New here :)

[raoke]

Hi there!

I recently went to a reptile show last month to get my brother a ball python. I instantly was captivated by the vibrant colors of all the animals there.

After some thinking of what is best for me right now I settled with the idea of buying a medium size chameleon at the next reptile show in Pomona, CA.

My plan is to go to Home Depot and rig together a cage. I am not a master craftsman but have a decent amount of skill with craftsmanship. Right now I'm still doing some research but it's either going to be wood or pvc pipe framed.

After that is built I'm going to research different breeds and go to the show to pick up something I like with a budget of $300 max. I'll also be picking up all the lights and other accessories I need there.

I will be posting in this thread with updates on what I find and will try to include as many pictures as possible. If there's any advice you'd like to add for a newbie or if you'd just like to comment anything feel free to voice your opinion.

Cheers.

 

[Shaboo10]

For a $300 budget, i'de suggest 2 types of chams, a Panther Cham, or a Graceful cham (hard to get) the place where I got my cham was from www.FLchams.com

Or even any type, their all so lovely

 

[raoke]

Thanks for the link. The site looks interesting so far.

It's great to see that Panthers are right in my ball park. Especially since I know at the show they will be even cheaper!

After looking at some more pictures of cage setups I might go take a look at some aluminum as they are lightweight and can be riveted together- which is something I never done but have wanted to try.

 

[Shaboo10]

Thanks for the link. The site looks interesting so far.

Your welcome :3 and you can buy a set for the cham for about $120

 

[Fearaffect]

Sent u a PM

 

[Dave Weldon]

...I settled with the idea of buying a medium size chameleon at the next reptile show in Pomona, CA...

Howdy,

Welcome! I'll be posting the monthly invite shortly to the South Bay Chameleon Keepers group meeting to be held at the usual spot in the West LA area on Tuesday the 29th at 7:30pm. I'll be running through a dry-run of my "Basics of Chameleon Keeping" presentation that I'll also be giving on both Saturday the 9th and Sunday the 10th at the Pomona Show! Who knows, you might just get lucky and win one of the two setups being given away at the show seminars!

 

[pssh]

A great place to buy things is www.lllreptile.com they also have a low price guarantee so if you find it elswhere for cheaper they match the price AND take off 5% of the whole item. You can buy cages, the linear UVB light, supplements, and other things there. I'd suggest buying the heat lamp and UVB hood from home depot though. You can also use a normal non coil house bulb as a basking light.

 

[jamncristian]

hey welcome to the chameleon forums

first of all the best starter species would be a veiled chameleon because of their good appetite, size, color,and tolerance to newbie mistakes(which hopefully wont happen much)

veiled chameleons when are adults require a minimum cage size of 2'l 2'w 4'h which can be bought or built but when it comes to adults bigger is always better. some people free range their chams but there is always a risk being taken because chameleons are very good escape artists so if your cham is out of a cage keep your eyes on it constantly to see how it behaves for a couple of weeks before deciding to free range.

chameleons need UVB radiation that comes from the sun or special flourescent lights( should not be compact because it is known to cause blindness) like linear or mercury vapor bulbs(can get very hot and is only reccomended for large cages) to creat vit. D3 that helps metabolize calcium or your chameleon will suffer MBD (metabolic bone disease) that kills many chams due to there owners neglegence or misinformation. sun light is over all the best way to provide your cham UV lights and should be provided when ever the wheather permits

chameleons are solitary animals that can get very territorial and shouldnt be kept in a cage together or even allowed to see each other

chameleons should be kept in screen cages to provide proper air flow, glass cages tend to cast reflections that males the chameleon think it is a rival and they dont understand what glass is

chameleons dont drink water from bowls and should no be provided to them from a water fall(bacteria breeding-ground).they drink the dew droplets that are left on the leaves of plants and drink alot of it. a mist king automatic mister is highly recommended to prevent over and under watering and should be set to spray for a 30 second duration 4 times a day. if you cant afford it, buy a hand sprayer and dripper. chameleons are a tropical species that each need a certain humidity(air moisture) level

a live plant is almost a necessity because it provides shelter, leaves to drink from, humidity, and a pathways for it walk. plants that i reccomend is pothos(a vine like plant that is very hardy), ficus alli, and dwarf umbrella plant.

chameleons can be very picky and will often get bored if fed the same cricket over and over and just decide to go on a hunger strike. variety is the key to provide your chameleon the best nutrition and mental stimulation. some good staple feeders would be crickets, roaches, phoenix worms(if your cham will eat them), & silkworms. phoenix worms, silk worms, horn worms, snails, isopods, & butter worms are naturally high in calcium so they do not need to be dusted. all feeder insects should be gut-loaded(fed nutritous food ex. cricket crack) prior to being fed off to your cham to provide proper nutrition or you will just be feeding an empty shell. some feeder insects need to be dusted with calcium before being fed to a chameleon such as crickets, roaches, superworms, wax worms, flies, and meal worms. some feeders that should be used as treats are CB snails, mantids, wax worms, super worms, house flies, fruit flies, moths, hornworms, butter worms, and isopods. wild caught insects are not reccomended due to their possibility of carrying parasites or pesticides.

male chameleons tend to be more vibrantly colored than females with few exceptions.

good luck and dont be surprised after you buy your first cham you will want another. it is all a part of being a cham addict

 

[raoke]

I went to the hardware store and after looking at costs to build I think I will just buy something pre-made.

LLL has some nice aluminum cages for a good price but I'm not sure which size to get as I'm not sure which size the chams are at the show.

Any recommendations on cage size?

How long does it take a juvenile to reach full grown typically?

 

[sandrachameleon]

A full grown veiled or panther needs a cage 2'wide x 2'deep x 4' high or bigger
They essentially full size in about a year and a half.

 

[raoke]

I think I'm going to 18x18x36 and build a cheap pvc frame with screening and a zipper from the fabric store like the basic kit on LLLreptile.com
I'm thinking roughly $30 for everything.

In a year I'll upgrade to a 24x24x48 aluminum cage which can be purchased for under $100.

 

[pssh]

Honestly I tried to do the PVC thing myself... Didn't work. I say just buy the flexarium on LLL, don't buy the soft tray thing though. Go to home depot and buy some plexiglass or acrylic sheeting for the appropriate sized cage (or cut it to size) and drill holes in the bottom for drainage, slide it under the frame, raise all four corners with something and stick a catch bin of some sort under the drainage holes. And there you have a cage that lasted me approximately 8 years that is still in use right now.

 

[ijmccollum]

Honestly I tried to do the PVC thing myself... Didn't work. I say just buy the flexarium on LLL, don't buy the soft tray thing though. Go to home depot and buy some plexiglass or acrylic sheeting for the appropriate sized cage (or cut it to size) and drill holes in the bottom for drainage, slide it under the frame, raise all four corners with something and stick a catch bin of some sort under the drainage holes. And there you have a cage that lasted me approximately 8 years that is still in use right now.

Wow, I'd like to see a pic of that. What are you doing for light mounts? People have told me the mesh is heat sensitive. I really like the sounds of what you've done though.

 

[pssh]

Mine was never really that bad... It's handled a 40 watt bulb Directly on it that leaves the basking spot around 80 for extended periods of time. For anything higher than that I raised it about three inches off the screen, I used this pole thing that my mom had (it has a hook on top and my sister used it to hang those net things abover her bed for a while.) Never been burnt, though it is slightly off colored. I hate the zipper though... I prefer the aluminum cage but my mom never let me get one til this year when we got a second chameleon. Definately getting another screen one in the future though. I don't like taking pictures of that thing. It's not the prettiest thing...