Chameleon Keeper Traits

[nick barta]

What are the traits and practical things that make a good chameleon keeper? And once you have identified the trait or practical thing, tell why it is important. I will start it off with 2 traits and one practical thing:

Meticulous This is a nice way to say anal, but is a trait that is woven in the hobby. From the care of the feeders, to cleaning the enclosure, to observing the Chameleons behaviors, being meticulous is needed to have success.

Willingness to learn With Chameleons, the willingness to learn is a key in being able to try new ways to take care of these amazing creatures. I have been involved since 1990, and still get excited when new information comes along. Right or wrong, I always want to be able to consider other approaches, and to learn myself perhaps, a better way to accomplish the goal.

Money Like it or not, this hobby can be expensive! To buy a chameleon, get the correct enclosure, to gut load a wide variety of feeders, flat out costs money. Outdoor sunning cages, timed misting systems, UVB bulbs, vet bills, the list goes on, doesn't it? No complaints here, it is worth every dollar, but it is a practical side of the hobby.

Who's next??

Nick

 

[sandrachameleon]

An interest in bugs. It is my opinion that a variety of feeder insects is a benefit to the health and "happiness" of your chameleons. Being interested in insects encourages one to breed and learn about all sorts of bugs for the fun of it, and for the chameleons.

 

[lanceman]

A willing helpfull spouse. with my work scedule some weeks i think our guys would starve if my wife didnt help

 

[Malicious]

Dedication:

Without it, keeping chameleons would be pointless!

 

[Metric]

Tolerant friends and family. Some of them just won't understand.....but they tolerate you doing it anyways.

 

[jojackson]

Observant ~Attentive to detail

Daily observation, no matter how busy you are, of your animals habits, prefrences, feeding, drinking and its enviromental variables is crucial to succesful care and early detection of minor issues BEFORE they become major issues. A healthy Cham (or any other reptile) requires your time EVERYDAY. Otherwise get a pet rock.

 

[Julirs]

PASSION

Without a passion for the hobby, it would be difficult to be many of the things stated above. For me this has been an interest far and above any other hobby or animal keeping experience.

 

[kuskye25]

Patience

with this your cham will benifit from your caring approach, dont rush anything, buying, handling, anything...

only times i get to hold mine is when i make it walk across my arm because im holding a worm for it with the other arm, my leopard gecko on the other hand climbs right onto me with no food and runs up to my shoulder, force nothing, if they like it theyll do it!!!!

 

[laurie]

As funny as it sounds, love, maybe that is just a total of a lots of things listed, like passion. time, attention, money, learning, but I thing of the total as love of the chams and the hobby.

 

[SoCaliSon]

Responsibility!

A quality to be possessed by any animal owner anywhere.

 

[Nicodemayo]

Swagger

Cause we all got it

 

[Metric]

^
Winner!!! You get +5 internets my good sir.

 

[Sang]

PRIDE: cause we all love what we do, and work hard to get what we have.

Righteousness: for some reason every exotic pet owner seems to have this feature as well.

 

[eisentrauti]

The will to read a book about chameleons...

 

[sandrachameleon]

Responsibility!
A quality to be possessed by any animal owner anywhere.

So true - a quality the ought to be found in every pet owner.

 

[Metric]

So true - a quality the ought to be found in every pet owner.

Unless you own a pet rock : P

.....But then again....you do have to worry about erosion!!!11!