Need Help with Getting a Cham!!!

[Andee]

I agree with Tay and A, totally forgot about the unhealthy part which is probably the most important thing ever .___. shows where my brain is... >.> Petco and Petsmart do not know how to take care of their chams most of the time, which is why they usually have substrate in the cage, or a bowl of water with a bubbler to keep the mist going. >.< It's just not good all around. Which is also why it is likely to find the chams a dark color and sleeping during the day in the store. Because they have to have night lights on the enclosures at night due to rules set by cooperate. Sorry kind of went off on a tangent >.> anyway they don't know what they are doing and shouldn't have them, therefore do not buy from them.

 

[CHer23]

I agree that veileds, though normally the most common, are typically quite unfriendly. My friend has one that was fine for about a month but then started hissing and trying to bite him whenever he tried to take it out which was very upsetting. Panthers can be quite a bit more friendly but also quite a bit more expensive. If you are looking for relatively cheap and also friendly (and reasonably small, the panthers get pretty big), I would suggest senegal, pygmy, rudis, or carpet. You probably cant find any of these in your local petstore but there are lots of great websites that you can get these from like flchams (a bit more expensive than the others and usually limited stock) and backwater reptiles (I have successfully bought 3 chams from these guys, they are great).

The carpet cham is relatively small. Mines only about 4 or 5 inches not including the tail. Fairly easy to take care of, doesnt require too big of a cage (mines only about 4 ft x 3 ft x 3 ft), and she has really great colors (especially when compared to veileds, as they are normally only within the range of green). Also, she was fairly cheap, I got her from backwaterreptiles for only about 80 or 90 dollars. Also, she is very friendly

What exactly is medium on backwaterreptiles? I would rather a younger male chameleon. Are they good at sexing them?

 

[Andee]

A medium would probably be a juvenile so I would guess around 6-10 months though I can't be sure never ordered from them. So I would guess he/she would be around 3-4 inches?.... Please someone correct me if I'm wrong XD but I don't know how well they can sex them, they don't guarantee sexing of their animals.

 

[ridgebax1]

I also would not buy a cham from a pet store. I got my first one from a local pet store who gets his chams from a local breeder (but charges a lot more than buying directly from that breeder). The other problem was they did not know his age. He was an adult but could have been 2 or 20 they did not know. He also had issues with MBD in part due to poor husbandry advice I was given by the store. I thought I was caring for him correctly but was not doing the supplements properly. I would call the vet and ask about their pricing for office visits etc. That would give you a basis for a regular visit and budget from there. There was also a comment about getting a good misting system and I can attest to the fact that Monsoons are crap! I am in the process of trying to get my money back! I have a male veiled and when he was little he let me handle him no problem, now he does not like to be taken out of his cage by picking him up. I am trying to get him to step on a branch so I can take him out but so far he is on to me and won't cooperate. I would stick with a male only because I don't want to deal with the egg issue, but even with boys you need to be concerned with sperm plugs but I think they are less of a problem than a female being egg bound. And it is true there is a lot of knowledge freely shared on these forums.

 

[CHer23]

Can anyone give me any information on carpet chameleons. I know I won't be doing anything until at least Christmas so I am not in any hurry to get a chameleon considering I haven't even gotten permission yet. I would just like some more info on carpet chameleons and their enclosures.

 

[CHer23]

I also would not buy a cham from a pet store. I got my first one from a local pet store who gets his chams from a local breeder (but charges a lot more than buying directly from that breeder). The other problem was they did not know his age. He was an adult but could have been 2 or 20 they did not know. He also had issues with MBD in part due to poor husbandry advice I was given by the store. I thought I was caring for him correctly but was not doing the supplements properly. I would call the vet and ask about their pricing for office visits etc. That would give you a basis for a regular visit and budget from there. There was also a comment about getting a good misting system and I can attest to the fact that Monsoons are crap! I am in the process of trying to get my money back! I have a male veiled and when he was little he let me handle him no problem, now he does not like to be taken out of his cage by picking him up. I am trying to get him to step on a branch so I can take him out but so far he is on to me and won't cooperate. I would stick with a male only because I don't want to deal with the egg issue, but even with boys you need to be concerned with sperm plugs but I think they are less of a problem than a female being egg bound. And it is true there is a lot of knowledge freely shared on these forums.

What exactly is a sperm plug and what is the problem with it?

 

[Andee]

I don't understand what a problem with a sperm plug could be... Because it's just when the male chameleon defecates he releases some sperm in a .... harder form I guess XD and wipes it on a branch. Nothing bad. Eggs are much scarier because there is a chance of getting egg bound. I do hope your mom says yes btw, they are an amazing creature, if you can buy a captive bred cham, they come with so much less problems and it supports a healthy eco system ^^

 

[FlChamMom]

I am a mom who's teen had a chameleon. My son sold me on it by his research and giving me an definite estimate on what it could cost. Two years later my son has moved out and I have my own chameleon! Involve your family- chams are fascinating creatures and definitely teach responsibility for teen keepers!

 

[CHer23]

Thanks to both of you! I hope she says yes too! I have done a ton of research on chameleons and the only thing that I don't quite get is the lighting. Can anyone help me out by letting me know exactly what bulbs I need?

 

[Andee]

For chams they need a source of UVB light, which preferably would be a uvb light in tube form that measures at 5.0. They also need a source of UVA in other words a basking light. I don't know how strong of a basking light a carpet cham or veiled needs, but my panther I think (if I remember correctly) is on a 75 watt halogen bulb. I think you can also do Mercury Vapor Bulbs with chams which is a combination basking bulb and uvb bulb that last a really long time but are some what expensive.

 

[FlChamMom]

Thanks to both of you! I hope she says yes too! I have done a ton of research on chameleons and the only thing that I don't quite get is the lighting. Can anyone help me out by letting me know exactly what bulbs I need?

I have an Arcadia T5HO from Light Your Reptiles- one of the sponsors but a lot of people use the Reptosuns. There is a great thread on here called "the definitive lighting thread". You should check it out.

 

[CHer23]

For chams they need a source of UVB light, which preferably would be a uvb light in tube form that measures at 5.0. They also need a source of UVA in other words a basking light. I don't know how strong of a basking light a carpet cham or veiled needs, but my panther I think (if I remember correctly) is on a 75 watt halogen bulb. I think you can also do Mercury Vapor Bulbs with chams which is a combination basking bulb and uvb bulb that last a really long time but are some what expensive.

I have an Arcadia T5HO from Light Your Reptiles- one of the sponsors but a lot of people use the Reptosuns. There is a great thread on here called "the definitive lighting thread". You should check it out.

Thanks you answered exactly what I was asking! Also, is it okay to buy supplies such as crickets and cages and decor from Petsmart?

 

[Andee]

I buy crickets and cages and stuff from petco/petsmart. Just because I don't want to raise crickets though that is definitely a cheaper way to do it. Also buying in bulk is cheaper but I can't stand crickets so I buy in small quantities and stick with mostly roaches, which I raise myself. But petco/petsmart will not have a big enough adult cage for you, you need at least a 4ftx2ftx2ft cage. But when they are younger a smaller cage will be needed.

 

[ridgebax1]

From what I understand, sperm plugs can get stuck but not sure what issues they may cause if they do. There have been mention of that and sometimes requires a trip to the vet. Maybe someone with more experience can answer that. Look around online for a cage. You can get a decent 24 x 24 x 48 for under $100. I got mine for $89 including shipping from Amazon.

 

[kplatvoet]

If you go to petsmart or petco for decor for your cage they will try and tell you you need substrate - and other things you don't - as for lighting you want a tube ubv and a spot light - you can get the light fixture and the spot light at home depot or at a pet store- or get them from "light my reptiles" a site sponsor I just got replacement blubs from them and they were cheaper than getting them at petco- and the customer service was better than anything I've seen- the acadia lights last 3 months longer than the ones they sell at pet stores and if you get a cage I'm pretty sure that if you e-mail Todd at light your reptiles he would tell you what lights you would need for the cage - for the basking light you can get a regular "daylight" bulb at the grocery store - get a couple of different watts I use a 40 in the summer and a 100 now that it's cooler I'll probably switch to a 60 when the heat starts coming on more in the house. I bought a basking bulb from a pet store and it burned out in less than a day- chameleons don't need heat lamps and they keep them up at night and cause all sorts of problems -
Before you get a chameleon at backwater reptiles make sure your getting a cb not a wc- cb are born in captivity while wc stands for wild caught - a wild caught is not a good choice for a first time keeper. I really think you would be better off with something from the classified here - look at the top of this page and go through some of the adds and look at some of the posts by the person selling the cham- you'll find that they care about their babies and the parents were most likely better taken care of which means your going to get a healthier chameleon.
Carpet chameleons are sweet but they don't live as long- most of the smaller chameleons are hard to get cb, but carpets do come up quite often.

 

[CHer23]

If you go to petsmart or petco for decor for your cage they will try and tell you you need substrate - and other things you don't - as for lighting you want a tube ubv and a spot light - you can get the light fixture and the spot light at home depot or at a pet store- or get them from "light my reptiles" a site sponsor I just got replacement blubs from them and they were cheaper than getting them at petco- and the customer service was better than anything I've seen- the acadia lights last 3 months longer than the ones they sell at pet stores and if you get a cage I'm pretty sure that if you e-mail Todd at light your reptiles he would tell you what lights you would need for the cage - for the basking light you can get a regular "daylight" bulb at the grocery store - get a couple of different watts I use a 40 in the summer and a 100 now that it's cooler I'll probably switch to a 60 when the heat starts coming on more in the house. I bought a basking bulb from a pet store and it burned out in less than a day- chameleons don't need heat lamps and they keep them up at night and cause all sorts of problems -
Before you get a chameleon at backwater reptiles make sure your getting a cb not a wc- cb are born in captivity while wc stands for wild caught - a wild caught is not a good choice for a first time keeper. I really think you would be better off with something from the classified here - look at the top of this page and go through some of the adds and look at some of the posts by the person selling the cham- you'll find that they care about their babies and the parents were most likely better taken care of which means your going to get a healthier chameleon.
Carpet chameleons are sweet but they don't live as long- most of the smaller chameleons are hard to get cb, but carpets do come up quite often.

What exactly would be a short life span? 3 years? 5 years?

 

[kplatvoet]

I actually am not quite sure - I have read 2-3 years but I think that some of the members here have had better luck -

 

[melble68]

I think you are on the right track. Keep up the research, and decide on what type you want to eventually get. I feel by making that decision, it will help you decide what kind of enclosure and husbandry will be needed. I agree with the earlier posts about not buying from one of the big box pet stores. You are in the right place talking to the right people. There are sponsors and members that you can get your enclosure, lights, feeders, and most importantly quality and healthy chameleons. Go to your mom with educated answers, and don't let her have the questions. Show her your dedication, and I bet you can win her over. You never know, she may want to keep your cham when you go to school.

 

[CHer23]

I think you are on the right track. Keep up the research, and decide on what type you want to eventually get. I feel by making that decision, it will help you decide what kind of enclosure and husbandry will be needed. I agree with the earlier posts about not buying from one of the big box pet stores. You are in the right place talking to the right people. There are sponsors and members that you can get your enclosure, lights, feeders, and most importantly quality and healthy chameleons. Go to your mom with educated answers, and don't let her have the questions. Show her your dedication, and I bet you can win her over. You never know, she may want to keep your cham when you go to school.

I have a feeling that she would let me have it We have four small dogs. Don't worry though, they would never do anything to harm another pet in the house.

 

[creddjobs]

IMO, I would focus on school. A cham does take up some time and with your new schedule, living arrangements, friends etc. You might not have the time to properly care for one. Also you must keep LIVE feeders which your on campus housing might not like, you have to consider your room mates too. I have had feeders escape and my fiancé was not happy! if these are no problem then I say go for it!! They also can get expensive with misters, cages, live plants, feeders, UVB bulbs are like $30 bucks. Just something to think about..!!!

good luck!