(Soon to be) New Chameleon Keeper

Prince of Duval

Avid Member
Hello, chameleon community! I just wanted to introduce myself as I look forward to being more active in these forums. I just purchased a male panther chameleon which will be ready to come home in April/May. In the meantime, I’m preparing for his arrival so everything is ready when he gets here. Before I decided to purchase a chameleon. I actively followed your threads and replies hoping to soak up some of your knowledge in what seems to be a hobby with much ambiguity. I’ve listened to all of the Chameleon Breeder/Academy podcasts, some more than once, and tried to do research any where else I could. What I haven’t had a chance to do is talk to anyone with any knowledge of chameleon keeping...and that’s where I hope you’ll come in by answering any questions I have and providing constructive criticism.

At this point, I’ve purchased a Reptibreeze XL 2ftx2ftx4ft cage with the hopes to build a larger enclosure at some point in the future. I’ve retrofitted the cage with Dragon Strand ledges and a drainage tray. My daughter and I spent today combing the woods behind our house and collecting branches to fill our cage. I’ve also purchased an Arcadia T5 UVB Kit with a 6% bulb. I’ll post a picture of my progress so far, but I think I need another horizontal branch higher in the cage for basking. In the coming days, I’ll also be purchasing plants at the local nursery to start filling the cage. Everything else is still up in the air. I still need the plants, a basking lamp and bulb, a misting system, supplements, and feeders. This is where your initial input would be much appreciated. I plan to keep my chameleon indoors and I live in Florida so temperature and humidity shouldn’t be too much of an issue.

Here are some questions I haven’t stumbled across too often:

Plants:
1. I won’t have any plants on the bottom floor as I have a screen and drainage tray. What do you recommend in addition to Pothos and Spider Plants for hanging? Maybe refer to the picture and let me know where you would recommend placement of all the plants as well.

Basking Lamp & Bulb:
1. IMO there seems to be a lot of research and discussion put into UVB lighting, but very little as it relates to basking lamps. The impression I get is if the lamp and bulb get the temperatures you're looking for, then that lamp is as good as any other. Thoughts, opinions, recommendations?
2. What other lighting would you suggest to illuminate the cage and promote plant growth? I see a lot of dual and quad setups shown off with LED light bars seemingly starting to trend.
3. Recommendations on placement of all lighting would be great. Don’t you want your chameleon getting UVB while basking? How do you place your lighting so your chameleon is under the basking lamp but also getting UVB? Or is this not really a concern because the UVB lamp is reflecting light and UVB all over the top of the cage?

Misting System:
Mistking seems to be the most common recommendation I see. If I have an all screen cage, so am I guaranteed to get spray out of the cage or is it potentially manageable and mess-free? How do you compensate for this or is putting up some sort of protective barrier on a few sides really the only option?

Supplements:
The forums seem to really recommend the Repashy Calcium Plus LoD. I’ve heard the Kammers are pretty much exclusively using the regular Calcium Plus without issue of getting too much Vitamin D. I tend to lean more toward getting good supplementation through proper lighting and gutloading of a diversity of feeders so I think LoD would be the better option. The thought of using something like Arcadia Earthpro-A with minimal other supplementation intrigues me, but not something I would risk as an amateur keeper with no real experience.

Feeders:
1. How soon before getting my chameleon should I purchase and start gutloading feeders?
2. Since I will only have one Chameleon for the foreseeable future, how often and how many feeders do you recommend I get at a time? How long do typical feeders live?
3. What do you recommend feeding other than crickets that are good for chameleonwhile being relatively cheap and available at most pet stores or reptile shops?
4. Should you keep different types of feeders separated or is it fine to put them in one big container together?
5. What’s your opinion on wild caught insects? I live in a wooded area so we have moths, butterflies, different types or beetles, grubs, roaches, spiders, flys, mosquitos, etc.

Anything else:

1. Is there anything I don’t have or didn’t cover that I need or should consider?

Sorry for the long post but I look forward to getting to know you and learning from you in the coming months and years.

-Prince
88618146-C7F9-4B32-B13E-5E6805CB5FDF.jpeg
 
I "prep" my feeders the night before I feed them to my cricket. For example, I will get a certain amount of crickets in a container by themselves and feed them an apple splice, cucumber, or other safe foods. I will also dust them in the Repashy Calcium Plus LoD so they'll be ready in the morning. I feed him as soon as his lights come on so it gives him times to bask and digest his food.

Also, for lighting, I use this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AQU8F2O/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&th=1
Many users on here showed my this and it comes with a bulb. I love it! However, I will be switching over to Arcadia as soon as I am able to.
 
I "prep" my feeders the night before I feed them to my cricket. For example, I will get a certain amount of crickets in a container by themselves and feed them an apple splice, cucumber, or other safe foods. I will also dust them in the Repashy Calcium Plus LoD so they'll be ready in the morning. I feed him as soon as his lights come on so it gives him times to bask and digest his food.

Also, for lighting, I use this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AQU8F2O/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&th=1
Many users on here showed my this and it comes with a bulb. I love it! However, I will be switching over to Arcadia as soon as I am able to.
I got mine from Reptile Basics which includes a bulb. It was $68 including shipping.
 
Mistking seems to be the most common recommendation I see. If I have an all screen cage, so am I guaranteed to get spray out of the cage or is it potentially manageable and mess-free? How do you compensate for this or is putting up some sort of protective barrier on a few sides really the only option?
yup. I taped shower curtains to two sides of my enclosure. It also helps with the humidity.
 
To answer some of your questions --
Lights:
1. IMO there seems to be a lot of research and discussion put into UVB lighting, but very little as it relates to basking lamps. The impression I get is if the lamp and bulb get the temperatures you're looking for, then that lamp is as good as any other. Thoughts, opinions, recommendations? Correct. Just make sure it is a white light (not red).
2. What other lighting would you suggest to illuminate the cage and promote plant growth? I see a lot of dual and quad setups shown off with LED light bars seemingly starting to trend. I don't use any additional lights beside heat and UVB.
3. Recommendations on placement of all lighting would be great. Don’t you want your chameleon getting UVB while basking? How do you place your lighting so your chameleon is under the basking lamp but also getting UVB? Or is this not really a concern because the UVB lamp is reflecting light and UVB all over the top of the cage? I have my UVB bulb diagonal for this reason. It's a 36" fixture for a 24" wide enclosure.

Misting System:

Mistking seems to be the most common recommendation I see. If I have an all screen cage, so am I guaranteed to get spray out of the cage or is it potentially manageable and mess-free? How do you compensate for this or is putting up some sort of protective barrier on a few sides really the only option? Pretty much haha. I have a PVC board on the back and clear shower curtains on the sides. This also helps with humidity.

Feeders
:
1. How soon before getting my chameleon should I purchase and start gutloading feeders? I'd have feeders on hand a week prior. Make sure they'll be small enough for your little one. Stay away from hornworms until they get bigger. Those worms get massive.
2. Since I will only have one Chameleon for the foreseeable future, how often and how many feeders do you recommend I get at a time? How long do typical feeders live? Depends on the feeder. Roaches and superworms I'll buy a 100-200 or so at a time since they will live a long time. BSFL and wax worms maybe 50 or so since they take about 2 weeks to start pupating. You'll know how much ot order once you have a better idea of how much your cham will eat and what feeders they like.
3. What do you recommend feeding other than crickets that are good for chameleonwhile being relatively cheap and available at most pet stores or reptile shops? Commercial pet stores don't have a great selection. Buying bugs online seems to be the best way to go if you don't have somewhere local. In addition to the bugs I mentioned above, silkworms are a great option.
4. Should you keep different types of feeders separated or is it fine to put them in one big container together? Definitely separate. They all have different care requirements.
5. What’s your opinion on wild caught insects? I live in a wooded area so we have moths, butterflies, different types or beetles, grubs, roaches, spiders, flys, mosquitos, etc I personally don't use wild caught bugs. I know other keepers do. But I like to have peace of mind knowing where my bugs come from and that they aren't carrying anything that could be passed to my cham.

You can see how I have my enclosure and UVB set up in this video:


 
To answer some of your questions --
Lights:
1. IMO there seems to be a lot of research and discussion put into UVB lighting, but very little as it relates to basking lamps. The impression I get is if the lamp and bulb get the temperatures you're looking for, then that lamp is as good as any other. Thoughts, opinions, recommendations? Correct. Just make sure it is a white light (not red).
2. What other lighting would you suggest to illuminate the cage and promote plant growth? I see a lot of dual and quad setups shown off with LED light bars seemingly starting to trend. I don't use any additional lights beside heat and UVB.
3. Recommendations on placement of all lighting would be great. Don’t you want your chameleon getting UVB while basking? How do you place your lighting so your chameleon is under the basking lamp but also getting UVB? Or is this not really a concern because the UVB lamp is reflecting light and UVB all over the top of the cage? I have my UVB bulb diagonal for this reason. It's a 36" fixture for a 24" wide enclosure.

Misting System:

Mistking seems to be the most common recommendation I see. If I have an all screen cage, so am I guaranteed to get spray out of the cage or is it potentially manageable and mess-free? How do you compensate for this or is putting up some sort of protective barrier on a few sides really the only option? Pretty much haha. I have a PVC board on the back and clear shower curtains on the sides. This also helps with humidity.

Feeders
:
1. How soon before getting my chameleon should I purchase and start gutloading feeders? I'd have feeders on hand a week prior. Make sure they'll be small enough for your little one. Stay away from hornworms until they get bigger. Those worms get massive.
2. Since I will only have one Chameleon for the foreseeable future, how often and how many feeders do you recommend I get at a time? How long do typical feeders live? Depends on the feeder. Roaches and superworms I'll buy a 100-200 or so at a time since they will live a long time. BSFL and wax worms maybe 50 or so since they take about 2 weeks to start pupating. You'll know how much ot order once you have a better idea of how much your cham will eat and what feeders they like.
3. What do you recommend feeding other than crickets that are good for chameleonwhile being relatively cheap and available at most pet stores or reptile shops? Commercial pet stores don't have a great selection. Buying bugs online seems to be the best way to go if you don't have somewhere local. In addition to the bugs I mentioned above, silkworms are a great option.
4. Should you keep different types of feeders separated or is it fine to put them in one big container together? Definitely separate. They all have different care requirements.
5. What’s your opinion on wild caught insects? I live in a wooded area so we have moths, butterflies, different types or beetles, grubs, roaches, spiders, flys, mosquitos, etc I personally don't use wild caught bugs. I know other keepers do. But I like to have peace of mind knowing where my bugs come from and that they aren't carrying anything that could be passed to my cham.

You can see how I have my enclosure and UVB set up in this video:




Thank you so much for answering my questions (I was hoping at least one of the more experienced keepers in the forums would take a shot). I’ve seen the video you linked, as well as all of your others, while researching and found them to be straightforward and informative. I actually purchased some of the stuff I still needed yesterday:

Heat - Arcadia 8” clamp lamp with an Arcadia 75 watt halogen heat bulb

Lighting - Arcadia Jungle Dawn 22” 34 watt LED bar which is supposed to be able to connect to the ProT5 UBB kit I have.

Misting - MistKing

Thanks for all the other suggestions!
 
I plan to scatter in some smaller plants as well. I was surprised at the space the 4 plants I got took up. Currently there’s a pothos, golden pothos, wandering jew, and a creeping jenny.
Amazing enclosure! I too am in the same situation as you and I am gathering supplies for my future chameleon. How did you hang up your pothos? I’d like to just have paper towels at the bottom so that it is easy to clean, but I don’t want to leave my pothos plant just sitting at the bottom.
 
Amazing enclosure! I too am in the same situation as you and I am gathering supplies for my future chameleon. How did you hang up your pothos? I’d like to just have paper towels at the bottom so that it is easy to clean, but I don’t want to leave my pothos plant just sitting at the bottom.

I got the dragon strand ledges and zip tied the pots to them and to the support branches. I also bought a drainage tray from dragon strand that is slightly larger than the cage (25”) so there is a gap for you to easily remove the water. Also comes with a screen for the floor of the cage for any water to drip through to the tray.
 
I got the dragon strand ledges and zip tied the pots to them and to the support branches. I also bought a drainage tray from dragon strand that is slightly larger than the cage (25”) so there is a gap for you to easily remove the water. Also comes with a screen for the floor of the cage for any water to drip through to the tray.
So amazing! Thank you so much welcome to the cham community!
 
Hello, chameleon community! I just wanted to introduce myself as I look forward to being more active in these forums. I just purchased a male panther chameleon which will be ready to come home in April/May. In the meantime, I’m preparing for his arrival so everything is ready when he gets here. Before I decided to purchase a chameleon. I actively followed your threads and replies hoping to soak up some of your knowledge in what seems to be a hobby with much ambiguity. I’ve listened to all of the Chameleon Breeder/Academy podcasts, some more than once, and tried to do research any where else I could. What I haven’t had a chance to do is talk to anyone with any knowledge of chameleon keeping...and that’s where I hope you’ll come in by answering any questions I have and providing constructive criticism.

At this point, I’ve purchased a Reptibreeze XL 2ftx2ftx4ft cage with the hopes to build a larger enclosure at some point in the future. I’ve retrofitted the cage with Dragon Strand ledges and a drainage tray. My daughter and I spent today combing the woods behind our house and collecting branches to fill our cage. I’ve also purchased an Arcadia T5 UVB Kit with a 6% bulb. I’ll post a picture of my progress so far, but I think I need another horizontal branch higher in the cage for basking. In the coming days, I’ll also be purchasing plants at the local nursery to start filling the cage. Everything else is still up in the air. I still need the plants, a basking lamp and bulb, a misting system, supplements, and feeders. This is where your initial input would be much appreciated. I plan to keep my chameleon indoors and I live in Florida so temperature and humidity shouldn’t be too much of an issue.

Here are some questions I haven’t stumbled across too often:

Plants:
1. I won’t have any plants on the bottom floor as I have a screen and drainage tray. What do you recommend in addition to Pothos and Spider Plants for hanging? Maybe refer to the picture and let me know where you would recommend placement of all the plants as well.

Basking Lamp & Bulb:
1. IMO there seems to be a lot of research and discussion put into UVB lighting, but very little as it relates to basking lamps. The impression I get is if the lamp and bulb get the temperatures you're looking for, then that lamp is as good as any other. Thoughts, opinions, recommendations?
2. What other lighting would you suggest to illuminate the cage and promote plant growth? I see a lot of dual and quad setups shown off with LED light bars seemingly starting to trend.
3. Recommendations on placement of all lighting would be great. Don’t you want your chameleon getting UVB while basking? How do you place your lighting so your chameleon is under the basking lamp but also getting UVB? Or is this not really a concern because the UVB lamp is reflecting light and UVB all over the top of the cage?

Misting System:
Mistking seems to be the most common recommendation I see. If I have an all screen cage, so am I guaranteed to get spray out of the cage or is it potentially manageable and mess-free? How do you compensate for this or is putting up some sort of protective barrier on a few sides really the only option?

Supplements:
The forums seem to really recommend the Repashy Calcium Plus LoD. I’ve heard the Kammers are pretty much exclusively using the regular Calcium Plus without issue of getting too much Vitamin D. I tend to lean more toward getting good supplementation through proper lighting and gutloading of a diversity of feeders so I think LoD would be the better option. The thought of using something like Arcadia Earthpro-A with minimal other supplementation intrigues me, but not something I would risk as an amateur keeper with no real experience.

Feeders:
1. How soon before getting my chameleon should I purchase and start gutloading feeders?
2. Since I will only have one Chameleon for the foreseeable future, how often and how many feeders do you recommend I get at a time? How long do typical feeders live?
3. What do you recommend feeding other than crickets that are good for chameleonwhile being relatively cheap and available at most pet stores or reptile shops?
4. Should you keep different types of feeders separated or is it fine to put them in one big container together?
5. What’s your opinion on wild caught insects? I live in a wooded area so we have moths, butterflies, different types or beetles, grubs, roaches, spiders, flys, mosquitos, etc.

Anything else:

1. Is there anything I don’t have or didn’t cover that I need or should consider?

Sorry for the long post but I look forward to getting to know you and learning from you in the coming months and years.

-PrinceView attachment 262062
In response to #3, I used petstore feeders for a couple of years and always had problems, especially with crickets, not last very long. They don't gutload them very well with as cheap a means as they can. I started buying 1,000 at a time from Josh Frogs and pay for overnight delivery. I keep them in a 27 gallon storage tub, using the eggcrate that comes in the shipping container. They will last about 2 month, they don't stink and they hardly ever chirp. They're gray banded and cost about 3 cents a piece while you're probably spending about 15 cents for petstore crickets that will die in about 5 days, stink and are very loud! Josh's customer service is awesome and has always taken care of me with the few issues I've had. Feed them with Repashy's Bug Burger. You won't regret it. Make sure you put some sort of screen opening on the lid and keep them in a closet or cool, shaded spot. Seriously, they seem to live forever.
 

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In response to #3, I used petstore feeders for a couple of years and always had problems, especially with crickets, not last very long. They don't gutload them very well with as cheap a means as they can. I started buying 1,000 at a time from Josh Frogs and pay for overnight delivery. I keep them in a 27 gallon storage tub, using the eggcrate that comes in the shipping container. They will last about 2 month, they don't stink and they hardly ever chirp. They're gray banded and cost about 3 cents a piece while you're probably spending about 15 cents for petstore crickets that will die in about 5 days, stink and are very loud! Josh's customer service is awesome and has always taken care of me with the few issues I've had. Feed them with Repashy's Bug Burger. You won't regret it. Make sure you put some sort of screen opening on the lid and keep them in a closet or cool, shaded spot. Seriously, they seem to live forever.

Thank you for the info. Feeders are the main thing left on my shopping list to get. Everyone seems to love Josh’s Frogs and I have Bug Burger and Calcium Plus LoD being delivered in the next few days.

How many Chams do you have? I’m asking because i’m trying to decide how many I should order for a single juvenile male panther chameleon to last let’s say a month’s time. What do you think? Thanks again!
 
I had two full grown veilds m&f. Fixing to get two more. I buy figuring 12 to 15 per day allowing for some loss. So I get 1,000 for each, every two months....saves on shipping by 1/2 that way. Get the 1/2" because that way you'll have a range of some smaller and some larger. Josh's grow slowly and don't get big and course like regular ones. They stay juicy and tender. You'll be really happy with their supplies. I don't buy at petshops at all any more. The juvy on up to adult will be able to handle and hunt them fine.
 
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