Noob Here, need a lot of info

[b3av3r]

Alright not sure where to start, basically I had wanted to get a chameleon a few years ago however I really could find a lot of info on the subject locally and then money problems kind of sprung up.

Well now I am financially able (hopefully) to get a chameleon and I need a lot of info on well everything.

Not sure what forum to post this in, so mods let me know for next time.

Basically if someone could very slowly, step by step let me know what I need to keep a healthy chameleon that would be great.

And I do mean slowly to, the smallest thing needs to be told to me and online shops would be great. My plan is to have everything from enclosure to watering to food ready to go then I am going to attempt to find one locally.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[voxxom]

Well im sure someone else is going to post after me and comb out all the little necessities about owning one. but to start off:

Welcome to the forums, ask anyone any question, and as usual someone with more intelligence than me will answer it :]

so. with the very basics.

(more people will give you the specifics about bulbs, cages, and stuff like that)

At least 1 UVB light bulb, something that emits UVB, not just UVA, it has to have UVB as well. its a necessity.

A basking light bulb, for a veiled, around 95degrees in the basking area is ideal. but make sure its not too close or they can suffer from thermal burns. which is a whole nother story (is nother even a word?)

Drip systems are probably going to be their MAIN source for water and drinking, you must have one set up with DECLORINATED water, which you can make by boiling ordinary tap water, or just buying from a store.

Misting is also a huge factor that goes hand in hand with humidity. get a hand sprayer (declorinated water) and spray his/her cage down at least 3 timse a day for a matter of 5 minutes at a time. make sure the water is rather hot. that way when you spray it, its rather warm for your chameleons and they can enjoy it and not have to run from it!

uhm, caging is another. obviously. it must be big enough to house your new friend comfortably, but not too big as he may get lost and never find his food thats running around. so get something average size (someone else will give you the specs im sure) and then after your cham. has aged, you can move him into a bigger enclosure.

once again with the lights, make sure he/she has plenty of UVB!!!

crickets are most likely going to be thier primary source of food, you will need to dust all of the food with Calcium poweder (i use repti-cal, with the pink label) so that way your friend is getting all his required calcium intake.

also gutload your crickets a few days prior to feeding them to your cham, who doesnt like a big juicy cricket?

now with plants, i use a China Doll, and 1 Benjamini ficus, but others like Schefflera (or w.e its called), Hibiscus, and pothos can be used. LIVE plants also help absorb water and keep the humidity in the cage up (65% is average i believe)


so thats all of the very basics of basics i can think of, im sure someone else will come in and criticize the hell out of me and make every little nit pickit detail included, (which is needed, im just lazy)

 

[b3av3r]

thanks for the reply voxxom

are there any reputable online shops I could buy this from? at least then I could put everything together and let you guys give me the ok on my setup before I waste money and possibly kill my new buddy.

thanks

 

[Jordan]

You can find a couple of links to different things on the homepage. There are several breeders (mostly panthers), a food place, and lllreptiles which has equipment. I have found that they are right in line with most prices at my local pet stores and better then in some cases. You can kind of get an idea of what set-up cost can run you. They where running some specials on complete set-ups that I found appealing and fairly priced.

I would suggest a veiled chameleon to anyone starting into the world of chameleons. They have a high tolerance to a range of temperatures and humidity levels. The norm is to have a 90-100 degree basking area (make sure they cannot get under it directly, have big heads). The rest of the cage can range from 70-85 degrees depending on where you get your information. The do best in the 50-75% humidity range which is not to hard to achieve in most topographical locations. These guys can be aggressive towards other chameleons and their owners at times. There are tricks you can do to help with that over time. I would also recommend a male of this species as they do not have eggs and the colors they can produce are amazing. The males get rather large 18-24" so a good size cage down the line is something that you will have to keep in mind. To touch on what Voxxom already said uvB is extremely important with these guys. It is recommended that you buy a new bulb every six months. They will break down gradually over time and produce less uvB. They sell these lights with numbers besides them. A 2.0 would give off 2% uvB. With a veiled the 5% or better is acceptable.