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[gguidr7]

Hey everyone, I'm still in the infancy of my chameleon ownership. As in, I don't have one yet. Everything's negotiable as I haven't committed myself to a specific species.

I'm looking for a chameleon species that is smaller and predominantly green. No horns, but can have a casque. NOTE: These are personal preferences, I'm not trying to genetically manufacture a new species...

I'm partial towards veiled, but am open to any suggestions.

Any ideas?

 

[HerbsForMyChameleon]

Veiled sounds like the right choice, plus its a good starter cham. Do you know what supplies you will need?

Welcome BTW

 

[Pilotman800]

Welcome!

I would also recommend Veiled, but they aren't that small once they're full grown.

 

[Texas Panther Man]

Veileds are a good choice and so are panthers. Panthers tend to have a more relaxed attitude than most veileds.

 

[jessica]

Whats wrong with horns

 

[gguidr7]

Veiled sounds like the right choice, plus its a good starter cham. Do you know what supplies you will need?

Welcome BTW

I've been reading the forums for about a week now. Just off the top of my head:
Enclosure~ 18"-24"x18"-24"x48"
UVB bulb- Preferably Reptisun 5.0
Some sort of basking bulb- Depending on what kind/size of enclosure I end up using
Misting system- I'm going to try and rig a custom built setup with lines along the top of the enclosure all aiming in
Dropper- Self-explanatory
Cham-safe plants for my enclosure- I'm thinking hibiscus and umbrella/schefflera
Insects- crickets, meal worms, wax worms, flightless fruit flies, etc. and containers for them
Food for the insects- potatoes, carrots, lettuce, etc.
Calcium Dust- w/ & w/o D3

I know there's more, but this is from memory- I'll have a checklist gone through before I get my cham.

Welcome!

I would also recommend Veiled, but they aren't that small once they're full grown.

I think I'm okay with that. It's just a preference to have them small. They're all so cute when they're babies.

 

[kinyonga]

Welcome to the forum and the world of chameleons...

Please be aware that if you get a hatchling you won't want a basking temperature as high as you would for an adult male. I keep my hatchlings in the low 80's in the warmest area of the cage since their small bodies can dehydrate and heat/cool more quickly than an adult can.

You forgot to include supplements and your gutload/food for the insects could be better....see the information below...

This information I hope will help you with things like supplements, gutloading, etc....
Appropriate cage temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part indirectly in nutrient absorption.

Exposure to UVB from either direct sunlight or a proper UVB light allows the chameleon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system to make/keep the bones strong and be used in other systems in the chameleon as well. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic no matter whether its from the sun or the UVB light. The most often recommended UVB light is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light. Some of the compacts, spirals and tube lights have caused health issues, but so far there have been no bad reports against this one.

Since many of the feeder insects we use in captivity have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in them, its important to dust the insects just before you feed them to the chameleon at most feedings with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it. (I use Rep-cal phosphorus-free calcium).

If you also dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. It leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of what it needs through its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system but D3 produced from exposure to UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it. (I use Rep-cal phos.-free calcium/D3).

Dusting twice a month as well with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while. (I use herptivite which has beta carotene.)

Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs. I gutload crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms, etc. with an assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.)

Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon (muscles, etc.) and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.
Please note that various supplements have various amounts of D3 and vitamin A and so some can be given more often than others. The idea still is not to overdo the fat soluble vitamins like D3 and prEformed vitamin A.

Here are some good sites for you to read too...
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200605020...Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200406080...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://web.archive.org/web/200601140...ww.adcham.com/
If you can't access the sites above that have the word "archive" in you can do it through the WayBackMachine.

 

[HerbsForMyChameleon]

I've been reading the forums for about a week now. Just off the top of my head:
Enclosure~ 18"-24"x18"-24"x48"
UVB bulb- Preferably Reptisun 5.0
Some sort of basking bulb- Depending on what kind/size of enclosure I end up using
Misting system- I'm going to try and rig a custom built setup with lines along the top of the enclosure all aiming in
Dropper- Self-explanatory
Cham-safe plants for my enclosure- I'm thinking hibiscus and umbrella/schefflera
Insects- crickets, meal worms, wax worms, flightless fruit flies, etc. and containers for them
Food for the insects- potatoes, carrots, lettuce, etc.
Calcium Dust- w/ & w/o D3

I know there's more, but this is from memory- I'll have a checklist gone through before I get my cham.



I think I'm okay with that. It's just a preference to have them small. They're all so cute when they're babies.

Sounds like you have been doing your research! glad to see someone does the research before getting their chameleon, a lot of newbies have their chameleon before they get a uvb

 

[gguidr7]

Thanks for the deets!

 

[gguidr7]

Sounds like you have been doing your research! glad to see someone does the research before getting their chameleon, a lot of newbies have their chameleon before they get a uvb

I'm very meticulous when it comes to pets. I want my chameleon to flourish just as much as I want to enjoy owning him!

 

[HerbsForMyChameleon]

Thats awesome, i just got my second cham. my first was a veiled. his name is Rango and my new 2.5 month old ambilobe. his name is Judah

 

[Seeco]

Kinyongia multituberculata