DanSB
Avid Member
I've been lurking here and enjoying this wonderful site for a little over a month and figured I would say hi and introduce myself.
I spent the four years of high school working in a pet store being the primary "Fish Expert" and the back up for reptiles and birds. This was one of those "Old School" pet stores where the animals were important, the suppliers were checked out, and healthy clean store was more important than the profit margin or the employees laziness. Either way like most stores run like this it went out of business in 1994 (This was right around the time the Big Box Pet Stores started cropping up around here) ruining my plans to one day run the place.
I have had many animals throughout the years and have quite a bit of experience in keeping and caring for animals of all varieties but have never owned a chameleon.
My first experience with chameleons in the pet store was in the early 90s when they found a good supplier out of Hawaii who was able to provide healthy and happy Jackson's along with good instructions on how to keep them. We had an extensive drip and misting system along with custom made enclosures with glass fronts and 3 sides made from egg crate ceiling light grates. Screen cages were not readily available at that time. These were the most fascinating animals I had ever seen but I just couldn't bring myself to risk buying a pair as it seems information on their care was not easy to come by at that time. (At least for me) That and my hands were full with marine aquariums, tropical aquariums, turtles, birds, and various other animals.
Time flew by and I never did get a chameleon. Not having a ton of extra time and keeping some easy pets like cats and chorus frogs.
I decided it was time to go find a new pet so I had been researching and trying to decide on another pet to put in an exo terra 18x18x18 I had picked up. In a very kind hearted but woefully misled act of goodness my wife sought out a pet store that had a variety of pets. I still don't know what the store was but it sounded pretty dingy. The guy there told her these little chameleons he had would be a great pet for our 2 year old girl to handle and all she had to do was throw it in an aquarium with a light and feed it crickets and it would be happy.
She bought him and called me to pick up some crickets on the way home. I was wondering how she knew I was out of crickets for my frogs and became suspicious. I got out of her she was going to surprise me with a chameleon and she told me the story and got really angry when I asked her to take it back... the guy wouldn't take it back. So on my way home picked up a dripper uvb lighting, jungle vines, a pothos plant, some dusting supplements and a heat lamp to keep him in the exo terra until I could pick up a bigger screen cage.
Keep in mind at this time I had no idea what kind of chameleon it even was or if if he was sickly and wouldn't last the week.
So I get home and I thought it was a juvenile Graceful Chameleon but after a bit of research I found out I have a slightly older Senegal (95% Sure). I got him hydrated and eating and he seems to be doing pretty well after about a month.
I am completely enthralled by this creature which my wife has named Pipin and can watch him for hours. I still have a ton to learn and I still need to get him (her?) to a vet sometime soon to get checked out. I thought he had some sort of terrible skin issue until I realized the black dots went away when he was happy and basking under under the lamp.
I'm certain I've caught the chameleon fever and am already planning parts of the house and garden for future enclosures.
So that's my introduction; Hello everyone, I'm Dan
I spent the four years of high school working in a pet store being the primary "Fish Expert" and the back up for reptiles and birds. This was one of those "Old School" pet stores where the animals were important, the suppliers were checked out, and healthy clean store was more important than the profit margin or the employees laziness. Either way like most stores run like this it went out of business in 1994 (This was right around the time the Big Box Pet Stores started cropping up around here) ruining my plans to one day run the place.
I have had many animals throughout the years and have quite a bit of experience in keeping and caring for animals of all varieties but have never owned a chameleon.
My first experience with chameleons in the pet store was in the early 90s when they found a good supplier out of Hawaii who was able to provide healthy and happy Jackson's along with good instructions on how to keep them. We had an extensive drip and misting system along with custom made enclosures with glass fronts and 3 sides made from egg crate ceiling light grates. Screen cages were not readily available at that time. These were the most fascinating animals I had ever seen but I just couldn't bring myself to risk buying a pair as it seems information on their care was not easy to come by at that time. (At least for me) That and my hands were full with marine aquariums, tropical aquariums, turtles, birds, and various other animals.
Time flew by and I never did get a chameleon. Not having a ton of extra time and keeping some easy pets like cats and chorus frogs.
I decided it was time to go find a new pet so I had been researching and trying to decide on another pet to put in an exo terra 18x18x18 I had picked up. In a very kind hearted but woefully misled act of goodness my wife sought out a pet store that had a variety of pets. I still don't know what the store was but it sounded pretty dingy. The guy there told her these little chameleons he had would be a great pet for our 2 year old girl to handle and all she had to do was throw it in an aquarium with a light and feed it crickets and it would be happy.
She bought him and called me to pick up some crickets on the way home. I was wondering how she knew I was out of crickets for my frogs and became suspicious. I got out of her she was going to surprise me with a chameleon and she told me the story and got really angry when I asked her to take it back... the guy wouldn't take it back. So on my way home picked up a dripper uvb lighting, jungle vines, a pothos plant, some dusting supplements and a heat lamp to keep him in the exo terra until I could pick up a bigger screen cage.
Keep in mind at this time I had no idea what kind of chameleon it even was or if if he was sickly and wouldn't last the week.
So I get home and I thought it was a juvenile Graceful Chameleon but after a bit of research I found out I have a slightly older Senegal (95% Sure). I got him hydrated and eating and he seems to be doing pretty well after about a month.
I am completely enthralled by this creature which my wife has named Pipin and can watch him for hours. I still have a ton to learn and I still need to get him (her?) to a vet sometime soon to get checked out. I thought he had some sort of terrible skin issue until I realized the black dots went away when he was happy and basking under under the lamp.
I'm certain I've caught the chameleon fever and am already planning parts of the house and garden for future enclosures.
So that's my introduction; Hello everyone, I'm Dan
Good to know your little Pipin is doing well. Congrats on finally getting yourself a Chameleon, the funnest of all lizards.................
