Is it true what they say about chams?

[Bloody Holly]

...That they're difficult to take care of? I've wanted a chameleon ever since I was little, and now that I have some experience with lizards, I've been thinking about it more and more. But recently, two of my friends (who are zookeepers) have been trying to talk me out of my decision.

I know that they need a constant airflow (ventilation), plants and branches for climbing, a UVB light along with temps in the 90s-70s, and daily misting, but does it get any more complicated than that?

[merdcme]

they arent as hard to keep as people say. i agree they are not a good first pet or herp, but they imo are easy to care for. they might require a little more attention but anyone can do it. just make sure everything is right and you'll be fine. i say go for it! they are very cool animals. they are just a little more delicate than others. hope i helped

[crapwhereaminow]

Chams are awesome to keep and not too hard as long as your set up right. I make no claim to be an expert, but this worked for my boy, and applies to a lot of the larger species like panthers or veiled.

The basics are:

a ventilated cage (all screen)
heat lamp (warm spot about 90 F, all the way down to 75 or so at the bottom of the cage)
UVB bulb, only use the reptisun 5.0. Anything else will damage a chams eyes or not get them the uvb they need.
lots of branches
live plants to keep humidity up

They need misting at least 3 times a day. Plus a dripper set up for when you're not misting. My cham has an automatic mister that mists him 4 times a day.

They need calcium. Plain calcium without D3 a couple times a week, more for babies and females. Calcium with D3 once every other week. Multivitamin once a month.

Lots of variation in the food. If you feed crickets, they need to be gutloaded first. I feed silkworms, hornworms, butterworms, waxworms, and superworms.

Chams make amazing pets, and there's a lot more than what I covered here. If kept right they are stunning, but if kept wrong they can get all sorts of fun, weird diseases and disorders. There are plenty of good caresheets online, and most good breeders will offer a starter kit that works ok. Just make sure you hit the basics outlined above and you'll do fine.

Anyone else feel free to chime in with anything I missed or got wrong!

[jfreels]

I waited a couple months after buying the cage. I didn't think I was ready. I just simply love our little guy. I'm in the reptile room anyway 3x a day so the misting isn't an issue.

[RhacHead]

Sounds like you have a pretty good understanding of general care. I recently sold my panther chameleon since I got laid off but I had no problems with him at all and he grew like a weed.

[mainbutter]

In short to the OP's question: NO. They are not as hard to keep as generally advertised. The chameleon community has just done a great job to stop the over-marketing of a slightly more complex reptile in pet stores.

My girlfriend's first reptile was a panther chameleon. He's still healthy and happy and beautiful. Granted, she had me to go to for advice, but I'd never cared for chams before either.

[Bloody Holly]

Thanks everyone for your input! This makes me feel hopeful that I may be able to be a proud chameleon owner someday!

[DM1975]

I don't think they are hard to take care of at all. Just use the proper UV lighting and heat, feed them, water them, and watch em grow. Some species are more demanding than others, but they are not hard. I have raised Jacksons and Veileds, and have had success with both. I am breeding my veileds right now, and found it is not much harder than snakes. Great entertainment with chams too. I can watch them sit and do nothing all day long, lol.

You want hard? Try raising horny toads. Thats hard. Feeding them alone will wear you out.

[Mr_BoaJangles]

No skill required, like any animal, its all in your setup. Proper Husbandry = healthy happy animal. When an animal is said to be better for experienced reptile owners it is only a commentary on the fact that the reptile is not as forgiving when you dont provide proper husbandry.

A cham set up if done properly is very low maintenance. I only break my cage down once every moth or two and have a large water container for my drip system so I only have to clean and refill it every couple of days.

About the only thing I see people goof on is not giving proper lighting. I recommend a 3 bulb system... One Desert, one Tropical, and a UVA basking bulb. The combination creates a full spectrum of light that allows the cham to see properly and gives not only a heat gradient but also a UV gradient so it can manage its own exposure.

Despite what others will try and tell you, dont trust a tube florescent light bulb and more then a compact florescent. Both have the ability to output improperly. Only way to be sure is to use a meter to test out how much exposure your animal is getting. Not using a combo of bulbs to provide a more complete spectrum dose effect animals like chameleons and iguanas.

[Ga_herps]

I breed panther chams, and as for uvb from spring til late fall they get at least 3 days a week out in the sun for 3 plus hours. Nothing beats the real deal. The rest of the time they get a basking spot in the cage that puts them withing 10 inches of a reptisun 5.0 24 inch fluorescent tube. You can order these tubes in bulk for a very good price through certain reptiles supply companies. The basking light I use to get them to sit in these spots is a GE bulb of proper wattage as not to burn them. If you can give them natural lighting at least 3 times a week you will have no problems. Also make sure you feed them gut loaded prey items if at all possible. I also dust occasionally with cal and vitamin powder, but not too often. Diversity in prey items is another thing that seems to help with the overall health of your cham.