hello, a little help please
- Thread starter tuppence
- Start date
Ive only had a cham for little over a month so my opinion may have less bearing over experienced owners but If you dedicate some time to researching each one a little bit. it will probably help you make the decision for yourself. People could tell you which ones they think are better suited for 1st cham owners but truthfully if you have the time money and ambition to learn about them and can care for them you'll realize anyone one is perfect id say. Merely my opinion. Id go for a panther since they are more temperable and not so tiny delicate and very appealing. I got a veiled for my 1st chameleon and still on the learning curve but enjoying him every bit. Females are a bit trickier and Id say for more advanced keepers just because of egg laying and added responsibilities for just the average pet owner.Not that a new owner couldnt handle one. You have to start somehow. My 2 cents Enjoy hope you find something you are looking for. You will get loads of good info from everyone on here and they can point you in the right direction when you figure out what you want and can handle care wise .
but as i recommended panther they get big and will need bigger cages like the veiled adults as well. So if you space is an issue you see where im going. It all depends on the situations I guess at hand.
but as i recommended panther they get big and will need bigger cages like the veiled adults as well. So if you space is an issue you see where im going. It all depends on the situations I guess at hand.
never kept pygmies before but panthers and veilds are known as good beginner species. I would begin with doing research on both species and then decide which one will better suit you. Panthers are a bit more expensive as well but overall chameleons are pretty darn expensive to keep lol. Especially if you get a young one, they eat SO MUCH haha. But they are awesome to watch. But the first thing that you should do is research research research. Then you should have the enclosure all ready before you get your chameleon too, it helps alot so that you arent scrambling at the last minute trying to get things together.
laurie
Retired Moderator
Hello & welcome, one of your fellow country ladies is an expert with veiled. Her forum name is Miss Lily (Tiff is her really name) sent her a pm and she will get you started.
Females can live to be over 6 and males even older. It depends somewhat on the husbandry.
Here is some information that might help you...
Exposure to proper UVB, appropriate temperatures, supplements, a supply of well-fed/gutloaded insects, water and an appropriate cage set-up are all important for the well-being of your chameleon.
Appropriate cage temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part indirectly in nutrient absorption. For young veiled chameleons I keep the basking temperature in the low 80's. Their small bodies cool and heat and dehydrate more quickly than adults do. For a basking light you can use a regular incandescent household bulb in a domed hood...but I use a double fluorescent fixture that has one regular fluorescent light in and one Reptisun 5.0 UVB tube light since that puts the temperature in the right range.
Exposure to UVB from either direct sunlight or a proper UVB light allows the chameleon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system to make/keep the bones strong and be used in other systems in the chameleon as well. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic no matter whether its from the sun or the UVB light. The most often recommended UVB light is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light that I mentioned above. Some of the compacts, spirals and tube lights have caused health issues, but so far there have been no bad reports against this one.
Since many of the feeder insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in them, its important to dust the insects before you feed them to the chameleon with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it.
If you dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. It leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of what it needs through its exposure to the UVB light. (Some UVB lights have been known to cause health issues, so the most often recommended one is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light.) D3 from supplements can build up in the system but D3 produced from exposure to UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it.
Dusting twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while.
Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs....so its important too. I gutload crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms, etc. with an assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.)
Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon (muscles, etc.) and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.
Here are some good sites for you to read...
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200605020...Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200604210...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/
http://web.archive.org/web/200601140...ww.adcham.com/
Here is some information that might help you...
Exposure to proper UVB, appropriate temperatures, supplements, a supply of well-fed/gutloaded insects, water and an appropriate cage set-up are all important for the well-being of your chameleon.
Appropriate cage temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part indirectly in nutrient absorption. For young veiled chameleons I keep the basking temperature in the low 80's. Their small bodies cool and heat and dehydrate more quickly than adults do. For a basking light you can use a regular incandescent household bulb in a domed hood...but I use a double fluorescent fixture that has one regular fluorescent light in and one Reptisun 5.0 UVB tube light since that puts the temperature in the right range.
Exposure to UVB from either direct sunlight or a proper UVB light allows the chameleon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system to make/keep the bones strong and be used in other systems in the chameleon as well. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic no matter whether its from the sun or the UVB light. The most often recommended UVB light is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light that I mentioned above. Some of the compacts, spirals and tube lights have caused health issues, but so far there have been no bad reports against this one.
Since many of the feeder insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in them, its important to dust the insects before you feed them to the chameleon with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it.
If you dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. It leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of what it needs through its exposure to the UVB light. (Some UVB lights have been known to cause health issues, so the most often recommended one is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light.) D3 from supplements can build up in the system but D3 produced from exposure to UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it.
Dusting twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while.
Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs....so its important too. I gutload crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms, etc. with an assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.)
Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon (muscles, etc.) and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.
Here are some good sites for you to read...
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200605020...Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200604210...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/
http://web.archive.org/web/200601140...ww.adcham.com/
