Uvb placement + tips
- Thread starter chamalam
- Start date
Lindasjackson
Chameleon Enthusiast
Hi and welcome! You should have the uvb light going parallel with the basking branch and make sure your basking branch is 8-9 inches below the uvb light. Can you post pictures of the cage from top to bottom please? What size cage is it? There is a form all new members are asked to fill out so we can help you get your cage set up perfectly for your chams best life. It’s located and pinned in the health forum and its titled How To Ask For Help . Just copy and paste here and fill it out. Thank you!
Lindasjackson
Chameleon Enthusiast
Thread 'How to ask for help'
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/
Chameleon Info:
Cage Info:
- Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
-Veiled, male, 3-4 years (hard to remember), ever since he was tiny at a local pet store! - Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
-not very often, maybe once a week max (depends on his mood he's a little grump sometimes) - Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
-I feed a variety of bugs including banded crickets, silkworms, hornworms, discoid roaches, BSFL, waxworms, and mealworms; I feel about maybe 10 feeders, I also feed him some veggies and greens including romaine lettuce, yams, carrots, zucchini, and sometimes fruit;
-I feed every other day but skip the weekend, I gut load my feeders with whatever veggies I feed him and with some bug burger. - Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
-rep-cal calcium without d3, and then zoomed reptivite with D3; for 3 feeding days I dust with calcium and then dust with VM for one day, and then dust with calcium for 3 feeding days, and then it just repeats. - Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long do you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
-I have a fogger that goes on for 2 hours twice a day and I hand mist twice a day, I haven't personally seen him drinking but if some water droplets land on his face he does drink it. - Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
-Brown and solid with off-white urates, never been tested. - History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
-no idea how his life was before the pet store but my pet store takes really good of their animals so I don't think it's too much of a worry.
Cage Info:
- Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
-screen, 2' x 2' x 4' - Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
-uvb: reptisun 5.0 T5HO
-heat: repti basking spot lamp 75w
- Turns on at 9am and goes off at 10pm - Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
- basking-cage floor: 90-75f
-lowest temp: 70f
-I use a therm gun! - Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
-30-50% I live in a pretty dry place so humidity changes alot
-hydrometer - Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
-pothos, i had a umbrella plant but i didn't do to good - 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?
-Against a wall, on a stool about 20'' off the ground. - Location - Where are you geographically located?
-western us
Lindasjackson
Chameleon Enthusiast
Okay, thank you for filling that out. I’m not an expert on veileds so I’m going to tag in some people who are so hang on for a bit.
@kinyonga @Beman @ERKleRose can someone go over this form with this new member please?
@kinyonga @Beman @ERKleRose can someone go over this form with this new member please?
Lindasjackson
Chameleon Enthusiast
Evidently these people aren’t on tonight so I’ll try to help the best I can with what I’ve learned from them. first off I believe you should only be feeding him 5-7 feeders per day in the morning so he has time to bask and digest his food. wax worms are full of fat so should only be used as treats. Supplements: you should lightly dust feeders every time you feed him with calcium no D3. Then twice a month on maybe the first and the 15 th dust with reptivite with D3. He should only be fed 3-4 times a week. You don’t want him to become obese. He doesn’t need fruits and veggies because he cant digest them. Just give that to the feeders. Hold on, they’ll be more.
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Lindasjackson
Chameleon Enthusiast
As for temps its better to use a temp/ hygrometer with a probe that you zip tie to the basking branch to measure the temp because its more accurate. It would be good to have more than one and set them at different levels. Foggers should not be used unless the temp is below 67 degrees because this can cause an upper respiratory infection. His temps should be 75-80 during the day with humidity around 40-50%. Temps at night should be under 70 degrees with humidity 75% and up. As for watering misting in the am before lights come on for 2-3 minutes and after lights off for 2-3 minutes is fine. You can add a water drip during the day for him to drink by poking a small hole in a plastic cup and setting it up on top of the enclosure o it drips through.
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Lindasjackson
Chameleon Enthusiast
The only other things I think should be done is the rope that’s in there needs to be taken out because he can catch his claws in it and it will rip them out! The fake vines are not good either because veileds are known for biting and eating things and that can pose an impact ion risk. I would remove the pot in the bottom with the dead plant in it and try to replace it with a nice money tree or schefflera plant or even a ficus Benjamina. He needs a lot more branches going across the cage in different directions and levels so he can climb and explore. Other than that I think your doing great! I hope this helps. Others will come on later and go over your form more in depth I’m sure. Again welcome and we look forward to your posts and pictures of your beautiful Cham!
Lindasjackson
Chameleon Enthusiast
Oh, one other thing, since you live in a drier climate you may want to invest in a mistking which is an automatic mister that you can set to mist at intervals throughout the night to bring up your humidity. You’ll need a drainage system in place to catch the water.
replying to all 4 messages u sent btw! This is all good info thank u! I only use waxworms for a treat btw! should have mentioned that. Also, I only feed him on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday is that alright? Also, I've heard veggies were good for them if they eat them? I thought veiled were known for eating plants and stuff. are they still good if I don't feed them often like as an occasional thing or something? Any ideas for keeping the humidity up because it's really hard for me because my default humidity here is like 20% also I don't have anything to replace the vines rn and I've never even seen try and eat the vines before. he normally doesn't eat anything that doesn't move unless he takes a nibble out of the pothos but he rarely does that. Unfortunately, I can't really afford a mistking right now is that alright?
[ p.s sorry for so many questions!
]Lindasjackson
Chameleon Enthusiast
i understand what you’re saying. Some of these things are very hard to afford sometimes. I’m hoping either Beman or Erklerose will come on and advise you of the questions you asked. I can try to tag them in again. Hang on!
@ERKleRose @Beman @kinyonga @MissSkittles
@ERKleRose @Beman @kinyonga @MissSkittles
Flick boy
Chameleon Enthusiast
@Lindasjackson I will have a look and see what input I can give bear with me .
Lindasjackson
Chameleon Enthusiast
Thank you @Flick boy ! I tried tagging some people in a couple times but I guess they’re busy. I have to remember to tag you to!
Lindasjackson
Chameleon Enthusiast
One other thing I thought of. You said he’s in a screen enclosure so if you’re having trouble with low humidity at night try covering 3 sides of the enclosure with clear shower curtain. That’s what I do and it does help hold in the humidity. just don’t cover all 4 sides because you need the air flow.
thank you <3 i always thought his casque was big
Lindasjackson
Chameleon Enthusiast
What I do is I place my uvb right over basking branch 8-9 inches above it then I take my basking light and tip it up so it leans on my uvb light a little so my guy is getting both the uvb and the basking lights at the same time. I’d show you a pic of what I mean but it’s dark here right now so I can’t.
