***The Third Official Enclosure Picture Thread***

Enclosure took a full year to fully grow into it's own, especially the vines

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First Cham and first Cham enclosure! We are crested, Chahoua, and leachie gecko breeders and we both work professionally in aquascaping so we LOVE building our enclosures! 16x16x30 Reptibreeze (grow out, we will probably repurpose this for another species when our girl outgrows it). 5.0 UVB, a little heat, and two grow light bars for all the plants, the main structure is made of Great Stuff Pond & Stone. Viv is currently pictured without the drainage box underneath while we wait for everything to cure so we can put Beignet in! Respectful criticisms are absolutely accepted and appreciated!
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RollReptile said:
First Cham and first Cham enclosure! We are crested, Chahoua, and leachie gecko breeders and we both work professionally in aquascaping so we LOVE building our enclosures! 16x16x30 Reptibreeze (grow out, we will probably repurpose this for another species when our girl outgrows it). 5.0 UVB, a little heat, and two grow light bars for all the plants, the main structure is made of Great Stuff Pond & Stone. Viv is currently pictured without the drainage box underneath while we wait for everything to cure so we can put Beignet in! Respectful criticisms are absolutely accepted and appreciated! View attachment 349141View attachment 349142
Click to expand...
Hello and welcome!! I do see a few things that need to change, we would be happy to do a review for you. I'd suggest making a new post so its easy for all of us to follow and then fill out the form below:

Chameleon Info:

  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with, and what is the schedule?
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long do you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
  • Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high-traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem -

If you can also include the pictures of your darling girl and set up again too that would be awesome :)
 
elizaann2 said:
Hello and welcome!! I do see a few things that need to change, we would be happy to do a review for you. I'd suggest making a new post so its easy for all of us to follow and then fill out the form below:

Chameleon Info:

  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with, and what is the schedule?
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long do you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
  • Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high-traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem -

If you can also include the pictures of your darling girl and set up again too that would be awesome :)
Click to expand...
  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Pied veiled cham, we believe it’s a girl (sexed via tarsal spur), and been in my care for approx 24 hours.
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Currently not much. Planning on a 2-3 week acclimation period since that’s what I’ve done with all my other reptiles. Want to just observe and make sure she’s eating, drinking, etc well before moving into potential stressors like handling
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Planning on a mixed diet of 48hr gutloaded, mealworm, cricket, and occasional treats like hornworms, silkworms, and waxworms. All appropriately sized (no longer than width of her head) and dusted following instructions from the chameleon academy
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with, and what is the schedule?
Dusting every feeding with Arcadia EarthPro-A and 2x per month with Repashy Calcium + LoD as instructed by chameleon academy :)
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long do you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
Misting via mistking 30 seconds 4x per day and working on a DIY drip system because I think the Little Dripper is not suitable for our current setup.
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
None noted yet due to such a short time span owning this gorgeous girl. Will update once seen. Never checked for parasites but confirmed CB
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
None that I’m aware of. Great eater according to the breeder, no MBD, very active and curious.

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
ZooMed Reptibreeze 16x16x30. Planning to upgrade within 8-12 months but if she grows super quick and needs it earlier we are happy to upgrade early! Already working on planning her permanent enclosure and gathering supplies.
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
5.0 UVB for 12 hrs a day (reptisun I believe?) and heat bulb (flukers) for the same amount of time. Two LED light bars for the plants for 10hrs.
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
Room temp is a constant 76 (yay reptile room!) and basking up top is about 94-95 (measured with digital temp probe). We kept basking needs in mind and provided multiple perch areas at different levels as well as lots of shady areas so she can choose what she wants.
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
Digital hygrometer measuring approx 50% room humidity. Mister 4x/day gets it to 100% then it goes back down to 50 in a wonderful little cycle.
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
Using 100% live plants (just one fake vine in the back for extra climbing opportunities). Multiple types of pothos, schleffera, pink princess, nerve plant.
  • Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high-traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
Top of cage is approx 5’10” above the ground b/c it’s on a table. She’s in the reptile room which we specifically designed to keep our other 50ish lizards happy and healthy. Only traffic is us maintaining the animals :)
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?
Houston TX
 
See my response below in bold:

  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Pied veiled cham, we believe it’s a girl (sexed via tarsal spur), and been in my care for approx 24 hours. If you want to send pictures of the back of her feet we can help you verify, but it sounds like you know what you are doing with this :)
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Currently not much. Planning on a 2-3 week acclimation period since that’s what I’ve done with all my other reptiles. Want to just observe and make sure she’s eating, drinking, etc well before moving into potential stressors like handling. Good, chameleons are shy lizards and handling often can be quite stressful for them. I don't handle my chams unless i'm doing a physical exam, need to remove them so I can deep clean their enclosures, or I'm taking them to the vet.
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Planning on a mixed diet of 48hr gutloaded, mealworm, cricket, and occasional treats like hornworms, silkworms, and waxworms. All appropriately sized (no longer than width of her head) and dusted following instructions from the chameleon academy. Great but I'd switch that up a bit, the silkworms are actually super nutritious and make a great staple feeder. Mealworms don't have a lot of nutritional value so I would use those more as an occasional treat. I'll attach a few documents that list great staple and treat feeders as well as good fruits and veggies for gut-loading your bugs.
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with, and what is the schedule?
Dusting every feeding with Arcadia EarthPro-A and 2x per month with Repashy Calcium + LoD as instructed by chameleon academy :). I thought the EarthPro-A was a 2x a month supplement for some reason, @Beman can you confirm this supplement schedule is A-okay?
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long do you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
Misting via mistking 30 seconds 4x per day and working on a DIY drip system because I think the Little Dripper is not suitable for our current setup. Great, watch her urates, if she seems dehydrated you may need to bump up the misting sessions to at least 1 minute.
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
None noted yet due to such a short time span owning this gorgeous girl. Will update once seen. Never checked for parasites but confirmed CB. Great, if you want to post pictures of her poop when she passes it we can help you check it out :). I would strongly recommend getting her tested for parasites as soon as you can.
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
None that I’m aware of. Great eater according to the breeder, no MBD, very active and curious.
 

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  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
ZooMed Reptibreeze 16x16x30. Planning to upgrade within 8-12 months but if she grows super quick and needs it earlier we are happy to upgrade early! Already working on planning her permanent enclosure and gathering supplies. Good for you! I'd gather supplies quickly, veiled chameleons grow SUPER FAST and she may outgrow that enclosure quicker than you think.
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
5.0 UVB for 12 hrs a day (reptisun I believe?) and heat bulb (flukers) for the same amount of time. Two LED light bars for the plants for 10hrs. Is her UVB a screw in bulb or a linear light?
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
Room temp is a constant 76 (yay reptile room!) and basking up top is about 94-95 (measured with digital temp probe). We kept basking needs in mind and provided multiple perch areas at different levels as well as lots of shady areas so she can choose what she wants. Ambient temp is great, you'll want an ambient of 78-72 degrees in her enclosure. Her basking temp is way too hot however, it shouldn't go above 80 degrees, especially with her being so young and being a female. High temps when she gets older will make her body create more eggs which can cause problems.
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
Digital hygrometer measuring approx 50% room humidity. Mister 4x/day gets it to 100% then it goes back down to 50 in a wonderful little cycle. Good, you want the humidity around 50% during the day and it can even go down to 40% if needed. You'll want her humidity to be 100% at night, you can do this by adjusting her misting schedule to go off at night rather than 4x during the day and most of us have fog machines. If you can get her enclosure temp down to 68 degrees or colder at night fogging is a great way to achieve 100% humidity. You'll want to avoid high humidity during the day, high humidity and high temps can create respiratory infections.
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
Using 100% live plants (just one fake vine in the back for extra climbing opportunities). Multiple types of pothos, schleffera, pink princess, nerve plant. Beautiful, even though you have the fake plant in for climbing opportunities I would suggest removing it. Especially veiled chameleons, tend to eat the plants in their enclosure so fake plants can create impaction concerns.
  • Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high-traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
Top of cage is approx 5’10” above the ground b/c it’s on a table. She’s in the reptile room which we specifically designed to keep our other 50ish lizards happy and healthy. Only traffic is us maintaining the animals :). ooooh...what other reptiles do you have?
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?
Houston TX
 
Ok now a couple things with the enclosure.

- The bamboo sticks tend to get slippery and may be hard for your girl to hold on to, I am not sure if you can add more sticks to her enclosure to allow her to move around the enclosure better but if you can, I'd highly recommend it. You especially want to have a stick that is 6 inches below your UVB to allow her to get proper exposure to that. Same with her basking light, you want that like 9 inches below from the basking light as well.
- The colored lights on the top of her enclosure I would recommend removing, it can bother her eyes so we typically on ly use white lights on our chams :)
- If you can add more plant coverage in the middle/bottom of the enclosure that would be great - as mentioned before chameleons are very shy lizards and will feel more secure with more of a 'curtain' of plants to help keep them hidden. I'll attach a photo of one of my enclosures so you can see what I'm talking about :). (note the network of top branches beneath the linear UVB and the heat lamp)

Let me know what other questions you have! I'm happy to help!
 

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elizaann2 said:
See my response below in bold:

  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Pied veiled cham, we believe it’s a girl (sexed via tarsal spur), and been in my care for approx 24 hours. If you want to send pictures of the back of her feet we can help you verify, but it sounds like you know what you are doing with this :)
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Currently not much. Planning on a 2-3 week acclimation period since that’s what I’ve done with all my other reptiles. Want to just observe and make sure she’s eating, drinking, etc well before moving into potential stressors like handling. Good, chameleons are shy lizards and handling often can be quite stressful for them. I don't handle my chams unless i'm doing a physical exam, need to remove them so I can deep clean their enclosures, or I'm taking them to the vet.
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Planning on a mixed diet of 48hr gutloaded, mealworm, cricket, and occasional treats like hornworms, silkworms, and waxworms. All appropriately sized (no longer than width of her head) and dusted following instructions from the chameleon academy. Great but I'd switch that up a bit, the silkworms are actually super nutritious and make a great staple feeder. Mealworms don't have a lot of nutritional value so I would use those more as an occasional treat. I'll attach a few documents that list great staple and treat feeders as well as good fruits and veggies for gut-loading your bugs.
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with, and what is the schedule?
Dusting every feeding with Arcadia EarthPro-A and 2x per month with Repashy Calcium + LoD as instructed by chameleon academy :). I thought the EarthPro-A was a 2x a month supplement for some reason, @Beman can you confirm this supplement schedule is A-okay?
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long do you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
Misting via mistking 30 seconds 4x per day and working on a DIY drip system because I think the Little Dripper is not suitable for our current setup. Great, watch her urates, if she seems dehydrated you may need to bump up the misting sessions to at least 1 minute.
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
None noted yet due to such a short time span owning this gorgeous girl. Will update once seen. Never checked for parasites but confirmed CB. Great, if you want to post pictures of her poop when she passes it we can help you check it out :). I would strongly recommend getting her tested for parasites as soon as you can.
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
None that I’m aware of. Great eater according to the breeder, no MBD, very active and curious.
Click to expand...
Elizaann, we might want to add for them that handling is fine to take the cham outside for sun (supervised, secure cage with access to shade and very carefully at this size). Because this is a regular event and has a big reward at the end (sun!!) I feel it helps my chams become way more accepting of handling when it is required.

I am sure they have researched having a cham, but since the geckos they breed to are never taken out to sun this will be a new thing.
 
dinomom said:
Elizaann, we might want to add for them that handling is fine to take the cham outside for sun (supervised, secure cage with access to shade and very carefully at this size). Because this is a regular event and has a big reward at the end (sun!!) I feel it helps my chams become way more accepting of handling when it is required.

I am sure they have researched having a cham, but since the geckos they breed to are never taken out to sun this will be a new thing.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the feedback @dinomom - I do agree, it is very beneficial and is an excellent way to build a positive experience to build trust. I'll be sure to include that moving forward :)
 
elizaann2 said:
See my response below in bold:

  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Pied veiled cham, we believe it’s a girl (sexed via tarsal spur), and been in my care for approx 24 hours. If you want to send pictures of the back of her feet we can help you verify, but it sounds like you know what you are doing with this :)
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Currently not much. Planning on a 2-3 week acclimation period since that’s what I’ve done with all my other reptiles. Want to just observe and make sure she’s eating, drinking, etc well before moving into potential stressors like handling. Good, chameleons are shy lizards and handling often can be quite stressful for them. I don't handle my chams unless i'm doing a physical exam, need to remove them so I can deep clean their enclosures, or I'm taking them to the vet.
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Planning on a mixed diet of 48hr gutloaded, mealworm, cricket, and occasional treats like hornworms, silkworms, and waxworms. All appropriately sized (no longer than width of her head) and dusted following instructions from the chameleon academy. Great but I'd switch that up a bit, the silkworms are actually super nutritious and make a great staple feeder. Mealworms don't have a lot of nutritional value so I would use those more as an occasional treat. I'll attach a few documents that list great staple and treat feeders as well as good fruits and veggies for gut-loading your bugs.
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with, and what is the schedule?
Dusting every feeding with Arcadia EarthPro-A and 2x per month with Repashy Calcium + LoD as instructed by chameleon academy :). I thought the EarthPro-A was a 2x a month supplement for some reason, @Beman can you confirm this supplement schedule is A-okay?
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long do you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
Misting via mistking 30 seconds 4x per day and working on a DIY drip system because I think the Little Dripper is not suitable for our current setup. Great, watch her urates, if she seems dehydrated you may need to bump up the misting sessions to at least 1 minute.
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
None noted yet due to such a short time span owning this gorgeous girl. Will update once seen. Never checked for parasites but confirmed CB. Great, if you want to post pictures of her poop when she passes it we can help you check it out :). I would strongly recommend getting her tested for parasites as soon as you can.
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
None that I’m aware of. Great eater according to the breeder, no MBD, very active and curious.
Click to expand...
Here’s the pic of her (on the fake vine, I figured it would be okay since it’s one solid piece and there are no leaves). Also a pic of the supplementation schedule recommended by Chameleon Academy for veiled and panther chams that I was planning to follow.
 

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