Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ok i got a male Vield hes a few mounths old and is awsome. i got him in a screen cage with plastic plants. should i change to live plants for some extra humidity. the tank stays around 75 degresse has a basking spot and a uv light in both turned on 12 hours a day. how often should i powder his meals? is 2 times a week good ? also he is eating fine within his cage is it wrong to start him on a bowl in there ? what other foods could i be feeding him besides crickets how would i feed him some meal worms? is there such thing as to much uv light ? for instance if i leave the light on over night is that unhealthy for him ? i know its a lot of questiongs but i really like this little guy and i want to make shure he is happy. just a few more . how would i start him on hand feeding or is he too yong for that still and is a black light qualify as a nite time bulb? is there a certain humidity i wana be getting for veilds? thank you for any help.

AnDy

1.0 Veilded Cham
1.1 10 foot Bermese Pythons
?.? jungle carpet python

lets see if i can remember all your questions. dusting 2 times a week is fine. if you want to you could do it more often. i do it like 3 to 4 times a week and i have a 3 month old veiled male. they grow really quick so a little more dusting might be necessary. if you want to start feeding him from a bowl that should be fine. if you wanna hand feed him then i would start with a bowl and then move the bowl outside his cage and hold him while he eats then after that he will probably take them out of your hand. i hand feed my veiled. as far as lighting goes i wouldn't recomend a nite time bulb. chameleons can tolerate a night time temp drop. infact this is said to be good for them. 12 hours of uv a day is what you want. my chameleon won't sleep unless the light is off also. this is because lizards have a third skin covered eye on the top of their heads which allow them to tell when its day and night time.
hope that helps.

thanx that helps .. now the hard part is gana be to get him to eat from dat bowl.. should i empty the tank and only put crix into the bowl ? wats the best way?

AnDy

I agree with most of what the previous post said. However, your day time temps might be a bit on the low side for a Veiled. Mid 80's is better, with a basking spot in the 90's. Also, what type of UV bulb are you using? If you can get a self balasting Mercury Vapor bulb from one of the suppliers advertised on this site (i.e. Big Apple, or The Bean Farm etc.)do so. These will throw out good heat and provide more than enough UV for a growing Chameleon (all in one bulb).

Do not leave the light on overnight. Keep the 12hr light cycle you have employed to date. Live plants are always a good addition to any cage. Your dusting is OK but you might want to boost the calcium intake a little bit while he is growing. Also, be sure to gut load your crickets before feeding to your lizard. Flukers has a good high calcium gut load formula, or you can make your own from scratch....

He will get bored with crickets at some point so it is a good idea to get some alternative food items ready. Start a lobster Roach colony (these could replace the crickets after they get going). Also, you can't go wrong with Silkworms....he WILL love them. Stay away from mealworms/superworms.

To feed from the bowl is very simple. Just place it in his enclosure with a climbing perch located just above the bowl. He will sit there and pluck the bugs from the bowl at will. Also, feeding by hand is easy too. All my chameleons did it right away when hungry....no training necessary.