5 Reasons why chameleons make great pets [Video]

[Mountain Dragon]

This short video was not intended to be a stand-alone, comprehensive, review of all the pros and cons. Gingero has tons of videos describing the downsides of owning a chameleon. Please do your homework

Dude no need to be rude he was staying his opinion and it was a good constructed one and he said that she won’t start anything that big but it is a problem as community as whole

 

[MissSkittles]

Actually, it's not. Like every other similar story on this site, there are TWO people/sides—the person who adopts/rescues an animal in distress, and another person who couldn't/didn't/won't do what's necessary to provide for the animal properly. Not a judgment—just the facts.

I say "animal" because it's not unique to chameleons or reptiles.

What bothers me about vids like this (and I like most of what Gingero produces) is that it oversimplifies many aspects (puts on rose-colored glasses) rather than represent things realistically.

This can result in "fad pets", e.g. chihuahuas after Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Dalmations following 101 Dalmations, Clown Fish following Nemo, and so many more.
https://www.thedodo.com/trend-pets-mastiff-1102238324.html
fad pets following movies media

I'm not saying that this video is going to do that by itself, but it's ammo for the naive to show their families how easy chameleons are—part of the problem vs. part of the solution.

And let us not forget the spike in pet chameleons following Tangled & Rango. How many Pascals and Rangos have been rescued by folks here? How many died?
https://www.wormsandgermsblog.com/2011/03/articles/animals/reptiles/beware-of-the-rango-effect/

In a couple of places in the video, feeding is compared to feeding a dog. Since I have both, let's look at that.

Feeding chameleon

Must have live feeders on-hand, which must be fed/maintained in & of themselves in bins/keepers, and gutloaded.​

Must get crickets out of bin and put in feeder run cup.​

Must get other feeders out of other bins and put in other cup (variety).​

Must clean up/deal with uneaten feeders.​

Must either raise feeders (requiring time & resources) or periodically order them—often from different sources.​

Just the feeding part (not including associated ordering, cleaning, maintenance, etc.) takes me 15-30 minutes per day.​

Feeding dog

Buy large bag of food every other month.​

Scoop a cup of food out of the bag and dump it in his bowl.​

Takes me 5 seconds twice a day.​

​

Dog wins.

​

In other places, odors were mentioned. ALL animals have odors; some are just stronger than others. Clint Laidlaw admonished that bearded dragons have an odor (4:45). I've kept a bearded dragon for almost 2 years, and if he had any noticeable odor whatsoever, either me or he'd be gone. He doesn't stink because I take care of his needs and clean his enclosure promptly before he walks through it or spreads it around. Bathing not required.

My point here is that pet odors in most cases (possible exception: musk producing animals) can be controlled. If people have stinky dogs or cats, it's not the dog or cat—it's the owner's care (some pet owners have different tolerances for pet odor—that's a different discussion).

I think there are plenty of good reasons why chameleons make good pets, but NONE of them were mentioned. In no particular order:

They are challenging​

They are fascinating​

They are educational​

They are beautiful​

They are rewarding​

"Awesome" is like "cool"—one of the reasons pets become fads.

Any good reasons should be tempered with downsides (expensive, a lot of work, not for handling, must keep live feeders available, etc.) because those looking for validation aren't going to watch 5 Reasons NOT to Get a Chameleon; they want what they want, and that's why we see so many rescues.

I think a better option would be to combine the two topics, laying out both pros & cons together realistically in the same video, and delete the other two. Just my opinion.

@Gingero has made a video of reasons not to get a chameleon. (can’t recall if I’ve watched it yet or not)

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

@Gingero has made a video of reasons not to get a chameleon. (can’t recall if I’ve watched it yet or not)

I'm aware of that, and I've watched it. My point is that when some people get an idea in their heads, they don't want to know/about the negatives—they only read/watch/listen to things that support/validate what they want to hear. This is true even with articles/videos that tell both sides of the story, but at least they get exposed to the downsides rather than seeing the title and ignoring the content.

I think pros/cons pieces work better than separating them. That's my opinion based on personal experience and too many people I've known who ask loaded questions seeking agreement/approval/validation rather than facts or truth. YMMV.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

You clearly haven't watched her videos all the way through. If anything, she is overly cautious about articulating how difficult raising chameleon is. Her videos are very pragmatic and realistic.

I clearly have, and IMO, this is a departure from those balanced vids.

Does anyone really NEED to be told/talked into why chameleons make great reptile pets? That's not pragmatic and realistic—that's a sales pitch.

 

[JoXie411]

Welll let’s get this back on topic

I suffer from anxiety/depression/ptsd, I get triggered easily. I saw a chameleon at petco one day during a oil change and something about them triggered something in me. I went home a did research for two weeks, read stuff on this forum and convinced my husband to buy me one for my Christmas gift. Two weeks after I bought Larry I found Imelda on Craig’s list not in the best condition. Since being these animals into myself they have helped me in ways I never imagined. Are chameleons for everyone? No, but the selection few of ppl willing to go above and beyond for these animals. At the end of the day you need to ask yourself if this animal going to fit my lifestyle and are you willing to do what needs to be done for them. If the answer is anything then a hard yes then maybe these guys just aren’t for you and guy what that’s ok. You can live by curiously thru ppl like @Gingero who is more then happy to share her chameleons on social media, as for lots of members on here who have chameleon accounts on Ig

 

[Mountain Dragon]

I'm aware of that, and I've watched it. My point is that when some people get an idea in their heads, they don't want to know/about the negatives—they only read/watch/listen to things that support/validate what they want to hear. This is true even with articles/videos that tell both sides of the story, but at least they get exposed to the downsides rather than seeing the title and ignoring the content.

I think pros/cons pieces work better than separating them. That's my opinion based on personal experience and too many people I've known who ask loaded questions seeking agreement/approval/validation rather than facts or truth. YMMV.

Yea I agree when I first wanted a chameleon I didn’t watch any why NOT to get chameleon

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

You can get oil changes at Petco ‽

 

[Mountain Dragon]

You can get oil changes at Petco ‽

I think ur being sarcastic but I think she meant she got an oil change and most people go walk around during oil changes because the car is being worked on so she went and walked to around and went in a petco

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Not at all. I wasn't using irony, and I wasn't mocking, conveying contempt, or bullying.
Humor is where you find it.

 

[JoXie411]

I think ur being sarcastic but I think she meant she got an oil change and most people go walk around during oil changes because the car is being worked on so she went and walked to around and went in a petco

Nah he’s just someone who thinks he’s funny

 

[MissSkittles]

I'm aware of that, and I've watched it. My point is that when some people get an idea in their heads, they don't want to know/about the negatives—they only read/watch/listen to things that support/validate what they want to hear. This is true even with articles/videos that tell both sides of the story, but at least they get exposed to the downsides rather than seeing the title and ignoring the content.

I think pros/cons pieces work better than separating them. That's my opinion based on personal experience and too many people I've known who ask loaded questions seeking agreement/approval/validation rather than facts or truth. YMMV.

If those people who don’t want to hear anything negative about the choice they’ve made, a YouTube video or anything else isn’t going to alter their decision. Having made too many horrible life decisions in the past and being more stubborn than a mule, there was no power on Heaven or earth that would have swayed me.
Gingero has provided a great deal of education on the needs of chameleons and proper keeping of them. She has provided a video of the top 5 reasons why chameleons may not be a good choice for some, and those are perhaps some of the problems which people who come to the forum for help have.
There is a time to be responsible and state the cons, which Gingero has done. There is also a time to celebrate how incredible these animals are to keep, which is the video which has spurred this discussion.

 

[Gingero]

This is the beautiful thing about opinion videos -- which is what this is. This is strictly my opinion on why chams are great pets lol. It sparks discussion, conversation, and most importantly sharing different experiences. So thank you for sharing yours. I encourage anyone who feels comfortable to create your own videos to share your own experiences so people can learn about different perspectives.

I also intentionally made the video with reasons why chams may not be a good fit for someone first, so that I could link back to it. That video alone has made people realize that a chameleon might not be the right pet for them per the comments, but I also wanted to highlight the parts I personally think other people will appreciate -- including how fascinating, beautiful, and rewarding they are. I also put disclaimers in the beginning and end of the video, in the description box of the video, in a pinned comment in the comment section, and linked the reasons why chams may not be a good fit video at the end. If someone is looking for content to support the incorrect notion that chams are pets for everyone, they'll find that info anywhere they want on the internet and will skew info to fit their agenda regardless if I post this video and if I tell them 12 times that's not the case. Also worth mentioning that by watching this video there is an increased likelihood due to the YouTube algorithm that someone will be suggested one of my 80+ videos I have on YouTube already that explain the required care which will hopefully help them in their research and learning.

 

[Muedy]

Welll let’s get this back on topic

I suffer from anxiety/depression/ptsd, I get triggered easily. I saw a chameleon at petco one day during a oil change and something about them triggered something in me. I went home a did research for two weeks, read stuff on this forum and convinced my husband to buy me one for my Christmas gift. Two weeks after I bought Larry I found Imelda on Craig’s list not in the best condition. Since being these animals into myself they have helped me in ways I never imagined. Are chameleons for everyone? No, but the selection few of ppl willing to go above and beyond for these animals. At the end of the day you need to ask yourself if this animal going to fit my lifestyle and are you willing to do what needs to be done for them. If the answer is anything then a hard yes then maybe these guys just aren’t for you and guy what that’s ok. You can live by curiously thru ppl like @Gingero who is more then happy to share her chameleons on social media, as for lots of members on here who have chameleon accounts on Ig

Very well said & I hope you are well! ♡♡

 

[Mountain Dragon]

This is the beautiful thing about opinion videos -- which is what this is. This is strictly my opinion on why chams are great pets lol. It sparks discussion, conversation, and most importantly sharing different experiences. So thank you for sharing yours. I encourage anyone who feels comfortable to create your own videos to share your own experiences so people can learn about different perspectives.

I also intentionally made the video with reasons why chams may not be a good fit for someone first, so that I could link back to it. That video alone has made people realize that a chameleon might not be the right pet for them per the comments, but I also wanted to highlight the parts I personally think other people will appreciate -- including how fascinating, beautiful, and rewarding they are. I also put disclaimers in the beginning and end of the video, in the description box of the video, in a pinned comment in the comment section, and linked the reasons why chams may not be a good fit video at the end. If someone is looking for content to support the incorrect notion that chams are pets for everyone, they'll find that info anywhere they want on the internet and will skew info to fit their agenda regardless if I post this video and if I tell them 12 times that's not the case. Also worth mentioning that by watching this video there is an increased likelihood due to the YouTube algorithm that someone will be suggested one of my 80+ videos I have on YouTube already that explain the required care which will hopefully help them in their research and learning.

Well said