!

 

[bluegoldfish]

Would it be ok to keep an adult chameleon in a cage that is 18(d)x24(w)x48(h)?

 

[bg77]

Probably depends on the species?