The Veiled Chameleon: May 2005: Substrate - actual use

Hey, how long have you had the cage? I'm in the process of getting the big cage for my veiled, but I'm hesitant about building one myself, or just buying one.
I was wondering about the one you had, you mentioned that it got burned by the lamps, so do you think it would burn again in the "new top".
I guess you have the 72", do you like it? would you recomend it?

thks

Cuau

Hiya Cuau!

This is my second chameleon in this cage. I've had it about 2.5 years, I think, but about a year and a half of that it was rolled up and stored in my garage.

There's nothing really new about the top - it's just when I put it together for this new chameleon, I flipped it upside down to what it was before. The reason that it burned through was because the head lamps were extending past their hoods and were actually resting against the fabric. Now I've got them so that they're not touching.

A Reptarium is not a *perfect* cage, but it's the best to my way of thinking. If you think of a cage as being something that keeps the chameleon from getting out, then it's not the right cage for you. I don't think that way. In fact, I'd like to just stick some trees in front of a window, hook up a few spot lights, and then let the chameleon go cage-less.

So the point of caging the chameleon, for me, has nothing to do with keeping the chameleon inside, but it has everything to do with keeping the *crickets* inside. And I've not seen anything else for a chameleon that'll do that.

I've read that some people fear that the chameleon will get its claws stuck in the fabric - but I've never read of anyone having that happen. I *HAVE* read of chameleon's getting their legs caught in the bars of wire cages (and dying), though.

I'm guessing that people who use wire cages just stick crickets in a deep plastic dish of some kind, and the chameleon eats them from the dish. That way, they can have cages that don't need to contain crickets (or other bugs).

But I think that sucks. I go out of my way to make sure that the crickets are able to get around in the cage, because I think it's good for the chameleon to *hunt*. I mean, if you're a chameleon, what else have to got to do with your life? Hunting, it seems to me, is the only thing that I chameleon has to devote its mind to; otherwise, it's just got to sit there like a plant, or something.

So, yeah, I recommend it - I can't think of anything else that I'd use. The only thing that bothers me, really, is that I'd like it to be larger. It's something like 2.5_ft-by-2.5_ft-by-6_ft - I'd like it better if it was twice the size (2.5_ft-by-5_ft-by-6_ft).

Also, the one I got fit way too tightly around the poles, and I had to cut the poles down (the six that point from back to front) by about an inch each, in order to get it to fit loosely around them. That's important because the zippers on the things aren't that high of a quality, and they started to fail. Had I cut it down when I first got it, I think the zippers would be in perfect condition, but the way it came was just too much of a strain on the zippers. Maybe I got an odd one, or something. I don't know, but if I ever replace it, I'll make sure that the fabric fits a bit loosely around the frame.

Good luck!

Hey Jeff,
I have read somewhere that crickets were able to chew through the material of a reptarium and I was wondering if you have had any problems with that. I have recently bought a 260 gal reptarium and am now in the process of conditioning my umbrella tree to begin set up. Also, how soon will you be posting your method of rain?

Thanks,
Chris

Hello Chris!

I've also read that crickets can chew through fabric, which probably includes the material that a Reptarium is made out of. I've never seen any indication of crickets even trying, however. But, then again, they don't usually stay around very long and probably not long enough to succeed if they tried. I'm thinking that crickets would rather chew plants, or something, even if they did live in there for an extended period of time, anyway.

I'll post soon on how I make it rain. It involves a pump sprayer (like what is used to poison weeds on a lawn), a garden hose timer, a couple of fittings, some 1/4 inch vinyl hose (air hose for an aquarium, for instance), and some "foggers" made by a sprinker company. You can probably figure out what I've done just by that description.

--Jeff

Hello. Just wanted to comment about the crickets chewing through the Reptarium mesh. I have a 65 Gallon, and the crickets aren't the ones to be worried about. It's the little beetles that mealworms become that will quickly chew right through the fabric. I have about 10 holes about 1/4 inch - usually in the corners of the cage. I thought it was the crickets, but I recently actually caught one of the beetles chewing on the mesh. Just thought you guys would want to know.

Tin

I have also found an example of chewing, but not through the mesh of the Reptarium. Instead, I've had butterworms (trevoworms) get loose in the enclosure, and they've chewed through two layers of the "weed blocker" plastic and then burrowed into the substrate.

I'm really having issues with the butterworms. I bought the smallest quantity available - 250 - and the chameleon doesn't seem to care much for them. Further, I suspect that they pack quite a calorie punch as compared to similar sized superworms or crickets (no chitin). And they burrow to hide, or they wrap themselves up in leaves which are made tight with silk - they're not the kind of thing that you can just let loose in the cage for the chameleon to catch on her own. I think I may wind up with a couple of hundred starved to death butterworms.

I bought some silkworms and butterworms two weeks ago. My cham didn't touch one of them. People tell me that chams love silkworms, and that they're the best feeders (nutrient-wise) for chams, so I really want my cham to start eating them.

Jeff. Have you had any success with silks? Tin

I have not tried silkworms.

I think that the key, though, is cutting them off of the other stuff. My chameleon stopped eating butterworms until I stopped giving it anything else.

this is a little bit off topic but does anyone know if it is nessisary to clip a chameleons claws there geting pretty long and i cant find information on weather thats normal or if i should do something to fix it?

My chameleon (veiled) doesn"t seem to want to eat. I've had him for nearly 2 wks. please help

My chameleon used to eat all kinds of stuff...that is, it tried all kinds of stuff for a while. It'd eat mealworms, mealworm beatles, butterworms, flies, spiders.... I stopped giving it spiders when I read that they all have a certain degree of toxicity, and I've just not purchased flies again mostly because I've forgotten about them (until now). But the rest - the chameleon just clammed up and refused to continue to eat. It loves crickets, however, and I think it may have something to do with their motion, and maybe it has to do with the gut load that I feed them. At any rate, try different insects - I've never heard of anyone having problems getting a chameleon to accept crickets.

do not clip ur chams nails .

my cham will try anything once but i mostly feed him silkys an crix. i just gut load my crix very well. a good commercial gut load then i always feed crix romain lettuce, apple slice with the skin, oranges, carrot shavings ,orange slices, blue berrys and boc choy also grapes. sound like alot but that is food that i eat also so there is always some in the fridge. My cham has gone on 2 hunger strike through his life . He is 2 years old now .My vieled cham {sloth} loves 2 eat blue berrys also. I inject the blue berrys witha very fine tipped syringe tha my GF uses for insulin a new 1 of course then i inject the berry with water an the cham gets a yummy juice berry. i mist my cham 2 times a day a half hour each time. I have made the same type of mister u r talking about . it worx great. have a good 1 eh... Cam from vancouver B.C.

I am looking at getting a chameleon. I have had one before, a few years ago, so I understand the rigors of keeping it. I am wondering what you feel is the best cage, and other stuff that I need. Also where is a good breeder I can get one from? Thanks

My cham burnt his claws on a light that used to be close to his cage, do these claws grow back? Has anyone ever had it before?

I have a male veiled and he was a friends for a while after i had moved away. well i just got him back and he was not looking to great. i just got back from the store for all of the correct lights and stuff. I noticed that most picks i see the veiled males have black around there eyes well mine does not and i was just wondering if it was ok. I can post a pic if wanted.

i am setting up a new cage for my cham and i havent been able to find the weed blocker or the muly-tile. Where would be a good place to find those? And thanks for everything on your site its been such a huge help.

Hmm...it looks like I've missed a few posts here, lately.

@Ruth: I don't know. I'd be interested to find out if it'll regrow its claws.

@anthony: I don't know what you mean about black around a chameleon's eyes. I don't think I've ever noticed that before.

@lily: I purchased both of those items at Home Depot, a north American hardware store. The weed blocker, at least, should be easy to find, especially in the spring and summer.

You might also want to look into other cage designs. I don't know anyone else who works out the substrate the way that I do. There are alternatives.

I have been looking into cage alternatives and found yours to be a good one if you know of a better one or even others i would like to know where to find it.

What plants are good to put in my Chams house? We just got him a fabulous new home, and the "plastic" leaves just look...blah! What real live ones are good for him?

hi, ummm i was also wondering about the mesh top...won't it also get burnt? i put the heating lamp on top of my aquarium and it melted the black lining.lol. i am maknig an aquarium like urs but how can i place the lamp on top. if the cage is really high will the heat make it to the bottom of the cage? can u email me bacjk and let me know what to do thanks.
ps. is it true that the bigger the cage, teh bigger teh cameleon?

my baby chameleon wont eat. i have two,and the boy is fine, but she wont eat what do i need to do?

Im planning on making a cage, I found that astro-turf works great for the bottom. All plastic so you just pull it out wash it and put it back in. You rest the astroturf on a floor (like wire fencing that will let excess liquid get through to the drip pan below. This is not necessarily better than the other floors mentioned, just another idea

Hey, I use to own a vail as a young adult and loved it. My son wants a "lizard" but I have found he is intimadated by fast moving "lizards, ie: iguana, bearded dragon, nole, ect. I had a great idea (I think?) of buying him a pair of jacksons. How large of a reptarium should I purchase? My little one (9 year old)is anxious and I need to prepare first for the new duo. Do you know a good breeder? If you have any more good adivse please advise me. I am comfortable in what I am doing but I'm am still unsure for my son. He loves animals as do I but are jacksons the right choice? And what is a prime weather time for shipping? I'm in Oklahoma and it is currently 23 degrees outside on the first day of spring!!!! All info is appreciated! Summer.

hi summer. u probaly dont look at these forums anymore but what the heck. I am a young adult myself and a chameleon isnt the ideal reptile for a nine year old unless its a parent kid thingt because of the amount of care they require. I would recomend a veiled chameleon{1}.
jackson both male and female are very solitary creatures like most chameleons as im sure you know so seperate caging is necessary. you probaly already have the chams by now anyways but whatever.

future cham owner.

p.s does anyone know how hard a veield or jackson chameleon bites????thx

i own 2 chams.. a veiled & jackson.. both male.. both in d same aquarium with a divider.. it saves me a lot of power coz the aquarium can contains much heat just even using a low-watt bulb.. but of course u just have to clean it more often than a well veltilated terrariums to prevent molds from growing which can harm ur chams.. still trying to figure out where to put them when they'll become an adult.. to summer: just read some literatures bout the chameleon or jackson before aquiring one.. thats what i did.. & it helps me a lot in owning 2 chameleons successfully.. for me its good to have the veiled than jackson.. u know, males have 3 horns.. just to prevent scaring ur child & nightmares.. just a thought.. c",)

my jackson --> http://img57.imageshack.us/img57/3715/jackson29al.jpg

I've owned turtles and tortoises (bog turtles, elongated turtles, etc.) and have done A LOT of research on chameleons, bearded dragons, etc. I plan on getting a peacock chameleon (wiedersheimi) but was wondering on their individual needs other than others. I will get a 175 reptarium and was wondering if i could either use coconut fiber or those large, bark chips, sterilized (about the size of half the palm of your hand). Also, i will probably put in two ficus trees and one of those exo terra warterfalls for moving water and to keep up humudity. I know that basking area should not exceed 80-85 degrees, but what type of wattage and bulb should i use? do chameleons might the strongish lighting from both a uvb light and heat lamp? Anyways, any other info. of links would help! Also, if i would get a bearded dragon, could i use a 260 gallon reptarium length wise? Thanks for the help!

i need a perfect cage. i dont know much about chameleons but i plan to breed panther chameleon and i figured i should start with a cage. i want it big enough. i would like a tall one. any information anyone has about chameleons, cages, breeding, anything please e-mail me
THANK YOU,
Chelsea

the cage at the top looks perfect. i dont even know what plants or what to put in. does anyone know if theres a place i can get a starter cage with things included. ;)
CHELSEA

i wish someone would talk to me....my screen name on AIM is crazichameleon if anyone has any information

is mesh the best cage to get for a chameleon? is it what they like the best? how do you keep the lamps from burning the mesh? i really want to get 2 chameleons and then breed them..but i thought i should get a proper cage first...what would i need? where can i go to find the right chameleons and make sure they will mate? iam a little nerrvous of buying them online...should i be? please contact me at my e-male anyone that has information i cant wait to much longer for my chams cuz iam way to excited... thank you you guys for the information i already learned on the site.
ByeBye,
Chelsea

I have a young veiled chameleon, Zlegg the Dragonking, and I have vines running all through his cage, a couple fake plants and a Buddha statue, but I feel bad for him because his environment is so.... Fake.... I want to get some real plants to put in his cage so he can feel more at home, but I don't know what kind of plants to use. The only thing I can find out about that is, "non-toxic plants are acceptable" yeah, reeeeeal descriptive petsmart....

The plants that you see in my chameleon's enclosure are pothos plants, also called, I think, philodendrons.

The tree is a very common tree where I live (Utah) for an indoor tree, but I don't remember it's name. I've had several of them, but I'm unable to keep them alive.

I also have a *ficus elastica burgundy* plant (burgandy rubber plant) which I put the chameleon in when I run it in the shower. When I build a new cage I'll put it inside.

But keep searching around, you'll find advice. Think "chameleon journals" and "chameleon news".

Good luck!

the cage at the top looks very nice..... i have had my veiled chameleon for about 4 months now and i love owning one... hes still really kinda small and im currently looking around for new things to feed him to see if he likes anything new instead of just crickets.... i constructed my cage out of an old ferret cage my girlfriend gave to me.... i screened it off and the cage works very well. this little thread was very helpful and i just wanted to say thanks for all the information you guys have put out there. i will try numerous things i have read on here. thanks again.

hello i am looking for a plant to put into my chameleon cage can someone give me some advise?!

Hey guys,
just read all the posts and looked through the site, and wanted to say that all the info is great. I just recently purchased a pair of veiled chameleons still very tiny...been feeding them gutloaded crickets...and they love them...just doing some research on the new housings...thansk for all the info.

Hello chameleon owners,

I have a 6 week old baby chameleon my 1ts one did not eat for 5 days so a took him back and thy gave me another, he is called bud an he is really nice, he loves his crickets and i have tryed him on worms he does not touch them. But just got sum fruit flys got he loves them. he is dead fast eating them.

I love him

my chameleon will not eat what should i do?

i was wondering how big chameleons get?I have had mine for about a year and he is getting quite big.Just curious how big do they get?

What is the best way to feed meal worms to a chameleon?

Where can you get chameleon cages? i live in rochester,ny, so where do you go?

thanks,

cassidy

hi im getting a chameleon soon and i wanted to know how much do they have to eat each day?

Jeff,

A few questions for you. I bought a veiled chameleon 2-1/2 months ago. Hes getting big fast! So my wife and I want to get him a reptarium like yours. I want to setup everything very similar to yours. My issue is keeping it warm. We live in Reno, Nevada and it gets really cold during the winter time. So how do you keep the heat up to 85-90? Also you said the heat lamps burned holes through the top of the reptarium, so how far off the top of the cage do you have them? What watt heatlamps do you have? or are they basking lamps? We would certainly appreciate any help. you can also email me at kpj214@hotmail.com with your response.

Thanks,

Kyle and Kelly

@usf: I feed my chameleon about 5-7 large crickets per day, about 5-7 days per week.

@Kyle: The heat lamps burned through my reptarium because I had put the bulbs in a fixture which wouldn't quite contain them. That resulted in the bulb itself actually being in contact with the plastic. After buying larger fixtures, I've not had any problem. My current set-up has the bulb about an inch away from the reptarium, though. I've accomplished that by putting two 1/2 inch thick slats of wood across the top of the reptarium, and the fixture sits on top of them and shines between them.

Incidentally, the slats are actually held up by a couple strings which go through holes in the slats, are knotted just under the slats (so the knots hold up the boards), and then the strings continue on down into the reptarium. I hang pothos plants from loops in the ends of the string. The other ends of the string are tied to hooks hanging from my ceiling. There is no weight on top of my reptarium (they are too flimsy for that). Everything weighted is hanging from the ceiling.

Someone else asked about feeding mealworms to the chameleon. I feed superworms to my chameleon by putting them on top of a lid (or something flat with a lip that they have a difficult time crawling over), then I hold it inside of the reptarium in the general vicinity of my chameleon and wait, patiently, for it to decide that its desire to eat is stronger than its desire to try to freeze to keep me from seeing it. What a pain.

Also, Kyle: My set-up is just easy to get. It's not the best in the world. I suggest putting your mind and skills to the task of building your own design out of wood and pvc or plastic mesh. I'll get around to that soon myself.

Thanks Jeff. I see what you are talking about from looking at your pictures closer. I think that I will end up making my own cage. Still curious as to how you keep that big of a cage warm enough for a veiled. What watt heat lamp do you use? How many of lamps?

Kyle

I use one of these and wouldn't even consider using anything else:

http://www.veiled-chameleon.com/cgi-bin/newfront/link.cgi?af=pm&pd=activeheat

Actually, that's a bit inaccurate. I also have one of each of these in use as well:

http://www.veiled-chameleon.com/cgi-bin/newfront/link.cgi?af=pm&pd=fluorescent

http://www.veiled-chameleon.com/cgi-bin/newfront/link.cgi?af=pm&pd=uvcoil

But when I say that "I wouldn't use anything else", what I mean is that whatever else I also have, I wouldn't be without the active heat lamp. The other bulbs are just there for lighting the cage. And they're so old that (according to various Internet sources), they're probably not giving off appreciable UV light anymore, anyway.

The reason why I insist on the active heat bulb is because of the experience that I had with my first chameleon: it died of metabolic bone disease brought on primarily from inadequate UVB lighting. When it was x-rayed by the veterinarian shortly before it died, we could hardly see any bones at all in the resulting image. At that time, I was using just a flourescent tube (and the coil "bulb" should be thought of as a small coiled flourescent tube). It died a very miserable death and I felt really bad about it.

However, with my current chameleon I was determined that wasn't going to happen. When I went shopping for UV lighting, I saw ONE of those bulbs on the shelf at PetCo. It was priced $79.99(!!!) - for 100 watts. I couldn't believe my eyes...what could be so special about the bulb that it could cost $70 more than any other bulb???

I read the box and it gave one heck of a sales pitch. It detailed a study in which lizards had been kept in a sunlight free room with NOTHING but those bulbs and they'd all not only survived, but thrived even better than lizards getting daily natural sunlight (to my recollect - it's been a long time). A PetCo employee walked over and told me that they give a year's warrantee on the bulb - that if it burns out, they'd replace it. Well, I was determined not to allow my new chameleon to suffer the same fate as the old one, so I ponied up $79.99 plus tax and brought it home.

(Note that it was a 100 watt bulb for $79.99 and the Petsmart page above is selling 160 watt bulbs for significantly less...I just discovered that when I bought my new bulb about a month ago; the orginal bulb lasted about 18 months. So now I have a 160 watt bulb, which makes the reptarium look even better.)

Within 3 months, the chameleon had its first trip to the vet, and the vet could find no sign of bone problems. I wasn't satisfied with just looking at it, so I told him that I wanted an x-ray, and ponied up an extra $80 for the image. This chameleon's bones were *exceptional*. AND, other than this light bulb, it'd been receiving the same care as my previous chameleon.

Big difference.

Since then, I've had it x-rayed one more time, and it came through with flying colors again.

And here's one big reason, besides the quality of the light, why it works so well: it combines a heating bulb with a UVB bulb...and that's exactly what the SUN is to them. The heat encourages them to bask, and so they get the UVB light. With other basking bulbs, they bask for the heat and get no UVB for their efforts. It's counter to their nature.

As for temperature, I don't worry about it at all. Not only have I been told by a breeder that keeping them cool helps them to live longer, but I've seen pages on the Internet where people report that they regularly allow temperatures to drop to the low 40s at night for their veileds. I'm not concerned about it getting too hot because it's in the house, and I don't let my house drop below 60. Temperature is something that I've long ago stopped paying any attention to.

Then again, I've only had this one for about 20 months, and I've read where some people say that the first two years mean nothing, because they're hardy enough that it generally takes an amateur two years to kill a veiled through poor husbandry. (So use your own discretion.)

Jeff,

That was very helpful! Thanks alot! I dont mean to pester you but we can tell you take good care of your chameleon. Now your ZooMed Reptisun 5.0 UVB is that 48" and where is that placed? Same question with the 20 Watt Super U.V. Coil Lamp. I dont see them in any of the pictures. Our Veiled's name is Kamo and what is your chameleons name?

We appreciate everything,

Kyle and Kelly

If you look at the top picture at the right just a bit further than half way down, you can see the fixture which holds the "coil bulb".

The long fluorescent tube fixture is hanging on the right, clear back near the wall, vertically. It's about 4 feet long.

I don't consider either of these lights to be important at all, in terms of the health of the chameleon. They're there to bring light to the inside of the enclosure. That's why, for example, the coil-bulb is located near the bottom. Without these fixtures, the enclosure is very very dark. Not only does the mesh block out much of the light which would otherwise make it into the enclosure, but once it's inside the enclosure the mesh blocks its path back out of the enclosure. So there's a loss of visibility in two ways: 1) light entering the enclosure is reduced, and 2) you have to look through that dark and tightly woven black mesh to see into the enclosure. Mostly because of the latter, even with the fluorescent fixtures lighting it up all the way down, it still looks dark in there. (It looks nice in the photo because the front is open.)

If (when) either of those bulbs burns out, I'll still most likely replace them with UVA/UVB spectrum bulbs, but I don't kid myself about them being sufficient for the needs of the chameleon (partcularly since so much light is blocked from them by the mesh). I lost one chameleon that way, remember.

I see exactly what you are saying! I am thinking that I will get (2) - of each of those fluorescent bulbs; (2) - 48" and (2) - coils . I will put them on opposite sides inorder to mimic the sun rising and setting. I understand that it will be hard to see in but when I am home from work I will have that open all the time! Again, your help is very helpful! We will keep in touch! Do you own any other reptiles besides chameleons?

Thanks,

Kyle and Kelly

Jeff,

the 160watt is the better deal only costing $44.99 but wouldnt you think that would roast a chameleon? Maybe I would have to put it 2" away instead of just 1"?

Kyle

I don't have anything in my enclosure which would allow the chameleon to climb any closer than about 7 or 8 inches from bulb.

My wife and I bought the 160 watt bulb and we also bought a dimming reflector for about $15! So we will see how it all works out. We got the 48"x29"x29" reptarium. We are looking forward to giving our chameleon (Kamo) some extra space to climb around!

Kyle

i was wonderig what size reptarium i need to house a veiled chameleon

Jeff,

How do you get the string to fit through that mesh of the reptarium? Is it fishing string or what kind fo string is it that hold your hanging plants?

How does the water absorbed by the substrate evaporate? My dad brought up a good point about mildew?

ive read alot of these forums im just passing through i dont have cham's ive got beardies and an iguana and a chuckwalla im not gonna go on but this flexarium business im not thinking that they conserve heat very well and crickets etc eating the material who wants they're lizard to eat insects with a gut full of plastic or whateva ive got my own routine i catch all the crickets locust whateva im feeding at the time if they arnt eaten within the time they should be i take them out before my reptile and amphibians go to sleep best way ive found

I have had my most recent cham for about 45 days. She is six months old. I have hand fed her her whole life and she is very tame. ie.. comes to the zipper when i open it and comes out on a regular basis. Now she stopped eating about three days ago, I've put crickets in the cage, tried waxworms and those are about all she eats. what do I do, what can I try??? What causes a hunger strike???

I just got a baby cham last weekend. Naturally I have questions:

1) Do I need to provide bedding or does it just perch on a limb to sleep?

2) Can it overdose on D3? If it's getting D3 from the UVB bulb do I need to give it Calcium supplemented with D3 or is that overkill?

3) What kind of light cycles do they prefer? Can you recommend a timer that I could set up the lights and a mister on?

4) I read something about proper distances from UVB/UVA lighting, what is the distance exactly? My cham love hanging out directly below the bulb. Is this bad?

Thank for all the info. I've learned a lot from your site. I tried to log onto the chameleon journals but they seem to be having technical difficulties.

Im going to be purchasing a chameleon soon and iv never owned one. Iv been reading all kinds of info on the internet but i still have some questions. Since this is going to be my first one i was wondering if a 36x18x18 inch screened cage would be the right size. I would be placing it would be 36 inches high and not long. I would also like to know what wattage of heat bulb would be best, because i dont want it to be way to hot. I would also like to know whats the best humidity to keep the cage at. I thank you alot for all the help, and hope u can anser some of my questions.

To Andrew-I just built a 48 X 36 X 19" cage this past weekend. I bought All te materials at Home Depot and with some planning, it was done in a matter of hours with about 40$ of equipment. The bottom is a sheet of linoleum flooring, and I used plastic coated pegboard on the back, top, and sides, with the door on the right side, a plywood bottom, and the light built into the top (cut out and suspended/secured with washers) My Veiled Nixon absolutely loves the space. We also bought 2 4' dowels and cut the ends to the correct angle and screwed them into the pegboard. I can post a picture tomorrow. The humidity in my cage is usually 60-80. The wattage depends on the size of the cage, mine is an infrared heating lamp from Home depot (You also need to be careful what size clamplight/reflector you get based on the size lightbulb.) The hight of the cage and some width will allow your chameleon to have a comfortable temperature gradient, both up and down, and sideways. Thats why I find both a tall, and wider, rectangualr shaped base cage to be smartest in all aspects. The more space, the happier the chameleon.

If you have any questions feel free to email me at lalepepper@gmail.com
I'd be more than happy to help.
Hope I was able to help you out.

i have a question and a coment. I saw one Question above about a Chameleon regrowing burnt toes or claws I'm not sure which, any way they cant. Chameleons are not capable of mytosis of any kind. now for my question I am going to build a duel cage wich a wall in the middle to house a vieled Chameleon on one side and a vieled chameleon on the other, I repeat they will not be able to see each other. this cage will be made from wood with no screen except for on the closed top in a space big enough for there lights. I am comfident, that I can provide adequite ventilation all that worry's me is that the doors will be made of glass and im afraid they will see there reflections and become stressed. My question is does any one know of a type of glass that wont reflect an image? here is a link to a site that shows somthing like what i want to build http://www.jworlds.net/woodland.html

on my post earlyer i said i was housing two diferent chameleons but i made a typo one of them is not a vieled it is a jacksons

Hello, I live in Zambia Africa. We moved here from NY in JUlY. This morning on our porch we nearly stepped on a baby cham. It is about the size of my thumb. We have been trying to feed him/her crickets(there is alot of them out here) but I am concerned they may be too big? I really dont know what to do for this little guy. I can set him loose but I think he would just die. We would like to keep him. What do baby chams eat besides fruit flies? The Locals here say they are piosionus, that they spit piosion like the cobras here..."wise tale" one of our friends, from the local bemba tribe siad he was fighting off a chameleon the other day?

My cham had a calcium deficiency so we had to hand feed him. he's ok now, but he relies on us to hand feed him every day and doesn,t catch his own food.
Is there any way i can get him back catching his own food?
Josh

When will you show how to make it rain?

i like thes piichers my class is studeing about beatels

I have a baby vailed chameleon and I have tried giving him meal worms but they just crawl under rocks, hide, and then die. Currently my he is only eating crickets and I understand that they should have a variety. So any tips on how to get him to eat the meal worms? I have a bunch and that would be awsome if I could put them to use. Thanks!

we have just bought a devils ivy for our chameleon notice one in your cage but have just read its poisonous and cham keeps trying to eat it any thoughts cheers

nice i have to set this up . wat size reptarium do use. And what plants did you usehow many chameleons hve you owned?

Thanks

jeff,

How come u haven't written back to anyone? what wild caut insects should i feed my chameleon.? My Chameleon is almost 1 yeaar old should i feed it a pinky mouse? should i buy a 5.0 or a 8.0 UVB bulb.what size cage should i get it when it turns 1 year old? please write back
Juan Carlos

Jeff, I just have to say thank you for this awesome technique. I just picked up an apogee 175 gal 3 weeks ago and the softliner. I was just using Shop Towels and changing them like 3-4 times a week. That was way too much and way too expensive. Your way is so much more cost effective, useful, practical...uh...you name it!

Also, I used your idea of string and hanging plants. I got those big 2" hooks and screwed them in the support beams on the ceiling. Hung up all my plants with 20lb fishing line and it looks so professional. Just awesome!! I have also hung my heat lamps and grow lights (not the uvb 5.0) from the hooks. Custom fit them to hang just barely over the mesh.

Everything was very easy to find as we have a Home Depot here. The only changes I made were to the weed blocker lining. I was having a hard time sealing it so the crix wouldn't find their way inside. So I just took some 1/2" packing tape and lined it to the plastic tube base and the edge of the weed blocker. Now its all sealed off.

Thanks again!! So helpful..this should go in a book. :)

hI ALl,
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I need help with my Chameleons eating habits. I'm reading all these comments people have posted saying that their Chameleon wont eat anything other than Crickets or how much that they Love their Crickets. My Chameleon has stopped eating his Cricets! We've had Chameleon Gord for two - three weeks now and his previous owner fed him Crickets all the time. I believe that it might have something to do with us introducing him to Silkworms and Butterworms. As soon as he sees you coming with any kind of worm in hand, he will come running but you can stick Crickets in front of his face all day without any response. We've tried putting crickets in his feeding cup, letting them lose in the cage... Crickets that are three weeks old, and the larger Crickets as he should be eating. What else can we do? Should we hold off on the worms until he gives in and starts eating Crickets again or will he be ok with a variety of worms? Thanks.

sum1 please help me.....what is the name of that thing from petco that is a cage that goes ontop of a 10 gallon tank???? e-mail me at gabby_o_world@yahoo.com

thx!

WE just bought a baby veiled chameleon 4 days ago and have tried to get as much of the same cage items that it had in the store to make its transition as simple as it can be. The issue I have is it has not eaten anything yet and is looking bad to me. Its been 4 almost 5 days and not even a nibble. Is this normal? do you know a way to get him back to eating? E mail me if you can help this little baby. Thanks

I did not put my full e mail in the posting. It is DCLIBRA65@AOL.com Thanks

I have had my veiled cham for two weeks now,At first i could pick him up and feed him from my hand but now he puffs up and hisses at me when i go near him.He is about seven weeks old now,will he grow out of this?

nice pics

hey dave no i had the same probolem and mine has never grow out of it

I need to find out how to build a cage for my veiled chameleon. what to put in it? And I NEED to find out why my veileds right eye is closed for part of the day. Just his right eye not his left. I love the little guy and not knowing much about them, I need to find out as much as i can.

Thnks Nikki

for a cage make sure all sides and top are screen not glass they don't like to see their own reflection. Inside the cage they like alot of sticks(make sure that you boil them to get any bacteria off of them) they like fake plants to hide in and also a couple real plants like pothos or hibiscus i have a waterfall because they dont recognize water if its not moving if you dont want to use real sticks the pet stores sell bend a vine witch work nice.

HOw long do i have to wait while my vieled is sheding,, in order to hold him and carry him? I noticed that he is very grumpy when he is sheding. Or should i even try to hold him while he is sheding or just leave him alone?

If some one tries to reply to this notice e-mail me at da_playgurl2004@yahoo.com to reply.
Thanks

Also should I keep my little veiled in a 3 by 2 by 4 feet high cage. Or is that too big for him?

I have the zoomed 5.0/40 watt bulb it is 48" long and puts off both uva/uvb rays---I have a all mesh reptarium, 100 gallon/48" tallx30widex16.5 deep. My question is : SHOULD I PUT IT ON THE INSIDE OF THE CAGE OR THE OUTSIDE? I'd rather put it on the outside so not to take up space but I'm concerned about it getting wet when spraying or mesh not allowing enough rays in. It doesn't seem to get hot enough to cause burns but will it still? Someone who TRUELY knows, Please post an answer-where's that guy JEFF? Please tell me what I should do!! My email is pixiemermaid@yahoo.com

So hi. Its Jennifer. I posted the question above/re:48" bulbs--Anyway--TO answer my own question:-------I did some research and realized that the bulb I have should not be trusted to deliver "Paisley" (my chameleon) the uva/uvb rays if its mounted on the outside, but the 5.0 is ok if put on the inside of cage. But if I wanted one on the outside I should have gone with 10.0 48". Even tho reptariums have a great mesh, still the output is reduced/filtered bay 50%. By the way, the cage should have the uva/uvb thru out the whole cage-if it doesn't, then when your reptile moves away from the light, its not getting those important rays. Keep in mind the 10.0 projects up to 20" where as the 5.0 only projects up to 12".

Iv kept my flapnose chameleon in a 5 foot ficas tree for 3 years in a bay window. Feeding her requires daily visits with shake and bake crickets though!!! I placed a small indoor electric fountain on a tall pedistal for water.
and a heat lamp pointing from the same direction the sun comes in from. She has never left the tree and is active and healthy but has a horrible disposition. Whenever someone gets to close to her she hisses and lunges at them trying to bite leaving herself dangling by the very tip of her tail is incredibly strong considering how thin it is

Excuse my failing to proof read above...

i need help i just got home and noticed my vail chamleon is slow and slugis . he was fine yesterday what should i do he is about 1 year and four months old

Wat do u recomend? A vieled chameleon or a jacksons chameleon????

My chameleon, Marley LOVES crickets and house flies.
I get the flies from around the house.
Spiders are meanies to chameleons, they can make them sick.
So don't feed them any, BEWARE!
Marley eats hibiscus leaves for breakfast too:)

I am buying a cameleon on 4-5-08 and was wondering if you had a suggestion of the age and type I should get. I have had one before, and it became really sick and acted like it had a broken leg.
I just need some pointers due to the fact I only had my first one for 5 months, he was very young.

I found a chameleon on the road and I want to know what I should make it's cage like I put in some leaves and a couple of branches but I'm not sure what else to put in, also if there is any other things I should check or see to please tell me.
-Erin

i heard a vieled can live with a crested gecko if they are both around the same size? is that true or no? my veiled is about the size of my hand and i've been interested about purchasing a crested gecko. and the guy at the pet store told me they can co-exist if they are about the same size, which the crested is. i know the crested is nocturnal so that why i was wondering if it could possibly work out. any suggestions?

how do u feed the chameleon in the reptarium?????

Jeff,
Impressive amount of information. I'm picking up my veiled today, but am still a little confused about lighting logistics. I have a basking lamp (with a moonglow bulb) and will pick up the recommended reptile flourescent bulb when I get my little man. NO bulbs should be in the reptarium, right? "Just perched outside it" is my understanding of the lighting, but I don't like a lot of guess work when dealing with pets. :) Drop me a line when you get a chance, and I hope to correct any mistakes I might make. Thanks!