whats the best chameleon for a beginner?

[AESara]

Why not consider getting a JAcksons chameleon?

I am nowhere near an expert on the Jacksons chameleon but that is a good option if you do the research. You've kept a beardie and from the sound of it he lived a pretty good life. I don't think that you should necessarily give up on getting a cham, but it would be best (in my opinion) to resign yourself to getting one of the species that we've established are good for beginners to cham keeping. I want rudis and possibly oustaleti someday in the future myself, but I started with a veiled because the helpful people here suggested it as a good first chameleon. Panthers and Jacksons are also considered good options for new cham keepers, like some others have said.

However, it is important to note that you said one of the reasons you don't want the anoles is because they escape. Chams are pretty good escape artists themselves. I'll never forget the day Napoleon found a way out of his baby cage (through a hole the crickets chewed in the mesh). That hole was barely the size of a dime. I searched for him and sobbed an entire day until I finally noticed him staring at me from a hanger in my closet.

Back on topic, I don't think you're a bad person. I just think you're letting yourself get a little bit too excited. I can't speak for everyone else of course but I'm guessing they feel the same.

How about this? It will be good practice for you and will get everyone to take you more seriously if you answer well.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/
This is usually used for people who have a sick cham and want to learn what they are doing wrong (if there is something wrong), but try answering the questions as though you are describing the care you would give your cham. If you know which species you are currently considering, answer separately for each one.

It would also be a good idea to list what you think you will be paying for each item you mention, as well as how much you expect you will be paying in a week or a month of proper care.

If there is something you don't know, be honest about it and someone here will certainly be glad to fill you in. If someone notices that one of the prices you expect is off, hopefully they will inform you of that as well.

Just an idea, and sorry for the long post.

 

[Olimpia]

Now, that being said, lets get down to facts and info.

Veileds and panthers are awesome pets and really aren't all that big. See if you can't show your father a photo of them and decide if they are within your size limit.

Panthers can sell for $150 at the low end of the spectrum, so that's a bit out of your budget.

A Jackson's might be a good fit for you. A male will cost between $60-90 in most places. HOWEVER, (and this is important) find yourself a CAPTIVE BRED/HATCHED one, so you aren't figuring out how to care for a freshly caught wild animal. These guys stay much smaller but are still easy to find and not all too difficult to care for.

They would need a cooler temp (so something like a 40w bulb would work to keep the highest temps at 80-83*F. They also like it cool at night, so he would need to be kept at 75* ambient during the day and then drop to about 65* during the night. If you're one of those people that like it cold a night (or that can control the temps in one part of the house) then you can probably do it. They also need more misting, so I recommend getting a pump sprayer from Lowes/Home Depot and spray down the cage for long perios of time thorughout the day. Something like 10+ minutes a couple times a day and several spray downs of the cage to keep the humidity up high. To keep the humidity higher if you're finding that to be a problem, you can wrap 2-3 sides of the screen cage in plastic, to keep the humidity in.

So that's my suggestion. But you'll have to look into all species carefully and really (and HONESTLY) determine if you can provide all those things. If not, look into other reptiles.

 

[hbskeet]

Let the kid be...Just some food for thought. When I was a teenager I wanted a chameleon SOOO bad but my mom wouldn't let me. So I had to wait until I was out on my own. Plus as a teenager I was very active so it was a good thing. I ended up getting a Kenyan Boa!! Excellent first time pets and are pretty cheap. Here in So. Cali you can get them for like 10-15 bucks from local breeders. They eat once a week and love to curl around and absorb the warmth of the owners hand. The females don't get longer than 24" but average around 20". Males are smaller and average 16-18". A 20 gallon tank will house a female for her entire life. 10 gallon for a male. Babies will nip every know and them but it doesn't hurt and as they get older will mellow out with constant handling. If you do still get chams PLEASE DONT start with Pygmies. I am a Pygmy breeder and it's not for beginners. Also they need to be housed in a terrarium not an open screen cage, especially not 2x2x4ft. I'm telling you. Check out the Kenyan Sand Boas. They are pretty cool pets.

 

[Thezillaman21]

i have a question? earlier the OP stated that he claims the elloits chams has similar care to a jackson....

in all due respect to the OP, Why not consider getting a JAcksons chameleon? they are within the beginner range with veileds and panthers, and are almost as common. im sure with another proper research of them here and finding someone that breeds them or has healthy ones you can find

the reason everyone is sorta against you for getting a harder to care cham is not that you cant handle it BUT also that you wont waist your dads money for a dead animal in a few weeks if not days...

jacksons are not as aggressive they are smaller and within beginner range

maybe even a K. mulituberlacata if my friend Seeco is willing to help you

lol take it one step at a time man

hope for the best man

wow dude thank you!!! i honestly did want a jacksons chameleon when i first seen a cham when i was 7 idk thier really cool but something just makes me unsure about them. oh wait nvm i forgot they are live beares right?? that would be more to my likeing i just dont know if my dad is ganna be ok with that earily i kinda said pygmy leaf chams were what i was ganna get. im not sure yet and if i wanna get the jacksons i can get them at the petstore about 20miles from where i live. i think its $130 a pair tho :/ oh btw im useing my own money for getting a cham. I im ganna have to make a chart of pros and cons to pick the cham i want and from what i figure jacksons cham would probably win.
and for "take it one step at a time man" thats bn my whole theory on raising any cham would be to spend a day on every needs aspect of its life.

 

[Chris Anderson]

For how many times you keep saying that you've read everything about chameleons and can keep any species you wanted, you really are not setting up the enclosure correctly for the projects you are saying to want to try. You describe the cage you are building as screen with a wooden back, but this is not an ideal setup for pygmy chameleons (they do better in glass terrariums and aquariums). You also say that you aren't allowed to get a veiled or panther chameleon because of their size, but then you're talking about getting a pair of Jackson's chameleons. While pymgy chameleons do alright in small groups, true chameleons like Jackson's are solitary and should be kept individually. To be able to keep a pair together, you would need an enclosure much larger than what is needed for an adult veiled or panther and a lot more experience than you have.

You need to stop and decide exactly what species you realistically have the knowledge and experience to keep, figure out which of those your father will allow you to keep, and then, if there are any species that qualify for both, you can decide which you prefer from that list. At that point, you need to create a setup for that species and set that species up with their best interest in mind (i.e. don't put them in a cage that isn't appropriate, keep them individually if you don't get pymgies, etc.).

Chris

 

[okiroo]

WOW! I typed Chameleon in the Google search box and about 68,000,000 results turned up! And you have read everything on the internet about them? Look, most of these people on here only want the best for Chams and they have experience with them as well. Stop being a know it all kid, and try to listen to adults for a change. Does your dad even realize how much money he is going to have to put into this, because if you have an allowance, that sure isnt going to cover the expenses. Want my advice? Get a $20 Iguana.

Igunans arnt some chump lizzards. they take a very balanced diet and gr8 nutrition aswell. i love them so dont make them sound "easy" haha. but actually my first rep was an iguana. i learned to do everything by myself and i was young. that can be a good start pet if you had room for a 6foot pet. they're like a cat and a dog mixed on personality aswell. when you pet them they snuggle up to you if you train them right. they can also be potty trained useing water.

 

[Thezillaman21]

well at the local petsuppliesplus they have 2jacksons chameleons in the same cage ones a male ones a female. and pygmies are kept in glass because they neeed the humidity but i could get humidy up with beaked moss. and yeah iguanas are a challenge to keep my sister spends like $20 a week for the kale and romain lettuce and stuff.

 

[Chris Anderson]

Your strategy should not be to make due with a subpar setup or utilizing subpar husbandry techniques used for short term housing of animals at a pet store until they sell them. Do what is right for the animals.

Chris

 

[Thezillaman21]

ima wait

yeah i cant make my mind up. jacksons chams are ganna be out of my price range i think cuz thier $80 on lllreptile and thats not with the shipping!! i really wish i could get a rudis cham but no stores have them around here. trying to figure how to do this. think im ganna wait to get my cham alittle longer....

im down to 3 chams now
pygmy leaf
jacksons
rudis

 

[ataraxia]

the op is going to get a chameleon. yes from reading his post's i personally dont think he is ready in many ways but whos to judge :/

Let him figure out what he wants first... then lets try and help him succeed at caring for that animal.

Thezillaman21: im going against many here...i dont think a jacksons is a good choice for you for many reasons. once you have figured out which species you want to keep come back here for husbandry recommendations!!

on another note involving iguanas. they are not easy/carless animals to keep. the dietary and cage requirements usually turn into a FAIL with most keepers. so many parish before they reach adulthood it is sad. with the right guidance and responsibility from the owner. iguanas can make a neat pet. i personally have a 5' iguana and in no way shape or form is he a cake walk to care for.

heres a link to my boy. https://www.chameleonforums.com/welcome-ataraxia-zoo-62556/

 

[AESara]

Those jacksons are hopefully still pretty young. Many breeders keep baby chams together for a very short time, but as adults they should not be kept together. While a male and female won't necessarily fight, the female will be pressured to mate, causing a lot of stress for her, and stress can definitely kill a cham. The male will probably become very dominant and may not allow the female food or room under the basking light.

I've read somewhere on the forum that some have successfully kept a male and female (panther) together. However, their personalities happened to have been found compatible for combined housing (no dominance issues or over-the-top mating pressure), and a very experienced cham keeper was ALWAYS there to watch for any signs that they should be separated.

Say you were to build the proper housing and give the proper care for both of those chams. What are your plans for the inevitable babies? It is not easy to sell all of them, if you manage to sell any at all. The costs for keeping all of them would be monumental (hopefully someone experienced with breeding could chime in on this). How, if you DID sell all of them, would you be able to ensure that they all go to competent owners?

Are you able to purchase only one or the other of the chams? If not, I would try getting a single jacksons from a breeder. I would like to suggest buying from a breeder either way but in the end that is up to you.

 

[thephotoprincess]

Your strategy should not be to make due with a subpar setup or utilizing subpar husbandry techniques used for short term housing of animals at a pet store until they sell them. Do what is right for the animals.

Chris

well said. As were your other posts. Though I believe the phrase "falling on deaf ears" may apply.

To the OP - chameleons are wonderful and amazing and stressful and hard work and expensive. You can successfully keep a chameleon and would do well to listen to some of the good advice here. I have ten chams and I have worked very hard to keep them happy and healthy. I have spent A LOT of time and money on them. I have read and read and read the posts here and on other sites and taken the advice and used it and my chams and myself are better off for it.

 

[Chris Anderson]

yeah i cant make my mind up. jacksons chams are ganna be out of my price range i think cuz thier $80 on lllreptile and thats not with the shipping!! i really wish i could get a rudis cham but no stores have them around here. trying to figure how to do this. think im ganna wait to get my cham alittle longer....

im down to 3 chams now
pygmy leaf
jacksons
rudis

In the long run you will be much happier waiting until you have it figured out and are ready. I also recommend that you wait until you can find whichever species you decide on as a captive bred (CB) specimen. Jackson's, rudis, and pygmy chameleons are all typically sold as wild caught (WC) but you will have a much easier time with CB. It may take a little longer and cost a little more, but it will be worth it. One benefit of deciding on either a jackson's or rudis is that their setup and care is very similar and you can be ready for either species depending on which becomes available as CB first.

Chris

 

[okiroo]

the op is going to get a chameleon. yes from reading his post's i personally dont think he is ready in many ways but whos to judge :/

Let him figure out what he wants first... then lets try and help him succeed at caring for that animal.

Thezillaman21: im going against many here...i dont think a jacksons is a good choice for you for many reasons. once you have figured out which species you want to keep come back here for husbandry recommendations!!

on another note involving iguanas. they are not easy/carless animals to keep. the dietary and cage requirements usually turn into a FAIL with most keepers. so many parish before they reach adulthood it is sad. with the right guidance and responsibility from the owner. iguanas can make a neat pet. i personally have a 5' iguana and in no way shape or form is he a cake walk to care for.

heres a link to my boy. https://www.chameleonforums.com/welcome-ataraxia-zoo-62556/

thankyou ^^ iguanas are so awsome. i might have to go buy one now. you all got me thinking how much i miss them!

 

[Elizadolots]

I wanted to second (or is it third or fourth) the suggestion to get a captive born (preferably captive bred) chameleon. Save your money and consider a Fischer's or even a Carpet. They are smaller and beautiful and the Fischer's have amazing tails. Both are available CB.

 

[lumbasammler]

Zillaman,
Take a step back. Understand that by what you've said so far, you come off as a spoiled, arrogant kid. And I'm hoping this is a terrible first impression, that in person you're a great guy. We as a forum are MORE than happy to be here and help you with any and all your questions, but you have to understand that we see horror stories all day long on here. Of people that got a chameleon as an impulse and didn't bother to take our advice. So when we think someone is going to go down that road, we get edgy and defensive because we love chameleons.

So please, for your sake and that of any pet you want to get, let us give you advice. Be more humble about what you don't know yet (because hell, I've been a keeper for 2 years and I still don't know everything) and be receptive to what we're recommending. It's great that you're doing research, I really commend you for it, but you still have a ways to learn.

Ok? Can we all try to be less defensive and see if we can't point this young man towards a pet he can take care of properly?

Wouldn´t know how to say it better
I´m only active in this forum for let´s say two weeks but already read so many sad stories and it´s in most cases because somebody thought that it would be easy to keep a chameleon and didn´t do proper research.
Please don´t make your future pet an yourself suffer by making this mistake!

 

[Chris Anderson]

Unfortunately the OP still seems set on setting up chameleons in the wrong type of enclosure. Here is a PM conversation I've had with him since his last post in this thread:

hey what type of cham is that in your um user pic?
im guessing parlson's?

Yeah, its a parson's I photographed while I was in Madagascar a number of years ago.

Listen, I was in 8th grade when I got my first chameleon (~14 years ago now). I studied for months and months before I got mine as well. I got a veiled as my first chameleon and it was amazing how much I didn't know once I finally got one. As harsh as it sounds, we are all giving you advice based on experience and want to see you do the best thing for the animal(s). Take your time, make a smart choice about what you are going to get and make sure your setup is correct and you'll have a much better chance at being successful. I'm sure you must be excited to finish your setup and get a chameleon, but you'll be much happier if you don't rush.

Chris

yeah im ganna be in 11th in about a month i said i was leaning toward jacksons but my dad said no cuz the horns creep him out. i really want a rudis but no one has them i think im ganna go with pygmies since thats what my dad said would b best do to his fear of lizzards im ganna get a pair and keep them in a 2x2x4 cage i know its big but if u think about it in the wild they have more room than that plus it will only actully be 36inches high cuz im ganna put moss under the substrait to raise it up and the lights sit down alittle more cuz the roof sits at the bottom of the frame. im ganna do the back side wood and the sides in the same screen they use for the big chams. my older bro has plexiglass so i think ill make it so i can attach the glass to help keep humidity during winter cuz during summer the humidity levels should be in check. considering i live in my room alot i think i can keep up on checking my cage and stuff. wow this is all confusing ill put a pic up as soon as its done if you would'nt mind judgeing it for me. and as silly as it sounds my dream job is to own the worlds largest exotic animal petstore. thats why iv owned alot of animals already also why i dont keep them for long i can only aford so many animals at a time. so i give away or sell my animal after i feel confident in raising them. however i dont think ill get rid of the cham just because they fasinate me with thier amazing addaptions. wow this is long lol anyways thanks.

Female Jackson's don't have horns and would do much better in the setup you are creating than pygmy chameleons. A 2'x2'x4' screen sided enclosure is not appropriate for pygmy chameleons. You are setting yourself up for failure and completely ignoring every piece of advice everyone is giving you. On a 4' tall enclosure, your lights are not going to be close enough to the ground where your pygmy chameleons will be. Additionally, you are spreading your feeders out over a much larger area meaning the pygmies will have a more difficult time finding the feeders. In order to overcome that, you'll have to add more feeders but the problem is, because of the size of the enclosure, you'll still have a lot of feeders left over at any given time in the enclosure, which can bite and injure your pygmies. Trying to adapt an inappropriate enclosure for these animals is not a good idea. If you want pygmy chameleons, get a terrarium or aquarium and set it up correctly. If you want to use the 2'x2'x4' screen and wood enclosure you're building, get something like a Jackson's chameleon. Don't put an animal in an inappropriate enclosure, you will not have the animal for long if you do.

Chris

Chris

 

[lumbasammler]

Oh Jesus,
guess we have to wait for the next thread from this user which will most probably inclued the words ill, sick, or dead

 

[phussman]

There needs to be age restrictions on certain reptiles I think... Way to many reptiles are bought in a situation like this and end up dead.... No reading is any where near having hands on experience veileds are your best bet and if dad says they are to big then wait until u get older to get one and start your chameleon raising off right...

 

[lumbasammler]

There needs to be age restrictions on certain reptiles I think... Way to many reptiles are bought in a situation like this and end up dead.... No reading is any where near having hands on experience veileds are your best bet and if dad says they are to big then wait until u get older to get one and start your chameleon raising off right...

Absolutely agreed.