I heard you guys know a thing or two about Chameleons

What's up everyone, I've recently become very interested in chameleons and have been doing a lot of research the past few days on everything that's needed to keep them healthy and happy. I'm going to take it slow, build a terrarium, and set everything up over the next couple of months. I'm on a limited budget atm. I want to go over some of my ideas/plans and lay down a few questions before I get started so that maybe some of you experienced owners can help me out.

I've decided to build my terrarium using wooden 2x2's and metal screen based on a compilation of videos I've been watching on youtube. I'm doing this because all of the cages I've found online are in the $100 area. I understand that the wood needs to be treated to prevent rot, mold, etc. It will be 24x24X48" tall.

I see some people use automatic misters such as mistking. They're obviously the most convenient method but I'd really prefer not to spend $100+ on it.
Q: Would I need a dripper in addition to an automatic mister? Are there any cons to auto misters?
Lots of owners use a combo of drippers and pressurized spray bottles to mist the plants and chameleons, what are the pros and cons of this? And would you spray the chamelon/plants from the top or sides of the cage?

I still need to look into drainage a bit more as I've noticed a lot of controversy on that subject but I do have a basic question. Some terrariums have solid floors that don't allow drainage. Does the ideal floor have holes or slits to allow drainage? I also need to look into cleaning of the cage. Some terrariums have gravel or reptile carpet at the bottom so I'm curious as to how owners clean that kind of stuff and how often the cage would need to be cleaned.
An explanation on panther prices would be great too. I've seen babies from $150-$500 adults. What's the average price of a panther baby? Any places with good deals I should know about?

I've read the care sheet here along with all the other categories of the chameleon care section. I'd appreciate any info and ideas you can give me and I look forward to posting on the forum.

Scar said:

What's up everyone, I've recently become very interested in chameleons and have been doing a lot of research the past few days on everything that's needed to keep them healthy and happy. I'm going to take it slow, build a terrarium, and set everything up over the next couple of months. I'm on a limited budget atm. I want to go over some of my ideas/plans and lay down a few questions before I get started so that maybe some of you experienced owners can help me out.

I've decided to build my terrarium using wooden 2x2's and metal screen based on a compilation of videos I've been watching on youtube. I'm doing this because all of the cages I've found online are in the $100 area. I understand that the wood needs to be treated to prevent rot, mold, etc. It will be 24x24X48" tall.

I see some people use automatic misters such as mistking. They're obviously the most convenient method but I'd really prefer not to spend $100+ on it.
Q: Would I need a dripper in addition to an automatic mister? Are there any cons to auto misters?
Lots of owners use a combo of drippers and pressurized spray bottles to mist the plants and chameleons, what are the pros and cons of this? And would you spray the chamelon/plants from the top or sides of the cage?

I still need to look into drainage a bit more as I've noticed a lot of controversy on that subject but I do have a basic question. Some terrariums have solid floors that don't allow drainage. Does the ideal floor have holes or slits to allow drainage? I also need to look into cleaning of the cage. Some terrariums have gravel or reptile carpet at the bottom so I'm curious as to how owners clean that kind of stuff and how often the cage would need to be cleaned.
An explanation on panther prices would be great too. I've seen babies from $150-$500 adults. What's the average price of a panther baby? Any places with good deals I should know about?

I've read the care sheet here along with all the other categories of the chameleon care section. I'd appreciate any info and ideas you can give me and I look forward to posting on the forum.

Click to expand...

Hello there and welcome to the chameleon community aka The Forums! I am so glad you are doing your research and getting set up FIRST! Smart move! I can answer most of your questions, except the Mist king...I have never used one of those so cannot comment. If your chameleon drinks from the misting sessions, then you do not really require a dripper. A dripper is nice though as it runs a slow and steady continual drip of water throughout a good portion of the day(depending on the size of the dripper of course) and also helps maintain humidity in the cage. Some chameleons prefer to drink from them and others will drink from the mist or the drops on the leaves from the mist. I also use a hand sprayer and I have the luxury of doing this outside as I live in Florida so I spray from the top and the sides as I do not have to worry about any walls or anything getting wet. So you can do it however you wish. You can spray your chameleon directly if you want. Some like it and others don't and will run from it when they see you coming with the spray! You will figure out pretty quickly if they like it or not! Ideally you want to have some type of drainage, as most of us have cages that have solid bottoms. I drilled holes in one of my cages and then put a bucket underneath to catch the water. That cage is now outside, so the water just runs out onto my deck. If you run a dripper that will create a lot of water. You can have some type of catch basin beneath the dripper or have it drip into a plant. The thing is the plant can only hold so much water. If you use something to catch the water, you have to make sure it is shallow so you chameleon could not fall in and drown. If you choose to use something deep, then you have to cover it with screen or devise a way that your chameleon cannot get into it. As far as the bottom, you are much better off leaving it bare. Most of us do. Reptile carpet is going to get wet and soggy and eventually will harbor bacteria. Chameleons can get respiratory infections so you have to be careful about not keeping their habitat too moist and or too humid. The average price of a panther I would say runs about $250. It really depends on what breeder you buy from and what lineage your baby comes from. That will mostly delegate the prices. There is no set schedule for cleaning your cage. If your chameleon poops, clean it out! Some members do in depth cleaning every couple of months or so taking out all the branches, vines, plants, etc and deep clean everything. It really is up to you! I hope I have answered most of your questions. Please feel free to pm me if you have any further questions or start a new thread as there are tons of great and knowledgeable people on here always willing to give a hand. We also are fortunate enough to have two vets who are keepers and members as well. A nice little community we have here!

Thanks for the info Carol, I believe you covered everything I wanted to confirm. I will probably hand spray to start. I have a pretty set schedule at home so doing it throughout the day won't be an issue. I'll experiment with the dripper as well.

I just have to look into food consumption/cost now.

Sounds like a plan! Be sure and post some pics when you get your chameleon! I am sure you will have more questions after you get him/her. They are interesting and amazing little creatures!

Scar said:

What's up everyone, I've recently become very interested in chameleons and have been doing a lot of research the past few days on everything that's needed to keep them healthy and happy. I'm going to take it slow, build a terrarium, and set everything up over the next couple of months. I'm on a limited budget atm. I want to go over some of my ideas/plans and lay down a few questions before I get started so that maybe some of you experienced owners can help me out.

I've decided to build my terrarium using wooden 2x2's and metal screen based on a compilation of videos I've been watching on youtube. I'm doing this because all of the cages I've found online are in the $100 area. I understand that the wood needs to be treated to prevent rot, mold, etc. It will be 24x24X48" tall.

I see some people use automatic misters such as mistking. They're obviously the most convenient method but I'd really prefer not to spend $100+ on it.
Q: Would I need a dripper in addition to an automatic mister? Are there any cons to auto misters?
Lots of owners use a combo of drippers and pressurized spray bottles to mist the plants and chameleons, what are the pros and cons of this? And would you spray the chamelon/plants from the top or sides of the cage?

I still need to look into drainage a bit more as I've noticed a lot of controversy on that subject but I do have a basic question. Some terrariums have solid floors that don't allow drainage. Does the ideal floor have holes or slits to allow drainage? I also need to look into cleaning of the cage. Some terrariums have gravel or reptile carpet at the bottom so I'm curious as to how owners clean that kind of stuff and how often the cage would need to be cleaned.
An explanation on panther prices would be great too. I've seen babies from $150-$500 adults. What's the average price of a panther baby? Any places with good deals I should know about?

I've read the care sheet here along with all the other categories of the chameleon care section. I'd appreciate any info and ideas you can give me and I look forward to posting on the forum.

Click to expand...

Welcome to the forum! That seems like a good plan so far. If I were you I wouldn't go with a substrate. It doesn't benefit the chameleon and it really just gives you something else to clean.

As for the price of a Panther, that depends on a lot of things. Gender, of course, as well as locale, the overall quality of the animal, and who's selling the chameleon. You can find a young male with good genetics for, like, $175-225 if you do a little searching.

Also, you may want to consider a Veiled or Jackson's if you're on a bit of a budget. I'm not one of those people who believes the price of the animal affects how much the animal's life is worth, but I'm just kinda throwing that out there. You can get a "premium" baby Veiled for $100 from FLChams. They show you a picture of the father to give you an idea of what the baby will look like as an adult. Of course they do that with their Panthers too, but I'm sorta digressing. Jackson's are another awesome chameleon. They're inexpensive and generally more laid back than Veiled and Panther chams, and I feel like they're no more difficult. The thing is I'm partial to Trioceros sp., and especially Jackson's. That would be because my Jackson's chameleon is basically my pride and joy. Of course, do what makes YOU happy. That's all my two cents and I hope it helps!

Thanks for the info boosh, I've actually been considering one of the premium veileds from flchams because of the pricing.