What is Reddit's opinion of Exo Terra Jungle Vine, Reptile Terrarium Decoration, Large, PT3086?

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What is the nighttime temps inside the home?

I'd remove all the stuff at the bottom of the habitat.
Get some bendible vines in there (large) and remove the hardwood as it'll be difficult to grip

What are you using for a heat and UVb source (important)

One thing that I'd also recommend is a well fitting drip tray for the potted plants to keep crickets and other feeder insects out of the bottoms of the pots.

The ficus isn't going to do well for you.. I'd recommend a "swiss cheese plant" or even a corn plant (Dracaena fragrans) as a suitable replacement.

once you can id def reccoment getting a taller enclosure! till then you should add more branches to climb up, i use these for my crestie! they hold their shape very well :)) hope this helps!

> Does anyone have any tips or methods for building basic trust with a veiled chameleon? I'm not looking to handle him right now as I know they aren't very happy about that, but eventually, I need to be able to handle him in case he needs to go to the vet or when I need to deep clean his terrarium.

Keep doing what you're doing, when I say patience, I literally mean patience. It won't be days, weeks, could even be months until he is closer to a year old before he really starts to chill.

You really need some live plants in there, get some vines, the ones in the link, and DO NOT get ones with moss, it will rip their nails out.

And, OP, my user name, I picked it for a reason. I love working and handling chams, I've done a video about handling, and I'm glad you get why you should be handling them/him.

How old is he? Can you post pix of him?

Thanks for the video.

Okay there are a lot of things to change here
First off, you need to get the gecko it's own place.
They will be giving each other static and that will affect both animals.

Secondly, remove those fake fuzzy dowels, as they're hardwood cores and the plastic "moss" is what likely pierced the skin and started the infection.

These are good bendable vines to make perches out of exoterra jungle vine (large)

Basically the entire of the habitat is suited more for dart frogs than for a chameleon. (even a jacksons).

I strongly suggest that you get a second setup started and tailor it for her use.
Reptisun 5.0 T8 light, screen cage (16x16 min) a potted plant and some safe branches to help. Hydration can be provided via a drinking glass or syringe.

The goal right now is so keep her dry, happy and comfortable.

The foot right now is pretty badly infected and might have something stuck in there that might need removal. I can't tell on this end. The first thing is to help with the conditions and then work again on the foot to see if it starts healing.

Okay, so that's why I asked. I use wax paper between my enclosures so the ding dongs don't see each other. I just tape it to the side. So there's that.

Go check out this link to Amazon, there are several items you can use that's sold for them.

https://www.amazon.com/Exo-Terra-Jungle-Vine-Large/dp/B003PAY0B2

I know people want their cages to look pretty and I get it, but as long as you stick with what is better for them, and LIVE PLANTS?? You can't go wrong with that, and live is better than fake. Having plants in the enclosure that you're watering, helps with humidity too, and they need live plants anyway.

Dealing with chameleons is mostly visual when looking for the correct husbandry, not so much for decorative purposes, but keep in mind, natural is best, they like to climb, so vertical is better than horizontal, and those vines have wire in them so you can bend them around other plants and sticks.

Just keep in mind, airflow, humidity and their being able to climb and hide if they want, THEY NEED all of those things. :)

Dried branches should be fine.

Some are still not healthy to have in the cage.. I use manzanita branches as they're very attractive and 100% safe.

The bendable fake vines are available online.

Don't rush, do this properly. He's not going to die overnight, turning off the lights will make him tons happier. A couple extra days without UVB won't kill him overnight. We want to set up a long term home, so let's take a moment and do it right.

What you need is a thermometer. I use a point-and-shoot IR thermometer, you can find them at hardware stores. Once you get the bulb that I linked you, you're going to use it to measure the temperature in the basking spot. You're aiming for around 80-85F. What your dad can do is put a dimmer on the lamp, so you can dim the light if it gets too hot.

The basking spot is going to be a spot about 8" below the lamp. You can go out tonight and get him some lovely plants for his cage. Pothos vines, mini palm trees, shefflera, all good. You can look at this list for some more cham friendly plants. All you need to do is toss the potted plants into the enclosure. Have the vines run all the way up to the top. You can use this from Petco or something (NOT THE MOSSY ONE) to make some horizontal perches for him.

Bendable "jungle vine" (large) work well for perches You can use the tension between the screen (18x18 inch) to hold them in place and not damaging anything.
You can use the tension between the screen (18x18 inch) to hold them in place and not damaging anything.

I also prefer to use Manzanita branches for both decorative and scaffolding.

please remove the dowels
They're not good for them, can slip and cause pressure sores on their feet

A jungle vine is better and safer, you can use that to make new perches and walkways

Also be sure to look at the safe distance charts for the uv lights.

and lower the basking spots and rearrange things
NEVER have a heat source directly above the basking spot for any chameleon.
They will burn and forever scar themselves before you know it.

There's a write up over in the subs sidebar..please read a word on heat sources.

No fake plants.

You can use a clean jungle vine, these are better.
Also these make for great wood decorations and help with those long nails it's developed.

Corn plants work well. vs a hanging.
swiss cheese are also "safe" for a veiled

Lets not use substrate as that causes it's own problems.

Lets try to focus on identifying and correcting the cause of the issue that has him unable to perch.

> I use a 60 watt blue day bulb

That's one problem. Turn that off right now and remove it. It's a strong UVa emitter and it will blind them (snow blindness)

I ask because experience has taught me that people get these kits sold to them and they're often supplied with things that don't help or harm the animal.

It'll take a few days to get him to heal from the UV burn on his retina.

Till then you'll have to hand feed him (use a pair of tongs that you can get a fish store)

As for the visible light and heat source. you'll have to order a light bulb online- these are the best things... get a 60-75 and 95 watt light

Later on you can get a 10" clamp light... those are to be found at home depot for the heat source.

then we can get some perches setup I recommend a bendable "jungle vine" that you can use for that.
Of course, there's a little write up on the heat source placement and perch placement so that the animal reduces the chances of being burned.

until then, the best thing you can do is to let him have access to direct sunlight (and shade so it can self regulate) and let him bask a in the daytime. (early morning and evenings are best)

That will speed healing and help with him generally until we can get all of this setup and handled.

Let me know if there's any questions :)