Chameleons?

[gozetec02]

Does anyone here own a Chameleon? My nephew is thinking about getting a Veiled Chameleon as a starter. Everyone that I have talked to and every care sheet that we have seen says that they are great beginner.

Any advice or tips?

[hhw]

I've heard that Chameleons are actually quite difficult to keep. They require very large specialized cages; either because of ventilation or because they don't deal well with glass walls, which makes it all the more difficult to keep the humidity and temperature gradient up. They need moving water such as from a drip system, as they won't drink out of a dish. Their food needs a lot of vitamin supplementation. They also stress very easily and shouldn't be handled much if any.

I would say they are not for the novice herper, and definitely not a child's first herp.

[Chubbs]

I am in the process of raising my baby veiled. They are a great beginner chameleon, but chameleons are far from great pets in a sense they like to be alone. It involves excessive care and hard work. I would shy away from a veiled chameleon because they should not be handled and tend to stress out over tiny things. If your nephew plans on keeping it as a pet there should be very little handling. Its a huge responsibility.

[CTReptileRescue]

I am in the process of raising my baby veiled. They are a great beginner chameleon, but chameleons are far from great pets in a sense they like to be alone. It involves excessive care and hard work. I would shy away from a veiled chameleon because they should not be handled and tend to stress out over tiny things. If your nephew plans on keeping it as a pet there should be very little handling. Its a huge responsibility.

I agree completely
Rusty

[MJ]

I have a pair of Jackson's chameleons and they aren't exactly easy to care for. Chameleons in general aren't a beginner's herp of any sort. Veileds are very mean, but since chams are a "look, don't touch" type of critter any how it doesn't much matter--- you'll just get hissed at whenever you do something with their cage, hehe. Veileds also get pretty big compared to most other chams so they need more space.

Humidity is often the biggest problem with keeping chams, so I'd suggest searching out the most humid room in the house and/or investing a room humidifier. It'll make things a whole lot easier when it comes to keeping the right conditions. Also having a waterfall and/or ultrasonic fogger (I have both) in the cage will keep more moisture in the air, too.

Chameleons like a lot of cover and a lot of places to climb. I've found that mine are actually more trusting of real plants and vines than they are of fake. Small ficus trees make a great cage plant, as do pothos and philodendron plants: they get big and thick so the cham can climb and hide in them. I could go on forever but I'll stop now....

Here's a pic of my chams' cage (with my male right in front)