new to cham owning need helpful information.

[i have a cham04]

I got a new chameleon for a gift today and I don't quite know much aboutt them. I don'teven have a name forit .... anyway If you know food it should have iwould like to know and on how much to handle/hold the viel chameleoni would really like to get a response, and maybe an idea ofthingsto put in it cageto make it feel at home? it is only about2-3 months old thank you.
~i have a cham04~

[Bighead]

Ahhhhh! For Peat's sake! - Learn about the animal you want to get before you get it! Chameleons are not a beginner reptile. They need much more attention and experience than some of the other reptiles and amphibians (herps). Here is an ok website about veileds... grrr.... http://www.**************/rockymountain/RMHPages/RMHveiled.htm

[i have a cham04]

1) i am not a beginner 2) it was a gift. i have had tons of anole's, iguanas,birds',hamsters,dogs,cats,bunnies,trantual a,scorpion, i have 17 turtles' i know reptiles pretty good the only thing i dont know about vieleds is how much to hold the baby. and 3) i wasnt expecting a rude reply i thought these were to help people....

[Bighead]

Sorry, I really don't mean to be rude, it just seems scary when people say things like " I just got a chameleon, but I don't know what to feed it or if I can hold it."
Of course, I could be wrong but your appearent lack of knowlege about "viel chameleoni" (did you mean chamaeleo calyptratus or veiled chameleons?) implied that you were a beginner.
So you say you have had "tons of anoles and iguanas?" Are you aware that the average life span of an iguana is about 20 years and that thet grow to be 6 feet long and the average life span of an anole is about 6 months in captivity and 7 years in the wild and they grow to be about 6 inches? What exactly did you mean by you have had tons of these, but you don't have them anymore?
Sorry, I know this will seem quite offensive but, to be honest, it's hard for me not to get offended when people buy or aquire animals like these without knowing anything about them.

P.S. I forgot that that link won't work on this site. Here's one that should be helpful: http://www.animalarkshelter.org/cin/

[mykee]

Welcome to the ssite.

[daver676]

Welcome to ssnakess! :D

I don't know much about Chameleons, but I do know that you will receive more responses to your question if you post it in the Chameleon forum. :)

[Breeder]

I'm kinda with Bighead, but you need the information as you cham won't last long without it. Crickets or silkworms should be the staple food item. They need to be dusted with calcium and vitamin supplements at every feeding when this young. Go easy on mealworms as they can be difficult to digest. You need to keep the humidity very high and mist heavily at least twice daily. Most chams don't use a water dish, so they need to drink from the leaves. It's ok to hold him, but they prefer to be left alone and some get pretty stressed out if handled too often. Hope that helps.
I'm new to ssnakess too. Looks like a good community and I look forward to getting more involved.

[Breeder]

Oh yeah, live plants are great for chameleons because they help keep humidity up, provide climbing, basking, and hiding spots, and they will nibble on them occasionally. Ficus benjamina, and pothos are two that are safe to use and easy to find. Good luck with the new cham.

[i have a cham04]

i know most of everything ineed to know and yes i have th know how to take care of iguanas i have adopted them out my biggest was 5 ft. but ive raised them my whole life...the only thing i didnt know about viel chams is how long to hold a baby everything else is alredy like duh you know its like already knowing how to care for a ababy it comes natural to some people...i love animals and will have my own pet shop in just a few years....anyway...for those of you that were and gave a nice response thank you and maybe i can soon help you. what i mean by food is does it only eat them damn insects...poor things welli came to find out my cham loves being held and enjoys its cage setup my daughter(10 mo old) named it geck...today i tried finding them plants and couldnt find any, wouldnt any non-toxic plant work? bighead please just refrain from replying your notrealy a NICE help. and i keep my tank moist but my cham doesnt seem to like getting wet, is that normal? sorry this is long but thanks for helping and sorry for typos but my keyboard is broken...~i havea cham04~

[TheRedDragon]

Welcome to sSnakeSs! :) I unfortunately don't know anything about chameleon care, but, good luck with your new addition nonetheless. :)

[JeffT]

Yes they eat insects, at that age the cham should eat small crickets and/ or meal worms that are less then the size of its head. I am guessing you keep yours in a glass tank? Well it might be ok for another month, but then you must get of build a cage out of screen, measuring 2X2X3 feet, that will be great for a single adult. PS Post in the chameleon forum, there are many expers and breeders there to help you.

[Matt_K]

here's a pretty good care sheet for veileds.. http://www.geocities.com/rainforest/vines/8020/chameleon.html

From my own experience, mine never liked being misted, but you gotta do what you gotta do.. There is a safe plant list posted somewhere in these forums, i will have a look and see if i can find it for you.. Please, read as much info as you can and when you think you have read enough, read more..

If you're going to feed your cham mealies.. Use the ones that are white, since their exo-skeleton is softer and easy to digest for the cham..

[Matt_K]

Safe Plant List (http://groups.msn.com/ChameleonParadise/nontoxiclivepantlist.msnw)

[scalawag]

I just love it when people respond with I don't mean to be rude but... then go on another tyrade. Then impressing us with his latin by interpretting a misspelled viel chameleoni as veiled chameleons... DUHHHH This site could be supported by grammar police handing out tickets. Don't know chameleons but good luck and welcome to the site. Most people are tolerant here.

Originally posted by Bighead
Sorry, I really don't mean to be rude, it just seems scary when people say things like " I just got a chameleon, but I don't know what to feed it or if I can hold it."
Of course, I could be wrong but your appearent lack of knowlege about "viel chameleoni" (did you mean chamaeleo calyptratus or veiled chameleons?) implied that you were a beginner.
So you say you have had "tons of anoles and iguanas?" Are you aware that the average life span of an iguana is about 20 years and that thet grow to be 6 feet long and the average life span of an anole is about 6 months in captivity and 7 years in the wild and they grow to be about 6 inches? What exactly did you mean by you have had tons of these, but you don't have them anymore?
Sorry, I know this will seem quite offensive but, to be honest, it's hard for me not to get offended when people buy or aquire animals like these without knowing anything about them.

P.S. I forgot that that link won't work on this site. Here's one that should be helpful: http://www.animalarkshelter.org/cin/

[meow_mix450]

i dont have time, but read the sites collide gave you, ill post tomorrow

Meow

[meow_mix450]

i got time now lol, i consider you a beginner cause its your"first time" keeping a chameleon. But they eat crikets, silkworms, meal worms, butter worms etc, if you have read the sites collide gave you, you wouldnt have to ask that question, dont handle the chameleon to much as it will get stress, dust the crikets everyday, cause its a baby, when it gets older every other feeding you dust and then slowly ywice a week. Live plants are better then fake, cause thye can keep humdity a lot better, MIST TWICE A DAY, keep the dripper going.

Meow

[JeffT]

good job meow lol.