Getting a Chameleon!!! please help with setup

[Argentra]

Aleesha: Very pretty veiled you have there. And a great video. The proper equipment and devotion to their care is essential for a healthy, happy Cham...and you certainly have that.

[Skiploder]

Yes I definatly agree with you on the fact that my mother must me completly informed on these animals but I belive that if I start with the proper setup I will be fully capeable in taking care of this animal. I want something a more advanced in the herp world and think a chameleon would be the right choice.

Depending on where you live, it can be tricky to even find one in good health - and I'm 20 minutes away from one of the largest herp stores in the Country. Without naming names, I can tell you that alot of their animals are dehydrated and have other health issues.

I had an panther chameleon for about seven years before he died of old age. I live in the Bay Area and was able to keep him outdoors at least part of the day for about 5 months out of the year. I basically ended up building him a custom wood frame/pvc screen cage that measured about 3'Wx3'Lx6'H that I would move in and out of the house, weather permitting.

I warn you again, however, that chameleons are way less tolerant of husbandry mistakes than other herps and while I enjoyed keeping him, I will not own a chameleon again. For seven years I was constantly making sure he wasn't dehydrated, that he had the correct balance of humidity and ventilation, etc. I now joke with my wife that our two kids are less demanding.....

When you own a snake and want to leave for a week, it's fairly simple to find someone who will make sure that your thermostat is working, that he has clean water and that any waste is cleaned up. A chameleon is an entirely different matter altogether.

I'm not trying to talk you out of buying one, but most pet stores, even specialized herp shops will eagerly sell you one of these animals without covering all of the basics. A reputable breeder will give you the run down of the things that you must do to keep these animals thriving.

[recycling goddess]

I would also like to add:

I really believe the reason my chameleon is doing so well is because our humidity is really high where I live and in my home specifically (we have 6 large fish tanks... three in the room she's housed in) - and I breed silkworms so she has an unlimited supply of healthy silks to munch on. Plus the fact that I have the right equipment.

I thought about this last night and honestly, I would not recommend someone get a cham who isn't there on a daily basis to care for it. They really are much too sensitive to only have 50% husbandry. Snakes can be left for a week... no problem. Leopard Geckos have a high tolerance for being ignored... but your cham isn't like that.

I suggest you wait until you have a living situation where you are there all the time. Cause you could NOT move a cham week by week... they would get totally stressed out and die. I never even handle mine due to the fact they can stress easily.

Hope this assists you to make your decision.

[Colin Vestrand]

my opinion may not be popular, but i believe that veiled chameleons are actually fairly easy to keep... their diet is not specialized, they can withstand a wide variation in temps, and they come from an extremely harsh environment. other chams are a different story, but i'd start with a veiled for sure. i kept a pair in a 20 gal tipped on its side for the first couple months, then moved the to a 55 gal show tank for a month or so... now they dwell in customer cages with two sides of oak and two sides of plastic coated wire screen (1/4") with silk and real plants.

[littleindiangirl]

I would like to put in my two cents. I have told this story before, my friend bought a veiled cham from a really great source. (nature's spirit) but she did not take proper care of the animal. I grew increasingly concerned, and started doing all kinds of research on the web. I bought her a light, cricket keeper, gut load, calcium, vitamins supplement, cage... but it was too late. The animal grew fast, but died from MBD.

First off, everyone always says "dont get a chamleon as your first herp!". It's true these animals need specialized care. The humidity, the food items, UV rays, they are all important.
Even though veileds are from the desert (yemen, saudia arabia, not kuwait, lol) they need humidity. Usually ambient humidity in the house is not enough. Misting and having an auto matic dripper are a MUST.
I think like Aleesha said, she has naturally high ambient humidity, and she raises her own food items, is probably the best way to keep them. I know that chams are supposed to have wide varied diets to prevent sickness. I have also read that these veileds love to bask. having some window screen cage to that goes outside (maintain a cool end on the inside of the house for the cham) is supposed to be soooo much better than just uva/uvb lights. Natural sun is just the best. Giving them a few hours in the summer does more than you know.

The food items need to be varied, like the crickets cant be too big. It's also good to get them to eat greens when young. Vitamin supplement is usually a good idea.

Also, for the sexing, it's very easy to tell male and female veiled apart. The males will have spurs on their back feet since the day they are born. I recommend a male over a female since that does require more experience than you have right now.

I think my point is, read read read!!! And read some more!!! These animals do take a lot more care than a leopard gecko, and def more than a BP. This is something everyone needs to be on board with. Save your money and don't go cheap when buying equipment. It is so important to have a high quality light, and a well ventilated cage. For the youngins, fill the cage up so they don't become stressed. Use proper heating equipment and monitoring equipment. Again, like Aleesha said, () If you buy the right tools, it will make things much, muuuuch easier. Hope that makes sense and doesnt deter you, but helps you make the right decision.

[Argentra]

It's all true. Chams are an intermediate reptile at least, and need constant looking after with good equipment. I consider myself a pretty experienced herp owner (various lizards, turtles, and now snakes), but I would never think of owning a chameleon unless we were out of apartments and both had good, steady jobs with adequate time to devote to it.

If you really want to get a 'different' lizard...why not try a skink? Skinks are gentle for the most part, very pretty, and a bit easier to care for than a cham. My favorites are the Schneider's and the Blue Tongue.

[smalls92]

I was thinking of a skink but they get too big, the only cage i have is a ten gallon aquarium but with a cham I can buy plenty of cages because of them being so cheap (all screen). I will be going to a reptile speacilty store this weekend (east bay vivarium for those of you who live in the bay area) And plan on asking many questions about chameleons but also plan on checking out other lizards too. What I have gathered so far is, A tank, heat light, UVA/UVB tube, plenty of vines and plants, automatic mister because I will not be there all the time to mist it (although I would make frequent trips to check on it when im not there) A dripper and thats about it. If I do get a chameleon I plan on rasing my own crickets in the spare ten gallon tank I have so I have a steady supply of food, maby even divide the tank into half crickets half silkworms. Im not saying that this is my final decision but im definatly leaning tworads a chameleon. Ive been reading for hours every night about them and belive that I could care for it properly. Please tell me if there is anything im forgetting

[Skiploder]

I was thinking of a skink but they get too big, the only cage i have is a ten gallon aquarium but with a cham I can buy plenty of cages because of them being so cheap (all screen). I will be going to a reptile speacilty store this weekend (east bay vivarium for those of you who live in the bay area) And plan on asking many questions about chameleons but also plan on checking out other lizards too. What I have gathered so far is, A tank, heat light, UVA/UVB tube, plenty of vines and plants, automatic mister because I will not be there all the time to mist it (although I would make frequent trips to check on it when im not there) A dripper and thats about it. If I do get a chameleon I plan on rasing my own crickets in the spare ten gallon tank I have so I have a steady supply of food, maby even divide the tank into half crickets half silkworms. Im not saying that this is my final decision but im definatly leaning tworads a chameleon. Ive been reading for hours every night about them and belive that I could care for it properly. Please tell me if there is anything im forgetting

There are maybe two people in that store who can give you any real advice on chameleons and the rest of the staff will happily give you bad advice. The Vivarium is a blast to visit but I have repeatedly seen them give out improper husbandry advice. Additionally, over the last two years I have seen a slow decline in the condition of a lot of their animals.

I recommend Googling for Chameleon-specific forums and reading their FAQs and threads. I also recommend that you contact several breeders and talk to them. Most reputable breeders will patiently answer your questions and will also sell you properly cared for and conditioned animals.

[smalls92]

man you guys either really hate me or just dont trust me but all jokes aside, like I have said many times, I have not made my final decision but am leaning twords a cham and have been doing hours of research every night because of that BUT that doesnt mean that im not thinking of something else. I was thinking of crested geckos but to me, geckos are just boring at least my leopard was. But I will continue to do research and see what EVB has to offer me also, how bigs do skinks get and how big do their tanks need to be.

[Skiploder]

man you guys either really hate me or just dont trust me but all jokes aside, like I have said many times, I have not made my final decision but am leaning twords a cham and have been doing hours of research every night because of that BUT that doesnt mean that im not thinking of something else. I was thinking of crested geckos but to me, geckos are just boring at least my leopard was. But I will continue to do research and see what EVB has to offer me also, how bigs do skinks get and how big do their tanks need to be.

http://bluetongueskinks.net/blue.htm

Don't mind the corny music. Good care sheet, decent forum and a good breakdown of the different variants.

Blue tongues are a lot easier to care for than chameleons, and are more interactive to boot.

If you are into geckos, check out Pet'acular Exotics in Antioch. Richard Speckner is the owner and is really into geckos.