newb. need tips

[phase]

hi. im new to the forums and am really wanting to get a chameleon. i have looked around and browsed the forum and have found basic info but i would like to know from owners of any tips for basic setup, certain species+how to provide them with the best setup. I am extremely responsible with pets. i have owned snakes,dogs,cats,rabbits, etc and have tried to give them the best life.
so before i become a new owner i would like to know what kind of things i need to do/get to give my new chameleon the best life. i would also like to know which species are hard/easy to take care of and how demanding they are.
basically just throw me any info that will help a first time chameleon owner..

thanks
-rob

 

[DavidBuchan]

Well, generally people get sent this link first, as first Chams are often baby Veiled or Panther Chameleons. It's a blog from a forum member, and contains all the basic info.


https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html

 

[Olimpia]

This might take a bit to type! lol This is a good caresheet for both Veiled chameleons and Panther chameleons, which I'll talk about more in a minute -http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/ Their care is very similar. There are lot of good blogs on here by members like Sandrachameleon and Jannb that I highly recommend reading, they will give you a lot of good info.

Most of the time people recommend Veiled chameleon (males) the most for new owners because they have a reputation for being very hardy. Also Panther chameleons (males) are also recommended because they do very well as well and their care is about the same. Panthers are reputably more sensitive, but I haven't noticed a significant difference. Althought, honestly, you could start with any species as long as you have the sense and resources to do your reseaarch and provide everything they need. But it will be easier to start with one of these two at first probably.

These guys are expensive! Let me say that right now. The set up will cost you several hundred dollars and their medical bills are costly. You'd need:
- 2 Cages. One small and one adult one. Baby one ~$30-40 and the adult will be ~$90-100
- UVB light - costs about $30ish if I remember correctly. This needs to be replaced every 6-9 months, with 6 being recommended.
- A basking bulb (normal ~60w bulb), and two light fixtures. One for the basking bulb and one for the UV one. I recommend getting those at Lowes/Home depot for a lot less.
- Supplements - a phosphorous-free calcium WITH Vitamin D3, a phosphorous-free calcium withOUT vitamin D3, and a multivitamin. Their food will need to be dusted with these various supplements are different times during the month.
- Food - buying insects in bulk online will save you SOO much money. At petsmart they run 24 for $4. Online they run 1000 for like $15. No question it's cheaper! But you will need to then keep them alive in a big plastic bin and feed them nutricious fruits and veggies to keep them full of good food.
- Plants and cage decor.
- Something to mist with - I recommend getting one of those pressure pump sprayers like for pesticides from a home improvement store. You'll be misting a lot!

So they need quite a bit of stuff!

Also, since you'll be misting a lot you'll want to find out how to drain away all that excess water. I suggest searching "drainage systems" on here to see what I mean.

I hope that helps! They are an expensive and time consuming pet but they are fantastic to watch and own. Keep doing research and just ask if you have any questions!

Edit to add - I highly recommend staying away from pet stores for everything except UV lights and maybe supplements. They will overcharge you for just about everything. If you can get it at Home depot, for example, it'll be cheaper and will probably be no different. And if you can find all your stuff at local reptile shows or online you will probably also save money and get better stuff than what your local store has to offer.

 

[phase]

great info. i have been checking out the forums for several weeks now and have already got a decent understanding..

couple more questions that i havnt found

if i have to be away from the chameleon for some reason, will it be able to cope without care for a couple days? or can i leave food in the tank and have a timed misting sytem?

also will an all glass tank with the front being a mesh screen be ok? or does it have to be all around mesh.

im simply just curious about these beautiful creatures.

 

[Olimpia]

When I had my mistking I was able to leave for days without problem. I free range mine but the same would work in a cage with a little creativity. I would have a bin of something like superworms or roaches (something that wouldn't crawl out) and they would just pick out of it as much as they wanted during the day, and they never ran out of food by the time I was back. It's not like they ate 50 of them in one sitting and starved the next 2-4 days. But mine were young adults to they weren't eating as much as a baby might. And then the mistking was set up to go on every few hours so they had their water as well. I'd test out the system before you go anywhere to see that he wouldn't just inhale all his food lol.

Yea, the vivariums are fine. The front and top are screen so enough air is passing through for them to be fine but keep in humidity. If you live in a dry or cold region those will be better for you than the all screen ones actually. With a screen one you might have to wrap it in plastic during winter to keep the temps and humidity up but a glass one would make it easier.

 

[phase]

its been a constant 95-100deg. the tank i currently have is glass all around with only the front being mesh.. kinda like a fish tank turned upright. if anything, can i install small computer fans to keep the air circulated? this is just a tank i have sitting around so if i can use it then it would be great. it is 3ft tall 18inch wide and 18inch deep. so i want to know if this will work.

i like to build stuff so i will probably be making my own mister.

i have to have live plants inside and lots of branches,uv light,basking light, mister , water collector and a food dish. right? am i missing something for just a general setup?

 

[Olimpia]

Well you'd need mesh up top so that the light can go through it. Glass stops all UV light from passing through, and I think it's a little dangerous to put lights IN the cage. Wouldn't want the water to come into contact with it and end up with a roasted chameleon! That tank would work well for a variety of geckos, but nothing that needs UV light probably.

Yea, that sounds like everything! Then the supplements for feeding and I think you'd be set.

 

[phase]

yeah you are right. are those demensions ok though? i can simply replace the top with mesh.

 

[chameleoman]

if your a begginer get a veiled because if it dies some how you wouldnt have spent 200.00 on a panther

 

[phase]

i havnt decided on species yet but i will most likely choose the veiled as a beginner..

also one more question

do i need a dripper and a mister? or will a mister timed every hour or so be fine?

 

[kinyonga]

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 that have been well fed and gutloaded should be fed to it. At that size you only need to feed it every two or three days. Feed it enough that it doesn't get fat (and, of course, doesn't get thin either).

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). Not sure how to tell you to dust WC insects if that is what you will be doing.

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.

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.

 

[Rob G]

You need to have a warm(basking) spot and have other places to cool down. 100-95 is wayyy to hot for even a basking temp for a young cham. For veiled id say about low 80's for young ones and same temps for females then 85-90 for adult males(these are all for basking temps) and the ambient temperatures should be low 70's

 

[phase]

You need to have a warm(basking) spot and have other places to cool down. 100-95 is wayyy to hot for even a basking temp for a young cham. For veiled id say about low 80's for young ones and same temps for females then 85-90 for adult males(these are all for basking temps) and the ambient temperatures should be low 70's

it definatly doesnt get that warm inside the house. i say we keep the house at around 75* on hot days. but the temperature outside is HOT! i had a snake setup and i was able to keep the temps at around 80-85* and i was using a 75watt basking bulb. i can definatly keep the chameleon temps at a good steady levels with smaller/less hot basking bulb and the uvb lamp.

(btw we have the same initials. my name is also rob g.) hehe

 

[Rob G]

Oh I thought the 95-100 was for inside the enclosure lol sorry my bad. A night time temp drop to the mid 60's is good to. And what a coincidence that's kinda cool

 

[DavidBuchan]

i havnt decided on species yet but i will most likely choose the veiled as a beginner..

also one more question

do i need a dripper and a mister? or will a mister timed every hour or so be fine?

For one Chameleon a dripper and hand mister are sufficient. If you are planning on leaving the setup for a couple of days at a time it's definitely best you buy the automated one with timer. Every hour is overkill, depending on how long it mists for. 3-4 good sessions a day is more than adequate.

Feeding when you are away will be a small concern, because crickets and locusts have been known to bite during the night. If you have a very secure feeding tub, put some worms in a bowl, (and you can even get bowls that use a timer now) it should be doable. Always better to have someone check up on them though, even if my Dad has no idea what he's doing

Oh, and welcome to the forum

 

[phase]

thanks.. so i understand everything like how to setup the cage the only thing im not 100% shure about is food.

i read that crickets and locust are the best in nutrition.
but what else can be fed to him daily other than crickets or locust?

also the calcium.d3.and vitamin A i am really unshure about since i keep reading and its always different info. can someone please explain (for a newb that knows nothing) how often and which suppliments should i use? i just want to know what i absolutely need to feed him daily and how often i dust his food.

if its possible please keep it simple as i am documenting the proper techniques, schedules, and setup.

no plans on getting a chameleon untill i fully understand!

 

[DavidBuchan]

Quite a few people use dubia roaches or silkworms as staples. If you get a baby then fruit flies are perfect fun, but feed some tiny crickets gutloaded with greens too. Gutload and vits count as feeding the chameleon too. A chameleon is what it eats and what it's food eats as well....
Easy supplements for variety/fun are mealworms, waxworms, any spiders and flies you can find (be sure there's no pesticide).
The vit. schedule thing depends on your brand. Pick someone who seems sure and copy them
Veiled will usually eat a bit of leafy green and some soft fruit too, usually not as babies, but kiwi, strawberries, that sort of thing

 

[hyunho6]

you have to mister 3 times a day

 

[phase]

Thanks for all the help guys/gals! this is an AWSOME forum with lots of info!


ok my setup will be-
36x18x18 glass with top and front mesh.
logs,climbing stuctures,live plants
basking light
18" light fixture with reptisun 5.0
automated misting system
temp probes at basking spot and in lower area
drain system
food bowl

i will be daily feeding it with gutloaded crickets and pheonix worms
and will mix it up once in a while with mealworms,waxworms,flies

will dust the food with
phos free calcium-5 days a week
phos free calcium/D3- 2 time a month
and vitamin A -2 times a month

the misting system will be set to run for 1min 4 times a day

i may want to metion that im looking into getting a baby Veiled Chameleon.

PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF I HAVE MISSED ANYTHING!
thanks
-rob

 

[Jammonlee]

Rob,

Everything sounds good when I read it...

I'd like to note that while misting a lot may seem over kill, if its needed to keep the humidity levels around 50% then you should do it, as long when the lights go out after his 12 hours simulated day, the misting stops as well and the humidity is allowed to drop. When the lights come on...repeat the cycle.

As far as the food goes, there is a great idea and thread (also some youtube videos) on custom feeder cups requiring nothing but a simple milk jug, something to cut with, something to hang it with, hot glue gun/glue, and some mesh screen. It allows you to throw in some crickets, and they will climb the screen without jumping or crawling out. Build a comfortable pathway to allow your chameleon within shooting range and he will feed on them as he gets used to it (usually not to long after its up).

Before buying the biggest coolest looking vines out there, remember that size does matter! and a mixture of different sized vines is good, preferably ones that the chameleon can get a full circled grasp on.

Good Luck in Reptile Parenthood and be sure to post a lot of pictures. A lot of us owners and forum posters fall in love with not only our own but everyone elses as well!