a few questions

matt_winter · 03-20-04, 01:39 PM

hey

I have recently been researching veiled chameleons and i have a few questions with the information i have found.

It says that eggs can be layed by a female even with no male around. It also says that because of this i should have a laying box available at all times for her to lay the eggs in. Is this true?

It also says that i should have a flourescent light over the cage becasue the rays that it gives off are good for the chameleon. is this necessary, or can i just use a regular reptile bulb?

Can i use a red light at night. Or can they see it? (used for heating)

It says to use paper towel or newspaper as the substrate. But if i grow a live plant, wouldnt i need dirt as the substrate so it will grow?

What is the best preferred night time and day time temperatures? (because i have heard so many different opinions)

it says that the humidity should be 50 - 60 percent. I have heard that it should be in the 90's - 100's. Which is true?

Answers to these question would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks
Matt_Winter

dank7oo · 03-20-04, 04:15 PM

Quote:

hey

I have recently been researching veiled chameleons and i have a few questions with the information i have found.

It says that eggs can be layed by a female even with no male around. It also says that because of this i should have a laying box available at all times for her to lay the eggs in. Is this true?

It also says that i should have a flourescent light over the cage becasue the rays that it gives off are good for the chameleon. is this necessary, or can i just use a regular reptile bulb?

Can i use a red light at night. Or can they see it? (used for heating)

It says to use paper towel or newspaper as the substrate. But if i grow a live plant, wouldnt i need dirt as the substrate so it will grow?

What is the best preferred night time and day time temperatures? (because i have heard so many different opinions)

it says that the humidity should be 50 - 60 percent. I have heard that it should be in the 90's - 100's. Which is true?

Answers to these question would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks
Matt_Winter

Hey Matt,
First of all, I am curiouse at to what 'it' is. What source are you using?

It is very true that females will lay eggs even if there is no male around. Veiled however sould lay in a garbage can of moist soil/sand, which you place her in when she is pining for a spot to lay. For a beginner, I would NOT recommend a female chameleon.

A UV lamp is 100% necessary along with a heat lamp. The rays help the chameleon to metabolize the calcium they intake, and without it willdevelope MBD.

A night light is not necessary at all. You could use one (I suppose) but you would be throwing away money on the bulb and electrical costs.

Paper towel and newspaper are good substrates. I myself use nothing, and find using nothing works best. The plants should be put into pots and then placed in the cage.

Temps ... Veileds like the day highs at about 90-100 and night lows in the 70s ... they WONT die if it drops into the 40s at night, but its not healthy. Just make sure during the day there is a gradient throughout the cage.

Humidity is one of those tricky things. Some people are huge stinkers over this issue, but if you just mist the cage two-three times daily, there wont be a problem.

Jason

Collide · 03-20-04, 06:59 PM

It says that eggs can be layed by a female even with no male around. It also says that because of this i should have a laying box available at all times for her to lay the eggs in. Is this true?

Yes females can lay eggs when there is no male. Dependign on your set up u would not need a lay box there u could put it in when u see signs or move her to a lay box when ready. And Jason is correct if your new to Chams go witha male its soo much easier and they are more striking.

It also says that i should have a flourescent light over the cage becasue the rays that it gives off are good for the chameleon. is this necessary, or can i just use a regular reptile bulb?

Chameleons need a UV source so they can produce vitamins to obsorb calcium wich is vital to bone growth and strength, there are a few options. keep in mind these tubs need to be replaced approx every 6 months,

Can i use a red light at night. Or can they see it? (used for heating)

You dont need night lights(unless your nite tems are very cold), most chameleons need a nite time drop in temp

It says to use paper towel or newspaper as the substrate. But if i grow a live plant, wouldnt i need dirt as the substrate so it will grow?

Well this is where u have control for example some of my cages are planted. There for my clean up requirements are not as bad. Some of them sre bare bottom with potted plants, so regular clean up of cham dodo is needed soem people use news paper or paper towel and just repace when needed and soem just have floor tiles and whipe up. It really depends on what your cage is like.

What is the best preferred night time and day time temperatures? (because i have heard so many different opinions)

Temps really depend on the type of cham u get so youll have so let us know and we can find right temps

it says that the humidity should be 50 - 60 percent. I have heard that it should be in the 90's - 100's. Which is true?

Again this depends on your species, but a high humidity is needed for most plants dripper and regulat mistings are usually enough

I hope that helped

Brandy

meow_mix450 · 03-20-04, 07:15 PM

go for a male, it would save you from all the egg binding and stuff. When females lay eggs, its really hard on her, for the first time, and you must watch her after to make sure shes o.k and giving her lots of water and food. But get a male

Meow

matt_winter · 03-21-04, 01:32 AM

Thank you very much everyone. So UV is flourescent?

Thanks

Collide · 03-21-04, 01:35 AM

Yes ther are some floresent tubes with uv and there are some murcury vapor bulbs as well that produce both heat adn UV, the tubes are less expencive but dotn last as long

meow_mix450 · 03-21-04, 01:53 AM

good luck remember to post pictures

Meow

matt_winter · 03-21-04, 10:34 AM

Thank you. So i have to have regular incandecent lights during the day and a special UV flouresecent tube? What would be an alternative to the flourescent light?

Drew S · 03-21-04, 10:58 AM

You just need a flourescent strip light that provides UVB, (tip: you can pick up hoods at Canadian tire for $8) such as an Exo-Terra ReptiGlow, and a basking spot lamp, such as a ReptiSun (again, clamp lamps are $8 at good ole' Canadian Tire) over one area of the cage.

There is no alternative to the tube light, chameleons, and most other diurnal lizards require it in order to synthesize vitamin D3, which is essential to their health. The bulbs are around $25, and need to be replaced at least one per year, as their intesnsity decreases with age.

matt_winter · 03-21-04, 03:07 PM

So i can get just a regular flourescent tube, i dont need a special reptile one?

Drew S · 03-21-04, 04:21 PM

No, you most definately need a reptile one. I just meant you can get the ficture for cheap at Canadian Tire, you'd need to replace the bulb with a Exo-Terra ReptiGlow or something similar.

matt_winter · 03-21-04, 04:57 PM

Oh ic. I also have another question.
It says in my book that they can see colours from red to violet. Does this mean that at night time if i use a red light they can see it? And also it says i should use a flourescent light fixture from 10 - 12 hours a day. But if it is a white light, wont it bother the chameleon at night?

huhet · 03-21-04, 05:19 PM

does anybody know about using double ended metal halide bulbs to provide both uv and an appropriate color temperature for plant growth? i couldn't find any information about the amount of uv that they put out (when not sheilded of course), but ranges went from "not that much" to "dangerous." this is from a reefkeeper's perspective though (uv will decimate one's corals), so i don't know what to think when it comes to chameleons. i just thought it would be nice to get my UV, basking light, grow light, and cage illumination all wrapped up into one 70 watt bulb that would last over a year.

choriona · 03-21-04, 11:03 PM

Just to make a note about the uv tubes.
It is essential that the tube is UVB and UVA. Make sure it has both. The UVB is the most important though. These need replacement after 6 months.

You can plug your heat light (60-100 watt reqular bulb) and your fluorescent tube (UVB/UVA) into a timer to turn them on for 12 hours during the day and off at night.
Chameleons are equitorial creatures, meaning their average daytime light is 12 hours and then 12 hours of night. Unlike the long days we experience here in the northern hemisphere.

When it is talking about the colors your cham can see, i think it is refering to the spectrum of colors, which is different wavelengths of light. All humans see is the visable spectrum. We cannot see untraviolet or infrared wavelengths.
I only tried a night light once for my cham and she glared at me all night wondering when i was going to turn her lights off. That was a blue night light. I think that normal house temperatures are okay for the night time, and you don't need to worry about a heat source while they are sleeping.

drewlowe · 03-22-04, 10:21 AM

For the bulbs i have found that the zoo-med 5.0 and the exo-terra 5.0 are the best and last the longest.

It's recommended to change the bulbs every 6 months but with a uvb meter it isn't always necessary. I'm currently at 1 1/2 years with one of my bulbs and it's still going strong, but i have had 2 bulbs that didn't last past 3 months so you never know. Here's a link to uvb meters, my vet uses the 5.0 and one of these days i do plan on getting one. http://solarmeter.com/model5.html