Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello, I'm new to the reptile world and having a chameleon. I dunno if people are BS'n me about what he needs. I got a i guess what you'd call a UV light it's Repti Glo 8.0 and i got a T-rex "tBulb" to put in a striplight. They said that'd give him heat being that i have him in a 10 gallon until i can get a better tank. I have yet to read if the repratarium is better then the aquarium. I just wanna make sure he is taken care of. But this morning it was 73 degrees in his tank and he was hanging upside down sleeping, i took him out and he was cold. So i put him back in and turned both lights on. HE seems to stay under the UV one instead of the Heat one i bought. Do you think he's ok??? I would like to know what to do. I dont want to lose him =0(

Also i would like to know how many crickets he should be eating i got him on sunday and got a dozen crickets and there are still some in there. I just hope he is eating, can i get some silkworms or something else as well and put them in there?? I just have so many questions and need answers. Want my Love to stay healthy and happy. Thank you Much

Veiled Chameleon {Ducky} =0)

Ducky,

For your cage set up (and lots of other info) go to link below. It doesn't sound like you really did your "homework" before getting him but you will get good advice on this forum so I hope you choose to take it .

Why is it in a tank? how old? how are you providing water? do you have plants for it to climb on? what kind? did you get a caresheet when you purchased? these are all questions that people will need to know before they can answer properly - so be prepared

As for your lighting you are best setting it to a timer (home depot-less than $10) so you won't have to worry about turning it off and on.

here is a list of sites that Carlton (a longtime keeper) always recommends:

www.chameleonnews.com, www.adcham.com, www.chameleonjournals.com, www.chamresearch.com, and www.geocities.com/ccicenter. Also, a high quality breeder site is www.calumma.com

Welcome to the world of cham addiction! LOL!

lele

>>Hello, I'm new to the reptile world and having a chameleon. I dunno if people are BS'n me about what he needs. I got a i guess what you'd call a UV light it's Repti Glo 8.0 and i got a T-rex "tBulb" to put in a striplight. They said that'd give him heat being that i have him in a 10 gallon until i can get a better tank. I have yet to read if the repratarium is better then the aquarium. I just wanna make sure he is taken care of. But this morning it was 73 degrees in his tank and he was hanging upside down sleeping, i took him out and he was cold. So i put him back in and turned both lights on. HE seems to stay under the UV one instead of the Heat one i bought. Do you think he's ok??? I would like to know what to do. I dont want to lose him =0(
>>
>> Also i would like to know how many crickets he should be eating i got him on sunday and got a dozen crickets and there are still some in there. I just hope he is eating, can i get some silkworms or something else as well and put them in there?? I just have so many questions and need answers. Want my Love to stay healthy and happy. Thank you Much
>>
>>Veiled Chameleon {Ducky} =0)
Cham Cage Setup check

First, reptiles will feel cold to the touch or barely room temp when they aren't basking. They do not maintain their own body heat like a mammal, but absorb heat from the environment ("cold blooded". Once the day lighting cycle starts and they get a warm up they will feel warmer. Chams need a 10-15 degree drop in temp at night, so 73 is actually a bit too warm. Please go read the suggested sites care info as it will answer a lot of your questions. Your cham can't live in an aquarium unless it is a very small baby. You will have to buy or build a fairly large screen cage at some point, so start planning this now. You need a gradient of temp and humidity in the cage so the cham can move around and regulate its own temp. A tank is very difficult to do this in, and they usually stay too warm. It sounds like your lighting is not great. You need 1) a heat light for a basking area, and 2) a UVB source. You can use a regular house incandescent light bulb for the heat, as any of these will produce heat. The UVB is more critical, and most "full spectrum" or "daylight" reptile bulbs don't emit much at all. The safest and most reliable bulb for UVB is the ReptiSun 5.0 fluorescent. This bulb won't produce a lot of heat, but that's not its purpose. As for eating, if this is a baby or a very young cham you can let it eat all it wants. To keep better track of how much it is eating per day you should NOT let the food just roam around the cage. The crix lose their gutload, their dust, and can actually chew on the cham at night. Confine the crix to some type of container that the cham can shoot from. Again, read the sites we suggested and then come back with remaining questions, OK?