Advice for a newbie

[tamara2girls]

Hi, I'm Tamara from Hampshire. I have experience of keeping corn snakes, pythons and bearded dragons and have decided I'd now like a chameleon. I'm starting from scratch with no knowledge so I've been setting up the viv for the last week following advice online and would like to start looking for a chameleon now.
Do you have any advice on the best species for a beginner? Male or female? I've read the FAQ's here and gotten lots of helpful information online, but I don't think you can beat firsthand experience so if anyone has any words of wisdom that may be helpful I'd appreciate it.
I've always handled my reptiles a lot in the past so I wondered, is it possible to get chameleons used to regular handling or is it best to just not even try? Is there any difference in temperament between the males and females?
One final question, I only have fake plants in the viv so far, in your experience is that ok or would it be best to get some real foliage?
Thanks in advance!

 

[Drakes24]

Well if you're looking for something with beautiful colors then I'd go with a panther chameleon but I'd go with a male because females are a lot more of a hassle to take care of and they can pretty much lay eggs whenever they want lol or if you're looking for something not that expensive but still cute I'd go with a veiled chameleon

 

[Blink]

Hi, Tamara, and welcome to the Chameleon Forums! You will find a lot of helpful information here. First off, the best chameleons for beginners would definitely be Veileds and Panthers. They have very similar care requirements. For your first chameleon, a male is definitely recommended. As for your question about temperament and handling, it really depends on the the individual chameleon. Some tolerate handling, while some do not. It is always best not to over-handle chams. Also, while many people do keep chameleons with fake plants, live plants really are the best way to go in my experience. Not only do they really help with keeping the humidity, but if the chameleon was to eat it, say in the case of a veiled, it would be significantly less dangerous. Some suitable plants for chameleon cages are Pothos, Ficus, schefflera... Etc.
If you have any other questions, feel free to ask... there are many knowledgable members here!

 

[kplatvoet]

Wellcome -
Since your in the UK you might have a wider range/different range of captive bred chameleons to decide between- with reptile experience that will help. There's way more information for veiled and panthers. You've most likely will know the difficulty or ease of keeping humidity and proper temps within your situation. I would read up on the care sheets for all of them and start with the one that best fits your situation.
I use both fake and real plants - mostly because I'm not good with plants- I like at least one live one in each cage just because mine don't like drinking off of the fake ones as much.

 

[tamara2girls]

Thank you all so much for your advice, I decided to go with a male Panther chameleon and have chosen a blue bar ambilobe, he is gorgeous! Eating well already and he has found his way down to the umbrella tree I put in under the dropper for a drink! Thanks again, I'm sure I'll be back for more advice at some point!