Tips for First Time Chameleon Owner?

A

Amberjewel

New Member
So my dad fell in love with chameleons when I went to the Petstore to get the water in my fishtank checked and now we're getting him a veiled chameleon for Father's Day. So far we have a large screen cage (24" x 24" x 48"), several plants, sticks, and vines, a heat rock, a dripper and a mister, a feeder rock to put the crickets in, and some supplements for the crickets (just no actual crickets yet). Anything else we need? Will the heating rock be enough heat or should we get a heater too? Do we need both? Any other things I need to know? Do I need any sort of dirt or gravel at the bottom of the cage? Will he need a dish of water to bathe in? Thanks!
Amber
 
Amberjewel said:
So my dad fell in love with chameleons when I went to the Petstore to get the water in my fishtank checked and now we're getting him a veiled chameleon for Father's Day. So far we have a large screen cage (24" x 24" x 48"), several plants, sticks, and vines, a heat rock, a dripper and a mister, a feeder rock to put the crickets in, and some supplements for the crickets (just no actual crickets yet). Anything else we need? Will the heating rock be enough heat or should we get a heater too? Do we need both? Any other things I need to know? Do I need any sort of dirt or gravel at the bottom of the cage? Will he need a dish of water to bathe in? Thanks!
Amber
Click to expand...
For heat you will only need a basking ligut and a uvb light, no heat rock and no need for anything on the bottom of the cage
 
Follow her blog and listen to Jann she is the veiled queen! If you haven't bought the chameleon yet you would be better off with one from a site sponsor or adopting from chameo. The ones at large pet chains are often already in some stage of neglect. A automated misting system like a mistking would be tops on the list of things to pick up if I was you. Good Luck! Keep us posted.
 
Amberjewel said:
So my dad fell in love with chameleons when I went to the Petstore to get the water in my fishtank checked and now we're getting him a veiled chameleon for Father's Day. So far we have a large screen cage (24" x 24" x 48"), several plants, sticks, and vines, a heat rock, a dripper and a mister, a feeder rock to put the crickets in, and some supplements for the crickets (just no actual crickets yet). Anything else we need? Will the heating rock be enough heat or should we get a heater too? Do we need both? Any other things I need to know? Do I need any sort of dirt or gravel at the bottom of the cage? Will he need a dish of water to bathe in? Thanks!
Amber
Click to expand...
Amber welcome to the site. Sage advice from members above. If you have your receipts, take the heat rock back. You'll use the rest. What type of mister and what type of supplements did you purchase?

Lots of great info here on the site. All you have to do is search the forums for any topic you might want info on. It's likely there. If not, ask away. There's always usually someone here that can chime in on any given subject to help you out. Hope to see you in the forums soon.
 
Lucky dad... I'm getting some drawing and a water bottle for my fathersday ... :unsure:

You can get rid of the heating rock and probably also the feeder rock... Heating rocks are for bottom dwellers and even for that they are known to overheat the reptile that uses it in some occasions...

For feeding you can use the cupfeeding method if you don't want to many crickets running around.
Also remember to feed a broad variety of insects (mealworms, roaches, crickets, grasshoppers etc)

For heating a basking spot on top of the enclosure is best, also don't forget to have a spot for UV-light.

You don't really need a waterdish as the cham will drink drips from the leaves when he gets sprayed.
In addition you can (it's advised to) place a dripper... (Some chams use them, some don't but the cost is low so you should atleast give it a shot imo.)

Good luck with the future cham and I'm sure your dad is gonna enjoy this great hobby alot!
 
Thank you guys! Well return the heat rock and pick up a heater when we get to the store. And my dad has his heart set on a particular chameleon he saw in the store, which is why we're buying one from there.
As for water I don't have a dish, since I read that they won't use it. We have a dripper and I'm gonna use that. And we'll get a mister too. You are all so helpful and I can't wait to set up the cage!
 
Amberjewel said:
Thank you guys! Well return the heat rock and pick up a heater when we get to the store. And my dad has his heart set on a particular chameleon he saw in the store, which is why we're buying one from there.
As for water I don't have a dish, since I read that they won't use it. We have a dripper and I'm gonna use that. And we'll get a mister too. You are all so helpful and I can't wait to set up the cage!
Click to expand...

The thing I want to point out is make sure to have a tube UVA/UVB light and a Basking light. You can get a fluorescent light fixture from walmart...just remove the plastic cover as it will block the UVA/UVB rays and it can lay light down on the screen. And then get a dome fixture from the pet store and you can use a regular house bulb for the basking spot. Check the care sheets for the basking temp for Veilds and then you can figure out what wattage to use.

Also, making sure to have a good temp and humidity gauge.

Browse through the enclosure thread and see how people have theirs set up will help you get the idea.

Good luck and welcome! There is a wealth of knowledge here!
 
We have a temperature/humidity gauge coming with all the stuff. I have tropical fish so I'm no stranger to regulating temperatures! :)
 
It is, but I would just get the single dome.

Here's a pic of what I have. The dome light is the zoo med single dome and I have the zoo med UVA/UVB tube hood but I had to remove the plastic cover over the light.

IMG_7654.JPG
 
Amberjewel said:
Ok! I found a tutorial online setting up the exact cage we're getting and they used the double. Thank you again!
Click to expand...

Some do and use the coil UVA/UVB one one side and the heat bulb on the other. Most here prefer the tube UVA/UVB. There is a lot of debate about the coil bulbs being not so good for their eyes. I know they make them better now than they used to but I didn't want to risk it and just went with the tube light. Plus I feel like it covers more area.
 
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