New & Confused...

[silvermander]

I sent my youngest daughter off to the pet store with her grands to see what might interest her. The only rules were nothing with fur, nothing that eats anything with fur. We have three cats and my service dog already. We've had rats in the past. Also, I had ball pythons, but didn't want to get back into the feeding of rodents.

Well, she came home with a beta fish. She really wanted the fish, so they bought it for her, even though they knew they were only on a scouting trip.

My mother-in-law told me about this beautiful cham with quite the personality. I went and checked her out for myself and she is just sweet. I've been in three times to see her and have been doing as much research as possible before we make the final decision. I don't want to go into this and be in over our heads.

Ken

 

[carol5208]

Ken, chameleons require alot of special care and mainly eat live insects. Some will eat vegetation but their diet should consist mostly of insects. All the feeders, have to be fed, so keep in mind it can become an expense. Most will eat crickets, but they really should be fed a wide variety of feeders, such as roaches, moths, worms that can be purchased such as silkworms, hornworms, phoenix worms, superworms, just to name some of the popular ones. Keep in mind that all these with the exception of the phoenix worms have to be fed. They require two types of lighting, uvb and uva, daily mistings for hydration and humidity and their temps need to be correct for survival depending on what type of chameleon it is. They are prone to lots of health issues too, so make sure you have money put aside for vet bills. They also require three types of supplementation which you will have to dust their feeders with. Just some food for thought for you.... Also, if she is indeed a female(as the pet stores are notorious for mixing up sexes) she can produce eggs from about six months on whether mated or not. There can be problems with egg laying, if she wont lay and that can lead to vet visits or unfortunatley death. You have to provide a laying bin in th cage. Just something else to think about.

 

[laurie]

Hello Ken and welcome to the forum. So tell me every thing, what kind of cham are you thinking about? Let me tell you a bit of what is required. First cage type, most of us use a screen cage, size depends on the size and type of chameleon. You will also need a fixture for a UVB bulb, most use a repti sun 5.0, and regular household light bulb for heat. I use cheap fixtures for both for Lowe's or home depot. You will need a regular misting bottle or a misting system. Some live plants like pothos or ficus trees, lots of branches to use for highways. Food will be a variety of crickets, worms and others. Those are the basics.

Tell me about what you want and what size it is and I can be more specific.