Best First Chameleon???

[striko_69]

Hey guys
does anyone know what a good first chameleon would be?
i have heard that chams can be rather tricky to keep?!? could you advise me? i have always loved chams (used to live in south africa), and always wished i could just take one home whenecver i saw it in the wild (but i know we cant!) anyway.... help.... please?:D

[IVvDEMONvVI]

Sont voilés ce que la plupart de ppl commencent avec pour des caméléons. Quel genre d'installation allez-vous employer pour loger un ?





(English : Veiled are what most ppl start off with for chameleons. What kind of set up are you going to use to house one?)

[dank7oo]

veileds are the most common HOWEVER panthers IMHO make the best pet for a first timer!

[Brock]

All depends on how much you're willing to spend. Veiled if you're looking to not spend much, panther if you have the means. It is, however, just a difference of about 100$ give or take. I'd get a panther.

-Brock

[ohh_kristina]

If you have the money, I would get a panther. They seem to be much more beautiful, and more friendly. Veileds are sometimes very aggressive. I'm planning on getting an Ambanja panther chameleon sometime before Christmas.

[Trace]

Veiled Chameleons and Panther Chameleons seem to be the most prevelent here in Canada, so out of the both I would pick a Panther as well. They seem to have more of a calm demeanor than the Veileds do.

Click here (http://www.adcham.com/html/taxonomy/species/chcalyptratus.html) for a good caresheet on Veiled Chameleons.

Click here (http://www.adcham.com/html/taxonomy/species/fpardalis.html) for a good caresheets on Panther Chameleons.

What kind of chameleons are the most easily obtained where you live? And, more importantly, what kinds did you see when you were living in South Africa? It must have been really neat to see them in the wild like that! Some day I will get the chance to visit that marvelous continent and see them for myself.

Hope this helps in some way.

Cheers!

Trace

[dank7oo]

http://www.socalreptile.com/chameleon.pdf

this site has care sheets for 20 (?) chameleons .. the info is not 100% precise, but the info is accurate enough to keep a healthy and happy cham

[Brock]

Trace I'm coming with you. Some of the God-Holy Christians in my school went to Tanzania to build windmills for water or something, and they didn't even know that reptiles lived there let alone chameleons. Luckily I educated them on chameleons before they went, hopefully they got some pictures for me, I'll scan them whenever I get them. God I can't wait to go to Africa, primarily Tanzania and Madagascar.

We should get a Cham Tour Group or something going for those interested, I'm sure we'd get a good turnout. Something to think about in the coming years.

-Brock

[striko_69]

So guys, which is probably easier to keep, since i am new to the whole chameleon thing! In south africa we saw dwarf chams but the ones we mostly saw arent found in the pet trade, im thinking a male veiled would be the most sensible at the moment, but i want to be able to pick him/her up every now and again... any more ideas?

[Trace]

Hello Alex!

Both Veiled Chameleons and Panther Chameleons have about the same husbandry requirements so I wouldn't say either one is easier to keep, you've just got to have to patience to deal with finicky husbandry issues on a daily basis.

I've got numerous male Veileds here and some are sssooo friendly it's not funny and one or two that will attempt to eat my hand off when I clean up their poops every day. I think it boils down to the personality of your chameleon whether he will tolerate handling or not. It's been my experience that Panther Chameleons are generally more friendly and tolerant of people than the Veileds.

As for other ideas... Jacksons Chameleons are nice too. They require a bit more exacting temperatures and humidity than the Veileds or Panthers but can be just as rewarding.

I'm under the impression you live in England, so that's why I ask what kind of chameleons are readily available to you. I'm offering suggestions for what I normally see on a daily basis but maybe things are different there.

Good luck with whatever species you choose, and don't be shy about asking questions.

Cheers!

Trace

P.S. Brock: let's do it some day! I have to see Madagascar before it gets totally destroyed.

[Brock]

I know, I'm not kidding. I was watching a show where the Tanzanian government declared a huge piece of land to be a national forest, and you know what they did? I'll tell you what they did, those bastards...They left about half a mile of forest where the road was, so people could drive through the park and say 'oh what a nice place', and then logged ALL the rest!!!!!!!!

Seriously...who does that. I want to do something about this.

-Brock