Advice before i jump in

K

klavin

New Member
Hey guys,

I think I'm going to pull the trigger on a chameleon set up here in the near future. I've been doing a ton of research and I'm beginning to feel more comfortable about chameleon care. I thought i might start a thread for advice before i get started. For starters I'm not completely new to expensive demanding hobbies. I'm really big into reef tanks, especially SPS dominated tanks so I'm used to paying attention to minute details and understand the importance of maintaining very stable conditions so i think that should come in hand.

So heres what I'm thinking for my first set up. I like the look of the Exo-Terra medium rainforest kit. I believe it comes with everything you need except for the basking lamp. I know whatever i end up with i want to use live plants instead of the fake ones (nothing against them). I would like to house a baby veiled chameleon and from what I've read the medium exo-terra would be adequate for their first tank. The only issue with that is that the only veiled i have in my area are from petsmart. When it comes to coral and fish we refer to petsmart and Deathmart because of the care and quality provided so i assume the quality of Chameleons might be the same.

I've also seem complete set ups on Chameleon websites that come with baby veiled included, some even have babies from "blood lines". Generally these kits run alot more. Would it be a better investment to purchase a baby online form a reputable dealer instead of rescuing one from petsmart?

So what do you guys think? Opinions, advice, concerns, and 2cents are all welcome. Thanks guys
 
klavin said:
Hey guys,

I think I'm going to pull the trigger on a chameleon set up here in the near future. I've been doing a ton of research and I'm beginning to feel more comfortable about chameleon care. I thought i might start a thread for advice before i get started. For starters I'm not completely new to expensive demanding hobbies. I'm really big into reef tanks, especially SPS dominated tanks so I'm used to paying attention to minute details and understand the importance of maintaining very stable conditions so i think that should come in hand.

So heres what I'm thinking for my first set up. I like the look of the Exo-Terra medium rainforest kit. I believe it comes with everything you need except for the basking lamp. I know whatever i end up with i want to use live plants instead of the fake ones (nothing against them). I would like to house a baby veiled chameleon and from what I've read the medium exo-terra would be adequate for their first tank. The only issue with that is that the only veiled i have in my area are from petsmart. When it comes to coral and fish we refer to petsmart and Deathmart because of the care and quality provided so i assume the quality of Chameleons might be the same.

I've also seem complete set ups on Chameleon websites that come with baby veiled included, some even have babies from "blood lines". Generally these kits run alot more. Would it be a better investment to purchase a baby online form a reputable dealer instead of rescuing one from petsmart?

So what do you guys think? Opinions, advice, concerns, and 2cents are all welcome. Thanks guys
Click to expand...

My first was a petsmart its not actualy that bad not the most profesional but she was readily available very livley and i loved her. FL chams has a great selection of chameleons and offer fast GREAT shipping as long as the cage is wire mesh or any of that sort your good refrain from glass
 
Local breeders or trade shows are a great option!

The chameleon is Much more likely be healthy, and most breeders will offer you help with anything unexpected.
 
drcrossfire said:
Local breeders or trade shows are a great option!

The chameleon is Much more likely be healthy, and most breeders will offer you help with anything unexpected.
Click to expand...

Thats a great idea. I didn't even think about that. Ill have to look online for anything in my area. Chances are there isn't but it never hurts. Thanks for the advice.
 
A kit/animal from a breeder might be more but the guarantees are better. Petsmart has no idea where they get their chameleons from, and can barely tell if they have healthy animals or not. Where as a breeder lives and breathes for the quality of his/her animals. The breeders that sponsor this forum have excellent reputations and I highly recommend them. You don't necessarily have to get a full kit from any of them if you don't want but as far as the animal, I urge you to look into ordering online from a reputable breeder or seeing if a reptile show will come into your area that might chameleons from reputable breeders available.
 
Olimpia said:
A kit/animal from a breeder might be more but the guarantees are better. Petsmart has no idea where they get their chameleons from, and can barely tell if they have healthy animals or not. Where as a breeder lives and breathes for the quality of his/her animals. The breeders that sponsor this forum have excellent reputations and I highly recommend them. You don't necessarily have to get a full kit from any of them if you don't want but as far as the animal, I urge you to look into ordering online from a reputable breeder or seeing if a reptile show will come into your area that might chameleons from reputable breeders available.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice. I'm beginning to think that getting one from a breeder or show is the route I'm going to take. Now to find a good source for everything i need.

This raises a another question. I would assume that i need to set up the environment and keep it stable for an extended period of time before i introduce a chameleon. Is that a true statement?
 
klavin said:
Thanks for the advice. I'm beginning to think that getting one from a breeder or show is the route I'm going to take. Now to find a good source for everything i need.
Click to expand...

Where are you located? A forum member near you may be able to offer good suggestions!

klavin said:
This raises a another question. I would assume that i need to set up the environment and keep it stable for an extended period of time before i introduce a chameleon. Is that a true statement?
Click to expand...

You do fish tanks, don't you ? Just make sure you have everything set and know what you want for a set up. Since it is all usually open cages, you essentially just need to watch humidity and heat levels, and adjust your misting/ bulbs accordingly. It's not as much an ecosystem like a fish tank,it's a controlled environment... And you are the invisible hand.
 
Your best bet is to buy a cham from a reputable breeder or get a cham through someone on the forums. You'll have a healthier cham that's had a good start in life making things much easier on you, plus you'll have lifelong help from the breeder with any questions you have as well as this forum is also fantastic if you've any questions.

I'd recommend you putting up a list on what you're expecting to buy so you won't buy something you don't need or isn't what you need.

Also I'd recommend you getting a male versus a female, personally I think males are easier to care for as you won't have to worry about eggs (unless you buy a Jacksons or something else livebearing) and putting a laying bin down. Of course this is completely up to you but just wanted you to be aware of what getting yourself into! :D Congrats!
 
drcrossfire said:
Where are you located? A forum member near you may be able to offer good suggestions!



You do fish tanks, don't you ? Just make sure you have everything set and know what you want for a set up. Since it is all usually open cages, you essentially just need to watch humidity and heat levels, and adjust your misting/ bulbs accordingly. It's not as much an ecosystem like a fish tank,it's a controlled environment... And you are the invisible hand.
Click to expand...

That makes sense. When it comes to reef tanks generally you have to set them up for a month before you really get to introduce anything. At least with a chameleon ill have a break form all that chemistry! I'm going to school in Corpus Christi Texas but regularly travel back home to Austin. I'm sure theres someone in Austin that breeds or has access to quality specimens. Corpus on the other hand i doubt. Thanks for the help.
 
Make sure you have your vitamin mix ( ie herptivite) , calcium with d3, and calcium without d3 when you pick up your Cham. It's much cheaper online and the calcium w/out d3 should be used almost daily.

I would also recommend doing some research on gutloading; an essential and often overlooked aspect of reptile keeping. Sandracham has lots of useful links in her profile.

Happy chaming!
 
klavin said:
Hey guys,

I think I'm going to pull the trigger on a chameleon set up here in the near future. I've been doing a ton of research and I'm beginning to feel more comfortable about chameleon care. I thought i might start a thread for advice before i get started. For starters I'm not completely new to expensive demanding hobbies. I'm really big into reef tanks, especially SPS dominated tanks so I'm used to paying attention to minute details and understand the importance of maintaining very stable conditions so i think that should come in hand.

So heres what I'm thinking for my first set up. I like the look of the Exo-Terra medium rainforest kit. I believe it comes with everything you need except for the basking lamp. I know whatever i end up with i want to use live plants instead of the fake ones (nothing against them). I would like to house a baby veiled chameleon and from what I've read the medium exo-terra would be adequate for their first tank. The only issue with that is that the only veiled i have in my area are from petsmart. When it comes to coral and fish we refer to petsmart and Deathmart because of the care and quality provided so i assume the quality of Chameleons might be the same.

I've also seem complete set ups on Chameleon websites that come with baby veiled included, some even have babies from "blood lines". Generally these kits run alot more. Would it be a better investment to purchase a baby online form a reputable dealer instead of rescuing one from petsmart?

So what do you guys think? Opinions, advice, concerns, and 2cents are all welcome. Thanks guys
Click to expand...

I would get everything seperate from LLL reptile and either purchase one of their veilds or from another sponsor. Those kits kind of suck and you will end up spending more buying other things so I would suggest get everything seperate. I have a mixed reef tank also and I would say they are about the same in how much time I spend with each everyday. Probably more on the chameleon side actually. Just follow what everyone says on these forums and ask questions like you have and you are already ahead of most that try to get into this hobby. I wish there was a forum like this 15 years ago when I picked my first veiled up.

NIce to see a fellow reefer getting into chams! :cool:
 
Shrilly said:
I'm curious about this reefing or whatever lol can you explain this hobby?
Click to expand...

We are referencing salt water marine aquariums; but instead of just fish and fake plants/coral, you build a live reef in your tank. It involves a very delicate balance of intense lighting, live rock, coral, fish, protein skimmers, overflow filters.... And much more. You essentially have to create an ecosystem, and keep it in balance. Many things can throw off your nitrogen cycle and then you get tons of algae or coral die off.

It can be a pain, but once you get a stable system, it gets easy!
 
You should get one from a breeder. The breeder would have all the information you would need to know about your pet and it will be unlikely that it will have a parasite. And if you want to save one from petsmart, they would replace it and another would have to live in the bad conditions. by leaving the one at petsmart alone would save many more.
 
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