Potential Future Chameleon Owner Here, inform me.

[Tbuckelew]

Hello forum, I am very interested in purchasing a chameleon in the near future. I have reptile experience, having a Bearded Dragon for most of my life. I recently moved to North Carolina and find myself wanting a pet to keep me company. I am allergic to dogs and cats and after seeing some videos of Chameleons on Youtube, I've decided to go for it. This is what led me to these forums and I'm asking for your advice and help.

Forgive my gauntlet of questions, but
What breed of chameleon should i be looking at for my first purchase, and why?
Are there certain things I should look out for or ask while buying?
How much should I be expecting the spend in total for the pet and habitat? How should I compensate for the weather in North Carolina, being below freezing some days during the winter and very hot during the summer?
And What are some rookie-mistakes I should try to avoid?

I understand that Chameleons are for an experienced reptile owner and I want to educate myself best I can before jumping into this. Any advice as to what resources I should look into before purchasing would be very helpful.

Thank you very much for your time.

 

[creep]

Welcome, you will soon become addicted
1. breed is dependent on your likes/budget. Veiled are cheapest and easy to care, panther are easy to care for as well, but cost 2-3 times as much.

2. buy from a breeder if you are new. plent of sponsors on this forum.
3. habitat with everything you need $125-200 new. and you might be able to find some deals on craigslist or the classified on this forum.
4. You will buy heat lamps to provide warmth, and as long as your home is 80 or cooler in the summer and warmer then 65 in the winter inside then you should be fine.
5. Get the right supplements it makes a big difference, gut load your feeders( research if your not sure)

 

[camimom]

Welcome!
you also need a uvb bulb.
a cage taht is taller than it is wide.
beardies use heating pads. but not for chameleons.

 

[pssh]

If you can get everything for $125, I need to go shopping with you! Including the adult cage and other things, expect around $200 if you can get stuff cheaply.

Most people go for panther chameleons (F. pardalis) or veiled chameleons (C. calyptratus) for their first chameleons because they are rather forgiving as far as mistakes go, and they are readily available.

If you are buying in person, check for alert eyes, strong grip, sturdy legs (and casque if you get a veiled,) check the cage for appropriate poops, etc. If ordering online, buy from a sponsor. Ask about the health guarantee, the gender guarantee, the line they are from, if its a panther, ask about the locale, etc.

As long as your house stays relatively stable temperature wise, you should be fine. Temps down into the 60s and sometimes 50s at night are fine for a healthy adult veiled or panther. Ambient temps are generally preferred around 70-75 ish.

 

[Trin]

In case you can't tell what appropriate poos are... they should be brown on one side, and white white on the other. If the white is yellow or orange, then the chameleon is dehydrated.

For the tank:
A fully mesh/screened tank is best, size of it depends on your cham. You'll be wanting to load it with plants (dracenas except for lucky bamboo, schefflera arbicola, pothos, and ficus bejamina are great bets... I tend to stay with the first three because they're decently easy to keep small and pothos tend to thrive on cham feces and too much water) to keep humidity up for your little one, get some bendy vines to create crazy highways for your cham to have fun on and to sit on to bask. The more coverage you put in there (especially in the top 2/3rds of the tank) the happier your cham will be.

For a heat lamp you can typically do just fine with a 25-40 watt light bulb depending on the ambient temp of your room. Do make sure to get a uvb lamp... the best ones require a hood, but they really are better. Reptisun 5.0 has been widely recommended... it's a florescent lamp. If you can, avoid coil lamps, some of them have been known to cause eye issues.

MISC:
A spray bottle so you can mist your little one
IF you are in a very dry area, you may need a humidifier.
A dripper is a great thing to have... it lets your little one have access to water even when you aren't there, and pothos love it if you let the dripper drip into them.
Rocks to cover the dirt in the plants (most store bought plants have fertilizer in the dirt.. you don't want your baby eatin that)
A place to store and gutload crickets.
A timer for your lights (optional if you'll be around when they're going on and off)
Supplements: calcium withOUT d3 every day but two in a month... calcium with d3 one or two days a month, multivitamin one or two days a month (pay days are awesome ways to remember XD)

I think that's all, but if anyone has anything else, please please please chime in!

 

[Solid Snake]

Hello forum, I am very interested in purchasing a chameleon in the near future. I have reptile experience, having a Bearded Dragon for most of my life. I recently moved to North Carolina and find myself wanting a pet to keep me company. I am allergic to dogs and cats and after seeing some videos of Chameleons on Youtube, I've decided to go for it. This is what led me to these forums and I'm asking for your advice and help.

I have also recently moved to NC, what part are you in? Im in Jacksonville/Camp Lejeune area.

Forgive my gauntlet of questions, but
What breed of chameleon should i be looking at for my first purchase, and why?
Panthers and Veileds are usually recommended for starting off. They have "simpler" care needs.
Are there certain things I should look out for or ask while buying?
If you go to a shop, you can tell they are lying, when there lips are moving. Shops in general are known for giving missinformation. Not that this is always the case. If you have questions ask them, but ask here as well. We will shoot you straight.
How much should I be expecting the spend in total for the pet and habitat?
The pet: $100 and up. Veileds tend to go for $100 ish panthers $250ish. This will depend though. There are plenty of reputable people to buy from that sponsor this site, as well as smaller breeders that you can find here.
How should I compensate for the weather in North Carolina, being below freezing some days during the winter and very hot during the summer?
They can handle night time temps of 50f. During the day time they(panthers and veileds) need about a 85ish basking area, with a 70ish ambient temp.
And What are some rookie-mistakes I should try to avoid?
Buy a screen cage. Not an aquarium. You can also use a ventilated terrarium, as long as it has air flow. You could also free range though. Just no aquariums. Dont keep more than one at a time in a single enclosure.
I understand that Chameleons are for an experienced reptile owner and I want to educate myself best I can before jumping into this. Any advice as to what resources I should look into before purchasing would be very helpful.

Thank you very much for your time.

Everyone else had great advice. These are just my opinions.

 

[Elizadolots]

Welcome!

I recently moved to North Carolina and find myself wanting a pet to keep me company.

Please be aware that many chameleons are not "hands on" pets. Though some chameleons learn to tolerate and perhaps even appreciate being handled, many--possibly most--do not. This does not mean they can not be good company, but you need to be prepared for a "watch only" pet.

 

[Trin]

Ooops, totally forgot my manners... ^^;

Welcome to the forums and congrats on your first post, it was a good one and we appreciate people who ask first and buy later!

 

[okiroo]

Welcome to the fourms, seems most of your Q'd have been coverd. although chams can be expensive i've found them to be very rewards. some people cant touch there own chams often but they can be trained to hand feed and alot of people take theirs out for sun on good days ect. once you learn your cham you can probally do more than you think with it as long as it doesnt become stressed