$400 Budget (For Now)

[Cham_Lover123]

Ok, so my Birthday is coming up. And I've been wanting a Veiled Chameleon since I was nine. I'm sixteen now. So recently I've been doing research, and I know almost everything. I get $400 for my Birthday, and I need to know is that enough for:
3-4 inch or month old Veiled Cham
18 x 18 x 30/36 cage (for now)
6 months worth of 1/4 crickets
ficcus or artificial plants and branches
artificial vines
D3 calcuim non D3 calcium
UVB and basking bulb
possibly a misting machine
and more! I just need to know before I buy one! Thanks In Advance!

 

[jamest0o0]

Honestly i don't know if you could optimally provide for a cham with $400, wait until you have a steady income, they neeed far more than just mentioned. You'll want a variety of feeders and a larger cage for starters

 

[FancyRaptor]

If I were you I would make a spreadsheet of the products you plant to purchase and the prices. Then add in the tax and you will get the total needed for you.

 

[Cham_Lover123]

Honestly i don't know if you could optimally provide for a cham with $400, wait until you have a steady income, they neeed far more than just mentioned. You'll want a variety of feeders and a larger cage for starters

Im getting a bigger cage once he grows more. I would be getting the Cham at 3 months.

 

[Cham_Lover123]

If I were you I would make a spreadsheet of the products you plant to purchase and the prices. Then add in the tax and you will get the total needed for you.

thanks for the good idea!

 

[jannb]

Don't forget a vet savings account. Pet insurance is also a good idea. It's not very expensive and sure helps allot when needed.

 

[jamest0o0]

Really no need to get a smaller cage.

 

[chasecbeard]

I don't believe you can buy six months worth of crickets. I believe a Cricket lifespan is about a month. I'm a new owner too and you not only will have a pet chameleon, but pet feeder crickets to keep alive also. Lol. Plan many trips to just get crickets in case of a sudden cricket die out because it happened my first night with my chameleon because I did not know how to correctly care for crickets.

 

[bobbydigital]

Honestly I got my first cham and the whole set up (repti breeze starter kit I think it's called) for about 200$. But had to buy a better day bulb, numerous fake plants (like 4 more), more vines, little dripper, umbrella plant, cricket carrier, crickets, other feeders, and supplements. My gf is manager at Petco so I got lots of stuff discounted and I bought the cham and supplies when they had a sale. But I think you'd be able to get most of your essentials for 400, my main concern would be a vet savings. I've spent about what I spent on my cham and supplies (maybe more) at the vet so you need to be prepared for vet visits, or wait until you could save up to afford all that.

 

[bobbydigital]

Check this out it should help

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/average-cost-of-owning-a-chameleon.522/

 

[jamest0o0]

Most essentials for 400? That right there is saying no he/she won't be able to. I'm not trying to be mean, but it took me awhile to be able to set up my cham enclosures and to provide for them adequetly. with 400 i would not have been able to give them what's needed. I understand a lot of people go with the bare minimum, but i don't like to advocate that. Why not just keep that $400 save it for a few more months or whatever and then get a nice set up with mistking and all? Providing different feeders alone costs more than i'd like to think about, and then providing them organic veggies fruit seeds etc for gutload... it never ends with taking care of another living creature (Also maybe a panther/other instead of a veiled ) you sound like someone thinking ahead which is smart, and i think you'll make a great cham keeper, just try to be patient and wait until you know you're ready.

 

[AlaskanReptile]

I have to agree with some of the others. Make a spread sheet of ideally EVERYTHING you would like to get the chameleon plus the animal itself. When I first got into the hobby I was in high school and we had one as a class pet who I cared for over the summer. I went all out to spoil him (but even still it wasn't enough, I hadnt indulged in a mist king and I wish I would have!) and I easily spent $600 on him and that was with making a DIY enclosure out of a free entertainment center my best friend had gotten me.

So really window shop on the ideal set up you want to provide so the animal can have the best set up from the start. Also I would add in some live plants, even though veiled chams don't need much humidity they love live plants! The male I mentioned earlier had nothing but live in his enclosure over the summer including a variety of flowering plants for my viewing pleasure (which he happily chewed on!) and he thrived under my care. But those in of itself can run a bill up over $100 when done right.

With chameleons go big or go home on their supplies and care. Also maybe watch Craigslist for a steal, after moving to Colorado last year before my personal male veiled was shipped to me from my parents back in Alaska I came across a massive deal on chameleon set ups for only $200 (a 24x24x48 reptibreeze, a smaller mesh enclosure, tons of fake plants, a reptibator, a grapevine branch, lighting, fogger etc.). With that find I easily saved another $600 on new supplies which was amazing. Be patient and shop smart, watch for the deals and plan ahead like you are doing and the reward you reap will really make the wait worth it.

 

[Cham_Lover123]

Check this out it should help

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/average-cost-of-owning-a-chameleon.522/

thanks so much man!

 

[Cham_Lover123]

Most essentials for 400? That right there is saying no he/she won't be able to. I'm not trying to be mean, but it took me awhile to be able to set up my cham enclosures and to provide for them adequetly. with 400 i would not have been able to give them what's needed. I understand a lot of people go with the bare minimum, but i don't like to advocate that. Why not just keep that $400 save it for a few more months or whatever and then get a nice set up with mistking and all? Providing different feeders alone costs more than i'd like to think about, and then providing them organic veggies fruit seeds etc for gutload... it never ends with taking care of another living creature (Also maybe a panther/other instead of a veiled ) you sound like someone thinking ahead which is smart, and i think you'll make a great cham keeper, just try to be patient and wait until you know you're ready.

thanks for the reply. If I needed to I could use my savings to add in. Which means I'd have $750 dollars to spend on a veiled and the essentials.

 

[Cham_Lover123]

I have to agree with some of the others. Make a spread sheet of ideally EVERYTHING you would like to get the chameleon plus the animal itself. When I first got into the hobby I was in high school and we had one as a class pet who I cared for over the summer. I went all out to spoil him (but even still it wasn't enough, I hadnt indulged in a mist king and I wish I would have!) and I easily spent $600 on him and that was with making a DIY enclosure out of a free entertainment center my best friend had gotten me.

So really window shop on the ideal set up you want to provide so the animal can have the best set up from the start. Also I would add in some live plants, even though veiled chams don't need much humidity they love live plants! The male I mentioned earlier had nothing but live in his enclosure over the summer including a variety of flowering plants for my viewing pleasure (which he happily chewed on!) and he thrived under my care. But those in of itself can run a bill up over $100 when done right.

With chameleons go big or go home on their supplies and care. Also maybe watch Craigslist for a steal, after moving to Colorado last year before my personal male veiled was shipped to me from my parents back in Alaska I came across a massive deal on chameleon set ups for only $200 (a 24x24x48 reptibreeze, a smaller mesh enclosure, tons of fake plants, a reptibator, a grapevine branch, lighting, fogger etc.). With that find I easily saved another $600 on new supplies which was amazing. Be patient and shop smart, watch for the deals and plan ahead like you are doing and the reward you reap will really make the wait worth it.

thanks for the amazing advice, man!

 

[ali9021]

I agree with many of the others-- $400 is a good start, but will not nearly be enough to own a chameleon. Like stated, vet bills, overlooked expenses like new basking lights, misting system add-ons or repairs, it gets costly. I bought my baby a container of Dubia Roaches the other day and it cost almost $9.00