Novice interested in Chameleons!

J

Joseki

New Member
Hello, my name is John I'm from Wisconsin, and I've taken an interest in acquiring a pet chameleon (of the veiled type) in the coming months (having considered and done some research now for a couple weeks) and I have some questions.

#1 - Where can I find some sort of source referring to some sort of definitive 'guide' that tells me virtually everything I need to know about getting, caring for, and keeping a pet chameleon for a long healthy life. I saw the sticky, but I'm looking for more specifics.

#2 - Are pet stores an OK source to buy a chameleon? Often times more exotic pets are not well treated/kept, but the pet store by me has two baby veiled chameleons that are for sale (70USD each) and they seemed healthy and friendly. Is it OK to buy chameleons from pet stores? Or should I go to a breeder?

#3 - Cleaning: I haven't read anything about cleaning chameleon cages from their own waste. Is this an issue that needs to be attended to? Or is the amount of waste just very minimal and unnoticeable?

Thank you for your time.

-John
 
1. Go to the website www.raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.com. It has all the information you will need for raising a veiled chameleon.

2. Pet stores are not really the best place for purchasing chameleons. Try a breeder such as one of the website's sponsors. A breeder has tons more experience raising chameleons and they could guarantee you a healthy happy little cham. I'm not fully sure, but $70 seems a bit high for a baby veiled. I think they usually run for about $35 each.

3. I spot clean the little poops/urates my cham leaves behind each day. Chameleons are pretty darn clean little critters. Cleaning the entire cage is something you don't have to do quite as often.
 
#1 - Where can I find some sort of source referring to some sort of definitive 'guide' that tells me virtually everything I need to know about getting, caring for, and keeping a pet chameleon for a long healthy life. I saw the sticky, but I'm looking for more specifics.

"Raising Kitty" is pretty much dead on for Veiled care. When you say specifics what do you mean?

#2 - Are pet stores an OK source to buy a chameleon? Often times more exotic pets are not well treated/kept, but the pet store by me has two baby veiled chameleons that are for sale (70USD each) and they seemed healthy and friendly. Is it OK to buy chameleons from pet stores? Or should I go to a breeder?

Your best bet is with a breeder. Petstores have lots of issues in keeping chameleons, not to mention you dont really know where the chams came from so inbreeding and parasites are a concern. Besides breeders normally offer chams cheaper than most petstores. I got my last female for $40.

#3 - Cleaning: I haven't read anything about cleaning chameleon cages from their own waste. Is this an issue that needs to be attended to? Or is the amount of waste just very minimal and unnoticeable?

Personally I clean my cages once a week (Sundays). Some say every 2 weeks is okay but it depends on your drainage (lots of water involved with chams). Plus daily removal of poo.

You are on the right track by coming here. Just be sure to do all your homework. Many assume there isn't alot invloved with keeping chameleons (and really there isn't once your setup correctly) and they rush into the purchase and they end up with sick chams.
 
I can honestly tell you to stay away from the pet store chams, i learned the hard way. I bought a pregnant jackson that wasn't of age to be pregnant. I tried to nurse her back to health after birth, but she didn't make it very sad, wouldn't recommend it:(

On another note, chameleons are excellent pets just gather lots of info and put it together. Sounds like you already have a good start.

Like Janb said this sight is a good one, lots of info being circulated through here.

Good luck
 
You will also want to have your cage set up and running and all the temps and humidity readings on the mark BEFORE you bring your cham home.

The "raisingkitty" website is a must read.

But beware, chams are highly addictive, and it'll be hard to stop with just one :D
 
Hey John... Welcome to the site!!!
Brads site is a great source of information online for veiled chameleons and their care...its kinda the everything you need to know about veileds site! It is awesome that you are doing a little research before you buy a chameleon. Understanding that these creatures are a more high maintinance animal and do have some nessecary requriements is important. I personally wouldnt call any chameleon a "beginner" chameleon but veileds are a great choice for a first chameleon. Veileds tend to be a bit more hardy than some other species. Ive only been keeping veileds now for about five years and you could say im "mildly obsessed"!! A good place to start for a young veiled would be in the Classifeds section here on the forum heres the link:

https://www.chameleonforums.com/chameleons-sale/

There are couple of people that have baby veileds for sale right now on the forum so you may want to check them out as a start. There are also many reputable breeders associated with the site to get a chameleon from too. I wouldnt buy a cham from a pet store. You just dont know how well they've been cared for and if they are truly a healthy animal.

If you are really interested in getting a cham my suggestion would be to get everything you need for your cham first, get it all setup and have it ready, so when the time comes to get your chameleon your all good to go and your chameleon will happy and in the proper environment!!

Everyone here on the forum shares the same passion and are totally willing to help you with your new cham and getting things setup and any questions that come up.
 
Yay, another Wisconsinite!

About buying chameleons from pet stores, my fiance is a manager at a pet supplies plus store and that's where we basically get all our pets through. I've actually came to work with him to check on all of the reptiles and he takes very good care of them. He takes out the animals on occasion when he gets extra time. If you went there, you could always ask to see the individual. Most pet stores have no problem with taking them out and letting you hold them. Then again, most chameleons are going to put up a fuss either way.

Maybe if you live near his location, I can give you his hours and you could stop by. The veiled we got from there is in perfect health. I believe there should be some there, but if not he can always place out an order.

You can generally find a lot of books at most stores about the care of all different types of animals, but the best thing is to get variety. Not everyone raises their pet the same way and knowing a multitude of information definitely helps.

As for cleaning waste, that's already been answered :].
 
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I recommend buying from breeder you will have a lot less problems. I got mine from pet store, he was dehydrated, malnurished,impacted and has anger managment problems. training was nessecary due to improper habitat. he wanted to drink off glass. there is no glass in his cage. my friend just got a youth he drank off leaves right off. he got it from breeder, his cham takes less care than mine. my next will be from someone on this forum. you where smart to look into it first. good luck.
 
Grizz said:
I recommend buying from breeder you will have a lot less problems. I got mine from pet store, he was dehydrated, malnurished,impacted and has anger managment problems. training was nessecary due to improper habitat. he wanted to drink off glass. there is no glass in his cage. my friend just got a youth he drank off leaves right off. he got it from breeder, his cham takes less care than mine. my next will be from someone on this forum. you where smart to look into it first. good luck.
Click to expand...

It all depends on the kind of pet store you get it from...I far from trust any other pet store but because I can FIND OUT myself where he orders all the pets from, I know their history. I also can see how well they take care of them there because I'm there a lot. I know a lot of stores are really bad at taking care of things, because I've seen. He's even had to discipline a few of his employees on some occasions. Honestly, some people just give bad reps to every single pet store just because the one(s) they go to is(are) crappy.

However, if you go and look in the pet stores and can get the information and they aren't under the proper care you're looking for, by all means visit a breeder. But make you look into them, too. This goes for any pet.
 
Thanks for the replies everyone!

We have a little baby boy Veiled Cham ready and on hold at Animart (the local petstore here in Madison, Wisconsin) and on friday (picking him up sat) we'll have a small vertilcally oriented glass tank with some cham-safe plants and all our lighting set up before we go to pick the little guy up. He's very friendly and seems healthy and fell-wed at his current locale, and the person I spoke with owns 3 Chameleons currently, and was very knowledgeable (essentially relaying to me all the information I've read here and at other related chameleon websites) and helpful. I'm very excited! ;]

Thanks every again for linking me and giving me some advice about my chameleon.
 
New Owner Tips

#1 Sign-up for our Free 5-Day care course here. Over the course of 5 days, I'll email you short tutorials that cover the essentials of chameleon care.

#2 Read the article - Are you setup for your new chameleon? . This will give you an idea of what you'll need to get started.

#3 Read the article - Feeding & Nutrition. Don't overlook the importance of a balanced diet.

#4 Read the article - Gut-Loading. This is important for long-term health.

#5 Read our FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions regarding chameleons

For a general introduction about the Panther Chameleon, check out this article. An Introduction to Panther Chameleons.

After reading those articles, please don't hesitate to contact us toll-free at (888) 486-5552 if you have any additional questions or concerns.

Vince
Screameleons
 
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