New guy Question

[Weather1]

My girlfriend wants to get a chamaeleon.

I know nothing about them. What is a good kind to start with

Are they hard to take care of?

What is a reasonable size cage /set up?

Can they live in pairs or do they do best alone.

Any other info would be great

Thanks in advance

[dave]

dont start with a chameleon even the hartiest are hard to take care of for beginers. They recuire a huge amount of space. And they get stressed out so very easy so there not a pet for handeling by any means. take it from someone that started out with a chameleon it is not the type of reptile to start with they take more time and effort then many who are just getting started will care to take. I would recommend a leopard gecko or even a bearded dragon. whatever you do get learn all you can first before you ever get the animal there are tones ofcare sheets on the net for any specie you choose only because ssnakess is kinda limited on lizard care sheets i will refer you to www.k i n g s n a k e. com (without the spaces) they have a larger database of care sheets for lizard speice but everthing else ssnakess rules for

[Trace]

Hmmmm.... way to discourage a new owner Dave.

I completely disagree!

Weather1 you've asked alot of questions there, so i'll try and give you as much general info as possible in a short post!

IMHO a good beginner chameleon would either be a Veiled or a Panther. Try to get a male if you can. They tend to be prettier and they don't have the reproductive problems the females MAY develope. You can keep a few females together in the same cage, but males can be intolerant to other males, so they do better by themselves. You can keep pairs in the same cage, but the males will eventually try to breed with the females, and if she is not interested, this can cause a big stress level for her. For the most part they are not socialable animals so keeping just one in a cage is fine.

Care wise they are a little more difficult than most lizards, but not impossible. They require a high humidity level that you can achieve by misting with HOT water, or the use of foggers or humidifiers. They are insectavores and like a wide variety of prey bugs. Crickets, superworms, silkworms, waxworms are all good feeder insects for them. I even catch wild-caught bugs in the summer. They LOVE grasshoppers! As with any other lizard, they do require vitamin supplementation on their insects. For babies, dust the bugs daily, for juvies maybe 2 or 3 times a week and for the adults dusting once a week is fine.

Cage wise, they need an vertical, all screened enclosure. Tanks are NOT good for them! There is little airflow in a tank, and with all the heavy misting they require, that can lead to a bacterial buildup in the tank. Also it is hard to achieve a nice temperature gradient inside an aquarium. The minimum size for a cage would be 18"x18"x36 although 24"x24"x48" is prefered. Fill the cage with non-toxic plants and lots of sticks for them to climb on.

Here are the best websites on Chameleon husbandry for you:
www.chameleonjournals.com
www.adcham.com
And a non-toxic plant list:
http://www.anapsid.org/mainplants.html

I'm sure I'm missing a pile of information for you Weather1, so feel free to ask some more specific questions if you need!

Good Luck!

Cheers!

Trace

P.S. I'm currently writing care sheets for chameleons and they will be posted on ssnakess shortly.

[Weather1]

Thanks Trace

I will read more info on them, then adcide what kind I want. I like the Panther.

Dave....I already have 2 bearded dragons and was looking for something new.

[BILLP]

weather

I agree with Trace, a couple of chameleon species are easy to take care of. For your first chameleon I would not get anything other then a veiled or a panther. I have kept other species but some of them have alot of requirements. As far as a veiled or panther they are about the same to care for. A panther will cost quite a bit more and require a larger cage. I have several of both I keep the veiled in a 65 gallon reptarium and the panther in a 100 gallon reptarium. I don't use any substrate in any of the cages since I have never seen them on the ground. inside the cage I put a nice ficus plant in there (pot and all). They need a full spectrum light and a heat light. I mist my cages twice daily but it is very dry here. Also the misting is were the chameleons get there water they very seldom drink from a water dish. I hope this helps.

[Weather1]

Thanks for all the help