Chameleon requirements?

[Stylopidae]

If I were to get a chameleon (probably jackson's or panther) what would I need to know?

What nutrition requirements would I need to worry about?

What would be the minimum housing requirements?

I'd prefer to use a glass tank and do maintenance (other than the standard wiping down of tank walls every week) once or twice a month.

Is something like that feasible or is a chameleon just not for me?

 

[pharaoh2653]

for a beginner a veiled would be your best bet mainly for price and hardiness(they are more forgiving of mistakes). imo a glass tank is a not an option. chameleons need adequate ventilation, humidity, as well as several other things. i used to own two a few years back and i kept them in custom built 3'x4'x6' screen enclosures. i had pics but they were destroyed by the hurricane. they also need a high amount of uvb and if possible natural sunlight is a must. i suggest getting a few books first. i think barrons has a good one.

 

[Michael Jacobi]

Joe

If you want to use a glass tank, a cham might not be for you. They require a great deal of ventilation and should be housed in screen vivaria designed for chameleons. Size depends on species, but panthers and veileds need fairly large enclosures.

Pharoah is 100% correct about veileds being the best beginner species. Avoid females which have a tendency to become egg-bound and will produce eggs even in the absence of a male. Males are larger and much prettier anyway. (They can be easily sexed by the presence of a spur on the hind feet of even hatchling males).

Buy captive-bred ONLY. Panthers are awesome but pricey. CB Jackson's can do well, but they are not forgiving about dryness or high temps.

Chams are very high maintenance lizards for the specialized keeper. Every aspect of their husbandry requires an involved attention to detail. I don't have the time or the space here to give you a thorough answer. I suggest you look away from the arachnid forum and look into point your browser to first-rate cham sites like http://www.animalarkshelter.org/cin/ and http://www.chameleonforums.com/.

There are also an abundance of excellent chameleon books.

Research first. Chams are not for everyone. In fact, they are not for most.

Best, Michael

 

[David_F]

Hey Joe,

I've been looking at chameleons lately as well, namely Rieppeleon brevicaudatus (Bearded pygmy chameleon). They're a pygmy species from Tanzania and from the info I've found online they can be kept in heavily planted glass tanks (20 gallon or so for a pair or trio) with screen tops. Mist twice a day, keep the temps cool, low to mid 70s or so, and feed gut-loaded and dusted insects a few times a week. They're small and not nearly as colorful as other chameleons though. They're pretty much all wild-caught so that's a problem but from what I've read they're easy to breed (if you can get your hands on healthy WC adults that is). A couple sites I've found that I really liked are www.adcham.com and www.chameleonnews.com. Both have good info on R. brevicaudatus and many other species.

 

[Michael Jacobi]

David - I almost corrected your spelling to Rhampholeon . I didn't realize that the genus had been revised. The resource I typically consult (EMBL Reptile Database) does not reflect this change. I did some surfing and discovered this article at chameleonnews.com... It's time-consuming enough to keep up with arachnids!

Pygmys are very cool little lizards, but very different than the "true chameleons" (e.g., Chamaeleo and Furcifer). It is true that those available in the hobby are typically wild-caught, but occasionally people have females that were imported gravid lay eggs that successfully hatch. In fact, a reptile shop here in Nashville has had success raising said babies to adulthood and I have the perfect cage for them Off to buy...

Cheers, Michael

 

[GailC]

Crestedlady breeds a couple different kinds of pygmy chams. I don't think she will have any for sale until next year though.

http://www.crestedlady.com/pygmybreeders.htm

 

[Loaf]

I would recommend getting a book to read up on chameleons, You must be very dedicated to these animals, they are very high maintenece and fragile until you get the procedure down! They must be misted everyday, which you can buy a mister and hook it up to a timer, to make it easier on yourself. You can also hook the lights up to a timer as well. Or use a drip system so they can drink. For my drip system i just used air tubes for fish tanks put one end in the water, and the other in the terrarium, and syphon (sp?) the water out so it's a constant drip. Keep an eye out for sunken eyes, that usually means dehydration. I have heard that Chameleons don't recognize still standing water (i don't know if this is true or not) You must powder the crickets with some sort of multi vitamin powder, as well as have a heat lamp and UV lights.


I used a 7ft tall by 2 ft wide and 2ft deep mesh terrarium for my fully grown Veileds, as they like to climb. as well as a 3 ft tall by 3 ft wide and 2 ft deep mesh terrarium for my Sailfin Chameleons. I put a couple of pothos plants along with make shift branches from sticks I tied together so they could climb. Make sure you find out which plants are poisonous.


I would not reccomend a glass tank, it's needs to be well ventilated, I had mushrooms start growing in my Wiedersheimi Chameleon (my favorite species of Chameleons, max length 15cm, very colorful) glass tank, due to excessive moisture, but i think sometime mushrooms are inevitable if the spores are already in the soil/substrate you are using. (if I am wrong someone correct me please)
For my substrate i just used equal parts, peat, vermiculite, potting soil, and sphagnum moss. Depending on how tall the terrarium was i put between 5-10 inches, Mine Chams did not spend too much time on the ground.


I think it's feasible depending on how much you have researched and how much time you are willing to put into them. If this is your first Cham, i would not buy a Panther. Not becasue they are any harder than other Chameleons, but because they are rather on the expensive side. It's cost a lot of money to get every thing you need, not inlcuding the Chameleon. I would set up the terrarium first, buy all the supplies and then buy the chameleon. Just like you would do for your other pets.
I promise you will not regret having a chameleon as a pet, the hard work will pay off, they are one of the most beautiful creatures I have ever seen!

I hope this helps!

Sophia

 

[David_F]

Michael,

Thanks for the link to the EMBL Database. Honestly, I wasn't sure which name the pygmys were under now; I've seen them called by both names so far.

If you do get some stump-tails I'd really like to see your set-up.

Thanks,
David

 

[Marcelo]

I Would recomend you what Sophia said,


I used to breed veiled chams years ago,

I do recomend you to get eaither a veiled cham or a panther. if you get the jackson it will die soon due to the weather conditions you can not provide. you have to read and go to chamaleons forums

I posted some links in the wateringhole thread while ago

 

[Marcelo]

forgot to mention

Chamaleons are not for handling, they are easy stressed