Im the new kid on the block

[mythicman]

Hello all, my name is Luke I've been stalking the forums for about 3 months now and finally decided to join in on the fun haha so here I am!!! I'm 16 and im about ready to get everything for my first chameoleon in December-January, mabey sooner if I'm able to come up with the money... I do have some questions before I will let myself get one though.

1. I plan on getting a baby panther chameleon from an upcoming reptile show is St. Louis, but do you think I should go with a breeder instead.

2. What size cage should I get and do you have any suggestions on where to get/order it from.

3. What type of lighting should I get

4. Anyone from St. Louis haha

Sorry if this annoying I just want to make sure I can provide a home for a chameleon and make sure it doesn't die within an hour or something.

 

[Randi]

Hello all, my name is Luke I've been stalking the forums for about 3 months now and finally decided to join in on the fun haha so here I am!!! I'm 16 and im about ready to get everything for my first chameoleon in December-January, mabey sooner if I'm able to come up with the money... I do have some questions before I will let myself get one though.

1. I plan on getting a baby panther chameleon from an upcoming reptile show is St. Louis, but do you think I should go with a breeder instead.

2. What size cage should I get and do you have any suggestions on where to get/order it from.

3. What type of lighting should I get

4. Anyone from St. Louis haha

Sorry if this annoying I just want to make sure I can provide a home for a chameleon and make sure it doesn't die within an hour or something.

Hey! You going to the show at Holiday Inn Southwest on Sunday? I'm also from St. Louis and I'm going to try to make it there, too. While I'd normally suggest a breeder, I know that the show will have a veterinarian on staff, and I think they'll have coupons for a free visit as well... not to mention you'll save on shipping costs and be able to see the babies in person before purchase.

I have my baby panther in a 18x18x36 for now. I purchased my adult veiled's cage from DIY cages, but you may be able to find one at the show to save on shipping.

A lot of people use the 5.0 UVB bulbs. I actually just received Arcadia lighting today after seeing it recommended on the forums, but I haven't actually put it up yet.

 

[mythicman]

Hey! You going to the show at Holiday Inn Southwest on Sunday? I'm also from St. Louis and I'm going to try to make it there, too. While I'd normally suggest a breeder, I know that the show will have a veterinarian on staff, and I think they'll have coupons for a free visit as well... not to mention you'll save on shipping costs and be able to see the babies in person before purchase.

I have my baby panther in a 18x18x36 for now. I purchased my adult veiled's cage from DIY cages, but you may be able to find one at the show to save on shipping.

A lot of people use the 5.0 UVB bulbs. I actually just received Arcadia lighting today after seeing it recommended on the forums, but I haven't actually put it up yet.

I probably won't be able to go to this show because I have to do stuff with my family but if I do manage get the time thats where I'm headed! You wouldn't happen to know the average price for a cage during a show would you, the last show I was at was the one last month in Bridgeton but they weren't selling any cages then, at least none that I saw.

 

[Randi]

No, I don't, sorry... but I can tell you the show in Bridgeton leaves a LOT to be desired, and this one has a lot more vendors.

If you live close to Illinois, The Tie-Dye Iguana in O'Fallon IL has cheaper cages than even Petsmart and Petco. They sell a TON of stuff and have so many selections for lighting, gutloading, etc. They're the only local place I know about that sells dubias, too. They currently have several Veileds and a Senegal. I heard they even have a panther in quarantine right now, but I think it's an adult. The owner has had chameleons as pets before and all of the staff are super knowledgeable... way better than asking employees at the big-box stores.

 

[mythicman]

Yeah I actually live in O'fallon Missouri so not that close to Illinois haha. Yeah technically that was my first reptile show, and I could tell it was WAY smaller than any I've seen on youtube or any reptile breeder site. But thanks for replying hopefully I'll be able to make it to the next big one I know about, I think its on December 30 or something.

 

[Randi]

Yep, it's on December 30th. It is bigger than the Bridgeton show.

My in-laws are not far outside of O'Fallon Missouri... I was married in Defiance, Missouri. I was just in O'Fallon last weekend.

 

[maxttu]

Welcome and buckle up for a crazy ride! I'd suggest checking out Craigslist for an enclosure. Search chameleon, reptile, birdcage, etc...I've found multiple cages for stupid cheap on CL.

 

[azgnoinc]

Welcome to the forums, and the crazy addicting world of getting in to chameleons!! Start doing plenty of homework by researching anything you want to know with the search feature at the top of the page. Keep in mind that there are plenty of different opinions on how to do things right, but for your panther there are some pretty standard basics you need to be familiar with:
Cage size - for a baby and up to about 6-9 months depending on growth of the individual, an 18x18x36 should work just fine.

Inside the cage you will need to replicate a mini arboreal environment, plenty of climbing surfaces of varying sizes (branches & vines) that go both vertically & horizontally. A good safe bet is a ficus tree (IMO) as I have used them for better than 15 years - though different people have different opinions - do a search for safe plants. Please remember to change out the soil and wash ANY plant thoroughly before introducing any cham into the environment - again- use the search feature for LOTS more info on both topics.

You will need to provide both UV light as well as heat - someone already mentioned Reptisun 5.0 bulbs for the UV, but Arcadia lighting from Lightyourreptiles.com is gaining a growing following - either will do and both use regular fluorescent fixtures.
Your heat bulb will be used to create a basking spot in the cage and for a younger panther you want temps in the hottest part of the basking spot/area to be between 85-90 degrees (again- opinions vary somewhat on the temp ranges - this is just my 2 cents).
Next you will want to take a measurement of the humidity in the area the cham will be kept in, because you will want the cage to have a range from 60-70% - this helps when it comes time for shedding and general health of the Panther - again my 2 cents.
You will also want to make sure that you have ready access to a staedy supply of various foods for you new addition - search sandrachameleon and sign up to follow her blogs - the lady is a serious authority when it comes to the nutrition of bugs, gutload for the bugs and generally all things that we feed to either our chams or the bugs they eat.

Who or where to buy from depends on what you want and what you can afford, some people have something very specific in mind when they start- others just want to get started. For Panthers, hybrids or mixed breeds tend to cost less than pure breds do. A good place to see what you might like is to check the General Photography section of the forums to see what other people have and maybe what you might want.

Other than all of the above- people here on the forums tend to be as helpful as possible & try to steer newcomers from making the same mistakes we have already learned from - so PLEASE - Ask questions & welcome to our crazy community!!

 

[heyshelbyrae]

Welcome I hope you find a good panther at the reptishow!

 

[DavidBuchan]

Hello, welcome to the forum It's good to see people checking out what they need before getting a chameleon.....the info above is all good stuff so I won't add anything for now....... any questions though just ask, it's never annoying to help people look after lizards better

 

[froggielog]

hello from texas (where the Jonas Brothers live)

are you hot? (we ARE in texas, its like 5000 degrees here hehehe)

 

[mythicman]

Lucky, I wish the weather here was hot right now its like 44 degrees... I hate winter but when its summer it gets hot because of all the humidity haha. Thanks all for the info and whatnot!!