Asked on the Lizard Forum by wildheart on 12/29/02, 1:54 pm

Q: veiled

is it ok to keep a veiled chameleon in a 55 gallon aquarium with a mesh lid?

Answered by Andrew on 12/29/02, 2:00 pm

A: veiled

No. Keeping a chameleon in a glass enclosure will cause great stress to the reptile. Chameleon's must be kept is mesh or screen enclosures.

-Andrew

Answered by chamsrcool on 12/29/02, 2:35 pm

A: veiled

If you break the glass out of it and replace the sides with 1/8 sceen it is perfect for jacksons chameleons(all ages) and veileds ages new born to 1year old.

But if you keep a veiled, the cage will eventually get too small the chameleon will need to be moved witch will stress it out. but it wont be too bad if you put the same plant in the cage and put some stick in the same possitions as they were in the small encloser.

Answered by chamsrcool on 12/29/02, 2:44 pm

A: forgot somthing

If you do use the aquarium with screen instead of glss make sure to turn it on its side so it is tall rather than long.

Answered by Andrew on 12/29/02, 2:49 pm

A: forgot somthing

Glass should never be used, even if it is turned on its side there will still be poor ventilation.

A: To Expand...

On my previous answer, why it is not recomended to house chameleons in a glass enclosure...It causes poor ventilation or air flow, and it basically trapts the still, stale air in the enclosure with the chameleon. This in turn can cause mold, bacteria, and fungus to grow. This may also cause skin infections, eyes infections, and respiratory diseases, often times this will be fatal to babies and juviniles. Therefore, causing much stress to your reptile. It is is the best interest of both you and the chameleon to only use screen or mesh enclosures.

-Andrew

A: veiled

I'm sure this is far more information than what you wanted. :) But I wrote this article to someone else earlier today and I think it might be of use to you. It does make mention of housing and why aquariums are not suitable.

From my Lizard FAQ:
I'm glad you have not yet purchased a veiled. Please be patient and don't get one until you have done far more research. They are fragile animals that are not at all easy to care for. Most die rather quickly after purchase.. and you don't want yours to be such a statistic.

Chameleons cannot live in aquariums. There are various reasons why, one being that they are said to be able to see themselves in the glass, which, being highly territorial makes life very stressful for them. When I had 2 veiled's at once I made it a point to never let them see each other.

They require large wire/mesh cages which also allow for more exercise and better ventilation than tanks. These cages can be custom made or bought at pet stores. One word of warning~ many of these wood & mesh enclosures sold at pet shops measure something like 18" long x 2' tall.... this is NOT large enough for a full grown veiled, even though pet shop people will tell you it is.

I would not keep an adult in anything less than a 4' x 2' x 2' cage. Space is very important to them, as is privacy. The cage should be filled with plants (ficus are good) safe branches, and fake plants, too, so they have many places to hide. Chams won't use a hide box like other lizards so you have to improvise with lots of foliage.

Baby chameleons seem to get stressed in too large of cages. So a smaller cage is good to start out with. Once they begin to grow (which happens rapidly) they can be placed in a bigger cage. Babies also tend to have a hard time finding their food, so it's best to feed them out of a bowl.

When young, the veiled's diet should consist mostly of small insects. As they get older, a wide variety of calcium/vitamin supplemented bugs as well as leafy greens & safe foliage should be given. Crickets are a great staple food, but are too often used as the ONLY food, which is not nutritionally complete.

Heat rocks are VERY dangerous and should not be used for any reptile, under any circumstances. A heat lamp must be provided (but not in reach of the lizard as they can burn themselves easily). Veileds like it hot - up to 95* F in the basking spot. The ambient temp of the rest of the cage should be around 80*.

They also require a UVB producing bulb to simulate sunlight. Lack of this lighting can result in metabolic bone disease.

Chameleons do not drink water from bowls, but instead lick droplets off of leaves and cage sides. So you have to mist the cage often. The humidity should be kept high. But the cage can't get too soggy or health problems will result.

Male veileds get to be about 18" long, with females quite a bit smaller. Of course, their tails take up much of that length so they aren't quite so big. :)

Chameleons are not social animals. They should never be handled unless totally necessary. They need privacy as well as a stress free enviroment. Most care sheets out there will tell you that they live around 5 years. However someone I knew took a cham from the wild when she was young (not something I recommened, however)... the lizard lived more than 20 years with her with proper care. They are not short lived lizards, people just have problems providing them with what they need.

If you are serious about getting a chameleon, read up A LOT on their needs. Find a vet (or a few) who treats reptiles, contact owners & breeders and get lots of info so you know what you are getting into before you take the plunge into chameleon ownership. :)

A: veiled

Yes that is a suitable enclosure for a veiled chameleon although there is a couple things you may want to consider. Try buying an all mesh enclosure (if you happen to live in a warm state with a protective backyard, the tall all mesh ones are more made for outside.) If you can't keep the chameleon then I recomend a tall glass one made for chameleons with some mesh on two sides of the tank and some mesh at the top of the tank. If you can't get either of these I suggest you get the tallest enclosure possible with mesh not only as a lid but also on the sides of the enclosure. The extra mesh on the sides of the enclosure help oxygen flow through the tank and I suggest you get such tall tanks because veiled chameleons are tree dwellers who spend little or no time on the ground so they preffer moving verticaly. If you can't get any of these then yes the tank you have in mind should be fine, just get the extra mesh put in the sides of the tank, and may I suggest a sliding door, I find them much easier than taking off the lid.

A: veiled