Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Welcome to kingsnake.com's message board system. Here you may share and discuss information with others about your favorite reptile and amphibian related topics such as care and feeding, caging requirements, permits and licenses, and more. Launched in 1997, the kingsnake.com message board system is one of the oldest and largest systems on the internet.

Click here to visit Classifieds
https://www.crepnw.com/
Click for 65% off Shipping with Reptiles 2 You

Just got a veiled, have a few questions

evole Mar 22, 2006 04:25 PM

I will start off with my setup. I got the oceanic chameleon tank that is screened on both ends and glass front and back, got the fixture that holds a tube light and 2 screw in type, some of that reptile carpeting and some sandblasted logs.

Q1) In the light fixture I have an 8% uvb, a blue day light and red night light, should I be leaving the red night light on all night? I have been and cage has been a constant 80-85.

Q2) I have been looking at various waterfalls/misters/volcanos/misters that I found thru this site, leaning toward waterfall, is there any setup that is better than another? I have read that some people like these and some don't, any input?

Q3) What with and when should I "gutload" my crickets?

Any input would be cool.

Thanks,
Eric

Replies (8)

Chupakabra-King Mar 22, 2006 05:30 PM

first off , ditch the waterfall . second , try and get some live plants , ie ficus or Scheffelera . IMO , dont leave a light on all night long. You need a temp. drop at night . as long as it doesnt go below 70 degress the cham will be fine .
-----
1.0 Veiled Cham - "Bender"
8.1 Firebellied Toads
0.0.6 Anoles
0.0.1 House Gecko

WillHayward Mar 23, 2006 05:12 PM

Actually, even below 70 is fine. My room gets to 60 at night, as long as they have good day temperatures they should be all fine.
-----
CANADIAN CHAMELEONS

waspinator421 Mar 22, 2006 05:34 PM

congrats on your new little guy/girl! I'll let the other, more experienced cham owners answer your questions. I just wanted to congratulate and welcome you. Have you thought of a name yet? Show us some pictures!

-----
1.1.0 Leopard Geckos (Booger & Gimp)
1.0.0 Veiled Chameleon (Lucutis)
0.0.1 Quince Monitor (Pollux)

Chupakabra-King Mar 22, 2006 06:47 PM

Heck I am farrrrrrrrrrrrr from an experienced keeper ( not too far , eric adrignola lives right up the road from me ! Hehe ! ) but I know the basics and what has worked for me . I dont think anyone would have a problem with you helping out with what you have learned so far waspinator.

BTW , you have a nice looking cham ! More pics !
-----
1.0 Veiled Cham - "Bender"
8.1 Firebellied Toads
0.0.6 Anoles
0.0.1 House Gecko

evole Mar 22, 2006 07:55 PM

We would really like a waterfall, is there a downside? Reason I ask is that we have not seen him drink at all, we spray all the time but still nothing.

His name is Yoda, we want him to be happy and drink some damn water!!!!!

eric adrignola Mar 22, 2006 08:17 PM

huge downfalls - I dont' have much time now, so I'll get back with details later.

Waterfalls are nice to look at, but then become nasty dirty and a pain. Trust me, the only area where one of these is close to worth it is for frogs.

Temp drops are a key to longevity with chameleons. Slowing down their metaboilism at nighht is good for them. For adult veileds, a temp drop into the 50's or 60's won't hurt. for babies, upper 60's or 70's is fine. Steady temps is the last thing you want. For the day, have a cool spot around 70, 75, and a warm sp[ot in the 80's , wiht a basking spot int the 90's.

Sorry - in a hurry.

poikio Mar 27, 2006 04:30 PM

i just posted this for another thread but thought this part might help you out some: "As for watering i spent weeks perfecting this problem. In the end i used some very small diameter tubing that i rigged up to a peanutbutter jar via various connections and silicon adhesive. I put the jar atop the cage and kept the jar far enough from the light so it was room temp water and the tube was small enough that it released a drop about every 4 sec giving the lizards about an hour or more to drink as it dripped down a series of leaves."

-phillip

WillHayward Mar 23, 2006 05:30 PM

Personal Experience:

A1) You can never have enough or too many UV Bulbs. Scrap the blue bulb, AND the Red night bulb and exchange them for a sunglow basking bulb. You'll need to guess at which wattage to use to achieve the correct temperature desired. Use a digital thermometer to measure the temperatures, as analogue and LED types can be confused especially in Glass enclosures.

A2) No Mini Waterfalls. There is too much risk for water contamination and bacteria build up- easily creating a health hazard for a chameleon. Just keep misting onto the leaves of the cage. Sometimes it takes a good 2-3 minutes of constant misting before the chameleon will decide to go get itself a little wet and drink from the buildup on the leaves. Also, humidity is just as important as hydration, and in turn one, will help the other to be optimal. I suggest having a humidifier in your room very close to where the cage is located. Cool air humidifiers are much better in my opinion as it uses less water and thus the reservoir has to be replaced less.

A3) Gultload, every minute that you have feeders in your care. You can offer store bought gutload or there are many things you may find in your kitchen as well. Some things such as: quality fish flakes, slices of lime, carrot, carrots, broccoli, fluker farms cricket food, bee pollen, fresh fruit, greens, and water (moistened paper towel/sponge).
Remember to remove all old food from your cricket bins. Mold can be toxic to lizards, and humans alike.

--
-Will Hayward
Image
-----
CANADIAN CHAMELEONS

Site Tools