Hi all,
I am about to get a male Panther chameleon (I want a Parson's, but not till I win the lottery
, about 4-6 months old. I have ordered the following items:
65 gal reptarium (temperary home, while I finish my own enclosure 3' x 4' x 7')
UV - Reptisun 5.0
100w heat lamp and black heat light
Water sprayer
Vitamin powder
Cricket gut loading "gel"
Bunch of flexi vines and branches (from backyard)
2 humidity and temp combo gauges
I am going to get some live plants (mostly vines)
Please let me know if I need anything else.
I also have some questions, I see a lot of website selling these little guys, are they safe to get them through mail? Do you folks recommend any good reputable sites? I see that some sites sell them for around $400 (plus shipping) and some as low as $200, why such a difference and is the extra $ worth it?
I am sure I have more questions, but that is all for now.
Thank you in advance
Nate
Sure glad you haven't won that lottery yet...a Parsonii is a chameleon that would be best kept by an experienced chameleon keeper, but a Panther is a pretty good start!
As for the items you have ordered, I will go through them one by one:
A 4 - 6 month old Panther will require a bigger cage but if you are making one, the 65 gallon would probably be okay for him to start out with. Just remember that it will not be sufficient for long as he will need room to explore so be sure to get that cage made as soon as possible.
The UV light you mentioned, is it tube or coil bulb? I don't think it matters, as I use the coil Reptisun UVB 5.0/26w bulbs for my veileds and they are fine. Most super experienced keepers will tell you to use a tube, probably because they cover a greater area, but again, I use the coils and they are sufficient. Also, you do not mention a basking bulb. You will require a a basking bulb (heat) for your cham. I buy bulbs specifically for basking at the pet store (I use a 100w for my veileds) but most people on the forum use a regular household incandescent bulb for heat. You do NOT need a black heat light - especially if you intend to use it at night time. Your cham will need a definitive temperature change at night (down to 60F or a little lower) as it aids in digestion and body temperature regulation. Also, your cham will not require light at night - much like we require darkness for sleep, so will your chameleon.
A water sprayer is sufficient - I hand mist my guys 2 - 3 times a day to help with humidity but a misting system is pretty much required if you are not available to hand mist your cham during the day (if you work outside of your home, etc.) I also have a Zoo Med 'Big Dripper' that drips water over the leaves in my enclosures at a constant (slow) rate during the day. You can't keep your enclosure constantly wet but your cham needs to know there is a water source whenever they require it, so I would highly recommend you purchase a Big (or small) Dripper. They are worth their weight in gold. Once you've had it dripping for a few days your cham will know exactly where to go for hydration when needed.
Supplementation is extremely important in the care of your chameleon - without the proper supp's, your cham will develop MBD and live a horribly painful life, until it dies a painful death. The standard supplementation schedule of this forum is: dust with plain Calcium (I use Rep-Cal brand) at every feeding, dust with Calcium with D3 (again, Rep-Cal brand) twice a month and dust with a multivitamin (I use Rep-Cal Herptivite) twice a month. I alternate my twice a month dustings...Cal w/D3 on one Sunday, then Herptivite the next Sunday, then back to Cal w/D3 the next Sunday, and so on, and so on. I cannot stress how vitally important the supplementation of your feeders is so please ensure you stock up on the necessities.
Cricket gutloading 'gel' is really not sufficient for your chameleon and it would be the very best thing for you to provide fresh fruit and veggies for your feeders as a 'wet' gutload (I refresh my gutload every 2nd day for my feeders) and for a dry gutload, Sandrachameleon has a great recipe that is easy to make. In a pinch the Flukers dry (calcium fortified) gutload will work, but I highly recommend Sandra's recipe.
If you are going to provide vines and branches from your backyard I would suggest that you ensure they are extremely clean (clean with 2/3 water, 1/3 bleach mixture) and make sure there is nothing hanging off the branches, like deadfall or bark peelings. We had a member lose a Jackson's a couple weeks back because it ate some bark off a branch, it became stuck in its digestive tract and eventually came out through the skin of its leg. The cham didn't survive. I would highly suggest some of the fake vines from the pet store (Zoo Med, Exo-Terra make an excellent vine) and you can buy them in small or large diameter.
It would really be best for humidity's sake for you to use live plants in your enclosure. Your cham will be able to eat the leaves if he desires and it really does make your cage aesthetically much nicer for you to look at, and for your cham to live in. I use Pothos, Schefflera, Ficus, and Croton. All are on the approved plant list and are okay if ingested by your cham. I would suggest you check out the approved plant list on the forum and choose plants from there. You can't go wrong with live plants, trust me!
It is perfectly fine for you to order a cham through the mail. They are sent 'overnight' delivery and are packed with heat pads in the box. They generally come out of it no worse for wear. In fact I would HIGHLY suggest you purchase a cham from a site sponsor over going to purchase a cham from a big box pet store. The site sponsors generally guarantee their chams and will be able to provide answers to any questions or concerns you have. They are a great resource for future problems if you have any arise.
The price difference between chameleons could be because of the sire, the lineage, the colors, etc. Generally a colorful chameleon will be worth more money, or if its a baby and the colors haven't popped yet, the colors of its parents will dictate price. However, this doesn't mean a cheaper cham will not be colorful - some site sponsors are able to offer chams at a lower price based on the volume of chams they sell or the amount of 'product' they have at the time.
One more terribly important point I'd like to make, there WILL be a time when you will need the services of a reputable reptile vet. It would be adviseable for you to do some research of a good cham vet in your area. Make contact with them and see if you can register yourself as a future patient and advise them you will bring your cham in for a checkup soon after you get it. It is important for you to take a fecal sample in to be checked for parasites and possible treatment if it comes back positive. A good cham keeper can have all the necessities to keep your cham happy, but if it is riddled with parasites without being treated, the health of your cham is subjectable no matter how much supplementation or gutloading you provide it.
I hope this helps. I am by no means the most experienced cham keeper on this forum so please know others may chime in with a different opinion, and that is fine. You learn from experience and the longer you keep your cham, the more you are able to learn the different nuances of care your cham may require.
Good luck and be sure to post some pictures of your new family member when you get him!
