hmm maybe a cham?

[Benny]

i was thinking of a snake, but after talking to my reptile store (twin cities reptiles) witch i trust completle said maybe i shoudl consider chams, so i thought i would ask you ppl, since you all are super cool =)

i want a nosy be, good/bad idea?


-benny

[HeatherRose]

Nosy Be's rock, I'd recommend them, they were my first (and only) cham.

Although, before getting into chameleons there's a lot to consider. They're mostly a display animal, and don't often tolerate much handling. (individuals vary though). They require a lot of attention, and more time than other lizards and snakes.

If you're looking for a challenge, and a really wicked display animal, a chameleon would suit you :D

[Benny]

sweet that sounds perfect! lol thanks any one else got an opinon?

[Bartman]

Chameleons are amazing. I think the only problem people have when keeping them is getting the set up right, even though it doesn’t require much, people don’t seem to read enough and make it right.

I have a veiled, which are known to have quite the attitude. Like always, it is all about the specific animal and whether they tolerate handling or not. My veiled seems to be completely fine with handling. Its easy with chams to see if they are getting stressed or not from handling as they will get black spots or turn dark "stressed" colors. As long as you don’t see this then he should be good, as well you want to make sure he’s eating and drinking normally. If you want to handle your cham, id say get a youngster so you can get him accustomed to handling early on.

The set up is quite simple and id suggest, no matter what you get really, to do lots of reading. My veiled is in a custom cage, all screen to allow proper ventilation. I put in a pothos plant which allows him to climb easy as well as a few horizontal branches I put in using zip ties. I have a UVB light, which is vital for their health as well as a heat lamp. You can buy a dripper or make one pretty easily. I used a 50 cd case upside down with a few poked holes. You will also need a sprayer, which shouldn’t be hard to find. They will need spraying once a day and if you can a pretty constant drip, so keep it full most of the time, but make sure the cage isn’t getting moldy because lots of moisture leads to this quite easily.

For diet, I let my guy eat crickets as a staple and a few silks a week. Every other day I pull out the 5 gallon where I keep my crickets and let him eat as much as he wants in a 10 minute span. This is working great for me and he is very healthy. Babies will need to eat a dozen crickets a day. Seems like a lot but they have a very fast metabolism.

All in all, great animals. Good luck!

Check out adchams.com for more info. Thats a solid site.

[Benny]

bartman, thnak you so much, u gave me some really good advice there, but you mena liek put the cham in the cricket tank a nd let him eat all he wonts for 10 min every other day?

[meow_mix450]

Same as Heather I started off with a Nosy be Chameleon. I think we both got it from the same breeder not sure lol. But as along as you read your stuff, there is no doubt in mind that you won't be able to care for one. It's all up to you in the end to decide if your able to take care of one.

If your one of those guys that always has to interact with the reptile then a chameleon really wouldn't be for you. What would be best would either be bearded dragons or leopard geckos. Expect to spend around 1000.00 bucks at the start. But it can be reduced if you look around etc.

www.chameleonjournals.com
www.chameleonnews.com

Usually each day you spend around 30 mins feeding, cleaning and spraying.

Now I'm gonna answer your feeding question. Male adults should be feed a dozen crickets every other day and an adult female should be feed 6-8 crickets a day. When they are a few weeks old you feed them everyday, and a dozen should be good.

If you got any questions just ask

Meow

[Benny]

thanks meow

[Bartman]

Expect to spend around 1000.00 bucks at the start.

Id have to completely disagree with that point. You wont spend anywhere NEAR that much as far as start up. First, if possible, you could build a custom enclosure, but EVEN if you had to buy one you could get a fresh air habitat for around 100 bucks. The cham, well as far as veilds go, are around 100. Then a tree from home depot will be 10-29 bucks. So there we are at 220 for almost everything you need. Maximum I would say you will spend 4 to 5 hundred.

[meow_mix450]

lol he said he's gonna go for a nosy be. In the states a Nosy be can reach up too 500.00 bucks. Also I did mention that the amount spent can be reduced. Such as making your own cage etc. Also you will be spending around 1000 bucks once it comes to crickets

Meow

[meow_mix450]

Here I just found a site, nosy be cost 350.00, again it depends where its purchased. Some are as low as 250.00.
http://www.screameleons.com/portal/alias__Screameleons/lang__en-US/tabID__3365/ItemID__3468/DesktopDefault.aspx

Also I just did my own little calulations, I a bit off. I still say around the 800.00's

Meow

[Benny]

cool thanks yall, i knwo a guy that gose to the daytona show in agust, he got a breeding pair for 400 nosy be, godo quility too, so jsut need to shop around thanks guys, got ne tips for a cage?

[meow_mix450]

Umm making or finding?

Meow

[Benny]

either

[meow_mix450]

Umm buying. Everyone has there perference. Mine is that I perfer Alumium over plastic and nylon. I find it rare that they climb onto alumium. But the ones you buy are sometimes to small for adults. When making, try to make it 6 feet tall. Its the average height. Plan it out before you bulid lol, or your gonna be spending more money then you really want too.:p

Meow

[Bartman]

Here are some shots of my cage

The cage
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v281/BartmanReptiles/newchamcagealmostfinished1.jpg
The door
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v281/BartmanReptiles/cage.jpg
The dripper made from a cd case
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v281/BartmanReptiles/drip.jpg
The water proof plastic sheet I put at the bottom so the wood doesnt mold. I covered it with eco earth.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v281/BartmanReptiles/plas.jpg

[Benny]

nice, so i just need wood/screws/drill/wire screen? and jniges for door

[meow_mix450]

lol that will do haha

Meow

[Benny]

heh thanks meow


-benny

[Manitoban Herps]

At petstore in Manitoba you can get nosy be's for 250-350 each for CBB babies, sexed.

My cham with cage ran me around 200-300$