# Lizards > Chameleons >  Considering Getting A Chameleon

## Chaoticpythons

Hi, my mother has always liked Chameleons and I have too. We recently have been pondering the idea of getting one. I have snakes, but I don't know a whole lot about the care of Chameleons etc. So, please give me some tips etc. I will post some questions below. But I need to know everything I would need to know basically prior to getting one. I would google it, but I like getting advice from this forum better. Thank you  :Smile: 

Can they be handled?
Feeding- What and how often?
Temperature requirements?
Humidity or no?
Cage type? (Can't do anything to expensive)
Bedding?
Best kind of Chameleon for a beginner?
Special requirements?

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## emilys_exotics

Hello! I have a veiled chameleon. Chameleons are very cool animals, but i will admit, they are a lot of work.
You can handle them, but not often. My cham does not enjoy being handled. I recommend only a few minutes every few days. Handling stresses them out. They're more of a look at animal, not a handling type. 
For feeding. I feed about 8-10 crickets every day to every other day, depending on the appitite. You can also feed super worms, horn worms, fruit flies, and silk worms for treats :Smile:  Also, make sure you dust their food. I dust crickets with calcium d3 one day, a multi vitamin the next, and calcium without d3. I just alternate between those products.
For the temp- between 72 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit.  A single heat lamp should do the job. As for uvb, a 5.0 light
Humidity is quite hard to control in an all screen cage. I recommend misting the cage few times daily.
For caging- they need an all mesh cage. Glass cages block air flow which is bad for their lungs. When it comes to caging, there are two options. There's a cage, which you would need at least a 2 ft long by 2 ft wide by 4 ft tall. Or, you can free range. I keep my chameleon free ranged. I have a live hibiscus tree in my living room that she stays in. I then have a wooden pole next to it which has her lights hanging from it. Just be aware, they may get out of their tree to explore sometimes. This could be bad if you have dogs or cats. But, they seem to find their way back without a problem. and some are too scared to come down, anyway.
For bedding, they don't really need it because they stay up high all the time. So make sure you have lots of branches :Smile:  However, female veiled chams sometimes lay infertile eggs (mine hasn't), but for them, when they turn a year old, they might lay. So, you would just have play sand in their cage so they can lay in it. 
Veiled chameleons are the best beginner. But be aware, even veileds are a lot of work :Smile: 
Hope i helped and best of
 luck to you and your cham! :Smile:

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Monty44 (05-03-2017)

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