New to the game

[SnowManSnow]

HI guys, Brandon in Alabama here. I've been considering a chameleon for a while now, but wanted to get some opinions from those "in the know" before I jumped into caring for another animal.

1st; how difficult is it to keep these animals, and have them thrive? I am an AVID marine aquarist, so I'm no stranger to weekly or even daily tasks that involve a lot of "doing", but what about chameleons?

2nd; What generally goes into the daily weekly, and monthly care routines here?

3rd; Besides a cage, what equipment do I need to make husbandry easier? (again I'm not new to this concept.. I probably have an easy $6K sunk "pun" into my coral tank).

4th; If you are an experienced keeper what is something you WISH you knew going into the venture?

Thanks for any help you can offer.

B

 

[jannb]

Welcome to the Chameleon Forums. I have 2 veiled chameleons and my daughter has kept chameleons for over 5 years now. I respect you for finding these forums and coming here and asking questions FIRST before buying your first chameleon. You are off to a good start. Chameleons can be a difficult animal to keep especially if you don't have the recourses (money) to buy everything that they need and pay vet bills for checkups, fecals and when they are in need of a vet. They require certain lighting, temperatures, humidity and supplements along with the correct gut loaded feeders. The site below will give you some excellent information about keeping a Cham. After you read it over feel free to ask questions and the members here will be happy to help you. The search tab at the top is also very helpful. Again welcome! Jann


http://raisingkittytheveiledchamele...-max=2008-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&max-results=11

 

[lotus02]

Welcome SnowManSnow I to keep a reef.
Jann has sent you to the right place. Learning how to keep a cham is kinda like learning to keep a reef, Read ,read and read. I would also advise you to do some searches here read some of the threads there you will see where others went wrong, advise from the members and you will gain a lot of knowledge. I did a lot of reading and surfed around here before I got mine I'm still new. Keep an open mind at all times cause when you think you got it, you learn something new.

 

[Lovereps]

Welcome, Brandon!

Kudos to you for being so wise as to do your research first!
Chams are more difficult to keep than other lizard species, as they are more easily stressed and far less tolerant of husbandry mistakes.
One thing that I suspect many people don't realize about chameleons is that they are not fond of handling--as a general rule.
They're more along the lines of fish--nice to look at.
With the exception of Pygmy chams--chameleons are solitary creatures and must be kept in individual cages, with no other pets in their view.
Different species of cham have different requirements as far as basking and ambient temperatures, humidity and cage size are concerned.
All chams need foliage to hide in, a UVB source, a source of non-standing water,a varied diet and vitamin and mineral supplements.
Daily tasks are misting, feeding and removal of cham wastes (feces/urates).
Automatic misting systems are available (MistKing systems--a forum sponsor-- are very highly regarded.)
Thorough cage cleaning to maintain a healthful environment usually takes place monthly.
Female chams, whether or not they have ever been mated, can lay eggs.
With egg-laying abilities come additional needs--more calcium and a secure place to lay the eggs (an egg laying bin / bucket ).
Different species of chams tend to have certain types of personalities:
Male Veiled chams often become aggressive once they mature (around 6 months.)
Jackson's tend to be very docile (but are amongst the least tolerant of husbandry errors plus most are wild-caught.)
With few exceptions, pet stores often give really bad advice about proper care of chams, don't care for them properly and that's why it is generally suggested that you buy from a reputable breeder, instead.
Wild caught chams may not adapt to captivity and often harbor parasites--which makes captive-bred chams a safer bet.
There are a number of breeders who sponsor the forum (click on "View our sponsors" on the upper right side of the page).
Once you decide on which type of cham you will be buying and whether you want a baby or an adult (they do require different cage sizes)--- find-out what specific equipment you'll need and get everything set-up in advance of your cham's arrival.
Ask as many questions as you like---most folks here are friendly and knowledgeable.
Here's a link to very good basic info: https://www.chameleonforums.com/general-care-true-chameleons-5943/
If Pygmy chams are your favorites, their housing must be set-up quite differently. Here's a link to the forum about their specific habitat requirements:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/pygmy-enclosures/

 

[pssh]

Welcome to the addiction.

These animals require daily care, at least twice a day. They require spraying a few times a day, a drip system of some sort that needs to be filled once a day and daily(baby) or everyother day(adult) feeding. Cage bottom and leaves of plants need to be spot cleaned every day and the entire cage needs to be cleaned at least once a month.

I bought an entire set up (for a bigger chameleon) for about 250 dollars with all the shipping and what not. Screen cage, supplements, plants, vines, UVB, normal basking bulb, light hoods, pump mister, dripper. I buy food every week or two. I'm also breeding my own food.

I recomend a male veiled or panther chameleon as a starter chameleon. That link is very helpful. I wish this site was around when I started with chameleons. Don't forget to read books also.

 

[draetish]

HI guys, Brandon in Alabama here. I've been considering a chameleon for a while now, but wanted to get some opinions from those "in the know" before I jumped into caring for another animal.

1st; how difficult is it to keep these animals, and have them thrive? I am an AVID marine aquarist, so I'm no stranger to weekly or even daily tasks that involve a lot of "doing", but what about chameleons?

2nd; What generally goes into the daily weekly, and monthly care routines here?

3rd; Besides a cage, what equipment do I need to make husbandry easier? (again I'm not new to this concept.. I probably have an easy $6K sunk "pun" into my coral tank).

4th; If you are an experienced keeper what is something you WISH you knew going into the venture?

Thanks for any help you can offer.

B

As far as what kind, I think "panther" chameleons are the most colorful and less aggressive providing you buy a young male (2-3 months old) and interact with it on a daily basis. That doesn't mean "playing" with it or handling it all the time. More like hand feeding him. Also chameleons like to be above the "action" to feel secure, so make sure his enclosure is tall enough to give him that secure feeling. You also don't want to start them off in a really large enclosure when they are young. You can see the cage sizes in the links. In my opinion "panthers" seem to have less stress than other species and are easier to care for. This would be my suggestion for a first time chameleon. Google panther chameleons to see the variety and you'll be hooked. Good Luck!

 

[hallenhe]

They're considered difficult as lizards go (i.e., require more maintenance and are pickier about conditions than, say, a leopard gecko). That said, they probably require a whole lot less time input than a dog, and with marine tanks, you're no stranger to fairly high maintenance beasties.
UVB light (a Reptisun 5.0 linear bulb is recommended, unless you can house your cham outside with access to sunlight) is crucial, as is supplementation with calcium with and without vitamin D3, and a general reptile multivitamin; supplements are given by dusting them onto prey items.
Chameleons generally don't understand standing water, and need some sort of drip or mist system. This can be as simple as a homemade dripper on top of the cage (supplemented with misting the enclosure once or twice a day depending on temperatures or humidity), or as complex as an automated system like a MistKing.
Veileds and panthers are comparatively hardy, big and colorful, and this makes them good bets for a first cham. Jackson's, other montane species, and pygmies can die if they're kept for any length of time in mid-eighties temperatures, so if you're looking at one of those types, be sure you're able to provide the proper temperatures.
Welcome to the forums! Don't let all this get overwhelming; chameleons are very fascinating and rewarding if done right.

 

[SnowManSnow]

thanks for all the great advice. ill read up when i get some time to burn.

cool animals, I just want to make sure I have the TIME resource to invest to do it well.

B

 

[warpdrive]

Hi Snowmansnow,

you have been given some great advice so I'm not going to go too deep into what was already said.

but I would like to say two things that wasn't said yet...

while there is nothing wrong with doing most if not all of your reading on the subject of chameleons online, it would also be helpful to get a good book too.
I highly recamend "Chameleons - their care and breeding" from Linda J. Davison. you can get this book right here from this forum and it will be shipped to you real fast too.
this book goes into some deep explanations of basic care, feeding, health, and breeding of many of the popular kinds of chameleons, without getting too overwelming.

while I personaly don't think that the care of chameleons are hard at all, be well aware that you will be dealing with lots of feeders for them and you will spend more time dealing with feeders then the chameleon.
also learning about gutloading your feeders is far more important then dusting, so do alot of reading on that subject too.

also look into LLLReptile.com for all your cage, lighting, and other chameleon needs.

Harry