Setup chameleon farm

[Chameleonboyboy]

Hi guys. May I ask if anyone can provide infos on setting up a chameleon farm. What's the space and system needed and what pre cautions are needed for both the breeding adults and juveniles.

Also in order to ensure a steady rate of 100hatchlings monthly, what kind of a figure am I looking to have to breed? Any losts that I may need to take note of in terms of eggs not surviving or chams that does not breed?

Please tell me anything you may know.

Cham boyboy
Good day to all

 

[ChuWuti]

Wow. I'm just learning about chams, but I've already read repeatedly that they are healthier when kept solitary, and individuals need a lot of space. Combine that with the special humidity and other husbandry requirements, I can't begin to imagine either how much space you'd need or how much expense you're talking about in setting up an operation to produce

a steady rate of 100hatchlings monthly

.

Please don't take offense, but that just sounds insane to me.

How long have you been a cham keeper? What species? I think experience is going to be a HUGE factor here, not to mention money and time if you want to do this right in terms of humane and healthy breeding and husbandry. . .

Sandy

 

[deadhd5]

The only way to make something like this remotely possible is to have years of experience breeding first.

The only way to make it remotely profitable is to do it in a location where the chameleons can be housed outside year round.

I hope you don't take offense, but due to the nature of your questions, the best advice would be to first become an experienced keeper, then breeder on a small scale, and then grow from there.

 

[Chameleonboyboy]

For your info

Hi guys.. For your info, I do have a small area outside my house that I am going to use for a start. Hoping to start with only panthers chameleons. should be big enough to start off as a farm.

Got some photos here on my pet.
Will get some pics on my garden later on.

I could custom make some big cages and maybe buy off small standard sized cages for individual housing.
Still I am just confused on how many WC or cb breeds should I import and start on this small project.

Lolx may I check how do u attach a few pics at the same time ???

Chamboy boy

 

[dom1959]

nice room, pics of animals or i will just go on thinking those are empty cages

wc would be to improve/strengthen bloodlines. i dream about being able to do what you are suggesting. how many people do you figure it will take to maintain the "farm"? wow i have so many questions...

 

[carol5208]

how long have you been keeping chameleons and what state do you live in? There are not many states where you can house a chameleon year round outside. I live in Florida and even here it gets too cold on some nights and very hot in the summer. If you have never kept chameleons and you are jumping into a "chameleon farm" for profit, well that sounds kinda crazy. You should talk to some of our site sponsors who have breeding for years and get a feel from them what it is like. btw, each chameleon needs its OWN cage and the babies need to be separated at about 3 months.

 

[Chameleonboyboy]

My babies

Hi all, now only keeping veils as limited choices here where I belong.
I am in Asia and its hot n humid throughout the whole year.

Trying to attach more photos but having issues. Sory for the slow posting. Labour is relatively affordable here and breeding of feeders are easy here. Well trying to work out my maths before planning anything but need a lot of advices from the breeders and anyone here.

Yes in the long run to be able to retail commercially but now its a personal dream of mine to breed and see my chameleons grow generation by generation.

Will keep the photos coming. In the meantime please keep suggestions or informations coming.

Chamboy boy

 

[ChuWuti]

I'm also still wondering where you are that you can house chams outside year round, but even more, I'm wondering what species of chams you have housed in those small enclosures shown in your pic?

According to the great care sheet provided on this forum, Furcifer pardalis adults need a 24" x 24" x 48" enclosure minimum, especially if you're planning to breed.

There's no way that any of the enclosures shown in your pics are four feet tall, and I am even doubtful that any of them are more than 18" wide/deep, though, again, I could be mistaken. I do see that you have a lot of equipment, so clearly you have already invested some into lighting and other husbandry needs.

I am thinking that this is something that sounds really cool and you'd love to be able to do it, right? It would be even better if you could do something you love and make money at it.

The problem is reality . . . I'll bet few people actually make money breeding chams, snakes, etc. We love them, we love having them and enjoy breeding them and aiming for new morphs, but the reality is that we generally can't recoup our expenses through breeding. Having enough chams to produce 100 hatchlings a month AND more importantly, keep them ALL alive and healthy means you'd have to have a LOT of chams with a LOT of space and equipment, far more than what's shown in your room.

I used to think the same thing about my snake breeding. I've had to recognize that the market for these animals is limited and that selling enough to recoup my losses isn't going to happen. And snakes, at least most of the ones I have, are way easier in terms of needs and husbandry requirements than chams. I noticed you have a cat--30 years ago I was a cat breeder--Balinese--cats are far more popular than herps of any type, so much easier to sell, but I still couldn't make a profit. Nowadays, I just keep cats as pets along with the other critters.

I'll bet that most of us who breed have other full-time jobs and careers unrelated to chams (or snakes or whatever herp species we could be discussing), and the money we earn from those jobs supports our cham (or snake, etc.) "habit."

Still, this is a way, way safer "habit" than cocaine or other illegal or dangerous habits I can think of! So enjoy it as much as you can. Just try to plan as realistically as possible for the way you want to enjoy it in the coming years.

 

[Chameleonboyboy]

Yes... I believe that it is tough to make money out of it. Have seen breaded dragon and rabbit breeders in my area that does it more of a hobby rather than trying to make a profit out of it.

I have my own job although it does not pay a lot but I have set aside some savings for this project and do not need the profits from my project to cover for my expenses. Truly as a dream of my own that I hope to breed and maybe hopefully in the near future becomes a place where the public and anyone can bring their kids along to see n feel the chameleons instead of only seeing photos only in forums.

I am glad to have a open space outside that I believe can house 200 or more individual cages and also a area for babies. This is where I kept my babies when they hatched.

Anyone knows how many adult chams is needed for a first setup for a small farm?

Chamboy boy

 

[Chameleonboyboy]

Another pic of my outdoor area. Find it too big for my 2 pairs of veils only and some babies. Planning to shift all these out to the garden area.


Please feel free to keep those comments coming and give me ideas.

Chamboy boy

 

[ChuWuti]

I'm happy to see those tall enclosures! Sure would love to see pics of chams . . . and where did you say you're located? Asia is HUGE.

 

[Rango3d]

Hi Cham boy
I use to breed other reptiles years ago and sell them. I knew people that would buy them from me so it made it easier to keep that hobby going. If your talking large scale, here is the advise I will give. First have buyers lined up that you know can care and be knowledgable about them. Buyers reputation is just as important as the breeder. Second don't jump into it all crazy. Start small, sell health animals, provide lots of info, and build your rep.
When your breeding lots of reptiles you got think of what happens when some get sick. Can you afford vet bills? And worse are you able to put some down that are just gonna spread disease to your other animals and don't have cures.
Your not gonna see profit. Not for a long time and lots of work.
I did this with other reptiles and can't really say its easier or harder with chams.
If it was me, I'd would be very picky and find a very specific pair of veilds and panthers. Grow them big health and beautiful. Breed those to start, then go from their.

 

[Chameleonboyboy]

Haha thks ChuWuti.. will upload photos when i can learn how to attach different files together

Yes putting down reptiles is a diffcult choice but if there is no alternative then it has to be done. As for vet, i can say for example getting an injection for a baby tortoise that has its eyes closed and could not feed cost abt Us 2 dollars in my side so i can suppose that vet bills i can manage.

I may be wrong but if someone is a reseller and sells a variety of reptiles then its a reptile store and retail reptile is never a easy biz to handle. I suppose someone that retails in different kinds of reptiles and one that breeds a kind and does its own sales and keeping good bloodline would be in two different directions.

I am never good in mix and match all kinds of reptiles.
Yes i would need to market and have buyers ready. But i have no timeline as in to plan when they are going to hatch so its really tough for me.

I was thinking of planning the spaces and number of cages needed first for husbandry and also the number of chams needed to import before i go on to the buyers. I hope the chams would be able to adjust into the husbandry and condition them first before trying out breeding. I believe there should be a figure for me but i am unsure of the numbers. Maybe someone can advise me in achieving 100+ hachlings monthly?

Chamboy boy