What size of housing is best for a baby?

[shazz]

Hi,
I am back with another question! When I get my little cham he will only be just over 3 months old. I am in the process of buiding my on enclosure as the ones in pet shops seem a little small and not well ventilated. My concern is if I place the lights and heat source above his home so he cant climb on them, will he be safe? Or is there a chance he could fall?

I would really appreciate some advice
Shaz

 

[SliK JiM]

Hey Shaz!

I had my guy at 3 months old in a 2' x 2' x 4' (175 flexi) from the first day i got him till I finally moved him into the beast of a cage you've seen! It's your choice. People recommend keeping them in a small enclosure when they're young so they're easier to keep an eye on (feeding, watering, etc wise), but if you're going to put the effort in, theres no reason not to use a large enclosure! Their natural habitat in the wild is obviously much larger than the enclosure we provide for them, and they survive out there fine!

He'll be fine! Chameleons fall quite a bit when they're young. Just make sure the things in the enclosure are as grippy as possible (so no bamboo rods etc) and put plenty of leafy things for him to hold onto.

I saw my guy fall from 4' pretty much the day after i got him. Just lost his footing and bam! He was fine though! Walked it off looking no more than embarassed!

 

[Nosybe]

All my chams have fallen when they were small. It is just a natural part of them learning how to climb better.

 

[shazz]

Thanks, I thought it was best to check! the enclosure will be about 38" high

 

[SliK JiM]

Sounds great to me! I'm from the bigger the better school!

 

[serenitystarlite]

I would go with something around 2x2x4 ft and block off part of it if you feel like it's too big simply because this is a good size for adults and will save you from having to build 2 cages.

My baby veiled is in a cage that's 18x12x30 and she's starting to out grow it, so she'll be ready for her big cage in about a month when it's all dry and the fumes from the stain have aired out. She's about 5 months old but she still seems pretty small so a smaller cage was fine for her.

If you go with one that's only 38in high, you would need a bigger cage when your guy is full grown, so I guess it depends on if you want to build 2 cages or just 1

 

[pssh]

Babies usually stay is small bushes in the wild where they don't roam as much and the temp is lower. That is why it's recommended to use a smaller cage and lower temps when they are young. Bigger isn't better when they are babies, though many have successfully been put in large cages. Just keep an eye on the baby and make sure he is eating normally. If he is not, then you need a smaller enclosure or to start cup feeding.

I missed what kind of baby you're getting? I think veileds can be more readily placed into a large cage as opposed to a panther because veileds grow faster and are larger to start off with.

 

[eisentrauti]

So far I don't know why juveniles should get too small cages, especially when we talk about active hunters like calyptratus or pardalis which are always on the run for food. Crickets/roaches etc could be put in plastic boxes, drosophilas and normal flies could be contentracted on one place with old fruit or a lil piece of meat.

 

[shazz]

Thanks

Thank you all again for your help and advice, The cham im getting is a male veiled chameleon.

 

[tre8201]

off topic question, but is that a european eagle owl you're holding?

 

[shazz]

Hi tre8201 Yes it is an Eagle owl his name is spike he is quite a charactor!. My brother is a Falconer .