Newbie Cham Help

[Ronanm9]

Hey all, just new to the site.
I got a chameleon a couple months back. Id read up on them for awhile, and found out what I would need for the cham when i got.
Anyway I got one from a local breeder, and he called to mine with it. He said the tank and set up was fine for the cham, but it died four days later.
It ate a couple of crickets on the second day i had it, and then i not sure if it ate after that. I presumed the death might be cos chamelons are so fragile and maybe the new place might of stressed him out too much.
I told the fella i got it off, and he said he'll give me a replacement. So he mailed me this week, and he has a new batch of chams, and im wondering is there anythin i can do to make the transition easier for the cham

Thanks in advance

 

[chambabysitter1]

Hey all, just new to the site.
I got a chameleon a couple months back. Id read up on them for awhile, and found out what I would need for the cham when i got.
Anyway I got one from a local breeder, and he called to mine with it. He said the tank and set up was fine for the cham, but it died four days later.
It ate a couple of crickets on the second day i had it, and then i not sure if it ate after that. I presumed the death might be cos chamelons are so fragile and maybe the new place might of stressed him out too much.
I told the fella i got it off, and he said he'll give me a replacement. So he mailed me this week, and he has a new batch of chams, and im wondering is there anythin i can do to make the transition easier for the cham

Thanks in advance

What did you read?

What kind of chameleon?

What was your last setup like? Lighting, cage size, etc.

Have you read this site?
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/

Good luck, I hope it goes better this time.

 

[sandrachameleon]

Sorry to hear your first chameleon experience was not a good one. Its possible the chameleon you received the first time was unhealthy, and the stress of change may have done it in. However it may also have been a husbandry issue. You can minimize stress by not handling the chameleon, limiting its exposure to you and seeing any other pets/traffic, ensuring lots of places to hide are provided (plants), ensuring temp and humidity are exactly right, using the right enclosure, etc.

You might want to do some further research:

Chameleon related websites:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/56-chameleon-related-websites.html
Housing:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/82-enclosures-housing.html
Water:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/92-hydration-importance.html
Lighting:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/68-lighting-links.html
What to feed to chameleons:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/74-feeders.html
What to feed the Feeders:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/75-feeder-nutrition.html
Supplements:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/65-supplements.html

and consider getting a couple books too: https://www.chameleonforums.com/bookstore/

 

[Ronanm9]

Thanks for reply
Chambabysitter, It was a veiled chameleon,
the tank was a small temporary tank. It was 1.5 x 1 x 1.5
I was gettin new larger reptile tanks built but after the cham died i didnt persue these tanks, but i have done again. The new cham tank will be 2 foot wide, 4 foot high, and about 1.5 foot depth and i will have that before the next one comes
i had some fake plants in he tank, but also some real ivy. and a waterfall thin.
Just reading the link u gave me there chambabysitter and its very good.

Reading wat sandrachameleon says there, maybe i did handle him alot over them first few days. Would that be hard on him?
I have bearded dragons also and when i got new ones i handled them alot so get them used to me.

 

[Dunnigan]

Handling can be VERY hard on a chameleon. They are more like fish, in the sense that you look but don't touch. I only touch my guys/girls when I am doing a serious cage cleaning. Or if they have to go to the vet. My girls cage is actually small enough that when i took her i Just seatbelted the cage into my passanger seat and went off lol.

Bearded Dragons are much more of a hands on pet than a chameleon.

 

[Ronanm9]

Handling can be VERY hard on a chameleon. They are more like fish, in the sense that you look but don't touch. I only touch my guys/girls when I am doing a serious cage cleaning. Or if they have to go to the vet. My girls cage is actually small enough that when i took her i Just seatbelted the cage into my passanger seat and went off lol.

Bearded Dragons are much more of a hands on pet than a chameleon.

hey there dunnigan. thanks for that. Thats definitey good to know and thats how il have to treat the new one

 

[Lancecham]

Chameleons need some time to adjust to their new surroundings. Avoid handling for the first week or two(unless you have to, ie- cage cleaning). Make sure the new enclosures is planted densely, so they can hide if need be.