instead of many

BallPython13 · 06-06-03, 01:38 AM

as some of you may know im starting my own reptile house,well since it will be hard by its self i thin k that i should just go with one species instead of a buch of reptiles.do you have any suggestions?Heres what im looking for-
likes to be handled
GROWS BIG BUT NOT TO BIG
very easy to breed
easy to care for
nice looking
commom
inexpensive
also iw ould like something that would eat live food
any sugestions?They will be kept in rubber maids and i plan toraise many of them.i was thinkning of a camelion.If you do suggest a reptile please give me either a link or lots of info on it.my local oetshop only have commom reptiles so keep that in mind.thank you..

snake_goth · 06-06-03, 01:42 AM

2 words 'corn snake'
or a cal king (ime not to shure about king snakes)

geckoguy157 · 06-06-03, 02:26 AM

well its not the best idea to keep a chameleon in a rubbermaid and they are not realy easy to breed you have to know when they want to breed so you know when to put them together and they are not good for handling all the time because they get stressed easy so i wouldnt recomend chamleons i would recomend leopard gecko's though they fit all of your catagories except the big one but for evreything else they are great and would be an ideal first breeing colony o yah they dont eat live food though thats a risky thing to do with reptiles because the mice can fight back but you can feed them live crickets haha

ps. they will do well in rubber maids if are heated properly and all as you realy need is a heating pad or heat tape underneath of your rubber maids

BWSmith · 06-06-03, 07:48 AM

Quote:

also iw ould like something that would eat live food

Why? It is SOOOOO dangerous for the animal!

Trace · 06-06-03, 08:09 AM

BP13.... first of all it's spelled Chameleon, not camelion. Please, if you can't even spell the animal correctly, don't get one.

Now, what a lot of people don't know is that chameleons get quite large! Most species will reach lengths of between 6 to 8 feet! They are arboreal (meaning they live in trees) so a small rubbermaid container is not suitable. They do best living by themselves in a full grown baobab tree (Adansonia digitata). Do you have any of these in your yard?

They do eat live food! Which is really cool!!!! Now most species of chameleons come from the African continent. (Yes, I know there are a few on Antarctica, but those aren't generally found in the pet trade and are CITES listed) They are accustomed to eating the natural fauna of Africa. Fortunately I do have a supplier of f/t warthogs, hyenas and baby giraffes. Phew! Otherwise I couldn't keep as many chameleons as I do.

Breeding is very difficult! You have to retreive the a super aggresive female from high in her tree and move her to the male's tree. It's really hard by yourself. I've lost many fingers and received numerous bites from doing this. I consider myself lucky that I have not lost any arms and legs from doing this. I have tranquilizer darts and the like at my disposal should I need it, but I perfer that the animals don't get sedated. It's really hard on their metabolism.

They live almost 100 years in captivity so it's possible for them to outlive you! You will have to consider leaving them in your will to a family member. Is there someone in your life right now that would take on these animals?

These are just some of the main points that I can think of right now. I have to run, as I received ANOTHER rescued chameleon the other night and she needs an enema! Boy this is going to fun trying to give her that by myself!

Cheers!

Trace

marisa · 06-06-03, 08:16 AM

Great post Trace, I just wanted to add my condolenses since your giant female got ahold of the family dog....so sorry to hear that.

Marisa

icequeen · 06-06-03, 08:21 AM

Consider yourself LUCKY Trace...only losing a few fingers!!

My cham took my right arm off at the ELBOW!!!

I wish someone like you had of INFORMED me BEFORE I took on this untamed beast!!!

But, he's mine now...I made my bed, I have to lie in it!

Trace · 06-06-03, 08:22 AM

Thanks again Marisa. Your support means so much to me in this trying time. It's friends like you that keep me going!

Trace

beth wallbank · 06-06-03, 08:24 AM

MUUUHHHHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAH!!! you nut!! Don't forget though, that chameleons love to eat corners of furniture and the gyprock right off the walls.

Tim and Julie B · 06-06-03, 08:51 AM

Hey Beth are you talking about those "shelled" chameleons? I would love to see one of those blend in so you couldn't see it!

icequeen · 06-06-03, 08:56 AM

As much as I LOVE my cham...the thing I hate is when he lets go of one of those foot long poops!

my GOD...the smell is AMAZING! I don't care if it's the middle of winter and 30 below...the windows get OPENED!!!

Trace · 06-06-03, 09:09 AM

Icequeen: It's shocking how quickly chameleons can move eh? You wouldn't think those generally slow moving creatures can turn on you and give that dismembering bite! And as for the poops!!!! I hear ya! They certainly make great fertilizer, but with the amount they put out daily it's beginning to pile up around here. It does make a nice facial mask though... you should try it after a long day of wrestling with your chameleon. It's very relaxing!

I don't know how you and Beth can keep your chameleons in the house. Aren't you worried they will eat you in your sleep?

Just curious.

Trace

Zoe · 06-06-03, 09:17 AM

I sure as heck don't keep mine indoors! They've broken out of any cage I've ever put them in - even one made out of metal. For something that doesn't move that much, they sure are strong!

I find mine won't eat any f/t foods... the only thing they'll take are live baby elephants. NOT a pretty sight, and those elephants are really hard to get, what with them being endangered and all. They cost me a good 500$ per week each to feed. It's crazy.

icequeen · 06-06-03, 09:58 AM

Trace I don't keep my little man (that's my "pet name" for him...hehehehe) IN the house exactly.
He has his own room. Which USED to be called the garage.
It right off of my laundry room, so I can hear him AND smell him when he does his thing.
My guy isn't full grown yet, so thankfully he is still only eating small to medium sized dogs. At least THOSE are still easy to come by!
I remember when the breeder I got my cham from told me that they move about as "quick as a sloth"....well, she must of been referring to the Mach 2 sabertooth sloth or something, cause this guy is FAR from slow!!!
I learned my lesson though...I'll never make another impulse decision like that again.
From this point on, I will do my OWN research, rather than take anyone else's word on what it takes to look after ANY animal!

beth wallbank · 06-06-03, 10:05 AM

hey Trace......no worries about the chams eating me.......I purchased some heavy gauge zoological mammal cages and they don't seem to be able to penetrate these bars. So far so good, and darned lucky too as I got my tubes tied because I am sick of having to replace the kids if they disappear in the night.