Housing your chameleon

You will need to buy a specialized vivarium for him to use as his house. It is best to get this (and also the things that you put inside it) from a specialist reptile shop. Chameleons need a much lower humidity level than other reptiles, around 40-60% humidity depending on species.

A mesh house is ideal as it allows the air to flow through providing good ventilation. The house also needs to be tall as most chameleons are arboreal meaning they live in trees and like to climb. Dwarf chameleons are an exception as they are terrestrial and live on the forest floor.

Within the house you should try to create a world which mimics the environment your species of chameleon would live in if they were living in the wild. Meller’s chameleon is a large chameleon and needs a lot of space, whereas dwarf species like Brookesia live on the forest floor. Therefore, it is very important that you fully research your chosen species so that you can create the correct living environment.

It is also important to think about where within your home you will place the chameleon’s house. The best place is in a room that is used, like your bedroom or the main living room. Your chameleon needs to be somewhere with a constant temperature not an unused room with cold temperatures. Do not put his house beside a window or over a radiator as the temperature will rise and fall too much in these areas.

Substrate is the material used to cover the floor of your chameleon’s house. Bark chippings, or a combination of soil and moss make a good floor covering, but do be cautious of your chameleon trying to eat the substrate to avoid it being impacted.

You will also need to put some furniture in his house. He needs to have somewhere to hide, especially if his house is in a busy room. Plants such as vines can also be used as hiding areas but also allow water droplets to form on them and become the chameleons water source. Real plants provide more of natural environment for your chameleon, but it is also possible to use plastic plants which have the added advantage of being washable.

Life on Earth is supported by the sun. The sun provides heat and also light. Animals’ need both heat and light to survive. Mammals can control their own body temperature. The food they eat provides the body with energy and heat. If they are too cold they shiver and if they are too hot they sweat. These processes use a lot of energy.

Your chameleon is a reptile and reptiles regulate their body temperature very differently from mammals. This is a major and vitally important difference. Reptiles are cold blooded (ectothermic). This means that their bodies cannot produce heat from the food that they eat. Because of this they need much less energy from food to survive. A 100 g reptile needs only 5% of the energy that a 100 g mammal needs. To keep warm they need to bathe in the sun or sit on a warm rock. They have no hair, no sweat glands and do not shiver. This means that your chameleon will show few signs that they are too hot or too cold. You may see your chameleon become less mobile if cold, so it’s important to know your chameleon’s normal activity level.

You need to provide sources of heat for your chameleon within his house. This could be a heat bulb, or a ceramic bulb. It is important that you know the temperature in both the hottest and the coolest areas. To do this you will need to use thermometers around their house. The daytime temperature should be around 21-40°C/69.8-104°F. The vivarium should have two ends, the higher temperatures being the basking end of the vivarium and the other end the lower temperature where the chameleon can go to cool off.

If you are not aware of the temperature in your chameleon’s house there is a danger that he could become too hot. As chameleons do not have sweat glands they cannot sweat to cool off, he will try to hide in the cooler end of his vivarium. Providing a water bath is another good way to allow your chameleon to cool off.

It is more common however, for a chameleon to find himself in an environment which is too cold. Cooler temperatures are unlikely to kill him but will put a strain on his body and organs. His muscles, lungs, intestines and heart will struggle to work if they are too cold, and if this goes on for a long time it can lead to illness and even death. This is why it is important to learn your chameleon’s normal activity level as this will increase if any of the above problems are occurring.

As well as producing heat and light, the sun also produces ultraviolet (UV) light. This is a type of light which we cannot see but chameleons can. It affects the skin of humans and can cause sunburn. Reptiles use UV light to make vitamin D3. This helps to keep their bones strong and healthy and enables their guts to absorb calcium from their food. To obtain vitamin D3 he will need exposure to UV light for 12 hours a day. If your chameleon does not receive enough vitamin D3 his bones will become soft and they might even fracture this condition is known as metabolic bone disease, which can be a common condition in pet chameleon’s. He may develop twitchy toes caused by faulty muscle contractions.

Ultra violet light can be provided as a combination bulb or a UV tube. The tube needs to be no more than 30-45 cm away from your chameleon. Remember that a UV tube will not provide him with any heat. The bulb should be changed once a year, and although it may appear to be working the UV rays become weaker and over time it will eventually stop producing UV light.