buying a new chameleon

[chacha]

I have been a admirer of chameleons for a really long time and as im moving into a new house soon i figured i should buy my first chameleon. i have done quite a lot of research but im still a bit confused. i want to be the best owner for my chameleon and i would like a little help to set this up from cage sizes types to the smallest little plant (im a bit of a perfectionist). could someone please help me so i could give the best home to my chameleon. im planning on buying a male yemen chameleon but if you advise it as being a hard first chameleon im open to suggestions. i live in london uk so if you know any links for purchasing cages please feel free to share. when it comes to cages i would rather just buy one then get a beginner one and change when it gets older.
thanks guys

 

[NerveDamage]

The site sponsor here DIY Cages, has never done me wrong, but I am not sure if they ship to the UK.

And if you do choose to go with them I would like into buying a new bottom something water proof or a screen bottom.

 

[Ferrah88]

I just bought a vivarium from mijupanthers ( http://chameleonworldmuji.co.uk/starter-kits/ ) and I must say, I am very happy with it! They are perfect for chameleons They are from the UK, so you won't have any trouble getting them to ship to you I can only recommend them!

They're a bit expensive I think, but they are full screen and easy to see through. I got the Hydro-flo for built-in drainage, which was an added plus. Totally worth it!

They are also easy to assemble (I didn't need the instructions that came with it) and light-weight.

 

[chacha]

Exo terra vivarium

I have managed to find a friends friend selling there 15 week female chameleon with the whole set up. The cage is an exo terra vivarium which ive heard a mix of things about some people have positive views and some negative. Suggestions? And is female care more difficult than male? If i did go with this purchase i would probably change the cage to something bigger in a couple of months? Thanks again guys

 

[symphonica]

Not sure if you had specific questions as you prepare for the arrival of your first cham, but here are several things that you should keep in mind to maintain a healthy chameleon:

Sufficient UVB lighting to prevent the degenerative metabolic bone disease. T5HO tube bulbs are best, followed by T8 tubes, followed by coiled bulbs.

Sufficient heating lamp to achieve desirable basking and ambient temps. Make sure you provide plenty of branches so that your cham has access to a bunch of different temperature ranges.

Make sure the heat isn't hot enough to cause burns to your cham.

Make sure these lights are on for 12hrs/day.

Make sure you gutload properly. Feeders are useless and empty in terms of nutritional value on their own. The jelly and powder commercialized cricket food is useless.

Make sure you're varying your diet. The same thing all the time will bore them, and they'll go into a feeding strike and stop eating for a while. Crickets and dubia should be the staple. Others should only be fed on occasion, as treats, as they're not the healthiest feeders for them to be getting on a regular basis.

Make sure you supplement correctly. Plain calcium with no D3 or phosphorus every day. D3 should be reserved for twice a month, since too much of it can cause more harm than good.

Make sure your humidity levels are good. Make sure the enclosure dries out completely and you let the humidity drop to about 30-40% before misting again. That rise and fall of humidity is very important for them.

Make sure you don't mist at least an hour before lights go out, and that cage is completely dry before they go to sleep. No mistings while they're sleeping.

Make sure it's completely dark when she's sleeping - it's important for them to be able to achieve a deep sleep cycle.

Nighttime temps should drop about ten degrees. They need the temp to drop at night.

Make sure they have enough branches and vines to be able to get to every spot in the cage. They shouldn't have to be using the screen of the cage to get anywhere. If your cham tends to hang upside down on the top of your cage, raise the top branch up to the point where there's only room for her body to fit between the branch and top of the cage. If she can't get much higher, they don't have as much an urge to get up there.

Make sure you're not using any substrate in the cage. The continuous moisture of the substrate will become a breeding ground for bacteria, fungus, and mold, which can make them very ill, which includes respiratory and skin infections. They can also accidentally ingest the substrate if they see a feeder on it and shoot their tongue at it, and this can cause impactions. If you need something to wick up the moisture at the bottom, you can use paper towels. Again, these need to be replaced frequently to prevent bacterial growth. A draining system can be helpful.

Make sure you don't have a waterfall or water source. They don't recognize it as a drinking source, and they do drown. Instead, make sure that there are water droplets running down the leaves, plants, cage, etc for them to lap up for a drink

Make sure you have a reliable thermometer and hydrometer.

Make sure you have a camera to take plenty of pictures of her

I think I covered all the basics...

 

[brownie64]

A veiled chameleon would make a very good first chameleon. Just make sure it is captive bred which shouldn't be that much of a problem since most are captive bred these days, but make sure yours isn't one of the few. And yes it's been my experience that females are not so much harder to keep, but do to their egg laying even if they aren't bred can have a much shorter life span. The egg laying takes a toll on them. I've had males live for almost 9 years, where the females only lived about 3-4 years. But I heard there are things like lowering the temps, and feeding them less brings down the amount of eggs they have, thereby increasing their lifespan, but I personally wouldn't know.

She seems a little young to me make sure she is real healthy looking, they tend to be delicate until about 4 months old'

As far as care goes there is a lot of good info on this site just look for the care resources it's at the upper left of the screen on my page.

 

[chacha]

Thanks soooo much guys youve been really helpful and i will post pictures as soom as i can!!

 

[SimonTheCham]

I am a strong believer that you shouldn't switch cages ever. It will be just like a new home for your Cham, and lots of stress. He/she would just be getting comfy in the pre setup cage, and now he would have to get used to a new one.

 

[chacha]

hey guys, i just bought my chameleon today coincidently a friend was selling hers who ive handled and met several times before which was excellent. i went with a male yemen chameleon about 7-8 months old. he was a bit scared at first but after a while settled in quite well. here are some pictures i took today:

 

[chacha]

food

I would also like to ask some questions about food i currently have live worms but how many would a yemen male chameleon age 7-8 months would eat a day?

 

[teejayteej]

What kind of worms? Crickets and silk worms I find are the best for my Veiled Chams and they really like the Silk worms. before we can really tell you how many, we need to know what kind and the size.
look at the care sheet for the veiled Chams and it will give you a general Idea of the feeding of your new Veiled male.