a TON of questions

[Jamesvomit]

Ok, so first off I want to give props to this forum and to the people on here. There is so many smart people with excellent info. Anyway, I will hopefully be buying my first chameleon soon and before I do, I have alot of questions I could use some answers to. So here they are...

1. I will be going to Repticon next weekend and I wanted to know if this is a good place to buy a Veild. Are reptiles at expos cheaper than in the stores or from online?

2. With Veilds, do they always have colors and patterns or are some just plain with a solid green or brown? I have seen some online that are advertised as sunbust, or turqouise for like around $65-$85 and some that are only described as baby or juvenile with no description of color for less money (around $40-$60).

3. I will probably get a male and female Veild or maybe even a male and two females. My intention is to breed them at some point. When breeding veilds, are the colors/traits passed on to the offspring more from the father or the mother. I ask because depending on prices I may be able to buy one that is more on the high priced side with better genetics and I was wonderig if it should be the male or female.

4. How long can 2 or 3 babys of opposite sexes be caged together? and how long can 2 females be caged together?

5. I am really only interesed in breeding because I think it would be fun and interesting, not really for money. So what is the best way to get rid of the babys. I want to make sure they only go to good homes and I would be very warry of giving them to a pet store or other place that would sell them to a bad home just to make a quick buck. Would it be considered bad/cruel to only incubate a few eggs and get rid of some so Im not left with like 30+ babys to try and find homes for? Or should I just scrap the idea of breeding all together?

6. What is all involved/needed when raising feeder crickets? I would rather raise my own instead of going to the store every week. also can it be done outdoors (in florida)?

7. I know mealworms dont have much nutritional value, but is it true they are actually bad to feed to a chameleon (I read that when swallowed they will bit the cham on inside)? I raise them for my finches so I have a constant supply. Would it help if I gutloaded them prior to feeding?

Ok, well I still have a few more but I will end it here for now. I want to say thanks for the info in adavance. I know this site will make getting started with my chams so much easier. Also I have raised birds for 10+ years, from finches to blue and gold macaws. So even though its a totaly different animal I know about breeding and dealing with eggs. And I have had pet lizards (anoles, geckos, iguanas), turtles, and frogs/toads my whole life so I know a little more and have a better "feel" for animals than the average beginner.

 

[Carlton]

I think you should try keeping one or two chams first before deciding to get into breeding. Chams take a lot of daily attention and the learning curve is pretty steep for a beginner. Enjoy them for themselves first.

Price isn't a great way to choose your chams. There are a lot of mass-produced baby veileds out there who's parents have received minimal care. Anyone offering tiny hatchlings for sale is probably not the best source. Pet shops aren't great either. They may not know anything about their animals and buy the cheapest as most of their customers don't know any better. If you want to produce healthy strong chams you are probably better off to research specific breeders and look for their animals whether they are offered on internet or at shows.

Baby veileds show few markings and simple colors. Juveniles can go through a "brownish" phase at around 5-6 months. Their markings and coloration develops with age. Always ask to see pictures of the parents or mature adults from the same line.

Get older juveniles especially as you are a beginner. Hatchlings can be tricky and there are often some clutchmates that simply don't survive. Can't help you on the genetics...they are not as sophisticated or well known as boids for example. A lot of individual variation. Start off with one good quality juvenile and see how you like it's daily care requirements.

There are a LOT of baby veileds available...if you don't have a market for your babies why put the female through the stress of breeding? It isn't risk free after all.

Mealworms aren't a good staple feeder. Higher chitin content and not overly nutritious. I wouldn't bother cultivating them for the chams. Haven't cultured crix...it takes a lot of space and attention. For one or two chams not really worth it. Yes, you MUST gutload all your feeder insects! Eating into the cham's stomach is sort of a myth. A healthy cham will crush an insect pretty well before swallowing it.

Plan to separate your chams soon...after a month or so depending on how well they develop. Separate them if one drops behind. They can dominate each other earlier than you may realize especially if you are new to reading signs of stress.

 

[Chameleonboy]

Welcome to the forums. Almost all of your questions can be answered if you use the search tool. It is towards the top next to "New Posts".

-Clemonde

 

[kinyonga]

Welcome to the forum! Its a good place to learn about chameleons!

Do you know about gutloading/feeding your insects? Supplementing? UVB light and appropriate temperatures? Cage set-up? Reproductive issues?

IMHO it would be best to start off with one chameleon until you are sure you have the basics figured out before you get into keeping more and breeding.

 

[laurie]

Welcome to the forum, the best way I know to help is to tell you to take a look at "rasingkittytheveiledchameleon" do a search. It will take a while but it will address each of the questions you have and a bunch you didn't even know to ask.

 

[Jamesvomit]

yeah, I have been reading eveything I can find online for hours a day for the last two weeks. I feel very confident that I can give a cham eveything it needs to be happy/healthy. These are just a few things I couldnt find info on or I found conflicting info on. like 2 sites saying different things. I know it must get old answering the same questions all the time. But it also gets old reading the same answers and the same info trying to find a specfic piece of information. I read a ton a stuff and was just still curious about these.

Questions 2,4,6 and 7 have been answered.
Still just a little fuzzy on the others

 

[Texas Panther Man]

The problem w mealworms is they are too chitinous (sp) they can cause impaction. Not the best nutritionally as well. You be better raising dubias and silk worms. Gutloading is mandatory for all cham feeders. Although horns & silks will eat chow.

 

[Elizadolots]

I'm going to second the "get one to experience that first". It's really a more involved pet experience than you probably expect. I'd recommend getting a male first, and then--depending on where you are--waiting 6 months to a year to get a female.

I say "depending on where you are" because if you're in a place where the seasons aren't really that dramatic (I'm in San Diego, for example...and while we do have "seasons"...it's not really the same as say, New York) you can probably get the feel for what's needed in 6 months...but if you have dramatic temperature changes, snow! then I think you need to go through all 4 seasons to get a handle on what is required.

So, I'm not an expert, but I'm willing to offer my opinions on the "unanswered" questions. Do keep in mind these are just my views.

On question 1, well, I do think that Carlton addressed that because your question seems to be all about price.

If you are asking which is the best way to get a chameleon, regardless of pricing, then I have to say every method seems to have advantages and disadvantages.

While you'd love to think your local reptile store where you can see the animal over the course of a few days or even weeks as you make your decision is best, they don't always offer the best advice and the animal's care might be less than ideal.

Expos are a chance to engage with breeders and stores from other areas, which obviously increases your range of choice....but the experience is a high stress one and it strikes me as strange to buy an animal who is in the most stressful environment imaginable--one that violates virtually every "rule" you ever hear about raising a chameleon--then spend the rest of its life trying to cause it as little stress as possible.

Buying from a respected breeder (like those that sponsor this board) seems fraught with peril...it's the internet and we all know what happens on the internet...and then the animals need to be shipped and there are scary stories of misdirected packages.

To me, the best option would be to contact a respected breeder who is going to be at the expo and purchase one of their animals. Arrange for them to keep the chameleon isolated and for you to pick it up at the expo.

If that isn't feasible, then as odd as it does seem to me, I think buying from a recommended breeder and braving the shipping experience is probably the best way to get a quality animal that has been well cared for.

Question 3, has, I think been answered: don't start this as a breeder...start as a keeper.

I think there are some informative threads about genetics here and Chris Anderson is an expert who has been generous with information, so maybe you can discover the answer to your questions on dominate genes...though, my memory is that neither gender is more dominate, but that some of the things we think of as spectacular (colors) are gender specific. So, it's sort of a statistical thing. A perfectly drab female could hold utterly brilliant male genes that she can pass on, but can't herself display. All of which means, I think, that both animals need to be high quality animals....neither is just an incubator or stimulator.

Question 5: well...again, this is just my opinion, but I don't think there's anything wrong with disposing of fertilized eggs when you know you won't be able to find good homes for the babies. As to finding homes, if you are unwilling to let the local reptile store adopt them for sale (probably in exchange for store credit) then contact the science teachers at local schools and ask if they would be interested. I know many middle school and high school science teachers keep reptiles in the classroom and make the husbandry part of the class course. I have an amusing story about my daughter taking sex ed while a monitor vomited raw chicken if you ever want to hear it (well...that's really the gist of it). I'm sure there is a herp society or club in your area. Contact them as well.

I hope that helps.

 

[Metric]

I'm gonna keep this short and just say, scrap the breeding idea until you have some practical experience with this type of reptile.