Getting First Chameleon?

[pimpin_posey]

My brother-in-law wants to get a chameleon. he wants to get a large like 50 ga. tank or more so he doesnt have to get a bigger cage. me and him are gonna make a tall open air standing cage. how many can you put together and what kind is a good kind to start with.(He wants the ones with the the horns.(Jackson's i believe.) Where is a good place to get them.

 

[crashergs]

JACKSON chameleons are not for for the first time chameleon keeper, id go with senegal chameleons, Jackson chameleons are NOT communal and should be housed seperately, if you dont believe me, dont let anyone tell you otherwise on here. research on google.com and speak to chameleon breeders

 

[Gigas]

most chameleons arent communal, YEmen chameleons get pretty big and are good starters, but if you have experience with reptiles and research you should be able to handle it, and nice to see you understand the importance of mesh cages

 

[crashergs]

like gigus said, a huge percentage of chameleons, which are all the chameleons a herpitologist can get or us keepers, should stay solitairy.

yemen (a.k.a veiled) chameleons are good starters to... mesh screen is highly necessary, and if you have a vivarium, you can replace one side of the mesh screen with a glass window, make sure its at least 20 inches high.

 

[boidaddic]

I wouldnt go with the senegal's mainly cause no one really breeds them meaning that most on the market are wild caught and dont do well in captivity. I would go with the Veileds if I were you their really hardy and tend to be more forgiving of husbandry mistakes then most of the other species. Good luck
Regards,
Eric Weintraub

 

[Heartslave]

My sister and I breed Ambilobe Panther Chamelons the red bar varity. They get big and eat alot but you can't beat the colors! We have pictures of our sub-adult pair that we are going to breed once they mature. The link below is a picture of the pair sooo cute! They get more colors every day! She also has a veild Chameleon he is a real tresure they can all be trained to eat from your hands. Make sure to start with a healthy baby!

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/37406531/

Hope that helps alittle,
Heartslave

 

[bugs4life]

I almost got a veiled chameleon once (before I was truly into herps and inverts) and I ended up getting a ferrett instead Big mistake, those things are evil! It was a total waste of money, and even though I got most of my money back, it wasn't enough to switch over to the chameleon That's when I came to the conclusion the furry animals, besides dogs, just aren't worth it.
Hmm, that didn't have too much to do with chameleons in reference to this thread...

 

[jarrell]

how big does a cage needs to be for a vield chamelion?

bugs4life ferrets are pretty funny imo I like them.

 

[bugs4life]

bugs4life ferrets are pretty funny imo I like them.

Oh yeah it was a riot when she started hissing at me out of nowhere and scratched up my face and arms! :wall:
;P

 

[jarrell]

Oh yeah it was a riot when she started hissing at me out of nowhere and scratched up my face and arms! :wall:
;P

haha Im sorry but getting beat up by a weasel is pretty funny in my book. ;P

 

[bugs4life]

*sigh* it's ok I guess...I mean even though it wasn't funny then, it is now.
And just as a note...weasels are very vicious predators! Those teeth and claws are razor sharp!

 

[Ewok]

What kind of light are you going to use? I used a T-rex active uv heat bulb for a pigmy leaf chameleon before, it worked pretty well as they put out both uvb and uva and heat too.