Not yet taken the plunge...

[Holyfishcakes]

Hello everyone.


I would love to get a chameleon and have been looking into it seriously for a number of weeks. I do have a couple of questions though if you could help at all?

Firstly (and Excuse me if this seems like a silly question ), I have never looked after any kind of reptile before as no other reptile has piqued my interest. I am aware that a chameleon is more for advanced keepers, so with this in mind I am wondering - Is it possible to keep a chameleon and work full time or is it best avoided for the well being of the chameleon?

Also I have two young children, and whilst i dont envisage them handling the cham much (if at all) I have read that reptiles carry salmonella. How prevalent is this and would it just be a case of always washing hands and keeping the area clean or would the advice be to have the cham in a seperate room that isn't accessable to the children at all? Or again is it best avoided?


cheers!

 

[charvey]

Just do your research before taking the plunge read up all you can on the species you want. You will find veried information on all species. Coming to a big forum like this is a great place to start and if youre working full time you're just gonna want youre lights on timers and an automatic mister, as for thw kids id make sure theres a lock on the tank just to make sure

 

[reptoman]

Hi and welcome to the forums!

To answer your first question, there are several ways to automate your setup so you can work full time and not have to worry about the welfare of your chameleon during the day while at work. Lights should be on a timer always so they come on and go off on a regular schedule. Watering can be done by using an automated misting system such as mistking or aquazamp so that the chameleon has water available to it througout the day while maintaining the correct humididty parameters as well. If you clean and feed before work in the morning there should be no issue leaving the chameleon during the day while at work.

Excessive handling is not recommended as Chameleons are solitary animals and do not usually welcome human contact but there are exceptions with some animals seeming to enjoy coming out of the cage to be carried to a favorite free range setup or for outdoor sun time. Chameleons are very prone to stress so should be kept in an area free of traffic and movement so they are not contstantly stressing over external stimuli. They should aslo have an area to hide in their enclosure so they feel more secure. Any handling of reptiles should be done with caution and you should always wash your hands before and after. The chameleon poses no greater risk than anyother reptile for salmonella that I am aware of. There are vets on this site that may comment on this issue. Washing your hands before handling also prevents something from harming the chameleon as they are sensitive animals and can be harmed by many different external chemicals that may be present on your hands. (ie, hand lotions, perfume, etc)
Hope this helps and I hope you find what you are looking for here. Its a great group of people.

 

[Holyfishcakes]

Thanks very much for the advice guys. I've been doing research but i thought i'd ask here regarding the bits that i'm a bit confused/not much info about. The second question has been asked by my wife who i am yet to convince that getting a cham is a good idea, so more info or advice on the Salmonella risk (specifically with Chameleons) would be appreciated as this is the first stumbling block!