First off, i cant believe your Roomates Cham is still alive
, hes extremely lucky....They should never be kept in a glass cage, they need an open air terrarium. Chameleons can get claustrophobic very easily, and it will stress them very badly. Also glass cages can allow them to see their reflection, causing them to become defensive over their habitat, which will also stress them out.
So take all the knowledge that he has given you, and throw it out the window
lets start from the begining, and we will have a nice healthy Chammy, with out luck
-Cages-
I wouldnt suggest removing one of the glass panels in the cage you have already because it will comprimise the structual rigidity of the enclosure, making it weak, just go out and buy a 30-50 dollar open air enclosure for your baby. Babys shouldnt be kept in big cages, it can make them irratible, just upgrade as it gets bigger. Do not use things that lines the bottem of a cage, Bark, aspen, dirt or sand EVER!! as it can be ingested causing blockages and impactions. when they shoot at their food, they eat it along with their buggy dinner
-Lighting-
By now im sure you know that chameleons are cold blooded, they need a heat lamp to aid in digesting their food. I use an Infrared Bulb that you can get at any reptile supply store, the red light can not be seen by the herps. try low wattage for your baby, they can get burned easily, i use 50w and 75w bulbs. as for Ultraviolet Lighting, most lamps will produce UVA light, what chameleons need is UVB, it is important for growth (especially Bone), Color developement, and overall health. You can get UVB emitting bulbs at your local reptile supply store. Turn the UV light off at night, but keep the Infrared bulb light on, this stimulates the cyrcadian Rhythm (Night and Day cycle) as stated before they cant see the red light, so theyll sleep soundly at night.
-Food-
Chameleons eat a plethera of bugs, they will eat pretty much anything you give them, so becareful of this, just like you and i, they can get tired of eating the same thing over and over again, so try to mix up their diet with mealworms
(not very nutritious and hard to digest, but they love em), Crickets
(normal staple for them when gut loaded), silkworms
(great staple diet, hard to keep alive, great nutrition). Phoenix worms (just as good as Silkworms only easier to keep, harder to get) Butter worms and Waxworms are similar to Mealworms, they are tasty to Chams, high in fat no real nutrition, good for a hardy snack.
-WATER-
The most imporant thing to know about chameleons, they are water needy alllllllllllllllllllll(get the point) the time. they need to have some kind of mister/ dripper system, whether it be your hand spraying them at least 2 times a day for 5 to 10 minutes a piece or an automatic type like Habbamist, which i use both for full coverage, also you can put them in a luke warm shower, on a plant, they will drink to their hearts content if they are thirsty. make sure to check for signs of dehydration, sunken eyes, flaky skin, and non elastic skin are the most obvious.
-Boy Vs Girl!-
Just in case your knowledge is a bit small on these little guys, you should probably make sure of the sex of said reptile. Female Veileds are very labor intensive, they can lay infertile eggs if not bred. The egg laying site for the girl needs to be perfect for her, if she doesnt like it she will not lay them, she will become egg bound (all the eggs get stuck up inside her) and she will suffer from something like Toxic Shock Syndrome. And she will die.... so keep that in mind too
So inclosing, i dont want you to think im bashing you, but i want you to be able to enjoy your Chameleon expirience, they are wonderful and worth the trouble,and before you know it once you have one youll have more, and trust me i know, i have 3 at the moment with babies on the way!!
IF NEED MORE INFO CHECK OUT:
Chameleon Forums
THE MEMBERS THERE ARE EXTREMELY KNOWLEDGEABLE AND WILL BE WILLING TO HELP, BUT THEY CAN BE HARSH SO TAKE IT WITH A GRAIN OF SALT
THANKS FOR YOUR TIME =)
Zack