thatscool567
New Member
Hello! I'm bored, and I know there's already a ton of these, but, I decided to make a thread about caring for Veiled Chameleons 
. Ok, so first off,
Basic supplies:
- Mesh cage. (Preferably 24x24x48, 18x18x36, or a 16x16x20 inches.)
- Plants. (Fake, or real. But, if you get real plants make sure it is not toxic to your chameleon.) This link takes you to a list of safe plants for chameleons- http://flchams.com/chameleon-safe-plant-list/
- Misting system or spray bottle.
- Basking & UVB lights. (You can buy these from Amazon, or any pet store.)
- Humidity gauge. (You can get these at any pet store)
- Thermometer. (You can get these at any local pet store. Like PetSmart, or Petco)
- Drip system. (To keep the humidity up)
- Calcium, and multivitamin.
And.... I think I covered all the supplies. (Tell me if I missed any)
Cage:
Like I said before, has to be a mesh (screen cage), in any of these sizes- 24x24x48, 18x18x36, or 16x16x20 inches. If you have a baby/juvenile, I would recommend getting the 16x16x20 (or an 18x18 for a juvenile). If you're getting an adult, definitely get the 24x24x48. Males are usually larger than females, so they need a pretty big cage (Adult females are obviously big too, so, I would get a 24x24 no matter what gender for an adult).
Absolutely NO SUBSTRATE! (Substrate is stuff like moss, dirt, sand, etc. NEVER use it) Your cham can accidentally eat it, can get it in their eyes, and many other bad things. Stick to paper towels, newspaper, or just the bottom of the cage.
Make sure the cage has A LOT of foliage (plants, branches, vines, etc.), because you want your chameleon to feel safe, and to feel like he/she is hiding. Decorate however you want, but rinse of your plants and vines with hot water before using them. Research what plants are safe for chameleons, if you want a live plant. You HAVE to have a UVB and basking bulb in your chameleon's cage. Mk? Mk.
Lighting:
UVB and basking bulbs are a must. You need to have them on top of your chameleon's cage, and have the basking branch 5-6 inches below the basking lights. If you use a thermometer to see if the basking spot is the right temperature, and you see it's below what it's supposed to be, you can move your branch up a bit more. The lights should be on 12-14 hours each day. You can turn them on in the mornings and off at night, but it'd be easier to set a timer.
Under the basking light, it should be about 87-97 degrees F. Under the UVB it should be about 77-80+ F. The general temperature anywhere should be in the high 70's to the middle 80's. It can be higher. If your house goes below 60 F at night, then thats a problem. The temperature at night should be around 65-70 degrees F. UVBs are generally good for about 6-8 months, then need to be replaced. They may still be on and working, but the UVB rays are worn out... Does that make sense?
Cage Cleaning:
Don't know if this is really necessary but oh well.
Spot clean the cage every day. (spot cleaning is when you clean up the poop, any dead crickets or any uneaten crickets)
First, remove everything that's not connected to the cage (like vines, feeding cup, etc.). Take the cage outside, and hose it down including everything that is tied. Clean the inside of the feeding cup with a wet paper towel. Next, clean the drip tupperware (the bowl that catches the extra water from the dripper, you don't need it, but if you don't want water everywhere then it's good to have) to make sure nothing has grown. Place the feeding cup, water tupperware, and anything else you have cleaned in the sun to dry. Finally, reassemble everything, making sure any live plants are watered, and making sure the water from the dripper lands in the tupperware/on the leaves of a plant, spray down the cage with your spray bottle (or misting system), put the dusted crickets in, and put your chameleon back in .
Feeding:
There is a variety of foods you can feed your cham. There is super worms, hornworms, meal worms, crickets, some fruits, etc. Here is a list of fruits/veggies/greens that you can feed your cham: https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100718102615AAvpMGc
Crickets should be dusted lightly with calcium every other feeding time. They should also be dusted lightly with multivitamin every week or two. Adults can eat every other day, and babies/juveniles can be fed every day 1-2 times. Don't feed mealworms and super worms too much, maybe every week or so as a treat. Don't feed them to your chameleon in large quantities, as they are very fatty and hard to digest. Never leave any crickets or worms (you get what I mean by worms, right?) in your cham's cage for long periods of time. I think that covers food.. So yay!
Watering:
Chameleons don't recognize still water, so if you put a water bowl in there they won't know what to do. This is why you need a spray bottle or a mister. Set your mister on a timer to spray your chameleon's enclosure 2-3+ times a day, or just use a spray bottle to spray it 2-3+ times. Spray all the leaves, just try not to spray the chameleon, they usually don't like it. You can get a drip system to keep the humidity up. The average humidity should b at 50-60% or higher.
Other Info:
Having a pet chameleon takes a lot of time and effort. First, you have to set up the enclosure, make sure everything is right, and then get the actual chameleon. If your scared of bugs then.. I don't know what to say. Chameleons eat bugs. If you really want one, you have to put up with it. I would recommend a Veiled for first-time cham owners. I think I covered everything, so if anyone'd like, comment anything I have missed for anyone new to chameleons and that are thinking about buying one. OH! And, please don't rely one this one forum for all your info! Research, research, research! Ask any question you want about Veileds, I'll try to answer!
. Ok, so first off,Basic supplies:
- Mesh cage. (Preferably 24x24x48, 18x18x36, or a 16x16x20 inches.)
- Plants. (Fake, or real. But, if you get real plants make sure it is not toxic to your chameleon.) This link takes you to a list of safe plants for chameleons- http://flchams.com/chameleon-safe-plant-list/
- Misting system or spray bottle.
- Basking & UVB lights. (You can buy these from Amazon, or any pet store.)
- Humidity gauge. (You can get these at any pet store)
- Thermometer. (You can get these at any local pet store. Like PetSmart, or Petco)
- Drip system. (To keep the humidity up)
- Calcium, and multivitamin.
And.... I think I covered all the supplies. (Tell me if I missed any
)Cage:
Like I said before, has to be a mesh (screen cage), in any of these sizes- 24x24x48, 18x18x36, or 16x16x20 inches. If you have a baby/juvenile, I would recommend getting the 16x16x20 (or an 18x18 for a juvenile). If you're getting an adult, definitely get the 24x24x48. Males are usually larger than females, so they need a pretty big cage (Adult females are obviously big too, so, I would get a 24x24 no matter what gender for an adult).
Absolutely NO SUBSTRATE! (Substrate is stuff like moss, dirt, sand, etc. NEVER use it) Your cham can accidentally eat it, can get it in their eyes, and many other bad things
. Stick to paper towels, newspaper, or just the bottom of the cage.Make sure the cage has A LOT of foliage (plants, branches, vines, etc.), because you want your chameleon to feel safe, and to feel like he/she is hiding. Decorate however you want, but rinse of your plants and vines with hot water before using them. Research what plants are safe for chameleons, if you want a live plant. You HAVE to have a UVB and basking bulb in your chameleon's cage. Mk? Mk.
Lighting:
UVB and basking bulbs are a must. You need to have them on top of your chameleon's cage, and have the basking branch 5-6 inches below the basking lights. If you use a thermometer to see if the basking spot is the right temperature, and you see it's below what it's supposed to be, you can move your branch up a bit more. The lights should be on 12-14 hours each day. You can turn them on in the mornings and off at night, but it'd be easier to set a timer
.Under the basking light, it should be about 87-97 degrees F. Under the UVB it should be about 77-80+ F. The general temperature anywhere should be in the high 70's to the middle 80's. It can be higher. If your house goes below 60 F at night, then thats a problem. The temperature at night should be around 65-70 degrees F. UVBs are generally good for about 6-8 months, then need to be replaced. They may still be on and working, but the UVB rays are worn out... Does that make sense?
Cage Cleaning:
Don't know if this is really necessary but oh well.
Spot clean the cage every day. (spot cleaning is when you clean up the poop, any dead crickets or any uneaten crickets)
First, remove everything that's not connected to the cage (like vines, feeding cup, etc.). Take the cage outside, and hose it down including everything that is tied. Clean the inside of the feeding cup with a wet paper towel. Next, clean the drip tupperware (the bowl that catches the extra water from the dripper, you don't need it, but if you don't want water everywhere then it's good to have
) to make sure nothing has grown. Place the feeding cup, water tupperware, and anything else you have cleaned in the sun to dry. Finally, reassemble everything, making sure any live plants are watered, and making sure the water from the dripper lands in the tupperware/on the leaves of a plant, spray down the cage with your spray bottle (or misting system), put the dusted crickets in, and put your chameleon back in .Feeding:
There is a variety of foods you can feed your cham
. There is super worms, hornworms, meal worms, crickets, some fruits, etc. Here is a list of fruits/veggies/greens that you can feed your cham: https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100718102615AAvpMGcCrickets should be dusted lightly with calcium every other feeding time. They should also be dusted lightly with multivitamin every week or two. Adults can eat every other day, and babies/juveniles can be fed every day 1-2 times. Don't feed mealworms and super worms too much, maybe every week or so as a treat. Don't feed them to your chameleon in large quantities, as they are very fatty and hard to digest. Never leave any crickets or worms (you get what I mean by worms, right?) in your cham's cage for long periods of time. I think that covers food.. So yay!
Watering:
Chameleons don't recognize still water, so if you put a water bowl in there they won't know what to do. This is why you need a spray bottle or a mister. Set your mister on a timer to spray your chameleon's enclosure 2-3+ times a day, or just use a spray bottle to spray it 2-3+ times. Spray all the leaves, just try not to spray the chameleon, they usually don't like it. You can get a drip system to keep the humidity up. The average humidity should b at 50-60% or higher.
Other Info:
Having a pet chameleon takes a lot of time and effort. First, you have to set up the enclosure, make sure everything is right, and then get the actual chameleon. If your scared of bugs then.. I don't know what to say. Chameleons eat bugs. If you really want one, you have to put up with it
. I would recommend a Veiled for first-time cham owners. I think I covered everything, so if anyone'd like, comment anything I have missed for anyone new to chameleons and that are thinking about buying one. OH! And, please don't rely one this one forum for all your info! Research, research, research! Ask any question you want about Veileds, I'll try to answer!
