Housing a Veiled chameleon: 60 × 60 × 120 cm, 32-35°C basking
Veiled chameleon : A highly ventilated vertical enclosure of roughly 60 x 60 x 120 cm for an adult male, a 32-35 °C basking spot up top, essential UVB and a beneficial nighttime temperature drop. Strictly solitary housing.
In our shop, for this use: Stump-effect resin islet and hide for young aquatic turtles (€21.90) · the whole shop
Outside our shipping area? The downloadable practical guide: Your First Terrarium: Leopard Gecko, Bearded Dragon, Corn Snake, Ball Python (€15)
In short: 35 to 60 cm for an adult male, 5 to 8 years of lifespan, intermediate to advanced level. Spectacular but highly stress-prone, it is a display animal to keep strictly solitary, not one for handling. It drinks almost only moving water: without long misting or a drip system, dehydration — its leading cause of death — sets in (sunken eyes, orange urates).
60 × 60 × 120 cm and a strict thermal gradient
For an adult Veiled chameleon: 60 × 60 × 120 cm minimum, with a basking spot at 32-35°C and a cool zone at 22-25°C. That gradient is not comfort: it is how a reptile regulates temperature, by moving. No cool zone means overheating; no hot spot means no digestion.
Heating, UVB, humidity: the technical trio
Heating ALWAYS runs through a thermostat — the least negotiable equipment in herpetoculture — with thermometers at both ends. On light: a UVB tube (10-12 rating for desert setups, 5-7 for tropical) spanning a third of the enclosure, replaced every 6 to 12 months even if it still lights up. Humidity held at 50 to 70% via misting (manual or automated) and the right substrate, checked with a hygrometer, not by feel.
Substrate and layout
A moisture-holding substrate (coco fibre, soil-sphagnum), two hides minimum — one warm, one cool — a branch network using the full height, and a structured background for security. Place the enclosure out of direct sun, which would turn the volume into an oven despite the thermostat.
Frequently asked questions
What enclosure size for a Veiled chameleon?
60 × 60 × 120 cm minimum for an adult — sized for the adult from day one; a juvenile does fine in it with extra hides.
What temperatures for a Veiled chameleon?
Basking spot at 32-35°C, cool zone at 22-25°C, all on a thermostat with a natural night-time drop. Humidity sits at 50 to 70%.
The guides that apply to you
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- Corn snake budget: how much does the first year cost?
First year with a corn snake: 450 to 800 € all in. Breakdown of setup, frozen prey, electricity and vet costs.
- A growing terrarium for a green iguana: planning for growth to 1.5 m
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