Ackie monitor or veiled cham?

[Cubby23]

Well for my b-day my mom has agreed that I would be able to get a veiled chameleon. Mainly because it is possibly the only reptiles she would like. So I have been doing alot of research in the past month, and have come to the conclusion that I could definately take care of one. And they are spectactularly beautiful. But also in the past week or two, I have been looking into ackie monitors. They are also amazing, managable and also about the same price for the setup and animal as a veiled cham. One question about the ackies though do they need UVB? And what size enclosure would you reccomend for one adult? I am having a hard time choosing. What do you think I should get?

[Cubby23]

I think I would get a 40ga breeder for the ackie and a 3x2x2 or 4x2x2 for the cham.

[Shelby]

Most monitor keepers agree that UV lighting is not required. They say that the skin is too thick to be able to absorb anything from it anyway. On the other hand I know tegus DO require it.. but I don't think ackies need it.

A 30 gallon long tank is considered big enough for one adult ackie.

The thing about chameleons is they are much more of a 'look' pet than a 'touch' pet. They are normally quite shy and stress easily, though veiled are less so than some other species. Ackies routinely tame down quite easily.

[mr~python]

ackies dont require any UV light at all, but you do need to dust they're crickets with a quality supplement. i use miner-all. for ackies a 3ft. x 1.5-2ft. cage is fine, just make sure they have about a foot of dirt to burrow in once they're full grown. the general rule of thumb for monitors is the enclosure should be twice the length of the animal and the width should be as long as the animal.

i personally would go with an ackie. they are a great, fun to watch, active little monitor and i dont think a cham would be near as much fun, but more of a display animal.

EDIT: also, if you plan on using a aquarium with a screen lid you'll need to cover most of the top to keep heat and humidity from escaping.

[Cubby23]

Yeah I also think a more active animal is far more exciting. But also I love the vivarium/live plants aspect of the chameleon. Ahhh such a hard choice.