Yup! Another newbie!

Melanie

Melanie

New Member
Well, I just bought my first chameleon yesterday. He's an 8wk old veiled, unnamed as of right now. He's such an awesome little guy- I'm head over heels already!
DSC_0012-8.jpg


On to the questions! (there's only a couple- Promise!)

The breeder I bought him from said that we shouldn't feed him any insects except for crickets until he's an adult. After reading the thread here about the chameleon eating mealworms, I now know that this isn't accurite. So, what kind/size of worms do you guys suggest for an 8wk old? He has been used to eating about a dozen pinheads every day.

We have him in an InstaCage with a couple InstaVines and some vine things shaped to be kind of a perch on the floor. We plan on getting a better perch for him in the very near future. We've got a Reptisun 5.0 and a 40 watt basking light- both on a 12/12 timed cycle. Does this all sound good to you guys? Any suggestions? Here's a pic of the enclosure if it helps!
101_2011.jpg


Thanks in advance!
 
I would get a vine up by his basking spot. That is where he will hang out and explore. They don't go down to the bottom much. My adult male walks his whole cage at least twice and day and rarely goes to the bottom.

Your fella is definately ready for 1/4 s or maybe even 1/2 s. Pinheads are too small for him.
Be sure to feed him all he wants. You can feed him any feeder that is no bigger then the space between his eyes. That is about the size of his throat. They are pretty good at munching on worms, roaches, etc.

BTW, where is the reptisun? Is it a linear or a compact? Compacts can damage their eyes. I have an article on that if you wish. Someone I'm sure will pop up the link.
 
BocaJan said:
I would get a vine up by his basking spot. That is where he will hang out and explore. They don't go down to the bottom much. My adult male walks his whole cage at least twice and day and rarely goes to the bottom.

Your fella is definately ready for 1/4 s or maybe even 1/2 s. Pinheads are too small for him.
Be sure to feed him all he wants. You can feed him any feeder that is no bigger then the space between his eyes. That is about the size of his throat. They are pretty good at munching on worms, roaches, etc.

BTW, where is the reptisun? Is it a linear or a compact? Compacts can damage their eyes. I have an article on that if you wish. Someone I'm sure will pop up the link.
Click to expand...

Yeah, he's usually hanging out on the top of the leaves, basking. We'll be buying or making a tall branch. We couldn't find any where we've looked so far. But tomorrow we're going shopping. ;)

Thanks for the tips on the feeders! Totally getting something OTHER than crickets for him tomorrow! Haha!

Yes, the Reptisun is compact. I didn't know there was a difference. I'd definitely be interested in reading about that!
 
Hey there :)
You should consider getting a live plant. They're great for humidity, cover, and provide a bunch of highways for your cham. I use a big schefflera and my veiled loves it. Those vines on the bottom of his cage won't do any good, though. Move them up high to make a nice basking spot and some highways--chameleons are arboreal and prefer high places

Ooh--just to be clear about the compact UVB, you should not be using that. They are very damaging to chams. Get a linear for your cham's sake ;)
 
I'll get a new light tomorrow. In the meantime, do I keep using the compact? Or just the basking light until I get the new one home?
 
On the note of the compacts...

there was a forum member who raised a female veiled to be 7 years old (she is still alive to the best of my knowlege) by using compacts and substrate...

I dont use one but im just saying...
 
Dunnigan said:
On the note of the compacts...

there was a forum member who raised a female veiled to be 7 years old (she is still alive to the best of my knowlege) by using compacts and substrate...

I dont use one but im just saying...
Click to expand...

Just because it can be done doesn't mean it's worth the risk. Better to be safe than sorry, right? As for whether or not you should leave it on for the time being, I'm not sure...sorry :eek:
 
Yeah... we're doing some research on plants... What kind of plant would you recommend for indirect sunlight?

"Welcome to the addiction" is what I usually say to newbies on the snake forums! ;) Haha!

Thank you all for the feedback!
 
Between my boyfriend and I, we have 31 (I think) ball pythons, 1 snow corn, 1 western hognose, 1 50% Super Dwarf Retic. They're not snakes, but we also have 4 cresties.

Not to mention the dog, cat, and ferret....

Yup. We have a few animals... :D
 
Wowser!!! Even I dont have that many Lol. Snakes rock for sure, but 31 ? :D love to see some pics sometime? theres a forum here for 'not chams' LOL
 
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