What got you interested in reptiles and chameleons?

[DaChameleon66]

Hallo! I'm new to chameleon forums but I've been interested and intrigued by reptiles for years! I had owned a Jackson chameleon for a while but she sadly passed away on Friday. I hoped to join and learn more about chameleons and how to better take care of them. I was curious to know how everyone else here joined and what got them into chameleons and reptiles.

 

[Tonyww93]

I went to chams after dealing with fish figured they couldnt be any harder.

 

[kinyonga]

As a child, we lived in the country...there were snakes, toads, frogs around...so I caught them and learned about them and then let them go. My parents wouldn't let me have any pets, so that was all I could do. When my kids were little, I taught them what I new and we looked for snakes, toads, frogs, salamanders...studied them for a bit then put them back where we found them. My daughter had fur allergies and wanted something that didn't live in a fish bowl...so we got an iguana. I'm sorry for the iguana because she suffered from our lack of knowledge....but we learned. Someone gave us a basilisk. It did fine with us. I soon stumbled upon a chameleon in a pet store and took it home. I knew nothing about chameleons except that they changed color.
Luck played a part ...and I did enough right by acccident that it did well with me for a year or more. (I have no idea how old she was when I got her.)
I just went on from there....for 30+ years.

 

[MzLaurie11]

About three years ago, my son came to live with me while transitioning after a breakup. He then learned his ex had stopped caring for her chameleon. I told him to go get him. He was invery bad shape so i began reading everything i could find on veileds and was hooked! Such facinating creatures!

 

[Decadancin]

I have always enjoyed feeding bugs a better diet than I eat, but needed a way to do this without looking weird. By having a chameleon it seemed like I was doing it for them. Besides, I needed something to spend all my money on…

 

[Morpheo's Mom]

Sorry to hear about your Jackson's @DaChameleon66 have you thought about getting another?
As a young child I grew up with 4 brothers on a property with a field, woods, and a pond. It was a kid's dream. We would go on exploring adventures and animals were always in the mix. From giant bullfrogs to gardner snakes and plenty in between. We kept iguanas and turtles as pets among other things.
There is something about the chameleon's ability to change color, curly tail, and googly eyes that really pull me in. This site has shown me there is more different types of gorgeous chameleons that I could even imagine. Now I love them more!

 

[DaChameleon66]

@Morpheo's Mom Thank you! I might hopefully get one but I found her in the wild when we went hiking. I live in Hawaii where Jackson’s are roam around wild, but they are kind of hard to find. Your adventures sound like so much fun!

 

[Morpheo's Mom]

@Morpheo's Mom Thank you! I might hopefully get one but I found her in the wild when we went hiking. I live in Hawaii where Jackson’s are roam around wild, but they are kind of hard to find. Your adventures sound like so much fun!

You never know, one might cross your path again. You'll just have to do some more hiking to better the odds. I only lived in that house a couple years, but we sure made plenty of memories.

 

[Spookies]

Easy, they just reminds me of dinosaurs haha XD

 

[jamest0o0]

I think it’s a born interest, some people seem to gravitate towards aspects of nature the same way some do to aspects of music/art/etc

 

[GrannyK]

I got my first iguana from a pet store at 13, with their guidance on husbandry, it didn’t last long. I tried again a few years later and he too did not last long. I believe again lack of knowledge on keeping and vet services. I next saw a veiled chameleon and said yup I’m getting one of those. Lol I learned from reading books (for there was no internet or I didn’t know about it in early 1991) that they were extremely difficult to keep so I put that off 30 yrs until my kids were grown. My youngest is now 20 and I said that’s it, I’m getting a chameleon!!! Did a ton of research through chameleon academy, watched Neptune the chameleon on you tube, found this site and prepared myself for something I’ve waited a long time for! My boy- now I’m addicted and working on a 2nd enclosure to fill in the spring once we know we can care for him for a full year and all 4 seasons we live in.
That’s the long story short

 

[salty dog]

I think they are some of the most interesting and beautiful creatures of this planet, and I have a very high success rate breeding, so I continue

 

[crosscutts]

I got my first iguana from a pet store at 13, with their guidance on husbandry, it didn’t last long. I tried again a few years later and he too did not last long. I believe again lack of knowledge on keeping and vet services. I next saw a veiled chameleon and said yup I’m getting one of those. Lol I learned from reading books (for there was no internet or I didn’t know about it in early 1991) that they were extremely difficult to keep so I put that off 30 yrs until my kids were grown. My youngest is now 20 and I said that’s it, I’m getting a chameleon!!! Did a ton of research through chameleon academy, watched Neptune the chameleon on you tube, found this site and prepared myself for something I’ve waited a long time for! My boy- now I’m addicted and working on a 2nd enclosure to fill in the spring once we know we can care for him for a full year and all 4 seasons we live in.
That’s the long story short

Boy our stories are pretty similar back when you first started did you ever get yourself some of these

 

[GrannyK]

Boy our stories are pretty similar back when you first started did you ever get yourself some of these

The good old days!! Lol, I did not, I got the hard cover book from the local mall, went to the library and read on them there, and ordered National Geographic and wildlife cards. But those look very interesting.

 

[JacksJill]

I too needed another expensive hobby. Seriously I have always been interested in animals and nature. As a veterinary technician I worked in two practices that treated exotics. I saw a variety of small creatures but really wanted chameleons but their short life span of a year or two put me off. Many years later with supplements and lights easily available for purchase I was finally able to proceed. Years later I can't imagine my life without the myriad of chores it requires to have these little gems with giant personalities cruising around their screened forests in my home.