I am new to the Chameleon World

pfal26

New Member
Hi, I was in hawaii this summer, and that is when i saw my actual first chameleon as in the zoos i can never find them. It was a Jackson's chameleon on the island of Maui. I was wondering what would be the best chameleon to start off with. What I have read it says the Veiled, Jackson's, or Panther chameleon. Which is the best. I cannot find a place to buy 1 and i want to get a healthy chameleon that is a baby. I would also like tips on setting up cages that will be a comfortable place for my chameleon (when i get 1) and that will look good for people who come over and see it.

I am not completley a newbie to reptiles and amphibions. I have had a Leopard Gecko for 6 years now. I respect its wishes as he or she (i am not so good at telling wat gender they are for all reptiles etc.) does not like to be h.andled as s/he bites. I had to Green Tree frogs for about a year which i found out it not good to have another seperate reptile's cage near. I had an Anole Lizard for a year and unfortunatley the light from its cage dried up my frogs, and a month ago or so the Anole died. I still have my gecko and would LOVE to have a chameleon. I would like a male chameleon as i read many females lay eggs themselves and can die and as a starter i am not ready for that.

For any1 who has tips on cages and where to get good 1s, and where and what type of chemeleon i should get, it would be easiest for me if you would email me at [email protected].

I live in MA, near Boston and from what i have searched i have found like no breeders nearby.
 
1 more question, so it is not recommended to have more than 1 chameleon in tha same cage. Thay do not get along?
 
Do a search for a reptile show in your area...this way you get to see them up close. In my opinion veileds are the heartiest but some people have very aggressive ones. Although seeing all the posts on here there are also a lot of them that can be very good natured.Veileds are inexpensive. Now if you have a bigger budget then panthers are easier to take care of than the jacksons, in my opinion, and so beautiful for the colorations as you will see in many of the pictures on this site. http://www.reptileexpo.com/neweng_dir.htm
 
For a beginner, I would recommend a panther. Jacksons, while easier than most,
require a little experience. Veileds are very hardy, but don't respond as well to handling as panthers do. I have Nosy Be panther babies for sale right now and I can tell you everything you need to know to care for one properly. I would not
purchase more than one chameleon until you are very confident that you know what you're doing.
 
Check out www.chameleonnews.com There is a lot of information you need to go through before taking a cham on. Look under Article Refrence tab and look at the Article on the economics of chameleons. There is a lot of information there about Husbandry, care, feeding, buying, etc.

My Opinion for a beginer Cham is a Veiled. The cham it self isnt as big of an Investment as a Panther (I have a veild, and am now looking to get a panther in the future). Veiled chameleons are Hearty and have some tollerance to "Begginer Mishaps". Chams can and are Fragile to care for. You need to make sure you are on your "A" game with them if you want them to live a long and happy life. Just a little insight for you.

Frank
 
thanks guys. Which is a smaller species, the panther or veiled, i do not want a large cham as i think it would be more expensive on the cage, etc. unless for all adults require the same size cage. I was thinking (for when i find a cham) to get a full size cage for an adult, so for when the cham grows, he will not need to be moved to a new home. Once i find a cham i want, i will be sure to read all about them.

so some1 suggested panthers react better the handling than veileds? Also, i kno they r not to handle a lot, but for the little ammount of handling a cham will receive, r they likely to bite or nething like i said my gecko does. I kno the Jackson myu step bro took off the plant seemed pretty calm as he was handling it and then gave it to me. He seemed friendly as he didnt bite or try to get away, but as my bro put him on the plant again he seemed to boogey away. How much more care and maintenece is required for a Jackson's tho? I do love those horns they have, they r pretty cool.
 
I also read jackson's need less heat than panthers of veileds. I thought i may be easier as in the boston area, in the winter it gets real cold, but i am pretty sure the heating lamps etc. get the job done in the cold weather seasons. Its just more i think the horns r sweet, but if they r not really suggested for begginers, i shall get a panther or veiled, which ever tend to be smaller captive bred.
 
pfal26 said:
thanks guys. Which is a smaller species, the panther or veiled, i do not want a large cham as i think it would be more expensive on the cage, etc. unless for all adults require the same size cage. I was thinking (for when i find a cham) to get a full size cage for an adult, so for when the cham grows, he will not need to be moved to a new home. Once i find a cham i want, i will be sure to read all about them.

so some1 suggested panthers react better the handling than veileds? Also, i kno they r not to handle a lot, but for the little ammount of handling a cham will receive, r they likely to bite or nething like i said my gecko does. I kno the Jackson myu step bro took off the plant seemed pretty calm as he was handling it and then gave it to me. He seemed friendly as he didnt bite or try to get away, but as my bro put him on the plant again he seemed to boogey away. How much more care and maintenece is required for a Jackson's tho? I do love those horns they have, they r pretty cool.

The adult cages are similar for all three. The cage is cheap compaired to other costs such as; Feeders, Plants, the cham it self, UVB lighting every 6 months, etc. Putting a baby in an adult cage is not recomended. It is easier to moniter, and for the baby to hunt in a smaller cage.

Chameleons should not be handled that often. However there are certian keepers around that have chams that dont mind. This is generally not the norm. As far as Attitudes Veileds are notorious for having bad attitudes. I am not sure about panthers but from what I have read are a little more laid back.

As far as bitting. They have a mouth, they have teeth, in certain situations all animals bite. What that situation is verys on the animal and their personality. It is definatly a possibility that they may bite.

The care and maintenance on a Jackson isnt so much "More", but diffrent than the other two. They perfer Higher humidity, and cooler temeratures. Their supplimentation is diffrent also. (I dont know a lot about Jacksons, I know they are a mountain species, if something is wrong here please correct?).

As far as size between Panthers and Veileds they are simillar. For the caging in your area, it is the goal as a keeper to make a micro climate in the cage that mimics their Chams natural environment to the best of our abilitys. That being said you will have to take the time to make sure the cage itself is right for each species, in temp, humidity, plants, light, etc. Heat alone, Winter would be easier in increasing the heat in the cage, where as in the summer when it gets hot, you may need an AC unit to cool down the room the Cham is in.
Frank
 
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thanks frank and every1 who has taking time to help me. so it would be easier to put a cham whose a baby in smaller cage, wat demensions does ne1 suggest? also, yes i do need experience, i have heard of thermometer things and humidity measures for cages, where can i find them and how do they work. If panthers r more laid back, i must say i would prob like a less aggressive cham. thats interesting if the jackson's is a mountain specie, i found the 1 i saw on a path to a water fall, but there was no hill or mountain, and it twas quite far away from the waterfall itself, but it may be true as there was mountains all over and somewhat near that water fall in Hawaii


I am looking foward to owning a cham, and posting here and etc... this site seems truly to be a good community as for other forum site for various topics, the ppl here seem so nice, thanks guys.

Also, would handling a cham as a baby make it more likely to be less stressed for the few times u handle a cham?
 
Jackson are very cool in behavior but can be extremely picky eaters (not all of them but you never know going into it what you got). They have very high humity requirements that need to be constant if you want them to have a long life. Even in an open air type cage when the cage is that wet constant cleaning are required.
Veiled are very cool animals. They do have high heat requirements but it is far easy to heat a cage then cool it. They are aggresive towards each other and owners most of the time. The males do get big. If you think you can handle the little bit extra that comes with the females then the aggression level and size go down.
I have never owned a panther only seen them but I am sure you will have no problem finding out what you want to know about them in here.
 
thanks jordan,
maybe a jackson would be better for when i am more experienced and have a house of my own. All of that humidity talk with and open cage seems the room will get muggy and my posters in the room i plan to put it will get ruined. So for veileds and panthers, how much less humidity is required, and how much more temp is required?
 
Temp Gradiant is 75*F in the coolest part of the cage to 95*-100*F under the Basking Bulb. Humidity is anywhere from 60%-80&.

Frank
 
thanks frank,
wat r some things i can get to measure humidity? i am not good w/ %s etc...

and do u just use a regular thermometer to measure air temp by the basking spot and other parts of the cage, if so how much should i do this b4 i purhcase a cham to make sure it will be like that wen i get my cham. I'd like to see some cages, from set ups inside, so more humidifying systems, and a dripping system, as i am told they like to drink water that drips or drips onto leaves?
 
more help on chosing whether to get a veiled or panther. I want a male as i do not want responsibilities for eggs (at least not yet!!!!!!!!!). R the sizes so similar, i see sites that give lenght in inches w/ the tail, but that doesnt give me a good sight on how big the actual body will be as the curl their tails n stuff, i dont want a huge cham, like maybe is there ne good chams for beginners that are 8-9 inches w/o the tail?
 
pfal26 said:
more help on chosing whether to get a veiled or panther. I want a male as i do not want responsibilities for eggs (at least not yet!!!!!!!!!). R the sizes so similar, i see sites that give lenght in inches w/ the tail, but that doesnt give me a good sight on how big the actual body will be as the curl their tails n stuff, i dont want a huge cham, like maybe is there ne good chams for beginners that are 8-9 inches w/o the tail?


Panthers and Veileds are the good beginer chams. There are smaller species out there in the length you are looking for. But these guys are hard to find and are recomended for expert keepers. The body size between the two is very close. With the panther being slightly smaller.

Frank
 
thanks frank, do u perhaps maybe have an accurate estimate or educated guess how big these chams would be w/o the tail?
 
so veilads and panthers r the only begginers chams? wat about dwarf jackson's? do they require the same humidity, so just like a smaller version of a jackson's?
 
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Mt. Meru Jackson's are not a good beginning chameleon. They require very high levels of humidity and specialized care. Also, there are very few CB or CH animals available, so you would have to contend with the damage caused by importation in a WC animal. Starting with a chameleon like a veiled or a panther that is more forgiving of mistakes will give you the best chance of success. Regardless of how much you prepare, you will make mistakes. In the more fragile animals, those mistakes will often cause death.

Heika
 
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