V. Cham questions

[Artemis]

So Ive been considering a Veiled Chameleon, and reading up on them, just basics stuff right now.

I would ofcourse get a young cham, and preferrably a male, but that isnt happening for some time, Im just starting to learn what I need to know.

Some things not on the care sheets thus far that I am wondering about:


Stress and Noise: Should I plan to keep a Cham in a quiet, low traffic area of my house, or will he be ok in a room that we frequent? Will noise from televisions or stereos be a problem (we arent blasting them or anything- but would the noise from just watching TV or having music on be something that would cause them stress?)

Toxic plants for enclosure: I know everyone like's ficuses- but they always end up losing their leaves on me, and make me insane, I have read some of the other options, and all the care sheets say "dont use toxic plants" well duh- but what are some of the plants that are toxic to chams?? No one lists any. What plant species should I definitely stay away from?

Heating and lighting: Room temp stays 75 degrees, and I know they need lots of ventilation. With heating, do I need a UTH for ambient, and an additional ceramic for basking, or will the ceramic light be enough to provide a basking spot and ambient heat? I imagine the full spectrum bulbs I will have in addition will also keep the daytime temperatures a bit higher. This question I will figure out for certain when I go to set up an enclosure, just taking my temps- I just wanted to see if most people found they needed both the UTH and the ceramic, or only the ceramic.


Thanks for your help! Feel free to share other Veiled Cham tidbits you guys know that you wish you had known starting out!

Artemis

[latazyo]

don't bother with a uth

you'll want to rock a screen cage to offer the ventilation you will need

you'll want a ceramic heater or basking lamp

pothos are good hardy plants that hold humidity well

[meow_mix450]

I would suggest panther but if you are gonna go with veilded its another great choice, but make sure your commited and are willing to spend money. low traffic would be the best, and chameleons cant really hear that well, but i bet they can feel vibration, but you best bet would still be in a low traffic area, im not sure if tv will stress them out though.

Here are some great sites, stole it off of collides sig, hope you dont mind
www.adcham.com
www.chameleonjournals.com
www.chamownersweb.com
www.chameleonnews.com
Alot of your questions will be answered int here sites.

Meow

[Artemis]

Thanks guys!

Meow-

Can I ask why you would suggest panther over veiled? I like the panther too, i had just read the veiled chams were quite hardy and i thought that would make it the best choice for a first timer.

I havent looked into panther husbandry at all so I dont know the difference im afraid!

Thanks

Art

[Collide]

I think the main reasion that people like panthers is that they have pleasing coloration (not that a veild is not nice) and there temperment tends to be better although that wouldent be a garentee, I think that a veild is more adaptable and can tolorate more then a panther. I would say that a veild is a really good start to get into chameleons and would recomend it over a panther who needs slightly more work specialy with humidity and watering.

I would recomend a heat lamp over a element jsut because its "more"(lol) like the sun. soem of there color changes are done to attract heat via light. If u sit in the sun with a black Tshirt it will get hot but if u sit by the stove all of u will get hot. so i think they are better able to regulate there heat with a light heat source.

sound with alot of base will prolly stress your cham a bit and nite time tv light can disrupt there sleep.

A screen cage is a must. Chams in tanks develop respatory infections.

I would not recommend buying a baby go for a cham that is over 3 months old. and try and get it from a breeder if possible.

Pothos, Ficus, Schefflera, Hibiscus, and Dracaena all good non toxic plants.

hope that helps

Brandy

[Artemis]

Brandy wow- that helps a LOT. The light heat source makes a lot of sense when explained that way. One thing I have been reading is that a lot of people but the basking lamps actually IN the enclosure. Are these freaky bogus care sheets or what?Would it be ok to put the heat spotlight on the top of the screen cage (knew to get a screen one, just trying to figure out if I should make it myself or buy it) as long as there are branches that reach the top of the enclosure?

Do you guys think these chams are too heavy for the nylon mesh, and I should get metal screen?

Also- Im definitely looking for a juvenile. I know their average captive lifespan isnt that long, and I didnt want an adult for that reason, but I dont want a hatchling either ;) I was thinking about 4 months old juvenile.

THanks so much for responding!

Art

[Collide]

Putting the lamp on top of the screen is perfectly fine, I think it can be better as chams cannot get to close to burn themselves on.

Any mesh is fine i prefer aluminum screen or harware cloth, crix can chew threw some other products and become quite annoying.

Veilds if cared for well can live ver long lives, I know some people that now have 8 year old veilds and that is not the reccord. Keep in mind they really have to be cared for well and have fairly stress free lives.

[meow_mix450]

i bet youll have lots of fun with chameleons, good luck

Meow

[Artemis]

Thanks guys- one last thing.. should I go for the wired cage or the nylon mesh reptarium doohopper? The reptarium appeals to me for being lightweight, and washable, which will make care and cleaning easier. Any reason I should stay away from it and go with metal wire?

[DragnDrop]

Reptariums are hard to see into since the screen is black. Crickets can chew through the screen too, so you have to be very careful with them. I've never used a reptarium, just looked at ones my friends used, and decided they're way too flimsy for my liking. A well built cage using aluminum screen beats a reptarium and most other pre-fab cages I've seen.

[meow_mix450]

well this is all your opinion and what you want, but i would perfer metal over nylon, cause crickets seem to chew threw everything. But thats just me, you might have another opinion

Meow

[Artemis]

Yeah- the flimsiness of the nylon was its drawback for me, and the viewing aspect. Ahh well, time to pimp out the lowes card and start building. Good thing my dad bought me that circular saw!

Art