Considering a Veiled Cham

FrogMan

New Member
Hi folks:

I've been humored by many of the postings, particularly in the equipment & supplies forum. We are nuts about tree frogs and can relate!

As my name suggests, we are keepers of the amphibian types---several tree frogs and salamanders...with great success.

But our daughter is interested in a Veiled Cham she saw at the pet store.

My biggest question is how much time it takes on a daily basis to maintain a veiled cham?:confused:

I've set up our frog terrarium to be largely self sufficient (I'm a biologist and have mini ecosystem w/ moss, leaf litter, soil, worms, plants etc. that takes care of all the poop) and all we have to do is keep water clean, feed and spray, etc. We've had frogs for 3 years now and enjoy them immensely.

But we are imtimidated by the equipment/care regiment we've read on the web on Chams. (then again, I read about tree frogs and my system is much lower maintenance than store-bought systems).

So what do you think, how much time do you spend on a daily basis maintaining your chams (as opposed to admiring them)?.

Thanks

Frogman
 
i was wondering what species of tree frogs you keep. i spend about a total of a half hour cleaning feeding and water my chameleon cages each day and they do pretty well just like frog they need a lot of water to keep hydrated so if you create a misting system that goes on three times a day you will be fine just change the water everyday. i own a lot of different frog right now just so i have an amphibian. i keep green treefrogs, gray treefrogs, squirel treefrogs, bullfrogs,a pacman frog, firebelly toads, and eastern spadefoot are in my collection right know . i'm looking for barking treefrogs. chameleon are just as hard as a frog is to keep except you need to make sure the chameleon gets enough vitamins and calcium
 
We have 1 gray tree frog (that found us on a plant we bought), 1 spring peeper (really neat, nature's alarm clocks), a green tree frog and a Chilean chrismas toad (the only non-native). We also have two redbacked Salamanders. The frogs are all together and often "huddle" together---interesting because they range in size from 1 inch to about 5 inches. The gray is our favorite and has been on Animal Planet w/ our daughter.

Anyway, the natural moss, soil, leaf liter, worms etc. really seem to do the trick.
 
Hello Frogman, welcome to the Chameleon Forums :)

Daily maintenance really depends on your cage setup. Like jvillereptile mentioned above, an automated watering system allows for shorter maintenance times. I spend about 15 minutes a day feeding, cleaning, dealing with water, and taking care of feeders. This is for the care of one chameleon.
 
It takes me about 25-30 minutes a day. I don't have a automated mister, and I usually hand spray their cage 4-5 times a day. Or if I'm not home, I get someone else to do that. I also feed them about 3-4 times a day aswell. I do cleaning every other day, and at the end of the week, I do 1 big clean up. Taking everything out of the cage, wiping, then re-arranging everything. That itself takes a few hours, well atleast for me, since I make it as nice as possible :p. So on average, I probally spend 25 minutes a day with everything give or take a few.
 
Thanks for your response and helpful info, Brad and JvilleReptile. I will look into the automatic watering systems.

Re; feeding/cleaning. W/ my frog set up, I can put a dozen or so crickets in at once and they can go for 2-3 d w/o another feeding. We are looking at a female (we actually want smaller). How much do they eat? I've gathered that they don't do well w/ extra food roaming around, is this true?

What about my moss/soil set up. It really holds the moisture and acts to process the waste. Though much less waste from tree frogs vs. chameleon I suspect. What kind of cage bottom do you recommend.

Thanks again and sorry for all the questions. We're trying to balance our interest w/ available time.
 
hey frogman, I've not actually got a chameleon but have been asking similar questions about feeding and puttin a load of crickets in at 1ce to last like 2 days or so. Have a look I got quite alot of replies and i certainly found it very helpful!

https://www.chameleonforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=618

:) noah

p.s. you may have 2 persavere with it for a bit we did go slightly off topic!! lol theres some good stuff there though
 
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I wish care was easier.

Thanks for the info. everyone! ;)

Based on everything I've gathered and our situation, I don't think a chameleon is right for us (two kids, other pets, numerous activities etc.).:(

We absolutely adore their looks and 'charm,' but can't devote the frequent daily attention these creatures apparently need. Our frogs can go several days on one large feeding and require no daily cage cleaning. We are also wary of their desire NOT to be handled.

Unfortuately, none of the other lizards appeal to us in the way a cham does.

This is a nice site. "Hats off" to you all.

Frogman
 
Frogman,

Your family seemed to be interested in a chameleon and I am sorry you will not get the chance to care for one at this time. I must say though, it is great to see someone do the research and decide that a chameleon is not appropriate for them. Chameleons are not for everyone and I applaud your mature approach to the situation. Chameleons are delicate creatures, can require a lot of maintenance, and are antisocial.
 
Thanks for your kind note, Brad. I'm kinda bummin cause I really am fascinated by the chameleons. We decided that the timing is not right...perhaps down the road. Thanks for all the advice--you saved a family (and a chameleon) a lot of heartache.

Frogman:) :)
 
we need more "frog men" out there

those who do research. Best of luck and maybe someday the time will be right. You might consider pygmy leaf chameleons since you can basically set them up in a self sustaining habitat much like your frogs (except the water). They are mini versions of the larger species. If interested here is an excellent article. That same site has a few other articles on the small species. Either way, enjoy what you have/get:) leaf chams

lele
 
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