i need help please

[teb]

hello. i have fell in love with the yemen chameleon after seeing one in a reptile shop. i have been to all reptile shops within a 50 mile radius looking and talking to pet shop owners about getting a male chameleon. im a little confused about all aspect's of looking after a chameleon as i have been told some many different stories from so many people, but wot they all say is that keeping chameleons is hard work but again they are willing to sale to a novice owner.
im not going into this lightly i have been researching for at least 6 months now and i dont want to hurt or kill the chameleon once i get it home.
i have heard different info on having contact with the chameleon.
is the best way of looking after your chameleon getting his/her environment right and getting yourself into a routine.
i dont know any keepers of chameleons so any information would be great. thanks

 

[Olimpia]

Hello and welcome! I commend you for doing lots of research before actually getting a cham, that's great.

This is basically everything you need to know about keeping a veiled chameleon: http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/

That blog will give you most of the info you need, but if you have any additional questions about specific things feel free to ask and we'll answer them for you

 

[warpdrive]

some great info is located in Brad's blog...
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/

Harry

 

[teb]

thanks for the link very useful.
i had nearly talked myself out of it i was that confused,i am scared to death about getting one having heard that many different stories but i think i need to be a bit more confident and stop listening to dragon keepers.
wot would be a good age for novice keeper please.thanks

 

[carol5208]

Well how old are you? The question is if you are young and therefore cannot get a job to support your chameleon(as they can be expensive) then are you going to have the financial support of your parents. There are some very young, responsible keepers on here, so it can be done. You are off to a great start by educating yourself about them first and not just jumping into it. Often times, the petstores give out false information, so by coming here you have done the right thing to learn.

 

[Olimpia]

What Carol says is very true. In dollars, setting up a chameleon can cost $400 or more (chameleons are expensive to set up at first, with the cage, lights, plants, etc. but after that the cost to maintain them is much much less. Just cost of food, replacement lights every 6-9 months, etc.) and if they have a medical emergency a vet visit can be expensive. So it's good to have access to ample money to cover all of this.

If you're asking about the age of the chameleon, people say that older juveniles are easier, but I don't think a 3 month old baby is hard to take care of either. The differences include weaker bulbs (lower temp) and more feeding, basically. But if you want to, find a 5-6 month old cham if a young baby worries you.

 

[kinyonga]

Welcome to the forum and the world of chameleons teb!

Although chameleons can be a challenge to keep well, if you start of with a healthy veiled (at least three months old) and your husbandry is good the chameleon should do well for you.

Here is some information you might be interested in reading...
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 baby veileds I usually keep the temperature in the low 80'sF.

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.

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.

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/20060114031124/http://www.adcham.com/

 

[herriotfan]

Hi
I'm new to chameleons too. Like you I'm doing my research first. I do already own some other reptiles so I understand the need for UVB lighting, basking and dietery suppliments etc. But I do agree their is a lot of conflicting advise out there. I must admit that I've found everyone on here to be very friendly and they do their very best to help and point you in the right direction. I'm glad I found this forum!
When are you getting one? Mine will be a Christmas present so I've got a while to wait. Gives me much more time to research, research and then research some more!!!

 

[teb]

thanks to you all for this info and time.
im a male of 30+ who had been scared into not getting one up until yesterday. i have been to the local vets for prices who just happened to be american and a top bloke. i have found a chameleon that is 6 months old and im going to see him tomorrow.

 

[Fool]

Heres one more blog for you read read read ! lol

Go down to the lower right hand side of the blog and look and read through the blog archives on this link.

http://chamworld.blogspot.com/2008/01/chameleon-compatibility-test.html

 

[Gensen]

Research in advance and prepare $$$ wise....

I second most of what everyone else has already said. Cham's can be difficult to keep in the respect they require certain things... but if you do your research in advance on a place like this Forum instead of rely on mostly "Poor Petstore" advise and you employ those necessary things you can suceed in keeping a healthy Chameleon.

After doing your homework the others here have given you if you decide you are up for the challange of ownership than you can post pics of your Cham and your set up and the experienced keepers here can critique things for you such as the lighting and enclosure and make suggestions for any improvements that shoul be made for the Cham's health and well being....

Good luck!

 

[Carlton]

thanks to you all for this info and time.
im a male of 30+ who had been scared into not getting one up until yesterday. i have been to the local vets for prices who just happened to be american and a top bloke. i have found a chameleon that is 6 months old and im going to see him tomorrow.

Another thing to consider is what YOU wish to get from the chameleon! If you are interested in a pet who will seek (well, maybe not seek, but enjoy) interaction with you (like a beardie for example), doesn't mind handling and a very active household a cham may not be the best fit. If you will be content with a herp to watch and admire on its own terms a cham will be great. A lot of the enjoyment of a cham is setting up a mini forest of live plants of which the cham is a part.