Help Please

[Reptilelegend]

Ok i am new to the site here, Well I have been looking threw the forums and at some of the pictures that you all have posted for the last few days. Ok I have alot of questions since I a new to the whole Chameleon thing as well. I dont currently own a Chameleon I do own other reptiles tho (Savannah Monitor, Bearded Dragon, Huge African Albino Clawed Frog, Flordia Softshelled Turtle.) I am not really new to the reptile world or the cost of taking care of them(That Savannah eats about 20$ a week lol). Ok my questions are,

How should I buy my Chameleon? Breeder,Petshop,Reptile show? If there is a good breeder or anyone knows of anyone please feel free to leave me a website or contact info.

What will be a good starter size and type of chameleon?

What will i need for that chameleon, Food, Tank size etc. (Please give websites for good cheap supplies if possible.) I am not looking for the cheap way out i am just trying to get the best deal for my money.

How long do Chameleons live?

How fast do they grow?

How big do they get?

How often should i try to handle my chameleon and is it good to handle them?

Now for my Vivarium Flexarium, or whatever type of cage they need what should i go with (all mesh?) Good website if possible as well.

What should i consider before buying a Chameleon and are they good pets?

Thanks to all that answer to this thread I really appreciate it!!

 

[jake01]

Recently got my first cham (veiled), but ur questions are pretty general (no offense) so i'll answer since this is covered in any basic cham guide.

How long do Chameleons live? Depends on the species and sex, but generally speaking males 5-8 years females less due to eggs, 3-5 years.

How fast do they grow? A cham can get full grown 1 year to a year and a half or more.

How big do they get? Depends on the species, but you can easily get pics. Panthers are a bit smaller, Veileds are on the larger side...

How often should i try to handle my chameleon and is it good to handle them? Less is more, especially as they reach maturity. The only handling my cham gets is a couple minutes while xfering him from his cage to his free range tree which is where i usually cup feed him crix or hand feed worms or anything i can easily hold (my cham is 1 month old so i feed him small-medium crix and a mealworm every other day or so as a treat/variety). I also dust lightly once a week. Crix gut loaded with carrot, button mush, baby spinach leaf, citrus rind, generic cricket food and water.

Now for my Vivarium Flexarium, or whatever type of cage they need what should i go with (all mesh?) Good website if possible as well. A tall cage is preferred, mesh on all sides. Visit ur local pet store or build ur own.

What should i consider before buying a Chameleon and are they good pets? Read a good guide/book...im at work so no handy links unfortunately. Google and this forum is ur friend for now. Good luck.

 

[panthercham]

Welcome to the forum

If you look under the for sale section here or take a look at some of our sponsors you will get a great idea on the size and cost of different types of chams as well as cages etc. Please stay away from petshops as most (not all) dont have the best interests in mind of the customer or of the cham and you will end up with a draw full of equipment that you wont use.

Where abouts in the world are you? That can make a difference to whether you need a screen or glass viv.

This is the best link ever for care on a chameleon, have a read and it answer a lot of your questions and will really let you know what you need to do and the time needed to care for these wonderful critters

http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/

Chloe

 

[wilfred]

There is a classified section of this forum, chameleons are usually inexpensive there. Click the view our sponsors link in the top right for a list of quite a few breeders and supply companies.

My personal recommendations ar:
For a cage
Lllreptiles.com aluminum screen cages

And for a chameleon
Chameleonsonly.com

 

[comocham]

Here you go...

Welcome to the forums! I am going to try to answer all of these for you….

Avoid pet shops, chameleons in pet shops are usually in poor health unfortunately. Reptile shows are the cheapest, but for a good strong animal I recommend getting one from a breeder. Where are you from? There are plenty of breeders on this site and if you happen to live close to one you can get them for really cheap without shipping costs. I got mine from Julirs and I am very happy with him.

A good starter chameleon would probably be a Veiled Chameleon. They are the hardiest and relatively inexpensive, and if you find a good breeder they can be quite colorful. For starting out I would recommend getting one around 3 to 4 months old.

For starting out a small SCREEN enclosure will work (20X12X20) is what I started out with. Do not put anything on the bottom of the enclosure, but make sure it drains. The higher up the enclosure is the more comfortable the chameleon will be. A live (non-toxic) plant (tree-like) is needed. For lighting you need a REPTISUN 5.0 and a low wattage basking lamp. Crickets are the best thing to feed them I find. You need to start with small crickets. You can breed roaches for cheaper but buying crickets is easier for me. SSimsswiSS is a member on the forum that sells good fairly inexpensive gutload. For watering you will need a misting bottle (preferably) or a dripper. (That should be it for any other questions search the forum.)

Veiled Chameleons live 3-5 years I hear.

They grow for around a year and a few months.

They grow to around 18 inches nose to tail, they can get a little bigger.

Handling your chameleon can be good and bad. While establishing a bond with the pet is good it can stress a chameleon out. I unfortunately, did not handle mine much and now he can be a little feisty. Just do what they allow you to do.

For a vivarium I hear LLL reptile has them pretty cheap, but I made mine for around $30 and my cham loves it. There are plenty of do it yourself threads in the enclosure/supplies section. CHECK THEM OUT! Go with all screen not mesh, feeder insects can chew through mesh and escape.

Chameleons require a lot of care and are delicate animals. They are more of the kind of pet you keep to look at and respect than to play with. They take time and some patience but all around they are some of the coolest reptiles you can get.

http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/ Is an awesome link!


Here is a picture of my setup and Howard my veiled chameleon.

 

[Malicious]

Ok i am new to the site here, Well I have been looking threw the forums and at some of the pictures that you all have posted for the last few days. Ok I have alot of questions since I a new to the whole Chameleon thing as well. I dont currently own a Chameleon I do own other reptiles tho (Savannah Monitor, Bearded Dragon, Huge African Albino Clawed Frog, Flordia Softshelled Turtle.) I am not really new to the reptile world or the cost of taking care of them(That Savannah eats about 20$ a week lol). Ok my questions are,

How should I buy my Chameleon? Breeder,Petshop,Reptile show? If there is a good breeder or anyone knows of anyone please feel free to leave me a website or contact info.Forum members,site sponsors, are all good places to obtain healthy animals.

What will be a good starter size and type of chameleon? Veiled and Panther species are great starter chameleons, just be sure to your able to provide the proper care and housing.

What will i need for that chameleon, Food, Tank size etc. (Please give websites for good cheap supplies if possible.) I am not looking for the cheap way out i am just trying to get the best deal for my money. Most of the site sponsors provide starter set-ups at fair prices, I order my supplies from LLL Reptiles.
How long do Chameleons live? Depends on the species and weather they are WC,CB. The average for CB seams to be about 4-7 years, under ideal conditions. Due to the nature of WC animals their life in captivity tends to be shorter the CB animals. However... there are keepers that have animals live well beyond the 4-7 year mark.

How fast do they grow? Veileds and panthers reach maturity between 12-18 months. Their growth really never stops, however they tend to slow down at about the 10-12 month mark.

How big do they get? Depends on the species. Veiled, and panther males usually reach 16-24" and females 12-18"

How often should i try to handle my chameleon and is it good to handle them?They are solitary animals and would rather be left alone, however some will tolerate light handeling. It really is luck of the draw with how your animal will take to human contact. My panthers don't mind to be handle for short sessions(5-15mins). My Veileds would rather be left alone, and tend to become stressed apon handeling.

Now for my Vivarium Flexarium, or whatever type of cage they need what should i go with (all mesh?) Good website if possible as well. All mesh or screen cages are ideal, proper ventilation, is key. LLL Reptile has some wonderful aluminum screen cages at reasonable prices.

What should i consider before buying a Chameleon and are they good pets?
They are excellent pets, yet they require lots of time and consistancy.
Thanks to all that answer to this thread I really appreciate it!!

Good luck, and welcome to the forum.

-Jay

 

[jake01]

What's the difference between mesh and screen? My cage is full screen but I thought mesh was the same material.

 

[Malicious]

What's the difference between mesh and screen? My cage is full screen but I thought mesh was the same material.

Mesh, is typically made of Nylon and tends to have wider openings. Examples of mesh cages would include; Flexariums, and Reptariums.

http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog...and-explorariums/-/38-gallon-basic-reptarium/


Screen cages are most often made from aluminum screen or fiberglass screen. The openings are smaller, and that helps to keep in smaller feeders (fruit flies..etc) Aluminum screen is superior to fiberglass when it comes to durability and the fact that most insects can not chew through it. Examples of aluminum screen cages would include; LLL's aluminum screen cages, and ZooMeds ReptiBreeze cages.

http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog/reptile-supplies/reptile-cages-glass-and-screen/


-Jay

 

[xanthoman]

technically there is no difference, as metal (and most) screen is usually measured in terms of mesh per inch (4mesh is 1/4", 8mesh is 1/8", 32mesh is 1/32"mesh etc. ) BUT, IN TERMS OF POPULAR USAGE, MESH USUALLY REFERS TO PLASTIC OR FABRIC SCREEN WITH LARGER OPENINGS, and when the term screen is used as the main describer , they are usually refering to metal screen (regardless of its mesh size )or fiberglass window screen. it boils down to personal interpretations of terminology, but is easier just to go along with it, than to fight it. /edit / ps the screen pictured in my avatar is 2mesh metal or 1/2" mesh metal screen, but it would still be measured the same way if it was plastic. also mesh size refers to spacing between center to center of the strands, but the actual opening size could vary depending on the wire/strand size (ie 8mesh wire screen that had a wire size of .020 would have a significantly different opening than 8mesh wire screen that had a wire size of.045, the opening size would be different , but they would still both be 8 mesh or 8 openings per inch (even though the opening size is different due to the different wire size) mesh is the openings per inch regardless of the strand size or material used./in cham terms mesh usually means fabric, plastic,or fiberglass screen, that has openings usually larger than window screen, and screen usually means aluminum or fiberglass window screen, both have their advantages, but i think most chammers agree that when somebody says a screen cage ,they are usually refering to an aluminum frame cage made with aluminum or (maybe even fiberglass) window screen ,and i also think most chammers prefer that type of cage made with aluminum screen for its long term durability, im sure i have sufficiently confused the issue, so if you want to understand the answer, go with the previous post (dam i knew i should have left this one alone)

 

[Malicious]

technically there is no difference, as metal screen is usually measured in terms of mesh per inch (4mesh is 1/4", 8mesh is 1/8" etc ) but in terms of popular usage, mesh usually refers to plastic or fabric screen , and when the term screen is used as the main describer , they are usually refering to metal screen (regardless of its mesh size ) it boils down to personal interpretations of terminology, but is easier just to go along with it than to fight it

I was Refering to the common cages sold for herp use, and how they get classified.

Your screen "tutorial" was interesting....thanks..


-Jay

 

[Reptilelegend]

Wow thanks for all the help. i will be sure to look around the site today and try to get some of my other questions answered. I really appreciate that people actually reply here i have been looking around forums for the last few days and getting answers has been quite difficult. Thanks again. Oh yah for all that asked I am from Deleware. I know alot of ppl dont know were that is lol i get it all the time.

 

[laurie]

Hello, welcome. you will find people on this forum to be very helpful and have lots of knowledge to share. We were all new at one point and all want to see chameleons and their owners get off to a good start. BTW there are some excellent chmaeleon folks near Delaware. I am in Montana and there are NO chameleons owners within a coulpe of hundred miles from me.

 

[laurie]

Hello, welcome. you will find people on this forum to be very helpful and have lots of knowledge to share. We were all new at one point and all want to see chameleons and their owners get off to a good start. BTW there are some excellent chmaeleon folks near Delaware. I am in Montana and there are NO chameleons owners within a coulpe of hundred miles from me.