uva/b?

[Clownfishie]

Do veiled chameleons need uva/uvb lights as well as a spotlight for basking? I've been reading some conflicting info -- it seems to be "recommended", but doesn't say if it's actually necessary or not...

And I know I had a couple of other questions, but for the life of me I can't remember them right now... LOL :) Hopefully by the time you guys answer this one I will have remembered ;)

Oh! Here's one -- how much time (on average) would you say you spend charing for your chameleon each day?

[Trace]

Yes it's necessary!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
All my cages have the flourescent Iguana Light 5.0 and a household 60watt bulb for heat. I do a lot of chameleon rescues, and the primary illness they come to me with is MBD from lack of exposure to the sun or a UVB light. Sad really.

Time? HAHAHAHAHAHA. I have 27 chams now... it takes me at least 3 hours daily to clean/mist/feed them all. That does not include the time I spend making proper gutloading recipes for my feeder insects and keeping those 6 legged creatures clean. Nor does that include any extra meds/care I'm giving to my current rescues. They are time consuming little buggers!!!

Hope this helps!

Trace

[Clownfishie]

Thanks Trace :) I thought so, but the "recommended" was confusing me...

LOL though -- your amount of time doesn't count -- unless I take 180 minutes and divide it by your 27 chams *grin*. Would 10-15 minutes a day sound reasonable?

Another thing I was worried about -- I know that screen enclosures are probably the best housing for chams -- but I've got 2 cats, and I've become just slightly paranoid about the idea of them somehow getting into the cage/knocking it over... Am I just being overly paranoid, or would this actually be something to worry about...

I'm gonna head to bed now... can't keep my eyes open any longer. Well ok, maybe long enough to finish reading the cham book that I picked up the other day... hehe :)

Jen

[Trace]

Would 10-15 minutes a day sound reasonable?

Make it a half an hour! LOL! That would be more than reasonable for one chameleon! Realistically you should be misting for about 10 minutes twice a day for your chameleon to have a good drink and to keep a nice high humidity level. Other than that, it really doesn't take that much time to dust a dozen crickets or so for feeding!

Am I just being overly paranoid, or would this actually be something to worry about...

Yeah, I'd be paranoid about the cats too. (I personally think cats are snake food, but that's another topic). First off, I would think your chameleon would just get stressed out seeing the cats wandering around the house. As I'm sure you've been reading, stress is not a good thing for a chameleon. Secondly, the cats are going to knock over the cage. That's what cats do. The only way around it, I suppose, is to give your chameleon his own room where the cats are off limits. But you know that doors get accidently left open. You are just going to have to be vigilent.

Good luck! You've asked some excellent questions!

Trace

[Jaylyn]

Jen,

My cat thinks chams are yummy. :( I've learned that the hard way. Most of the time, though, she doesn't pay any attention to them - or they to her. BUT - lately she's decided that the best sleeping spots are on top of the cages. Not good. I'm home most of the time so I can be vigilent or have her out. And I'm sure you know how easy it is to discipline a cat. ;) An important thing to consider.

Jaylyn

[Zoe]

My panther cage is pretty heavy, and the top is only a few feet from the ceiling. My cats never touch it, not even the skinny one. They can't see in it, and there aren't any flat surfaces, really, that the cats could sleep on.

Thanks
Zoe

[Clownfishie]

Yeah, that's what I think I'll end up having to do if I want to get a cham -- I just wouldn't feel comfortable having the cage somewhere where the cats could look into it/get on top of it/whatever... so I think I'll end up putting up a shelf on the wall somewhere to put the tank on. In general I don't like having tanks up high like that because I'm short (hehe) and maintenance can be a pain in the ***... but since this one will be front opening anyways, it shouldn't be too big of an issue I don't think...