So my cham died yesterday...

[reptilover]

I'm very sorry for ur loss I wouldn't wish that feeling on anyone

 

[lojack13]

Sorry to hear you lost your Cham. I have been through it twice myself and it is heartbreaking. The first Cham I lost was so very similar to your situation. I got a Senegal at a local pet shop and knew next to nothing on how to keep one. She ended up in a small aquarium with a night light at night as directed by the pet shop people. LOL! Yeah, not so much. Needless to say she did not live more than 20 days. I ended up on here doing further research a few days after I got her and realized just how much the pet store DID NOT know. I immediately bought her a cage from dyi and stopped with the night light. Unfortunately the day the DYI cage got here she died. I honestly think she was sick from day one because she never did eat more than 2 crickets in a day and that is not very normal for any Cham. Of course me keeping her in uneducated conditions only exacerbated her decline, I'm sure. But don't get discouraged. Read, ask questions, highly educate yourself. This forum and all the people on here are a wealth of info. I have a Panther Cham now and she is doing amazing thanks to all the information I have found on this site. But, unfortunately I got a 3 month old male Panther a while back and he died in 25 days....this just goes to show that sometimes even with the best of knowledge, they will still sometimes die on you. But at least knowing all your husbandry will let you know that you did everything you could to save them.

 

[thegreatfantasmo]

My condolences for your loss! It's so hard when we lose a beloved pet.

 

[okiroo]

Im so sorry for your loss. it's hard but its gr8 to hear your going to try again, now that you know you can give a lucky cham a wonderful home someday.

 

[jarred]

I know how you feel. just lost my first this morning. I had him for a month, i got him from petsmart, he wasnt a great eater and there was a couple other red flags but i was confident with my husbandry and i researched for months, I figured based on age he was sort of past the fragile point and i could give him what he needs. My wife called them yesterday and one of the people said how old they were, turns out my almost four month old was more like a two month old. I never had one before so i didnt know how big that age should be. Very sad. I researched for a month before I spent three months building his adult enclosure. All hard wood, mistking, tile floor, drain, all screen. Its a show piece stands 7' tall its over three feet wide. I made sure that everthing i used was non toxic and safe. like i said a lot of research i spent over a month sourcing a nontoxic acrylic paint sealer for the background i made for it. I will get another chameleon but it will certainly be from a breeder this time and defanitely be three to four months old. If it was my fault i cant figure out why or how, but sadly cant help but feel responsible. Keep your chin up, I intend to do the same
Jarred

 

[Amateur]

Yea.. I want to get one of Chuck's chams from Heroic Chameleons. I REALLY love that white/blue combo. I plan on having the outside and inside cages and just have them decked out with misting systems, auto lights and everything.

Love your enthusiasm..... You've reminded me about myself about a month ago, when I was extremely enthusiastic about the idea of a super cool cage for a super gnarly chameleon, but since then, the impulsive in me was beat down by the realist in me, and I've mostly decided that I shouldn't own a chameleon because I don't have enough time to take good care of it, though at times I'm very tempted by the idea, something of a dilemma at this point.

Anyways, your plans sound fairly interesting, hopefully your next chameleon will live a long and healthy life, good luck!

I bought her from a local pet store not knowing ANYTHING about chams. When I got home I immediately started researching how to take care of them. Joined this forum the day I got her. Since she has passed I have gone to that pet store and let them know the PROPER way to keep their chams, they need to be vet checked and all that. They are making BIG improvements to the way they keep their chams because I went over there and talked to them about it.. I didn't want her death to be in vain and maybe I can keep it from happening to another one. And thanks for the condolences everyone, really makes me feel better. I did the best I could by her and at least she lived the last couple weeks of her life getting to go outside and being loved. That brings me some comfort

I think some pet stores do it on purpose, and furthermore, a proper chameleon cage would take too much space height-wise. I saw in a PetSmart not too long ago, juvenile unhealthy-looking chameleons being sold at $140 each, the info said that chameleons don't drink water if it's still, and then you saw that the water in the cages was put inside a bucket, no sign of a misting system, so unprofessional.