Recommendations and female chameleon help

[MadSince95]

Hi I'm new to the chameleon world and have tons of questions. First of which is where online is recommended breeders I can buy from? I like Screameleons but I'm not sure yet, any suggestions? And I have no idea how to take care of a gravid female chameleon and I want to avoid it if possble but just so I know how would I take care of a female? Just the fact they lay eggs without a male scares me.

 

[camimom]

Welcome!
All of our site sponsors are good.
ANd if you dont want a female... dont get one!

 

[MadSince95]

Lol thank you and I know XD but they are the only thing I can afford it seems :/

 

[Olimpia]

Hey, welcome to the forum!
Any of the site sponsors have a trusted, excellent reputation and Screameleons is definitely one of them! They are great people to buy from, so buy in confidence.

Are you thinking you want a female then? Female panthers are lovely, they really are. I'll attach a few pics of my female below for you to see. Female care sounds daunting, but I don't think it is. To keep a female from laying fewer eggs or no eggs at all, we keep their maximum basking temps at 80*F and put them on a strict diet after they turn about 5 months old. Feeding her fewer insects and keeping her basking spot cooler will slow down her metabolism, therefore keeping them from producing as many or any eggs.

If you female does become gravid and need to lay, the process isn't very difficult. If your cage is big enough, keep an opaque container about 12" deep by at least 7-8" wide full of moist sand or organic soil. This is where she will lay her eggs. If you cannot fit something like this in your cage, have a smaller container full of the same things in there with her. If you notice that she starts to look bloated and starts to pace the cage and dig a little at your container, you can move her into the larger one.

They may take 12+ hours to dig and lay, often times in the evening/night. They will need complete privacy, because if they see you watching too many times it will make them nervous and they'll hold in the eggs, with negative results. I cover the front of my cage with a sheet and peek through a tiny hole to see how she is.

Here is a link with more indepth info on how to keep a female: http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/2007/12/keeping-female-veiled.html They work just the same for female panthers.

And here are a few pics of my girl:

Good luck! Ask away if you have any more questions.

 

[Olimpia]

Oh, if you don't want a female then check out someone like the Chameleon Company. I've gotten two males from them for $150 each. Or look around for some panther crosses, sometimes they're also selling for less. But you'd have to check out the classifieds here or on Kingsnake.com or Faunaclassifieds.com.

 

[MadSince95]

Your chameleon is beautiful thank you for showing me those pictures as well as the information that's a big help its greatly appreciated I no doubt will have more questions, thanks again!

 

[camimom]

Keep in mind, if you cant afford the lizard, will you be able to afford the bugs? and the potential vet visit? and alll the supplies that go with it
WHen I bought my 50 dollar veield, and all his stuff.. i spent.. 192 bucks.

i just bought 2000 crickets and some hornworms... i spen 93 bucks.
now, i feed 2 chams, but when i only had one, i still could spend that much making sure i had different feeders, and stuff.

 

[MadSince95]

I'm having help from my family and sister. she has Russian tortoise. My family was going to help out which i appreciate a lot.

 

[camimom]

I just want you to keep these things in mind.
Someoene just had his cham get his tongue amputated.
If a cham has parasites, they need a vet visit and meds.
respiratory infections, vet visit and meds.
eye infection, vet visit and meds.
Im not trying to scare you off, owning chams is very rewarding and interesting, but they can get pricy.

I wish you all the luck.
If you want info on a female laying stuff, read jannb blog on egg laying. very helpful.

 

[jannb]

Welcome to the forums. This is a great place to learn about chameleons. Little girls need a good home too but chameleons are an expensive pet to keep. When you do buy I would hightly recommend Dez and Jason from Chamalot Chameleons. They are site sponsors here and I have have seen their chams and set ups at the shows. They are spot on! They are small time breeders that truly care about their pets.

I have a couple of my blogs attached for you below. One on general care and the other is about egg laying and the laying bin.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/jannb/345-egg-laying-laying-bin.html

 

[MadSince95]

Thank you both, much appreciated.