My first cham. Info needed.

[ChristopherMinten]

Hello, i'm getting my first Cham on the 26th of June. It's being brought back from the reptile show in Doncaster. With it being my first i would like some information from you lot who actually know how to take care of them properly. In my house i have a ball python and firebelly toads as far as reptiles go and they're pretty easy to look after so i would like to know how difficult chams are to keep and what i should expect and tips etc etc etc. Thanks in advance

 

[camimom]

Hello, i'm getting my first Cham on the 26th of June. It's being brought back from the reptile show in Doncaster. With it being my first i would like some information from you lot who actually know how to take care of them properly. In my house i have a ball python and firebelly toads as far as reptiles go and they're pretty easy to look after so i would like to know how difficult chams are to keep and what i should expect and tips etc etc etc. Thanks in advance

Hi! And congrats on the cham!

List of things you will need.

Screen cage, if it is a baby, a smaller cage is fine. Once they reach adult
hood, 2x2x4 is recommended.
UVB bulb, Basking bulb (hosue bulb from home depot is fine).
SPray bottle for mistings.
Food (crickets, roaches, etc) Food for the food, oranges, greens, potatos, etc.
SUpplements- plain calcium w/o phosphorus and d3, multivitamin, cal with d3.
SOmehwere to store your crickets.
Plants- real or fake, but if you go real, pothos, scheffelera are cham safe (some tend to munch their plants)

Good luck!

 

[PeriTanz]

Do tons of research!!!!! Search this forum!!! You must try to mimic their natural environment. Gluck.

 

[carol5208]

get a Reptisun 5.0 uvb tube bulb. Also you will need a gauge (digital preferred) to measure temps and humidity. Make sure any plant that you use that is live, that you change out the soil with soil with no fertilizer and then cover the soil with LARGE riverrocks. Chameleons will eat dirt and some have shot their tongues at the fertilizer balls for whatever reason. Neither are good for them

 

[jannb]

Welcome to the forums. This is a great place to learn about chameleons. I keep veileds, panthers and a parsonii. I have a care sheet for veileds and panthers. I'm not sure what type cham you are getting but if it's a veiled or panther, it will tell you everything that I use to be a successful keeper.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html

 

[Elizadolots]

Watch your temperatures. In general chameleons don't want to be as hot as a lot of reptiles and some types won't need much more than the normal heat in your house.

 

[kinyonga]

Here is some information that I hope will help....
Appropriate cage temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part indirectly in nutrient absorption.

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. 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 just before you feed them to the chameleon at most feedings with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it. (I use Rep-cal phosphorus-free calcium).

If you also 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. 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. (I use Rep-cal phos.-free calcium/D3).

Dusting twice a month as well 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. (I use herptivite which has beta carotene.)

Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs. 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/200406080...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://web.archive.org/web/200601140...ww.adcham.com/
If you can't access the sites above that have the word "archive" in you can do it through the WayBackMachine.