So many questions....

[cyndislopis]

Hi everyone, this is my first post as I am new to this forum. I'm looking to get a chameleon in the next month or so but I want to make sure I do it right.

What will I NEED before I get the Chameleon? Cage, lighting, heat, etc.? I want to know what you all think.

Also when would I need to run heat, light, dripper?

Do you have to mist if you have a dripper?

Any suggestions on a place to get a quality chameleon?

Any help you guys can give me I appreciate more than you know. I've sent out a few e-mails to breeders but never got any responses. This is a huge commitment and I don't want to go into it with the wrong knowledge or not enough. Thanks again!

 

[qdude46]

Well the basics are, a screen cage with vines branches and foliage, a 50-70watt incandescent bulb, 5.0 UVB, 60% humidity! no night lights. Yes you need to mist with a dripper, drippers don't affect the humidity that much. You can't really discuss companies here but check out the sponsors for good breeders. I'd wait at least two months because you'll want to be extra sure you have everything, I could be wrong though about that. Do get a more detailed answer, scroll down a little and look at the chameleon car tab on the left, click care sheets, and choose the chameleon you want. Welcome to the forums too! You can learn a ton here and the people here are awesome!

 

[cyndislopis]

thank you!!! I have one more question for you, I work sometimes for 11 hours a day should I get a misting system? or can the misting wait until I get home?

 

[carol5208]

I would get the misting system for sure if you are not going to be available. You can also run a dripper all day, but will need to provide some type of drainage or a catch basin for the water. You have to make sure if you use something to catch the water, it is not too deep or something you can cover with screen so your chameleon cannot fall in it and drown.

 

[symphonica]

There's a chameleon care sheet on this site that would help you out. It should be on the right side of the page, as like a banner.

Cage size would depend on age and species. The bigger, the better. 4'x2'x2' screen cage is recommended for many of the common species. Avoid glass tanks if this is your first chameleon and just starting out with them.

You want a heating lamp and a UVB bulb.

For heating lamp, go to a hardware store and pick up a silver, aluminum clamp dome. No need to buy an expensive one from the pet store. Plus, those ones tend to get very hot, and these Al ones stay a lot cooler. For a bulb, you can just get a regular, incandescent bulb you would use for your home. 60-75w, or whatever will keep your basking temp (2" below your lamp) to 80-90 degrees (again, temp depends on species and age. The rest of the enclosure should be in the 70s. It can drop down into the 60s at night when all lights are off. Make sure it's pitch black at night for them to sleep a deep sleep.

For UVB, a fluorescent tube would be best. A T8, unless you can afford a T5HO fixture and bulbs. Get one with a UVB output of 5.0.

You will want your lights on a timer. They need it on for 12 hours a day, at the same time every day. If they can see the natural sunlight outside, it's best to try to match up the actual sun's schedule. However, if there are no windows and they can't see the real sun outside, you can set up your own lighting schedule for them. They'll get used to whatever schedule you set up for them.

An automatic misting system would make your life a lot easier, and probably a necessity if you're not going to be home most of the day. Otherwise, you can mist by hand using a spray bottle for about 5-minutes, about 3 times a day. The cage should dry out completely between mistings, and before the lights go out at night and they go to sleep. If you don't let it dry out, they could acquire a respiratory infection. You want the humidity to be between 40-70%. Remember to shut off the automatic mister when the lights go off. You can put these on a timer, too.

Get a good hydrometer and thermometer. The ones with the needle tend to get stuck a lot. I have a digital, but people say those also tend to give erroneous readings as well. A temp gun would be most accurate. I use an old-school fish/aquarium thermometer - the glass tube with the red liquid that goes up and down - once in a while just to make sure my digital one is accurate.

You will want to feed a varied, rotational diet. The main source should be crickets or dubia roaches, but if you feed the same thing all the time, they will get bored and go on a hunger strike. Some of the other feeders, though, aren't all that great in terms of nutrition for them, so should be fed sparingly.

All feeders must be got loaded properly. Consider your feeders to just be the delivery trucks that deliver the goods to your cham. You need to load the truck with the goodies to be delivered. Fruits and veggies - there are a few good gutloading ingredients threads on this forum if you search for them.

Supplements also need to be given at almost every feeding. Again, schedule depends on age and species. You will want to pick up plain calcium with NO D3, multi-vitamin with no D3, and D3.
Again, we can help you with a schedule once we know your cham's species and age, but it's generally plain calcium dusted onto your feeders at every (or every other) feeding. And too much D3 can cause more harm than good, hence why you don't want to get calcium with any D3 in it.

Inside the cage, you want vines, plants, trees. They should be secured so that they can't fall and get injured. You should have enough that they can get to every spot in the cage by crossing on the vines - top, bottom, right, left, diagonals. It should basically look like a 3D spider web.

A draining tray or system for your cage would make your life easier. Make sure there's no open water or water dish (they will drown). No waterfalls - they won't drink from it since they won't recognize it as a drinking source.

The most common problems are respiratory infection, metabolic bone disease (MBD), and parasites. They should be seen by a vet at least once a year. A fecal exam needs to be done to check for parasites. Blood tests check for organ function. X-rays detect signs of MBD.
I think I covered everything and haven't forgotten anything...

Oh, and a camera is a must, to show off photos of the cham!

In terms of a good breeder, it really depends on what you're looking for. Any of the vendors on this forum is a safe choice.

 

[symphonica]

Oh, and definitely no substrate in the cage. They could choke on it. The cage should be a bare bottom.

 

[KWALA]

And don't take pet store employees word for pretty much everything

 

[symphonica]

And don't take pet store employees word for pretty much everything

Definitely good point - remember, they have the motive of making money. They'll tell you that you need an expensive $200 glass tank, a $15 bag of gravel, a $50 waterfall, etc.