housing a baby veiled

kidchameleon · 02-22-04, 04:25 PM

i am going to be getting a baby veiled chameleon, approximately 2 - 2.5 inches. i have a cage 2x2x4, but it is too big to put a baby in. i know you can house babies in a ten gallon aquarium until they get a little bigger, but i was wondering can you house it in an 18 gallon rubbermaid container? you can have papertowels on the bottom, and plenty of branches and plants to climb on. i would cut a hole on each side and cover it with a part ofa screen.so this way he can get a pretty good ventilation. also, i think this might be better because it would help hold in more humidity then a 10 gallon tank with a screen top. if anyone has done this before, or thinks it is a bad or good idea, please let me know.
thanks a lot.

hmm, i forgot something - heating. i guess i could cut out a hole the size of a dome light on the top and put screen on it. then i could rest the light on that patch of screen

meow_mix450 · 02-22-04, 07:44 PM

i wouldnt go for it, i would make my own cage. Made of mesh and wood. 10 gallon tank is really point less, they grow like weed, and with in weeks, he'll grow out of it, so i suggest you make a bigger cage, so then you can save money. Tanks, have very low ventilation. IMO

Meow

kidchameleon · 02-22-04, 09:57 PM

well i do have a bigger cage, a 2x2x4. but that is too big for him when he's a baby. when i get him hes only gonna be about 2-3 inches. thats why i was wondering if he could stay in a rubbermaid for a little just till he got big enough for his big cage.

carl · 02-22-04, 10:31 PM

Hey Kid,can you use your big cage but rig up a temporary screen roof that fits inside the big cage,that you can adjust the height you want as the cham grows.But if not I would just use the big cage.Rather than the tank or the rubbermaid container.You can cup feed since you will be feeding pinheads to your baby for now.
Good Luck

kidchameleon · 02-22-04, 10:35 PM

yeah i see what you;re saying. do you think i could do this though - let him live and sleep and everything n the big cage, except eat. i could take him out and put in in like one of those small plastic containers that have the flip up lid and feed him in there? i could put a small branch and a few leaves in there....

choriona · 02-23-04, 01:07 AM

First of all - taking a cham out of its house where it feels comfortable and feeding it in a small enclosed container will not be very fun for the baby. It will feel exposed and frightened and not at all like eating. It would be better if you could find a way to keep its food in its cage, so it can snack when it feels like it. (Like when you are not watching.)
Second of all - I have used a rubbermaide container in the past for my young ones. Except, I used a clamp light and had no lid. I just kept all sticks far enough away from the edges that it can't reach up and walk right out. But this sorta served as a graduation container into life as a free roamer. So, it can be done, but you have to think like a chameleon. I did not put any screen on the sides. Also, you have to watch how much heat you are putting into such a small area. Really check temps out with a thermometer. Having too hot of a heat lamp on a small container is like leaving your dog in the car in the middle of the summer without the windows open!

Not a happy situation.
The smaller container is good for making sure your little chamey friend is eating properly, getting enough water and humidity and just overall adapting well to its new home and owner. I am not saying that the large cage is insufficient, just as long as you find a way to make it work.

kidchameleon · 02-23-04, 08:47 AM

well i was going to use a 60w lightbulb in a clamp lamp and rest it about 6 inches above the basking spot. but with no lid, wont it lose the temperature quickly and not hold in much humidity? and also, without putting screen on the sides, wont there not be enough ventilation?

Collide · 02-23-04, 04:19 PM

Ok there is a extencive thered on this already (just egnore the off topic stuff)

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/showt...threadid=36242

My opinion on this is if your able to provide them with food there is no need for a baby cage!

kidchameleon · 02-23-04, 06:11 PM

alright thanks, im gonna check that out.

well i think it would be able to catch its food in the big cage, but i think i would just feel safer with it in a smaller one, just until it gets a little bigger.

meow_mix450 · 02-23-04, 07:52 PM

i think hell be fine, what about them in the wild, how do they find food??? lol but its all good, i like the idea, that carl made.

Meow

carl · 02-23-04, 11:04 PM

I was thinking about your cage dilema.my first answer was the roof thing,but it might be easier with a faulse bottom you can stand on 1 by 2s or what ever you have in the work shop.that way you can have a 2 foot cage till he`s big enough for the full 4 foot cage.It should be sturdy enough to hold your real plants.If theres a will theres allways a way.But use that cage.

i have a cham04 · 03-14-04, 04:15 AM

okay first off kid i think your baby cam would do good in that rubbermaid idea you have thats genius! the main reason i agree is because your going to move it to the bigger one when it grows correct? and also in the wild veiled chams often die because they are in a huge area and mostly cannot find food, surprises me too, but i also would feel safer if u had your baby cham in a smaller tank. i am having mine in a 10 gal til he is big enough for a bigger screen enclosure.

Bighead · 03-14-04, 04:38 AM

Don't forget about UV lights if you do the rubbermaid thing.

"I have cham 04" Do you really feel like you're in a position to give advice on chams when a couple days ago you had yours on sand, didn't know what to feed it, had a basking temp of 75F, thought that you could keep him in there because "reptiles only grow to the size of their environment", etc???

kidchameleon · 03-14-04, 08:46 AM

yeah, i had everyting set up good in the rubbermaid. i had a basking spot, cooler spots, and a UV light. the thing is, i changed my mind and decided not to get another cham, haha. but oh well, the rubbermaid and plants were only like 12$, but i can use those plants and vines for my jackson, so it kind of worked out OK.

i have a cham04 · 03-15-04, 12:27 AM

uh i was only giving my opinion and bighead **** is more like it because i never asked what to feed it i said is there anything different to feed it and there is nothing wrong with sand and a cham ive done it before and its fine...kid cham i was trying to say its better to have a little creature in something its going to feel comfortable in