Deciding on species

Uri

Avid Member
I wanted to have so many chameleons but the space and money it takes for these guys is too much for me rn and I decided to only keep one chameleon at a time and rn I have jacksonii jacksonii but for my next I wanna try a different species and was wondering which species to try mines almost a year old now so I still have PLENTY of time to decide. I was thinking between a male veiled or a male ambilobe or ambaja panther. Of course a female I don’t mind as I’m not worried about layboxes because if the conduction are right I shouldn’t have any problems with egg binding. What does everyone recommend? I’d also like to mention colors aren’t incredibly important to me as much as a healthy baby is Ik breeders change and all but rn I just wanna decide on a species and who knows maybe I’ll be able to keep another along with my tjj in separate cages of course
 
922A6BF9-D83B-4398-8810-1DE249DEA3B0.jpeg
90ECAD30-B99D-45B1-8E12-5722BAC6E529.jpeg
Loved my hoehnelii
 
I wanted to have so many chameleons but the space and money it takes for these guys is too much for me rn and I decided to only keep one chameleon at a time and rn I have jacksonii jacksonii but for my next I wanna try a different species and was wondering which species to try mines almost a year old now so I still have PLENTY of time to decide. I was thinking between a male veiled or a male ambilobe or ambaja panther. Of course a female I don’t mind as I’m not worried about layboxes because if the conduction are right I shouldn’t have any problems with egg binding. What does everyone recommend? I’d also like to mention colors aren’t incredibly important to me as much as a healthy baby is Ik breeders change and all but rn I just wanna decide on a species and who knows maybe I’ll be able to keep another along with my tjj in separate cages of course
I looked at it a little differently—not that you have to. I watched Bill Strand's video several times, made up my own spreadsheet, and read/watched a whole lot more on these 3 particular species:




...and chose the one I knew I could best accommodate/care for. While I would have loved a Jackson's, I had doubts about providing sufficient nighttime temperature drops. Of the other two, I just liked the panther better. The one I have is almost identical to the panther shown above left.

I also went with one of these because they are the 3 most commonly kept, and there are large communities of folks who keep them in case I had questions or ran into any trouble (none yet so far—🤞—just a heck of a ride! :LOL: ).
 
Hoehnelii I didn’t realize were so beautiful! I haven’t don’t much research on them as a species or where to get them and the only place I’ve seen them readily available is where I get my geckos at tikis geckos I’m seriously gonna look into their care to see if maybe they are a good species for me and my conditions
I wouldn't get one from Tiki's Geckos, though
 
Hoehnelii I didn’t realize were so beautiful! I haven’t don’t much research on them as a species or where to get them and the only place I’ve seen them readily available is where I get my geckos at tikis geckos I’m seriously gonna look into their care to see if maybe they are a good species for me and my conditions
They’re beautiful Chams, stay pretty small. They’re a montane Chams like your jacksoni
3B9109BA-8B52-481A-99C0-203CDBE2AF70.jpeg
 
They’re beautiful Chams, stay pretty small. They’re a montane Chams like your jacksoniView attachment 309364
You see I might be moving in a year or so with some friends and my future roommates are cool with me blasting the ac at night for Picasso(my cham) because they know I have to but I don’t think they’ll be too fond of that when I get a second cham rn in my current house he is in the basement where it naturally is always in the 60s so I have no worries with his nighttime temps rn but I don’t think unless my next house has a basement too which is unlikely idk if I’ll be able to keep having Montane species which is why I’m thinking of getting a slightly warmer climate species it’s unfortunate because tjj is probably my favorite not only species but animal of all time
 
They’re beautiful Chams, stay pretty small. They’re a montane Chams like your jacksoniView attachment 309364
i only glimpsed at the care sheet and looked at the temps really but I didn’t realize till now they technically can use less space than the big three although for me I prefer the bigger enclosures and would definitely have gotten myself a dragon strand wide enclosure if I didn’t already have so many animals enclosures taking up my furniture space
 
I love all of my chameleons. I've had males and females. Personally, I like the males more because they tend to gravitate towards me while the females 100% would rather be with my fiancé. They have all been veilds except last year we purchased a female panther from Petco because she was getting beat up by her tank mate for the span of a month. I said that's enough when I went in and she couldn't open her eye due to it being clawed from the other one. Anyway, from what I've observed, my female panther is the sweetest chameleon I have ever had. She has never once tried to bite or hissed at me. She doesn't puff up or seem to care if she sees one of the veilds. She is a very picky eater, absolutely no fruits or vegetables, ever. While my one male veiled will eat anything green basically, romaine lettuce, succulents, peppers, cucumber, and of course loves his bugs. He is also a sweetheart, has never tried to bite or hiss at me. All of my veilds seem to be way more active then the panther. She is calm and relaxed it seems, she does explore, but not close to my male veiled. I've always had an increased liking of veilds but this little sweetheart panther has tempted me to get another panther in the future sometime. As for size, my female panther is tiny and so are/were both of the female veilds. Both of the male veilds.. big guys. So if you want a larger chameleon, then I would go with a male. And I think male panthers get larger then male veilds, but I am not sure.
I'm not sure if any of that will help with your decision, but I hope it might.
 
She is a very picky eater, absolutely no fruits or vegetables, ever. While my one male veiled will eat anything green basically, romaine lettuce, succulents, peppers, cucumber, and of course loves his bugs.
Welcome on here! Chameleons are insectivores and should only be fed bugs, no fruits or vegetables. Veiled do eat cage plants, so their cages should only have live veiled-tested chameleon-safe plants, as well.
 
Welcome on here! Chameleons are insectivores and should only be fed bugs, no fruits or vegetables. Veiled do eat cage plants, so their cages should only have live veiled-tested chameleon-safe plants, as well.
Thank you, I was not aware they could not have fruits or vegetables, all of the sites I've been to have lists of safe fruits and vegetables and lists of fruits and vegetables that are not safe. I am glad throughout the years none have had any issues from them. Plant wise, I've found various lists as well, but out of all of my chameleons only 1 female veiled will eat any of the plants, besides the 1 veiled male, which the only plant he will eat is a certain succulent, which I've found on the chameleon safe list as well. He's been eating it for 2 years now.

I'd like to clarify, I don't only offer fruits and vegetables. They are mainly fed crickets, roaches, silkworms, occasional "snacks" of hornworms, super worms, wax worms, etc.
 
Could the fruit and veggie lists be for safe gutload ingredients? This list is the only reputable one that has veiled tested plants (this website also has the most accurate and up-to-date info for chameleon husbandry):
https://chameleonacademy.com/plants/
Here's our gutload chart, as well!
 

Attachments

  • chameleon-gutload.jpg
    chameleon-gutload.jpg
    188 KB · Views: 82
I’ve never heard of veiledchameleon.com, and Chameleon School is not a reputable site, it’s riddled with misinformation. For your two Chameleon Forum links, it’s best to stick with more updated information, as things change as more research is done (Sandra’s blogs are amazing though; also, FL Chams’ plant list wasn’t tested for chams).

Here’s some great links:
Edit: veiledchameleon com is owned by FL Chams, so not a safe list
 
Last edited:
I’ve never heard of veiledchameleon.com, and Chameleon School is not a reputable site, it’s riddled with misinformation. For your two Chameleon Forum links, it’s best to stick with more updated information, as things change as more research is done (Sandra’s blogs are amazing though; also, FL Chams’ plant list wasn’t tested for chams).

Here’s some great links:
Edit: veiledchameleon com is owned by FL Chams, so not a safe list
Oh no. Sites with chameleon in the name are what gets tricky, making the reader think everything is alright. Thank you, I appreciate the information.
 
Welcome on here! Chameleons are insectivores and should only be fed bugs, no fruits or vegetables. Veiled do eat cage plants, so their cages should only have live veiled-tested chameleon-safe plants, as well.
I was about to say that too😂 I mean you could offer her some of your sandwich(don’t actually)
 
Thank you to everyone for all of the input. I will continue to take advice from various websites, various breeders, and the many keepers I speak with. But realize I can not trust every site and all of the information given. There is no one set way to do everything. Different breeders I see throughout the US and world, all have their own way of doing things. If a breeder has been feeding their chameleons strawberries or something else for their entire career, then I do not believe my chameleon can not have them. We are learning more and more each day about chameleons. Some information 20 years ago may not be entirely correct today. Not sure about all breeds, but so far, for years, my veileds have had no issues with the certain fruits and vegetables they enjoy snacking on and they have not had any issues either. So when my boy wakes up and wants to munch on his succulent, he will, it is a great source of moisture for him and he enjoys the one type he eats and looks for. If any are interested in cucumber or watermelon, they can have it in moderation. The fruits, vegetables, and plants they have been offered since they were young, they will continue to be offered. The panther, even though offered, has no interest, but will still be offered. Again, thank you for your input and the informational site that I can also gather information on along with other sites and videos breeders post and use. Much appreciated.

"There are many more types of insects chameleons will eat depending on what they can catch and what is available where they are located.
Larger chameleons will also eat different types of small lizards, small birds, and even tree-climbing rodents if they can catch them.
There are other chameleons, like veiled chameleons, known to include plant material into their diet.
In the wild, those chameleons might supplement their diet of insects, with tender leaves on trees or plant shoots.
They have also been known to eat berries.
When it comes to veiled chameleons, eating plants or even flowers gives them the chance to absorb water, which is scarce in their desert habitat."
 
Thank you to everyone for all of the input. I will continue to take advice from various websites, various breeders, and the many keepers I speak with. But realize I can not trust every site and all of the information given. There is no one set way to do everything. Different breeders I see throughout the US and world, all have their own way of doing things. If a breeder has been feeding their chameleons strawberries or something else for their entire career, then I do not believe my chameleon can not have them. We are learning more and more each day about chameleons. Some information 20 years ago may not be entirely correct today. Not sure about all breeds, but so far, for years, my veileds have had no issues with the certain fruits and vegetables they enjoy snacking on and they have not had any issues either. So when my boy wakes up and wants to munch on his succulent, he will, it is a great source of moisture for him and he enjoys the one type he eats and looks for. If any are interested in cucumber or watermelon, they can have it in moderation. The fruits, vegetables, and plants they have been offered since they were young, they will continue to be offered. The panther, even though offered, has no interest, but will still be offered. Again, thank you for your input and the informational site that I can also gather information on along with other sites and videos breeders post and use. Much appreciated.

"There are many more types of insects chameleons will eat depending on what they can catch and what is available where they are located.
Larger chameleons will also eat different types of small lizards, small birds, and even tree-climbing rodents if they can catch them.
There are other chameleons, like veiled chameleons, known to include plant material into their diet.
In the wild, those chameleons might supplement their diet of insects, with tender leaves on trees or plant shoots.
They have also been known to eat berries.
When it comes to veiled chameleons, eating plants or even flowers gives them the chance to absorb water, which is scarce in their desert habitat."
They don’t live in the desert in Yemen they live in areas that have lush forests it only turns desert in the dry season when just about all veileds are killed off but for the most part they thrive in the rainy season when everything is lush in small areas I guess you could also mention the ones in Florida which live far from desert conditions but idk if they should count😂 just about anything released in Florida has thrived
 
Thank you to everyone for all of the input. I will continue to take advice from various websites, various breeders, and the many keepers I speak with. But realize I can not trust every site and all of the information given. There is no one set way to do everything. Different breeders I see throughout the US and world, all have their own way of doing things. If a breeder has been feeding their chameleons strawberries or something else for their entire career, then I do not believe my chameleon can not have them. We are learning more and more each day about chameleons. Some information 20 years ago may not be entirely correct today. Not sure about all breeds, but so far, for years, my veileds have had no issues with the certain fruits and vegetables they enjoy snacking on and they have not had any issues either. So when my boy wakes up and wants to munch on his succulent, he will, it is a great source of moisture for him and he enjoys the one type he eats and looks for. If any are interested in cucumber or watermelon, they can have it in moderation. The fruits, vegetables, and plants they have been offered since they were young, they will continue to be offered. The panther, even though offered, has no interest, but will still be offered. Again, thank you for your input and the informational site that I can also gather information on along with other sites and videos breeders post and use. Much appreciated.

"There are many more types of insects chameleons will eat depending on what they can catch and what is available where they are located.
Larger chameleons will also eat different types of small lizards, small birds, and even tree-climbing rodents if they can catch them.
There are other chameleons, like veiled chameleons, known to include plant material into their diet.
In the wild, those chameleons might supplement their diet of insects, with tender leaves on trees or plant shoots.
They have also been known to eat berries.
When it comes to veiled chameleons, eating plants or even flowers gives them the chance to absorb water, which is scarce in their desert habitat."
Personally I’d only feed off things they will only naturally eat in their environment not to say that they eat dubian roaches and all in Yemen or for me in the machakos mills area but I’d prefer to stay away from fruits and vegetables that’s just my personal opinion tho I’m not trying to be rude or anything or tell you what you’re doing is wrong I’m definitely not qualified to say that by any means please forgive me if I came off that way
 
Back
Top Bottom