New potential owner looking for suggestions advice etc.

[Mischiefmanaged21]

Hello I am thinking about buying a veiled chameleon.. I've done a lot of research and spoken with a few different people at pet stores.. But I want to make sure I have adequate information before getting one..I plan on getting the enclosure and setting it up and leaving it empty for a little while so I can make sure that I can keep the humidity and temperature where it needs to be, and make changes if necessary.. I've cared for numerous frogs, tokay geckos, and snakes so I have the general idea of keeping delicate animals.. Would just like information from owners on basics for there care, the general do's and dont's of keeping them.. And any advice you might find helpful for a new owner.. Thank you for reading!!

 

[carol5208]

Hello and welcome to the forums. Here is a general care sheet on Veilds. It should tell you everything you need to set up the proper housing and what else you need to do to raise a healthy chameleon. Glad you are doing your research first and don't be surprised if what you read here is different what you might have been told at the pet stores as far as care and housing. Most do not know what they are talking about. We have some of our members who have baby veilds for sale. You should check out classifieds and site sponsors(upper right hand corner) You are much better off buying from one of them instead of the pet stores.
.https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/

 

[Mischiefmanaged21]

Thank you that's why I joined.. I've heard so many different things it's kinda hard to make a clear decision on what the right was is when I've heard about ten different "right ways" to care for them thank you for the advice

 

[adrouin]

You really should consider buying from the classifieds on here. I myself was very nervous at fist about having a live animal shipped. My little guy came out and starting eating immediately. The prices are much better and you get a better quality pet. Just my opinion

 

[laurie]

Sorry I had my wires crossed.

 

[Sast]

Hi, not to sound mean, but a chameleon around a lot of small kids sounds very stressful for the chameleon. Too much stress can kill a chameleon.

Also my niece runs a daycare, and the licensing agency will close her for having a chameleon. You should check with your county, or city.

Perhaps i'm missing something here but I see no mention of kids?

 

[FlChamMom]

Hi, not to sound mean, but a chameleon around a lot of small kids sounds very stressful for the chameleon. Too much stress can kill a chameleon.

Also my niece runs a daycare, and the licensing agency will close her for having a chameleon. You should check with your county, or city.

Am I missing something? I did not see anything about a daycare. I agree with the kids thing- I keep my chams in their own room out of the way of 2 year-old chaos.
In the classiifeds there are some great veiled chams currently from Jannb and Dez.

 

[heather89]

Welcome to the site! Great idea in setting everything up and then getting a chameleon. This forum is the best resource out there for chameleon owners, enthusiasts, and breeders.

I wouldn't buy from a pet store. I've talked to several about buying my baby Jackson's and they don't really care about the animals and making sure they have proper care and housing. It's often just about turning a profit. Not all are like that by any means, but I've gone into some and they had a setup that had NO climbing options for the chams, no mister or anything. They had a log and a water bowl. I was heartbroken. A cham exposed to that inadequate of an environment might be ok in it for a few days, but then could tie from not eating and stress a week later.

Anyway, long story short I would try to find someone on here with a chameleon. I'd suggest 5-6 months old. Many pet stores sell chams at 2-3 months and it's because they are cheaper when they are smaller (mainly because they are higher risk).

IMO I'd look for one 5 months or older that was captive bred. Some internet sites sell chameleons for dirt cheap and often they are wild caught. There's a lot of controversy about captive bred vs wild caught, but other than my ethical concerns with wild caught there's also a greater risk of parasites and stress from being taken from their natural environment.

 

[Mischiefmanaged21]

Welcome to the site! Great idea in setting everything up and then getting a chameleon. This forum is the best resource out there for chameleon owners, enthusiasts, and breeders.

I wouldn't buy from a pet store. I've talked to several about buying my baby Jackson's and they don't really care about the animals and making sure they have proper care and housing. It's often just about turning a profit. Not all are like that by any means, but I've gone into some and they had a setup that had NO climbing options for the chams, no mister or anything. They had a log and a water bowl. I was heartbroken. A cham exposed to that inadequate of an environment might be ok in it for a few days, but then could tie from not eating and stress a week later.

Anyway, long story short I would try to find someone on here with a chameleon. I'd suggest 5-6 months old. Many pet stores sell chams at 2-3 months and it's because they are cheaper when they are smaller (mainly because they are higher risk).

IMO I'd look for one 5 months or older that was captive bred. Some internet sites sell chameleons for dirt cheap and often they are wild caught. There's a lot of controversy about captive bred vs wild caught, but other than my ethical concerns with wild caught there's also a greater risk of parasites and stress from being taken from their natural environment.

I am trying to do as much research as a i can before going out and buying one, i am a huge animal lover and it would kill me if i got an animal i couldnt properly take care of.. im just so nervous about getting them shipped.. I dont trust fed ex,or ups with a live animal, i have checked with a few breeeders on this sites sponsors tho again doing my researcg.. the store that i am looking at and have been talking to isnt like a chain store its owned privatly and they specialize in saltwater tanks/fish and reptiles. the man i spoke with was actually in school for herpetology, so they arnt random people off the streets working with the animals.. again of course looking at all the options nothing is set in stone. And i realy dont want one thats wild caught, like you said there are alot more factors to consider with wild caught.

any suggestions on wether to get male or female? im leaning more towards male..

you guys are being so helpful thank you sooo much!!!!

 

[jannb]

Welcome to the forums. This is a great place to learn about chameleons. It's really nice to see you here doing your research BEFORE you get a chameleon. I highly recommend a male since you are a new keeper that way you will not have to deal with egg laying which can get tricky. I'm attaching my blog for new keepers below. This is how I have successfully raised my panthers and veileds over the years. I hope it will help you with your new chameleon.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html

 

[heather89]

I am trying to do as much research as a i can before going out and buying one, i am a huge animal lover and it would kill me if i got an animal i couldnt properly take care of.. im just so nervous about getting them shipped.. I dont trust fed ex,or ups with a live animal, i have checked with a few breeeders on this sites sponsors tho again doing my researcg.. the store that i am looking at and have been talking to isnt like a chain store its owned privatly and they specialize in saltwater tanks/fish and reptiles. the man i spoke with was actually in school for herpetology, so they arnt random people off the streets working with the animals.. again of course looking at all the options nothing is set in stone. And i realy dont want one thats wild caught, like you said there are alot more factors to consider with wild caught.

any suggestions on wether to get male or female? im leaning more towards male..

you guys are being so helpful thank you sooo much!!!!

I would say either male or female would be fine. I think that the more important factor is age. I have found that my males and females have similar temperaments. I've had males that were pissy and males that are very personable (for a cham) and I've had both in the way of females as well. I'd say the most important thing to note about females is you will have to have a place for her to lay eggs even if she isn't exposed to a male. She will still lay eggs and can become egg-bound and die if not given the proper place to lay them. I think that veileds tend to be beautiful in both male and female.

I wouldn't be too scared about shipping. Especially if you talk to the person you are getting it from and making sure they are using overnight shipping and proper shipping set-up, but I've never heard of anyone on here not doing it right. There is also a website called http://www.shipyourreptiles.com/ and they will ensure that the animal is handled with care and arrives alive. This site is actually a sponsor of this forum (I believe) and offer better rates than many other shipping services. Don't let the shipping thing limit you on your choices. Although if you trust the herp. at the pet store that's fine too. make sure you know the chams history.

I've only had 1 veiled and he was the male that I had that was hateful. I wouldn't get another veiled unless I knew their lineage and handling history. Also, I have a female Jackson's that her previous owners got from a pet store and she is very, very unsociable. She was forcefully handled early in life and never got over it. The great thing about cutting out the middle man (store) between a breeder and yourself is that you also eliminate the stress of being in 3 new environments (breeder, store, yours) and extra handling stress. The cham is probably shipped to the store anyhow, so its probably unavoidable whether you get from a breeder or store that the cham was shipped. Unless you find a local breeder. Where are you located?