What is the worst part of caring for chameleons?

[Jamire]

Well..
I was just feeding my little guy some juicy gutloaded crickets from my hand and having a great time. On the second cricket, this one was extra big and plump.

As I see his eyes fix on the cricket directly in front of my eye sight so that the cricket is directly between mine and his eyes.. The prime viewing location for hand feeding.. or so I thought.

He snatches it from me and pop! Bug juice in my open amazed mouth and all over my face.

Ha! Should have seen that one coming. Not so tasty..

Anyone else been had like this or some other way?

 

[Devokid]

Haha, I have never been close enough with my mouth open for this to occur, but I have seen some good shots before.

 

[GrimsbyPatchwork]

bound to happen at that angle !

I felt bug juice spray on my hand, and seen it on the enclosure's glass...luckily, that is the closest I've got!

 

[pigglett79]

I have been splattered w hornworm juice. They get a nice fat worm and pop it goes everywhere.

 

[Carlton]

I have been splattered w hornworm juice. They get a nice fat worm and pop it goes everywhere.

One sunny day I had a big melleri basking on a plant stand in a window next to my front door. I'd just given her 2 hornworms when a neighbor stopped by to "meet" the chams. I pointed out the melleri, but instead of the typical "oh how beautiful!" reaction she usually got, my neighbor backed away with a disgusted look on her face. I looked at the cham...who had a long string of partially dried hornworm guts dangling from her chin!

 

[Carlton]

The worst part of cham care? Cleaning out the roach colony. Trying to get all those tiny nymphs separated from the frass takes forever!

 

[Olimpia]

I've also gotten bug juice sprayed on my face on a couple occasions! Like with Pigglett, sometimes you aren't far enough away from a juicy hornworm to avoid chew-spray!

I'm glad that this has never happened to me though: I asked a feeder website if they could include an adult male cave roach in my order of nymphs, because I had no breeder males left, and he emailed me back to say that as he was picking up adults and flipping them over to ID that one squirted a defensive spray in his face LOL I knew these roaches smelled sort of bitter when I disturb them but I hadn't had any spray anything like that, thankfully.

I think that the bugs are the worst part about keeping chameleons. Just because to save money you end up buying in bulk, so now you have bins for 2-5+ species of insects that you have to maintain. Sometimes I wish they were like tortoises and happy with just a dish full of veggies lol.

 

[SaintJimmy]

The worst part of cham care? Cleaning out the roach colony. Trying to get all those tiny nymphs separated from the frass takes forever!

Seconded... It's the worst part for sure.

For me specifically, though, it's when I have to take the 20~ pounds of rocks out of the enclosure bottom (big rocks) and clean them individually, then wash out the enclosure bottom.

 

[artkeeton]

The worst part of cham care? Cleaning out the roach colony. Trying to get all those tiny nymphs separated from the frass takes forever!

Completely agree. I don't mind the caring for the dubia, but the monthly separating of the nymphs and all the box cleanings are getting old!

 

[jannb]

I have been splattered w hornworm juice. They get a nice fat worm and pop it goes everywhere.

Me too and the worst part about taking care of chameleons has got to be the feeders.