Boarding my cham

[zturner7594]

I'm headed out of town for the week of Christmas, and need to have my chameleon boarded/kept. I tried typing "boarding" in the search bar, and did not get any results. Question is...where do you turn, or who do you call to keep your cham? I can't leave him at home so I'll have to take him somewhere. Trying to get a head start on finding answers. Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[JacksJill]

Some vet hospitals will board chameleons but i think they do better at home with a reliable pet sitter.

 

[katy32]

I'm currently training the neighbor kid to do it. She's 14 and responsible, and I trust her mom to help as well. She comes down on the weekends and helps me care for Pip.

 

[JacksJill]

When I'm gone for a week or so I schedule someone to come in 2-3 times check on the misters and top off the bugs in the feeders.

 

[Thehippie]

i board with my local mom and pops store, the workers there are very responsible and i trust them with my guy since they have experience with chams

 

[Beman]

I think if you have everything automated it is much easier to just have someone come in. I have shown my Mom how to check everything this way when I go out of town for work the only thing she has to do is shake some feeders and add them to his cup along with filling up his water supply in the mistking and fogger.

 

[CC's Baby]

I have my neighbor come in and am doing so again tonight as leaving the state for a few days. I usually just get a small container (ones that are sent with my 50 dubias) that have air holes from Rainbow mealworms, I add the crickets with a couple of fresh carrots and then the sitter just has to open the lid and pour then in the feeder cup and or let them freerange and he is fine. I will use one container per each day's feeding, so he doesn't have to do anything or count them out or anything like that. Makes it very simple for them. I use a big dripper that will run 3 days at a time so they never have to do anything else. I have other pets that require much more care than my chameleon. I think a sitter coming in is the best and least disturbing and stressful for your cham anyway. They love being left a lone a few days anyway.

 

[JoXie411]

@Beman isnt there a podcast about going out of town?? I think I might have listened to that one a few weeks back

 

[CamoChameleonsHuman]

@Beman isnt there a podcast about going out of town?? I think I might have listened to that one a few weeks back

There's one about vacations and chameleons. I believe it's in season 1.

 

[JacksJill]

Vacations And Chameleons Episode 3

 

[CamoChameleonsHuman]

https://www.chameleonbreeder.com/podcast/episode-003-vacations-and-chameleons/

 

[CamoChameleonsHuman]

Vacations And Chameleons Episode 3

Exact same time haha but you win!

 

[JacksJill]

Great minds think a like

 

[JacksJill]

A new type of feeder was just added in the chameleon supplies for sale section that would be useful for vacation feeding.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/shooting-gallery-screened-cage-chameleon-feeder.169011/
I helped test it. It's great day to day and I used it when I went out of town as well. I filled it with feeders put a piece of carrot or sweet potato too large for my chameleons to eat and it kept the bugs gut loaded and they didn't escape to hide in the cage.

 

[katy32]

A new type of feeder was just added in the chameleon supplies for sale section that would be useful for vacation feeding.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/shooting-gallery-screened-cage-chameleon-feeder.169011/
I helped test it. It's great day to day and I used it when I went out of town as well. I filled it with feeders put a piece of carrot or sweet potato too large for my chameleons to eat and it kept the bugs gut loaded and they didn't escape to hide in the cage.

This looks great. Any pictures of it in action?

 

[JacksJill]

I have some pictures with the insects in and I have to shoo my chameleons out of the window to put feeders in it but I'm not quick enough to capture a tongue shot.

 

[KobaOregonherper]

I'm headed out of town for the week of Christmas, and need to have my chameleon boarded/kept. I tried typing "boarding" in the search bar, and did not get any results. Question is...where do you turn, or who do you call to keep your cham? I can't leave him at home so I'll have to take him somewhere. Trying to get a head start on finding answers. Thanks for any suggestions.

This is a hard one. Also something I tell people, if they're buying a reptile, to consider. Reptiles are not something people just up and volunteer to pet sit. I cancelled my trip to Coeurdalene for the 4th of July because I know I'm not going to find a reliable sitter. It's something I knew going into this. If you can't find anyone usually exotic herp vets will. Just keep in mind chameleons are the exotic of the exotics, some exotic herp vets wont have the correct set up for a cham long term. If I'm only going to be gone up to five days I'll give him 12 ish crickets that I know he'll finish that day and make sure everything's got enough water to continue running properly on their timers. I also have an arlo set up to keep an eye on him just so I know if I need to cut that trip short.

 

[JacksJill]

This is a shot from a video of a juvenile cage.