Buying a chameleon in Colorado any suggestions

[Bravo8bucket]

If there is no good stores I would be willing to buy one online from a breeder but i want it to at least be somewhat close like California. Also I'm new to chameleons so any suggestions on what to get and I'm on a budget of 200 so panthers are likely out of the picture

 

[Denverbug]

Is your budget for your Cham only? Or does this include your money for your setup. Your budget can really dictate what you can get.

 

[Swayne8998]

If there is no good stores I would be willing to buy one online from a breeder but i want it to at least be somewhat close like California. Also I'm new to chameleons so any suggestions on what to get and I'm on a budget of 200 so panthers are likely out of the picture

Unfortunately I have yet to find a really decent breeder or pet store that sells well raised chameleons. Most of the online ones come from Florida, but some come from California. Small veileds will usually cost you about $60 and small panthers can be anywhere from $250-$400 depending on locale and gender. Jackson's usually hover around $80-$100 from what I've seen. Hope this helps, if you find any reputable breeders or stores in CO, please PM me.

 

[Bravo8bucket]

Thx for help ill look at chams from Florida and 200-300 for bothe cage and cham

 

[Swayne8998]

Thx for help ill look at chams from Florida and 200-300 for bothe cage and cham

Unfortunately, an efficient cham setup is going to cost much more than just that. Going the cheap way and not buying any commercial (ie Exo Terra, Zoo Med, etc.) and getting efficient equipment for a chameleon setup could cost you anywhere from $500-$700.

 

[Devokid]

I second Swayne8998, $300 is a very small budget and I would recommend that you wait until your budget is larger. That being said, you could build your own cage or find a used cage and lights online from a local classified section. If you do that, you will want to make sure everything is disinfected before getting the chameleon. Personally, I prefer the cage I built. It only cost me around $30 and it is perfectly set up to house a chameleon, however, I did use my own power tools. You will need new UV bulbs regardless of which type of setup you get (new or used). With a budget like that, you are also going to run into the cost of keeping it alive. They eat a lot and food can be a little costly, plus it may need to go to the vet from time to time (plan on $150 for each visit). As far as finding a budget chameleon is concerned, I have had good luck with lllreptile.com. The two babies that I have purchased from them have arrived happy and healthy.

 

[xraygirl]

I'm on a budget, but I actually budget my chameleon into it. This might be a useful breakdown of what I did. Note, this is all that I can roughly remember. And the day I brought chief home I had NO, and I mean, NOOOOO set up or anything at all for him. I literally bought all of his essentials from the repticon show I found him at.

Chameleon: $150 (he was a deal as a year old cham but I think he was a owner surrender)
Cage: 18x18x36 reptibreeze $70 (repticon show) (upgrading to a DIY 24x24x48 soon: $95)
Assorted types of vines: $40 (repticon and pet stores)
Mistking: $120
Little dripper: $10 (local pet store)
UVB bulb: $20 (reptisun 5.0)(repticon show)
Basking light housing with dimmer feature: $20 (repticon)
Basking bulb: $10 (you can use household bulbs, I tried 4 different ones and couldn't get the temp to where I needed it to be. I have an actual reptile basking bulb that can get very hot (enough for a beardie) but I have a dimmer switch on the fixture and can raise or lower it and it stays around 87-88 degrees... Hence why temperature measuring devices are absolutely needed!)
UVB fixture: zoomed $25 (amazon)
Hand sprayer: $1-3 (anywhere - try the 'dolla' store)
Calcium supplements: $16 (for calcium w/o D3, with D3 and multivitamin) (repticon)
Crickets: 25-50 every week and a half from the hardware store: $3
Stuff to gut load feeders with: $3-12 bucks depending on what (fruits, veggies, cricket crack, etc etc) and how often you buy
Hornworms: $8 cup shipped (I buy online) (25-30 worms) (lasts chief about 3 weeks - if they get too big I give them to a buddy who has a beardie)
Silkworms: $8 cup shipped (I buy online) (25-30 worms) (lasts about the same as horn worms, they grow quickly like horns)
Dubia breeder start up kit from GA CRICKETS: $25, but you can get them anywhere for various prices if you don't want to breed them.
Heat mats for dubias (so they'll breed): $10 (petsmart)
Temperature gun: $39 (lowes)
Analog temp/humidity gauges: about $8 each (repticon)(I have two)
Humidifier: $who knows, I've always had it. But if your air gets dry and misting doesn't help, these gizmos are awesome to have.
Live plants: I picked up two Pothos plants for $5 each (lowes)


Drainage set up (we literally threw it together in a urgent hurry so it's not the greatest but it's meant as a 'for now/termporary' thing, and it works fine for me.
Ulility sink: $49 (lowes)
2x4's cut so the cage sits in the sink: $3 (lowes)
Buckets for dirty drainage water, and one for mistking water: $5 (lowes) any bucket can be used...

Vet checkup: this varies with different vets
Examination: $75
Fecal: $17
X-rays: $75 each


This is really just to give you an idea of a chameleons costs... It varies with everyone.... Best thing to do on a budget is buy one thing at a time, that way your not killing yourself financially. Then you'll take the time to order what you want for the best price possible. But also factor in emergency veterinary costs too. These little guys can have some serious bills add up when there's something wrong with them.

I'm in college, work full time at just a smidge above minimum wage while still paying for college costs, car, fuel, insurance, groceries, etc. but I budget big time and it helps me. But also think of your living situation, do you have someone to check in on your chameleon IF you go out of town for more than a day? Is there someone in your household that could help you out time to time? Every once in a while I'll ask my boyfriend if he'll drop some ready dusted crickets in for me if I have to leave for work earlier than chiefs lights come on in the mornings. Plus some time to do a deep clean on the cage (I take his outside and soap it up and hose it down) plus your weekly tidy ups.

I spend countless hours a week on this forum, before I got Chief, and now. That is priceless I really hope this helps! I'm still quite the newbie.

 

[Swayne8998]

I second Swayne8998, $300 is a very small budget and I would recommend that you wait until your budget is larger. That being said, you could build your own cage or find a used cage and lights online from a local classified section. If you do that, you will want to make sure everything is disinfected before getting the chameleon. Personally, I prefer the cage I built. It only cost me around $30 and it is perfectly set up to house a chameleon, however, I did use my own power tools. You will need new UV bulbs regardless of which type of setup you get (new or used). With a budget like that, you are also going to run into the cost of keeping it alive. They eat a lot and food can be a little costly, plus it may need to go to the vet from time to time (plan on $150 for each visit). As far as finding a budget chameleon is concerned, I have had good luck with lllreptile.com. The two babies that I have purchased from them have arrived happy and healthy.

LLL Reptile is a fantastic place to buy supplies. I'm glad you said something about their chameleons, I was considering buying one from them in the future

 

[ir0k]

Great post xraygirl, gives a nice break down on what we need and , costs which might fluxuate a little.

 

[happiness]

\
Hornworms: $8 cup shipped (I buy online) (25-30 worms) (lasts chief about 3 weeks - if they get too big I give them to a buddy who has a beardie)
Silkworms: $8 cup shipped (I buy online) (25-30 worms)

I would love to know where you buy these for this price.


&Bravo, you could always look on craigslist for someone selling a chameleon + cage combo for cheap, just check the areas around you frequently. I bought my veiled chameleon on there for $75. It included the cage, (though I had to upgrade, found a XL cage on craigslist for $30!)lights, dripper, some bendy vines.. etc.

 

[xraygirl]

I would love to know where you buy these for this price.


&Bravo, you could always look on craigslist for someone selling a chameleon + cage combo for cheap, just check the areas around you frequently. I bought my veiled chameleon on there for $75. It included the cage, (though I had to upgrade, found a XL cage on craigslist for $30!)lights, dripper, some bendy vines.. etc.

Only thing to be careful of are sick chameleons on craigslist. I've seen so many posted near me that have very bad cases of MBD.

I buy 'em from a guy off facebook, 'south central feeders'.

 

[laurie]

If there is no good stores I would be willing to buy one online from a breeder but i want it to at least be somewhat close like California. Also I'm new to chameleons so any suggestions on what to get and I'm on a budget of 200 so panthers are likely out of the picture

Hello, I don't know where you are, but have a look at the classified ads. One of the guys is rehoming his sweet adult veiled girl. I think you might just find what you are looking for.

 

[Bravo8bucket]

Thx for all the feedback I will consider all comments when buying my Cham and cage thx