Some question before getting a baby Veiled Cham

[kovsejr]

Hi everybody!

I'm new to the forum and i have some questions to ask the more experienced bunch on this site.

So, first of all, is it OK to keep a baby cham in an adults cage? I looking at the Exo-Terra mesh cage 76cm x 42cm x 122cm. I'm planing to feed my cham with help of a plastic deli cup.

Second, Is it a must to have a drainage system or is it OK to put substrate on the bottom of the cage? I'm thinking of getting Vermiculate as it hold humidity and is not prone to mold.

Third, how often do you mist your cages? I'm thinking of getting a misting system as i'm not home on fridays and saturdays. How do you have you systems set for Veiled chams (how lond does it mist and how often?)

Fourth, How does the misting system work in a all screen cage? I want to have the all mesh cage because of the ventilation, but i'm a bit conserned about the misting, as i don't wan't half my furniture get wet

Thank you all in forward for your help, and i wish you all a very nice day!

 

[sharp229]

Welcome to the forums!

You can keep a baby in an adult's cage as long as you are sure he is eating and knows how to get his food. You can train him to use the cup by showing it to him and letting insects crawl out. You can keep the cup somewhere where he will see it a lot, such as where he likes to bask. However, if he refuses to use the cup and will only free range food, you may have to get a smaller cage or partition the larger cage.

I would recommend you use a drainage system, especially if you are going to be using an automated mister. It is significantly easier to manage and ensure things do not stay wet. It is also very easy to make using an end table or rack that you can get off Craigslist or similar for less than $10. If you have substrate you should cover it with river rocks so he can't accidentally or intentionally ingest it.

How long you mist really depends on your setup and chameleon. For my veiled I have one nozzle in the very center of the cage and run it for 10 minutes an hour after his lights come on and then for a minute every couple hours. You want to make sure things dry out between mistings so bacteria doesn't grow, and you also want to ensure the mister does not run at night and the cage is dry during the night. They seem to drink most right after waking up, and they can take a while to get started, so that is why I have the long session in the morning.

If you just use one nozzle and keep it in the very center top of the cage with lots of dense foliage underneath this will eliminate most water from escaping the cage. After running the nozzle for 10 minutes in my veiled's cage there is almost no water that escapes and what little mist does dries up within a few minutes of the mister shutting off.

I would recommend you get a MistKing or AquaZamp misting system rather than ExoTerra or ZooMed that you can find in the pet store. They are only about $20 more for the base system and are significantly better and more reliable.

For my veiled's cage I got a 2 1/2 quart bucket from home depot and put the MistKing nozzle in the center. I then put this on top of the top screen as a home-made rain dome. This allows me to keep the rain in the center of the cage without having to cut any holes in the mesh. AquaZamp makes RainDomes, and they are very good, but they have two nozzles and are larger so I find them harder to keep confined if water is a problem.

 

[kovsejr]

First of all i would like to thank you for the quick reply the information you posted really helps ALOT!

Do you mist the cage and provide the rain droplets with the raindome or do you only have the raindome for the humidity and for drinking?

And about the drainage...i bought a shelf that is part aluminium and part wood (see picture below).

Any ideas how i could do a good drainage system?

i removed the bottom three shelfs so that only the top on is where the cage will be.

 

[Psychobunny]

Your shelf is good for providing the right height for the cage, but for good drainage I drill several 1/4'' holes in the floor of the cage, then I place the whole cage in a over-size drain pan, like a dura tray (made for rabbit cages) or a plastic drain pan of a washing machine.
Put something under all 4 corners of the cage, to elevate it from the tray, this allows the water to flow without any standing water which may get trapped under the cage.
Use shims to angle the drain tray to a corner, and make a drain hole in that corner of the tray.
Attach a drain hose to the hole, and use a large bucket or container to collect the drainage water.
Just have to remember to empty the drain bucket when it gets full.

You can also use a longer drain hose and route it so it drains outside of your home. If you have a hole in the wall left by phone installation, cable tv, ect. and no longer in use, you can put your drain hose through it, so the water drains outside.

 

[sharp229]

I use raindomes for both humidity and drinking water. They do put out a certain amount of mist as well as droplets. However, you can use any combination of the two that lets you provide adequate water and humidity.

Veileds have lower humidity requirements, so I wouldn't be worried as long as the humidity doesn't drop below 30% between mistings. Overall the humidity should average around 40%-70%.

There are many different ways to do the drainage. Psychobunny provided a good example and you can get even more ideas on this thread:

https://www.chameleonforums.com/drainage-systems-cages-get-creative-102038/

I personally drill a hole about an inch in diameter in the plastic bottom of the cage that is aligned with a smaller hole in the plant pot that is in the very center of the cage and then drill a 1.5 inch hole in the bottom of the shelf it is sitting on with a plastic tub underneath to collect the water. I use one large schefflera tree, so it slightly bends the plastic bottom of the cage to create a slope that drains the water to the hole.

If your in the US, LLLReptile sells a 24x24x48 cage with an optional drainage tray that gives you more options for collecting water:

http://www.lllreptile.com/products/10309-24-x-24-x-48-inch-aluminum-screen-cage-5
http://www.lllreptile.com/products/14111-24-x-24-x-48-screen-cage-water-tray-5-tray

If your outside the US you can probably find something similar or use your own tray like the rabbit trays Psychobunny mentioned. Usually the trays made for a specific cage only work with that cage.