New to chameleons, some ?'s before I buy.

[crapwhereaminow]

Hey everyone, I'm new to the forum and to chameleons. So of course I've got a few questions.

I've been doing a lot of research on how to keep them and what they need, specifically panthers. I keep freshwater fish (mostly large cichlids) and a large albino female cornsnake who I've had for eight years. I've always loved chameleons and now I think I'm ready to get one.

I went to the petstore today too talk to the owner and look at their selection. For as long as I can remember there has been a large male ambilobe there as a store pet. The owner showed me a group of ambilobe babies he has in right now, and of course I fell in love with one.

The baby I fell in love with is kind of a reject. I have no idea if it's male or female but it was bitten by an older animal and has a bad leg. I'd wait at least a month or so too make sure it's going to be ok and the leg's going to heal up. The owner told me he'd sell me the baby for $80 when it grows up a bit. It's daddy was a blue bar ambilobe and it's mom was a red bar ambilobe.

My question is, as a new chameleon keeper, is it better to pay a bit more and start with a more mature animal (or in that case, an animal without any disabilities)? And is it better to order from a breeder? Also, I live in southern california. Obviously my climate is very dry. Is it more difficult to keep a chameleon is this semi-arid climate? Would it be ok to keep the animal in the same room as my fishtanks? It's very humid in there. Lastly, is there a way to tell male from female at a young age? I'd prefer to get a male.

Any advice or tips would be great. I've done a ton of reading, both on this site and others. Sorry for the ramble, I'm just really excited!

 

[nightcrawler]

Personally If it was my first chameleon I would not get a injured one, because of the lack of experience that I would have taking care of non injured chameleons, let alone injured ones. If you feel that he will be ok, and want to take a chance to give him a good home then I say go for it, but make sure that you know what your getting yourself into before you decide. It shouldn't be a light decision. Also I would try to figure out if it was a female or a male because there is more baggage with females. They will produce eggs even if they are not mated, and could be problematic. Good luck.

-Matt

 

[Corpsman82]

is the pet store properly careing for the chamelons? ive always seen horrible example of pet stores doing the absolute wrong thing. everything from wrong cage, wrong lighting and wrong water set up.

and yes i wouldebt buy a gimp cham or one that has any kind of Disabilities at all. how much is he chargeing for the non gimp chams?

 

[pssh]

Many members here are from southern ca and their chameleons are just fine. The males have a small bulge just past the vent on the tail where they keep their "Junk." The breeder or pet store owner should be able to tell you if its male or female, though not always with 100% accuracy.

Usually pet stores dont take care of their animals properly and the animals come with problems and parasites already, but if you do your research and think the pet store is reasing them properly, then go ahead and buy one from there. Also, ask questions about how they supplement, feed, water, the caging, anything. Make sure you know the babies are healthy.

Also dont be afraid to ask questions here.

 

[crapwhereaminow]

Thanks for the quick response!
The pet store seems ok. They do keep the display male panther in a glass enclosure, but all the babies are kept in screen cages, and they sell screen cages. The babies and other animals all looked ok. There's no substrate in the chameleon's enclosures, and they say they mist them at least three times a day. All the other reptiles look good and healthy. I've bought fish from them, and never had a problem. In fact, the owner will refuse to sell a fish if it doesn't look ok, he feels ill-bred, or too young.

I'll go back and look to see if I see the bump. If it's a female I think I may pass because I didn't know the females needed extra care (what do they need?). If it's a male I may still get it, I feel bad for the little guy and I'm a softy for the underdog.

Like I said, I wouldn't take the animal home just yet. I'm going to give it a bit of time to see if the leg looks any better or worse. I'm going to the pasadena reptile show in early Nov. and I'm hoping to talk to some of the breeders before I make a decision as well.

More questions! Is there a way to tell if a baby is healthy based on their color? The gimpy baby is an all over khaki/tan (except for the bruised leg). The other baby in the enclosure is dark brown with tan and white marbling. Also, is it ok to get a very young baby, or should I be looking for an older animal?

 

[pssh]

Since this is your first, I'd be looking for one that's at least three months old. Babies can be harder to care for and at 3 months they are well enough off that you probably wont have any problems if your enclosure is good. If you search 'sexing babies' there are usually a few threads that show pictures and how to do it. Females require egg laying boxes and can become eggbound and die if the laying box isn't up to her par. There are also other natural reasons that can lead to egg binding with females. There are measures that you can take to try and stop her from laying eggs or laying as many eggs (such as having a lower basking temp and not feeding as much.)

If the leg looks healed in a month or two and you're ready for some possible vet bills in the future there is no reason you can't get the baby. The color is normal for a young chameleon, how old are they by the way?

If you wait until the baby is older you can be sure that you are recieving a male from the color.

 

[SS4Luck]

Id lay off on the injured one and find a 3-4 month old guy doing good from a breeeder. There are alot of us in so cal that are keeping are chams with no problem at all, infact its probably easier because we have s steadier climate requiring less change for say winter or summer.

I would leave the injured guy alone and get a nice cham from a breeder. There are quiet a few here in so cal that are respected and have good selections and breeding stock, but youll see all that when you get going more on the forum!

 

[Corpsman82]

If I was you I'd go ahead and start buying your setup.(You can buy complete setups from many of the forum sponsers/ classifieds section just to make it easy on yourself) Once you complete that then start exploring your options site sponers/classifieds/ up comming reptile show. Anyways good luck

 

[crapwhereaminow]

Thanks for all the advice everyone! I'm sure I'll have many more questions in the future. For now I'm going to pass on the little gimpy. If he hasn't sold when I go back in a month or two then maybe I'll get him. I won't be buying an animal for a least a month or two anyway.

I'd definitely get the cage and everything before I bought an animal. Are automatic misters good (I'm planning on setting up an automatic mister and a dripper)? I don't know if I'd be home often enough to mist a cham with just a bottle.