cham noooooob

[robjrussell]

hey guys

I just joined the forum as my wife saw a video of an (ambilobe?) - or a panther chameleon? and as thus.. I am now researching what it takes to take care of a chameleon.

what info do you guys recommend so I can get my brain around [the whole] process.

ie - food, cage, lighting, etc..

as well, how many types of chameleons are there readily available? (vivid colored preferred) am i right to think that the males are usually colored and females aren't?

anyways we just moved to ventura county california - are there good people to know or places to go out here?

cheers
rob

 

[Ace]

Welcome to the cham forums This is a great plae to learn about chameleons of all kinds and their care

yes you are correct the known and common chameleons for sale that are very colorful are "panther chameleons"

here is a blog about caring for a panther chameleon

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html

if you want to purchase a cham check the sponsors on the top right corner...

and feel free to ask questions.....chameleons need time and dedication....and not a real beginner lizard pet..but is very rewarding and once you get the essentials down...its rather simple when it comes to panther and veield chameleons
other species of chameleons need specific requirements....

the the link i provided should give you a good start...hope this helps

 

[robjrussell]

hey ace - i read that blog a little earlier today
but i think it doesn't answer a lot of my questions really..

for instance multiple people on the site talk about breeding crickets, worms, blah de blah.. but what do I need to feed a chameleon? what is gut loading? etc.. and i'm sure the age of the chameleon will require different foods?

now as far as chameleons being 'not a real beginner lizard pet' - what are the things I need to learn about 'the essentials' before we can get a panther.

(we were looking at about 6 months from now.. is that ample time to learn?)

cheers!

 

[carol5208]

I would go on Kammerflage Kreations website and check out their panther chameleons. They are right in California and are wonderful people to deal with and have gorgeous chams. They will give you a care sheet to get started and everything you will need you can purchase from them from the enclosure, lighting, supplements, etc. You can buy the whole set up from them. The feeders takes a little bit of learning on how to keep, what to feed etc., for instance gutloading is feeding your feeders well so you chameleon will get additiional nutrition by what you feed your feeders. Make sense? Kammerflage will help you every step of the way and also coming on the forum to ask questions will give you a great education. Kammerflage ships, but if you live close then you probably could go pick up from them. I live in Florida and got my chameleon from them and have been very happy with him. Six months is plenty of time to learn on how to care for a chameleon. Just make sure you have everything set up BEFORE you get your chameleon. I ordered my whole set up from them, had it shipped, set it up and then once that was done I had my chameleon shipped to me. Have your feeders ready also. Some of the most popular feeders are crickets, dubias roaches, superworms, hornworms, silkworms, butterworms, waxworms, phoenix worms, Most of these can be purchased online from individual insect breeders.

 

[jojackson]

It was for me Rob, g'day and welcome!
Gutloading refers to what you feed various insects before you feed them to your lizard, its 'you are what you eat' sort of.
Since your in the Us you have a big choice of commercially bred insects avail, and all can be fed your lizard of any age, just the sizes you feed differ since tiny lizards cant eat big bugs.
We'd need write 'war and peace' for cham keepers to detail everything in one post, but hang around, all you need to learn can be learnt here.
cheers

 

[Ace]

hey ace - i read that blog a little earlier today
but i think it doesn't answer a lot of my questions really..

for instance multiple people on the site talk about breeding crickets, worms, blah de blah.. but what do I need to feed a chameleon? what is gut loading? etc.. and i'm sure the age of the chameleon will require different foods?now as far as chameleons being 'not a real beginner lizard pet' - what are the things I need to learn about 'the essentials' before we can get a panther.

(we were looking at about 6 months from now.. is that ample time to learn?)

cheers!

hey Rob,

yes 6 months of researching is ok in my book, it really all depends in the person...

but as far as answering your questions...

panther chameleons eat insects

baby chameleons small insects

and as they grow so do their size of food....but the insects, per se a cricket should not exceed the distance/length between their eyes, so no choking occurs...

insects that are use for feeding chameleons: crickets, superworms, silkworms hornworms, bluebottle flies, mantids, dubia roahes, katydids, moths, etc..

now breeding any one of these feeders preferably crickets and roaches to be easiest, is cost effective.

gutloading is the process of feeding fruits and veggies to the insects before feeding the insects to your cham...the phrase "you are what you eat" comes to mind...and gives the balance of providing a diverse and balance diet.

the "essentials" i was referring to is the the basic husbandry needed in a chameleon cage before getting your cham.

a all screen age

a uvb linear tube light reptusun recommended)
a basking light
digital themometer to keep temps in check
hydrometer for humdity
spray bottle for misting(they drink off the leaves, they cannot see stagnant water
a dripper system as well...( i use a plastic cup poked a hole and let water drip in an appropiate drip rate that should last most of the day

live plants to aid humidty ficus plants, umbrella plants, check at home depot-repot them with natural fertilizer- chams have been known to may eat soil occasionally....have branches vettically and horizantally too...

keep the bottom of cage bare or use papertowels..no sibstrate needed... can casue imapction to cham and a possible growth of bacteria uring mistings

supplements

calcuim withiut d3 most feedings

calcium with d3 2-3x a month

multivitamin 2-3 a month

and that is the basics for a panther cham for them to thrive...also they are solitary so one cham per cage...no execptions

and they do nto handle too well wiuth other animals so becareful if you have a dog or cat

try to handle the chameleon at a minimum...they can be stressed with over handling, but dioffernet chams have differnet personalites..so you will learn on the go...

hope this helps

 

[robjrussell]

thanks carol - kammerflage's site is good! it gives lots of really clear information..

 

[robjrussell]

hey thanks ace! I appreciate all the info.
what [I think] I've learned today is the following...

when starting with a young cham I need a smaller cage. and that cage is all screened with alot of people using a solid tray on bottom for easy cleaning.

also chams like real plants and certain plants do well to hold water and keep up the humidity. also lots of twigs & vines (varying in diameter as well) go good.

chams need misting alot. some people have machines that do it and others do it manually like 5 times a day for 2 minutes? - so i should have a drip system going on top of misting? (as chams don't drink out of a bowl.. it recognizes the movement of water and drink off leaves)

and they need some vitamins.. can't remember the name of them.. but they keep the cham from getting a shitty bone disease.

i'm pretty excited for this..

 

[Ace]

hey thanks ace! I appreciate all the info.
what [I think] I've learned today is the following...

when starting with a young cham I need a smaller cage. and that cage is all screened with alot of people using a solid tray on bottom for easy cleaning.

also chams like real plants and certain plants do well to hold water and keep up the humidity. also lots of twigs & vines (varying in diameter as well) go good.

chams need misting alot. some people have machines that do it and others do it manually like 5 times a day for 2 minutes? - so i should have a drip system going on top of misting? (as chams don't drink out of a bowl.. it recognizes the movement of water and drink off leaves)

and they need some vitamins.. can't remember the name of them.. but they keep the cham from getting a shitty bone disease.

i'm pretty excited for this..

yup..you are on your way to being a cham keeper...good luck...and post pics of your future cham