Veiled Chameleon Husbandry

[sageyurisic]

-Chameleon Kit 16”x16”x30” (What size shld i upgrade to when full grown?)

-Zilla Slimline Tropical uvb 18” T8

-Ceramic Infrared Heat Emitter 100w (Basking spot stays around 82)

-My home temp never goes below 68 or over 71.

-I live in PA so the humidity is always high always around 80%. Did have humidity detector but it fell in water now its just stuck at 90%, shld i invest in a new one?

-I spray him several times a day w lukewarm water for 2 mins or 5 if he keeps drinking. Shld i invest in an automatic mister? Plz share your misting schedule)

-At the moment i am feeding him large crickets dusted in ReptiCalcium without D3. (When shld i dust them with D3?) (Plz share your weekly dusting schedule)

-Uvb and Heat Emitter turn off at 10:30 pm and on at 10:30 am.

-If i have missed anything plz tell me in the comments i want my cham to be as happy as possible !! Plz also share anything i might be doing wrong or anything that i am not doing that i need to do.

 

[emilhayek]

You need to invest in some real live plants, Veileds like to bite plants and if they ingest a fake one impaction could happen and it would be very bad for your cham. i like to use golden pothos.

 

[BenjiTheCham]

You need a T5HO bulb not a t8.

 

[Gingero]

Hello and welcome to the forums!

Thank you for providing that info and a picture. I'll start providing feedback but could you also post pics of your chameleon and answer the questions found here:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/

 

[Gingero]

-Chameleon Kit 16”x16”x30” (What size shld i upgrade to when full grown?) You should upgrade to a 24"x24"x48" sooner than later. Way before they reach adulthood. How old is your chameleon now? What age? What gender? Looks like you should consider upgrading soon.




-Zilla Slimline Tropical uvb 18” T8 What strength of bulb is it? 5.0 or 10.0? T5s are the latest tech and what most keepers use these days.




-Ceramic Infrared Heat Emitter 100w (Basking spot stays around 82) This temp is dependent on the age, gender and species of chameleon. Once I know more about your cham I can weigh in.

-My home temp never goes below 68 or over 71.




-I live in PA so the humidity is always high always around 80%. Did have humidity detector but it fell in water now its just stuck at 90%, shld i invest in a new one? Definitely get a new hygrometer. I picked up a digital one from Target and have had no issues. 80% is way too high for a veiled chameleon. May want to mist less frequently and look into getting a dehumidifier.

-I spray him several times a day w lukewarm water for 2 mins or 5 if he keeps drinking. Shld i invest in an automatic mister? Plz share your misting schedule) How many times is "several"? Most keepers spray 2x/day for 2-4 minutes but that is dependent on your chameleon's drinking response and the humidity of where you live.




-At the moment i am feeding him large crickets dusted in ReptiCalcium without D3. (When shld i dust them with D3?) (Plz share your weekly dusting schedule) What are you gutloading the bugs with? Are you feeding other kinds of bugs? This video walks you through my supplement schedule:




-Uvb and Heat Emitter turn off at 10:30 pm and on at 10:30 am. This is good.

-If i have missed anything plz tell me in the comments i want my cham to be as happy as possible !! Plz also share anything i might be doing wrong or anything that i am not doing that i need to do.

- I would also remove that reptile carpet in the bottom and add more branches and live plants.

 

[sageyurisic]

You need to invest in some real live plants, Veileds like to bite plants and if they ingest a fake one impaction could happen and it would be very bad for your cham. i like to use golden pothos.

thankyou so much shld i remove the fake ones once i get real plants or leave a few for climbing ?

 

[sageyurisic]

You need a T5HO bulb not a t8.

thankyou i have a t5ho bulb but purchased the fixture separately and came w the t8 was not sure if i wld be able to replace it with the t5 bulb. i am going to replace it and if it does not work i will be purchasing a new fixture for the t5.

 

[emilhayek]

thankyou so much shld i remove the fake ones once i get real plants or leave a few for climbing ?

no fake plants at all

 

[jamest0o0]

Your humidity is 80% in your house? You should be more worried about mold/water damage in that case. I'm in PA as well and we run 3 70 pint dehumidifiers. People don't expect it to be so hot and humid here lol.

 

[emilhayek]

Your humidity is 80% in your house? You should be more worried about mold/water damage in that case. I'm in PA as well and we run 3 70 pint dehumidifiers. People don't expect it to be so hot and humid here lol.

wait, if my humidity is around 50-55 should i be worried?

 

[jamest0o0]

wait, if my humidity is around 50-55 should i be worried?

In your cage or in your house? 50-55 in your cage is fine. In your house it's a little high, but not the danger zone yet. 60%+ is what you want to avoid. At the very least run a fan in the room to circulate it. Our humidity was reaching 80-90% upstairs and in the basement so we have to run the dehumidifiers. Then our winter heat is baseboard water heat so it's still humid lol. Only nice thing about running the dehumidifiers is you can keep it at a healthy 40%. Too low asking for viruses/respiratory issues(for people and animals), too high and you risk the water damage.

 

[sageyurisic]

Your humidity is 80% in your house? You should be more worried about mold/water damage in that case. I'm in PA as well and we run 3 70 pint dehumidifiers. People don't expect it to be so hot and humid here lol.

so are you saying i shld purchase a dehumidifier ?

 

[emilhayek]

In your cage or in your house? 50-55 in your cage is fine. In your house it's a little high, but not the danger zone yet. 60%+ is what you want to avoid. At the very least run a fan in the room to circulate it. Our humidity was reaching 80-90% upstairs and in the basement so we have to run the dehumidifiers. Then our winter heat is baseboard water heat so it's still humid lol. Only nice thing about running the dehumidifiers is you can keep it at a healthy 40%. Too low asking for viruses/respiratory issues(for people and animals), too high and you risk the water damage.

it’s 54% currently in my room

 

[sageyurisic]

Your humidity is 80% in your house? You should be more worried about mold/water damage in that case. I'm in PA as well and we run 3 70 pint dehumidifiers. People don't expect it to be so hot and humid here lol.

also whenever my humidity monitor did work it was at 60%-65%.. ??

 

[jamest0o0]

If you're humidity in your home is regularly over 60, I'd suggest a dehumidifier. If it's occasionally around 60, you could get away just running some fans.

 

[MissSkittles]

thankyou so much shld i remove the fake ones once i get real plants or leave a few for climbing ?

Is best to get rid of all fake plants. Veiled’s nibble their plants so make sure to get safe ones. To provide more privacy for my chams, I’ve attached the fake plants on the outside of their enclosures.

 

[sageyurisic]

If you're humidity in your home is regularly over 60, I'd suggest a dehumidifier. If it's occasionally around 60, you could get away just running some fans.

i just ordered the eva dehumidifier. also purchased a digital thermometer/ hydrometer. the temp is still the same the humidity is at 57% i turned on a fan in the meantime until the dehumidifier gets here.

 

[emilhayek]

i just ordered the eva dehumidifier. also purchased a digital thermometer/ hydrometer. the temp is still the same the humidity is at 57% i turned on a fan in the meantime until the dehumidifier gets here.

i keep my ceiling fan running at all times and my humidity over the last 24 hours has been a low of 53 and a high of 58. but i live in texas

temperature is low of 72 high of 73

 

[sageyurisic]

-Chameleon Kit 16”x16”x30” (What size shld i upgrade to when full grown?) You should upgrade to a 24"x24"x48" sooner than later. Way before they reach adulthood. How old is your chameleon now? What age? What gender? Looks like you should consider upgrading soon.




-Zilla Slimline Tropical uvb 18” T8 What strength of bulb is it? 5.0 or 10.0? T5s are the latest tech and what most keepers use these days.




-Ceramic Infrared Heat Emitter 100w (Basking spot stays around 82) This temp is dependent on the age, gender and species of chameleon. Once I know more about your cham I can weigh in.

-My home temp never goes below 68 or over 71.




-I live in PA so the humidity is always high always around 80%. Did have humidity detector but it fell in water now its just stuck at 90%, shld i invest in a new one? Definitely get a new hygrometer. I picked up a digital one from Target and have had no issues. 80% is way too high for a veiled chameleon. May want to mist less frequently and look into getting a dehumidifier.

-I spray him several times a day w lukewarm water for 2 mins or 5 if he keeps drinking. Shld i invest in an automatic mister? Plz share your misting schedule) How many times is "several"? Most keepers spray 2x/day for 2-4 minutes but that is dependent on your chameleon's drinking response and the humidity of where you live.




-At the moment i am feeding him large crickets dusted in ReptiCalcium without D3. (When shld i dust them with D3?) (Plz share your weekly dusting schedule) What are you gutloading the bugs with? Are you feeding other kinds of bugs? This video walks you through my supplement schedule:




-Uvb and Heat Emitter turn off at 10:30 pm and on at 10:30 am. This is good.

-If i have missed anything plz tell me in the comments i want my cham to be as happy as possible !! Plz also share anything i might be doing wrong or anything that i am not doing that i need to do.

- I would also remove that reptile carpet in the bottom and add more branches and live plants.

• Your Chameleon - veiled chameleon, male, i think around 4 months the pet store did not know... i just got him 3 days ago
• Handling - have not been handling him, letting him get comfy in his home. when wld be a good idea to start handling ?
• Feeding - crickets and just ordered horn worms. i give him ab 6 crickets every day i just drop them in his cage he is still afraid of my hand so hand feeding doesnt work. i give my crickets carrots i am not sure what wld be a good gutload for them cld you recommend something ?
• Supplements - ReptiCalcium with d3 and also without have dusted without d3 since i got him was going to dust with d3 next week and alternate weekly.
• Watering - i mist him my own, ab 3 times a day 2-5 mins depending on if he is drinking or not.
• Fecal Description - i just bought him he has not been to a vet for testing. wld it be a good idea to take him to one

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? screen 16x16x24. just bought a screen 24x24x48 and will be transferring him to that once it gets here.
• Lighting - was using the zilla 15 watt t8 uvb, i was told it was wrong so i ordered a t5 15w and in the meantime i am using the 5.0 10w uvb. is this bulb okay until the t5 comes in ? 10:30am-10:30pm
• Temperature - cage floor temp is 73 basking spot is 77-79. lowest overnight temp is 70. i have a digital thermometer/ hydrometer at the bottom of the cage and a digital thermometer at his basking spot.
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? the humidity in my house stays around 60% in his cage it is 55-59%. i purchased a dehumidifier in the meantime i have a fan on. i use a digital hydrometer
• Plants - at the moment i am using plastic plants until the real live plants get here. i ordered a golden pothos and croton.
• Placement - cage is located at the end of my bed and about 4 feet beside the cage is a window. air vent across the room at least 15-20 feet away. he is places on a table. i am 5”4 the top of the cage is about 3 inches higher than me.
• Location - PA

 

[sageyurisic]

-Chameleon Kit 16”x16”x30” (What size shld i upgrade to when full grown?)

-Zilla Slimline Tropical uvb 18” T8

-Ceramic Infrared Heat Emitter 100w (Basking spot stays around 82)

-My home temp never goes below 68 or over 71.

-I live in PA so the humidity is always high always around 80%. Did have humidity detector but it fell in water now its just stuck at 90%, shld i invest in a new one?

-I spray him several times a day w lukewarm water for 2 mins or 5 if he keeps drinking. Shld i invest in an automatic mister? Plz share your misting schedule)

-At the moment i am feeding him large crickets dusted in ReptiCalcium without D3. (When shld i dust them with D3?) (Plz share your weekly dusting schedule)

-Uvb and Heat Emitter turn off at 10:30 pm and on at 10:30 am.

-If i have missed anything plz tell me in the comments i want my cham to be as happy as possible !! Plz also share anything i might be doing wrong or anything that i am not doing that i need to do.

• Your Chameleon - veiled chameleon, male, i think around 4 months the pet store did not know... i just got him 3 days ago
• Handling - have not been handling him, letting him get comfy in his home. when wld be a good idea to start handling ?
• Feeding - crickets and just ordered horn worms. i give him ab 6 crickets every day i just drop them in his cage he is still afraid of my hand so hand feeding doesnt work. i give my crickets carrots i am not sure what wld be a good gutload for them cld you recommend something ?
• Supplements - ReptiCalcium with d3 and also without have dusted without d3 since i got him was going to dust with d3 next week and alternate weekly.
• Watering - i mist him my own, ab 3 times a day 2-5 mins depending on if he is drinking or not.
• Fecal Description - i just bought him he has not been to a vet for testing. wld it be a good idea to take him to one

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? screen 16x16x24. just bought a screen 24x24x48 and will be transferring him to that once it gets here.
• Lighting - was using the zilla 15 watt t8 uvb, i was told it was wrong so i ordered a t5 15w and in the meantime i am using the 5.0 10w uvb. is this bulb okay until the t5 comes in ? 10:30am-10:30pm
• Temperature - cage floor temp is 73 basking spot is 77-79. lowest overnight temp is 70. i have a digital thermometer/ hydrometer at the bottom of the cage and a digital thermometer at his basking spot.
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? the humidity in my house stays around 60% in his cage it is 55-59%. i purchased a dehumidifier in the meantime i have a fan on. i use a digital hydrometer
• Plants - at the moment i am using plastic plants until the real live plants get here. i ordered a golden pothos and croton.
• Placement - cage is located at the end of my bed and about 4 feet beside the cage is a window. air vent across the room at least 15-20 feet away. he is places on a table. i am 5”4 the top of the cage is about 3 inches higher than me.
• Location - PA