http://www.ecoorange.com/
That stuff removes hard water and is COMPLETELY safe for any living thing. It's also extremely cheap because whatever amount you buy, you dilute it in water.
No, the side that darkens is so that the chameleon can absorb more heat. If it is too hot, you will notice either burns on the chameleon's casque (or elsewhere) and/or it will be gaping it's mouth. Anyway, you should provide what is optimum for the chameleon. Don't give it too much and rely on...
These are just general things to know for starters. Number 1 might be your issue though.
1. If you're using a coil-style bulb, you are best advised to throw it out. Make sure you're using a tube-style bulb, like the Repti-Sun 5.0.
2. Make sure you're supplementing him/her properly (use the...
I have an albino corn snake in the same room as my chameleon. I have the snake at a significantly lower height than the chameleon, and I don't think the two even know each other exists. :o
Substrate is whatever material you use for the bottom of the enclosure (i.e. bark, moss, straw, dirt, etc) Most will agree that you shouldn't use any substrate. In other words, don't place anything at the bottom of his cage. You can use paper towels if you'd like, but they need to be replaced often.
Good job with taking the initiative with all of the animals! They're tons of work and need constant looking after, which is sometimes hard for a single person to do alone, as you've discovered.
Plan about 10-15 minutes of extra time just to get her out. Take out a small, close-able cardboard box to put her in. To get her out, you can grab whatever plant she's on and just put it in the box (if she's on one that you can easily do that with). If not, you can just slowly wean her onto your...