Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred

[captainmerkin]

Hi all lovely forum here from what I have seen!

basically I am looking to start keeping chameleons in the near future and was hoping to get some solid advice on how best to keep them as I don't want to run the risk of hurting such a beautiful creature by not being prepared!

At the moment I keep various praying mantis and work in invertebrate conservation at a Zoo, so Lizard are not my area of expertise unfortunately due to being busy at the zoo on my days there I cannot ask our reptile breeders about this very easily, so it was recommended I visit you guys!

We are looking to keep two Yemen's with a nice set up where they have ample room and the right sort of vivarium for them, and I am also looking to obtain a few smaller lizards in the future.

Space is not really an issue as we have a very large bedroom with plenty of spots free to put vivariums up to around 1.5m long 1m deep and 3m high, but Im sure that would be excessive.

If someone could recommend an appropriate vivarium for starters that would be great, lots I have seen online seem to be great and will deliver but the more specialised ones seem to be collect only, so London area would be great for me if there are any outlets you know of.

Also heating control, uv lights and humidity control would advice as well.

many thanks in advance!

[kinyonga]

First of all, from the time they are about 3 months old, they should be kept one per cage and should not be able to see each other.

The cage set-up will depend somewhat on where you live.
If you live in a hot climate with good humidity you will want an all screen cage....especially if you want to keep them outdoors all year. If you live in a climate where part of the year is cold and dry, then you might want to go with a cage that has glass on three sides and a screen door and lid.

Chameleons require a source of UVB light. It must not pass through glass or plastic. Sunlight is the best, of course, but if you can't keep your chameleon out in the sun due to the climate, then UVB tube lights are the next best choice. Veileds need a basking area. For adults the temperature should be in the high 80's to low 90's F...but for babies I don't go over the mid 80's F. Their small bodies overheat, dehydrate quicker than adults do. For the basking bulb, I use a regular incandescent bulb in a metal hood. Repti-sun 5.0's seem to be highly recommended for UVB tube lighting.

Appropriate basking temperature is important for good digestion and thus nutrient absorption to some extent.

I don't recommend using a substrate...many contain toxins or can be ingested and cause impaction.

The cage should be "furnished" with an assortment of branches for the chameleon to climb on...and plants for it to hide in.

If you use real plants (and I recommend that you do) make sure that they are well-washed (both sides of the leaves) and non-toxic. Veileds are omnivores once they are about 5 or 6 months of age so they will often eat the leaves of the plants.

In addition to a wide variety of insects that have been well looked after, veileds can have greens (dandelion, kale, endive, collards, ROMAINE lettuce, mustard greens, etc.) and some veggies cut into appropriate sizes (sweet red pepper, squash, carrot, sweet potato, zucchini, etc.) and a bit of fruit (apple, pear, melon, berries, etc.).

Do you know about gutloading the insects? Supplements?

Water should be provided daily by misting the cage (for babies, several times) and by using a dripper (I don't use a dripper for very young ones). Many people set up automatic misting systems and drippers, but they can be as simple as a plant mister and a container with a small hole in the bottom for a dripper.

You will want to consider what will happen to all the water you use and set up some sort of drainage system too.

I've likely missed things in this post...so if I have, I hope someone will speak up! If you have any more questions...let me know. I have kept/bred/raised veileds for well over 10 years now.

Here are some sites that you might be interested in...
http://adcham.com/
http://www.chameleonnews.com/
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/skintests.htm

Hmm...since you work with insects and their well-being...aren't you going to feel bad feeding insects to chameleons??!! LOL! (I keep some bugs as pets along with far too many reptiles!)