New guy with questions.

[Tsal]

Hello everyone I am new to the forum and new to all that's reptilian! I live in New Jersey and have been wanting a Chameleon for a long time but I have been worried about the constant changing weather here both inside and out. I have been looking online and reading up a bunch on forums to gather up enough info to convince me that it's ok to have one. I am thinking on ordering on from LLL because I read some bad things about buying from pet stores. Pet smart by me has three of them but they are all together in a small glass tank so that's a no.

Ok, first question.
Should I by the Terranium and everything else needed first so I can try to monitor the atmosphere so I can get it right before buying my Chameleon?

How many times a day do you feed them? I see all the feeder insects are sold in bulk, how far is that supposed to stretch?

Thanks. Sorry I have so many questions.

 

[danibug23]

honestly i got two of mine from petsmart and i have had no problem with them at all their health is great. the only thing with petsmart they dont know much about cages lighting and etc, so this is where we come in

 

[gwilliams]

Welcome!

Hi there - welcome to the Forums - I'm somewhat of a Noob here too - but yes, it's always a good idea to get your screen enclosure all set up and ready to go before you bring one home, make sure you have the proper UVB/UVA lighting and basking light.... As long as you keep your house at comfortable levels - outside doesn't really matter much - I'm here in Oregon - and it's always (well almost always) cold and rainy) but we keep the house at a comfty 70.... And try to monitor the humidity as well

We buy our crickets/feeders in bulk. Crickets by the 1000 or 1500 but we have more than one cham and some beardies.... but they usually last about 2 weeks... but we always feed once a day supplement every other day and D3 every Saturday - but I'm still learning from all of the senior members here on the forums... I hope (and I'm sure most will) respond and they have some great information.

Did any of that make sense? LOL
Glenna

 

[Pilotman800]

Welcome! I am going to attach my blog for new keepers below.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/pilotman800/548-new-chameleon-owner-information-husbandry.html

 

[kinyonga]

Welcome to the forum and the world of chameleons!
Good to see that you are interested in learning how to set them up and keep them before you get one!

You need a cage (can be glass with ventilation and a screen lid or screen, etc.), UVB light (see below for more information about this), some plants (preferably live, well-washed both sides of the leaves) and branches, thermometer (at least one, but preferably 2), appropriate supplements (see below), a basking light (regular incandescent household bulb of a wattage that provides the right temperature in a domed hood), a mister (can be as simple as a spray bottle for misting plants) and a drip system (can be as simple as a deli cup with a tiny hole in the bottom). I've likely missed some things, but someone will let you know, I'm sure!

Here are some sites that will help...and there are more on this forum that I haven't listed...
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/
http://chameleonnews.com/10JulAndersonGlass.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/jannb/

Here's some information I hope will help you with things like supplements, gutloading, etc....
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.

A wide variety of insects (crickets, locusts, silkworms, superworms, tomato worms, phoenix worms, butter worms, once in a while waxworms, etc.) that have been well fed and gutloaded should be fed to it.

Since many of the feeder insects we use in captivity 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.
Please note that various supplements have various amounts of D3 and vitamin A and so some can be given more often than others. The idea still is not to overdo the fat soluble vitamins like D3 and prEformed vitamin A.

Here are some good sites for you to read too...
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.

 

[hinoco1225]

Hello everyone I am new to the forum and new to all that's reptilian! I live in New Jersey and have been wanting a Chameleon for a long time but I have been worried about the constant changing weather here both inside and out. I have been looking online and reading up a bunch on forums to gather up enough info to convince me that it's ok to have one. I am thinking on ordering on from LLL because I read some bad things about buying from pet stores. Pet smart by me has three of them but they are all together in a small glass tank so that's a no.

Ok, first question.
Should I by the Terranium and everything else needed first so I can try to monitor the atmosphere so I can get it right before buying my Chameleon?

How many times a day do you feed them? I see all the feeder insects are sold in bulk, how far is that supposed to stretch?

Thanks. Sorry I have so many questions.

Welcome! Glad to see you're doing your research

Yes, you should definitely buy all of your supplies and set up the viv before buying your chameleon. Sometimes you have to try a few different bulbs to get the temperatures right.

If you want to order online, I totally support that. Have you checked out any sites other than LLL? There are a lot of breeders you can order from that will give you a bit more information about your chameleon's bloodline than LLL offers.

On the other hand, though - I have one veiled that I got from PetSmart, and one that I ordered online from a reputable breeder. I thought I would get a healthier cham who had been given a better start in life from the breeder, but it has turned out quite differently. I am much happier with my veiled from PetSmart. She's a much better eater than my boy, and she's been much healthier overall. Of course I know that doesn't mean it will be that way for everyone, but that's just my experience.