First time I will feed a lizard I need your help

[christian996]

Hi guys, I just joined you.

I want to keep a chameleon in my own home in a terrarium because of its unique colors. But I have some reservations, frankly I am not someone who has kept a lot of pets. We have a small child at home, I do not want to harm him and the lizard.

I do various researches on the internet, I believe that I will love to feed lizards, even though they are like unknown and unpopular animals in many countries. According to the information I got from a source, a 150 * 80 cm terrarium is enough for these beautiful animals (https://petanimalworld.com/parsons-chameleon/)

My questions are

1. Is it dangerous for my child? How are biting habits? Can they give permanent wounds?
2. Can he escape from the terrarium we made for him? Would it hurt if it ran away? Is this terrarium enough for him?

[chairman]

The web site you provided as your resource describes the basic details of keeping chameleons. It is missing some important details.

It did not adequately discuss ultra violet (UV) light. Chameleons require UV light in the "B" range to produce vitamin D and digest calcium. Specialized light bulbs produce UVB and this kind of light is required for chameleons. Without UVB a chameleon will die. Most chameleon keepers use special tube fluorescent bulbs to provide UVB; separate incandescent or halogen flood lights are used to create the hot basking spots. The light bulbs that produce UVB need to be replaced every six months because they stop producing UVB over time.

It also did not describe feeding properly. Before feeding any insects to a chameleon the insects must be fed a nutritious diet so that the nutrients are passed on to the chameleon. The insects must also be coated with calcium dust prior to feeding them to the chameleon.

The chameleon will not be harmful to your child. Chameleons do not like to be held and can, in fact, die from the stress of being held too frequently. If you try to hold a chameleon that does not wish to be held then it may bite you. Chameleons usually hiss and make aggressive movements before they bite so you can avoid a bite by leaving the chameleon alone if it displays defensive behavior. A bite should not cause serious wounds.

I would need to see your terrarium to know if the chameleon could escape but, generally, the lizards are not known for escaping properly constructed terrariums.

Assuming that you live in Armenia, the chameleon will die if it escapes the cage.

A terrarium that is 80 cm wide, 80 cm deep, and 150 cm tall should be large enough for the chameleon.