absolutbill
Chameleon Enthusiast
Yep, I'll volunteer to mentor as well!
Chameleon Selection
- Thread starter QueenKT
- Start date
I would be happy to mentor as well.
jannb
Chameleon Enthusiast
I would be happy to mentor as well.
Thank you so much ladies! I already have three new keepers that I’m working with, so it would be really nice to have some help with any additional new keepers.
Kristen Wilkins
Chameleon Enthusiast
Thank you Jann for putting me in the mentor category such an honor
. Anything I can help with of course I will .
QueenKT
New Member
This is such an outpouring of support, honestly this forum is one of the most positive places on the internet I've ever seen <3
I am thrilled with any and all help I can get, a mentor would be fantastic. I'd rather ask stupid questions than risk messing up on something! To be quite honest I have no way really picking someone you know, you all seem lovely and know exactly what you're talking about! Whoever has the time and the patience to deal with my anxious questions, and any help from anyone else is very appreciated.
(Also, @absolutbill I also have a cat named Jynx)
I am thrilled with any and all help I can get, a mentor would be fantastic. I'd rather ask stupid questions than risk messing up on something! To be quite honest I have no way really picking someone you know, you all seem lovely and know exactly what you're talking about! Whoever has the time and the patience to deal with my anxious questions, and any help from anyone else is very appreciated.
(Also, @absolutbill I also have a cat named Jynx)
CasqueAbove
Chameleon Enthusiast
Not sure how solid this is, but my male has to be hard fed due to injury.
It seems, and I expected this with my female as well, It is a lot of hug. If I just ignore him, and get him out safely he calms down. He is less huffy now.
absolutbill
Chameleon Enthusiast
My Jinx is so-named because of the ninja on G I Joe. When we got her (she's a long-haired Russian Blue, but a rescue), she was special needs due to being shy. The rescue group told us to never expect to hold her in our laps and that she would probably always hide. Once she emerged from the spare room after about 2 months, she would lay on the floor, watching us. We'd turn our head, and she would creep closer, and lay down again before we could see her doing it. So, I wanted to name her after a ninja. Fast-forward 3+ years, she will cuddle with us and sleep in my lap while I watch TV, but I've not been able to pick her up.
My suggestion is to pick 1 mentor who will be able to go over ALL points of your husbandry in detail. I find that while multiple sources of information are helpful, when it comes to a mentor situation it's best to only have 1 set of hands in the pot. If you'd like to pick me, just PM me, and I'll give you my email address - I find that's much better and easier to access than trying to do it through PMs on here (I don't have Tapatalk on my devices). I'd also suggest looking through our posts - Kristen and I are pretty similar, I think, but you may find one of our styles more in tune with you than the other, and this is all about YOU picking the person you think you will mesh the best with. Good luck!
QueenKT
New Member
Aww that's such a cute reason for a name! I'm so glad she's come so far. I got my Jynx, who's solid black shorthair, when I was kinda in a rough spot, and of course, black cats are supposedly bad luck. So she was the opposite of a curse for me, so Jynx for the irony of course. She's also pretty darn rude to strangers and bites when she's done with you, but is very cuddly and loving to me. If I pick her up she climbs up and stands on my shoulders. Definitely good luck for me!
I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, lol. Everyone has their own little niches and specialties and they're all just as important!
I guess the most important things I would want help with would be plants, because live ones are important and I am NOT good at keeping plants alive. I'm going to want to double check everything a lot because again, better be safe than sorry. I also have three all young and hyper cats so advice with keeping them away from the critters would be nice! Since I think I've settled on a Panther chameleon I think it would be best to have someone that has had a panther at some point, whether they have one currently or not.
I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, lol. Everyone has their own little niches and specialties and they're all just as important!
I guess the most important things I would want help with would be plants, because live ones are important and I am NOT good at keeping plants alive. I'm going to want to double check everything a lot because again, better be safe than sorry. I also have three all young and hyper cats so advice with keeping them away from the critters would be nice! Since I think I've settled on a Panther chameleon I think it would be best to have someone that has had a panther at some point, whether they have one currently or not.
Kristen Wilkins
Chameleon Enthusiast
Trust you will not hurt anyone’s feelings . Both my self and @absolutbill have taken in @jannb kiddo’s . I have 2 that had been in rescue situations , Totaling 3 of Jann’s Kiddo’s . I learned of my girls care from Jann and @kinyonga . I’m very Fond of the little girls . Their care needs tweaking from males they run into issues if not . However my main goal is rescue . As I believe @absolutbill may be she can answer better . She and @jannb have many years put into keeping . @Beman (Becca) is amazing (technical/precise) . I’m not saying everyone is not just go through her threads and you will understand my meaning
.I do agree pick one whom you feel most comfortable with , have a connection . same with my self if you planned to use me pm me I will give you my email and # you will reach me much quicker I’m not always here . However do not feel you have to Best of luck with your decisions .
absolutbill
Chameleon Enthusiast
I'm going to second what Kristen said, we will not have hurt feelings if you pick one of us over the other! One more thing to consider is location - I live in South Florida, so my keeping and methods are different from those up north, I have hurricanes to deal with, but I don't have to worry about freezing temperatures. I don't know where Kristen lives, but that would be another point to think about.
I currently have 1 panther boy, and have had 2 other male panthers and 1 female panther in my years of keeping. As for plants I only use live plants, and have spider plants, pothos, and dracaena currently in my cages, so nothing too exotic. I also propagate as many plants as I can if you wanted information about that, and I'm going to end now because this is starting to sound like some strange Dating Game show episode!
I currently have 1 panther boy, and have had 2 other male panthers and 1 female panther in my years of keeping. As for plants I only use live plants, and have spider plants, pothos, and dracaena currently in my cages, so nothing too exotic. I also propagate as many plants as I can if you wanted information about that, and I'm going to end now because this is starting to sound like some strange Dating Game show episode!
Kristen Wilkins
Chameleon Enthusiast
We are in mass , we get all weather hurricanes , tornadoes , Snow , Hot and humid , dry and sunny , etc .I'm going to second what Kristen said, we will not have hurt feelings if you pick one of us over the other! One more thing to consider is location - I live in South Florida, so my keeping and methods are different from those up north, I have hurricanes to deal with, but I don't have to worry about freezing temperatures. I don't know where Kristen lives, but that would be another point to think about.
I currently have 1 panther boy, and have had 2 other male panthers and 1 female panther in my years of keeping. As for plants I only use live plants, and have spider plants, pothos, and dracaena currently in my cages, so nothing too exotic. I also propagate as many plants as I can if you wanted information about that, and I'm going to end now because this is starting to sound like some strange Dating Game show episode!
We currently have two gorgeous female veiled’s phoeb’s and Clelia beanie , 3 handsome males ( 2 panthers ) Oliver , septiseye and one very handsome male veiled wasabi . We hatched 2 years ago Mother’s Day panther babies . Oliver is one of our panther hatchlings ❤ . We lost 2 of our girls just over a year ago (Frances and Patience ) . Patience ( panther) Frances was our first chameleon ( veiled) she was a sassy beauty whom thought her best feature was to bite EVERYTHING . Frances is so very missed and will never be forgotten . We also have 3 dragons 2 females khaleesi, Lucy lue who and Bradley , and One male Leo Jake ❤.
Sammy Grigio
Avid Member
Are you referring to Neptune. I always had the idea that he was super mellow and easy going if he's the one I'm thinking of from your videos. Apologies if I'm way off base!
Haha yeah I am. The only person he will sort of tolerate is me. And that’s because I’ve worked with him for a long time. Anyone else comes near him and he freaks out. Proof that chams certainly recognize their owners.
QueenKT
New Member
That's a great point about location, I'm so used to having indoor pets that don't really care about what it's like outside!
Since I live in the midwest, which varies wildly from -30 in winter to 105 in summer (two weeks ago it was 80 degrees out, two days ago it snowed) it might work best with @Kristen Wilkins since you also seem to have similar weather, or at least just as crazy weather!
However I might also ask you a lot about plants if that's okay with you @absolutbill
Since I live in the midwest, which varies wildly from -30 in winter to 105 in summer (two weeks ago it was 80 degrees out, two days ago it snowed) it might work best with @Kristen Wilkins since you also seem to have similar weather, or at least just as crazy weather!
However I might also ask you a lot about plants if that's okay with you @absolutbill
My hands on experience is limited to Veiled Chams. My area of knowledge is basic husbandry and the ability to go through a help form and find the issues. I think you would be better off with @Kristen Wilkins and @absolutbill if you are thinking of going with a Panther baby. They have the hands on experience with them. While the two species husbandry needs are very close they have different behaviors in my opinion.
Whoever you choose will not steer you wrong
Whoever you choose will not steer you wrong
Kristen Wilkins
Chameleon Enthusiast
Glass Exo Terra there XL you are using ? if you can give a list of your plans for set up . Lights , plants , watering system plans, do you plan bio active , etc . I always say get set up and run through a cycle . Then you will know where your heat and humidity is sitting . You need to keep readings on ambient and basking . With a baby ( young) temps will be slightly lower . Your leaning towards a panther ? Have you decided where he may come from ?
jamest0o0
Chameleon Enthusiast
Who's arguing they don't recognize the same person everyday? Their eyesight is amazing. Certainly some chams will realize the same person they see daily is not a threat. And by this same logic, would you say chams that still try to bite their owners after years of working with them, is proof that chams don't recognize their owners?
QueenKT
New Member
Not glass, I have the screen one luckily. The Zoo Med Reptibreeze XL (24x24x48)
Lights: I’m planning on getting two of these grow light fixtures. They each are on chains that would hang from the ceiling so I could lower them down to make it a bit warmer as the little guy gets older. Sunblaster and Vivosun are what I've got it narrowed down to (and approved in another thread by someone who has chameleons currently) And in each, switching one of those bulbs out for a Zoo Med T.5. I have an extra just basic reptile light holder at home, and someone told me that I could use that and a basic 50/65 watt lightbulb for basking spot.
Watering System: I’m getting a Zoo Med Reptifogger soon for my snake tank (my other one burnt out), and I saw someone once redirect there’s into two different hoses so I was planning on looking into doing that. I would also get a Zoo Med Dripper for the Cham enclosure.
Plants: I’m a bit more lost on plants, to be honest. I’ve looked into a lot and I do think I want to do live, definitely a pathos or two, and I’d like at least one little tree in there for him. I’d like to do bioactive, but I’m not sure it would work as well with a screen tank since bugs and stuff could escape easier.
General: I have a heat gun for my other critters, I just have to get it back from a friend who I lent it to. I might even have an extra thermostat probe for a tank somewhere. But I’d want probably at LEAST two thermostats total, and a hygrometer (I’d probably get a combo).
I’m also moving in like five months, so when I move I want to have a room just for reptiles that the cats can’t get into at all and in that room I’d really love to have a slightly bigger tree in the corner so sometimes I could take him out and let him chill on the tree a bit more free-roaming, though it wouldn’t be permanent.
Chameleon Supply: There’s a local exotic pet store near me. It’s all reptiles, fish, and birds. I asked him about chameleons once when I was there for something else and he said he definitely has people he can have ship some in for him. He’s where I got my Ball Python.
absolutbill
Chameleon Enthusiast
I'm happy to be your plant gal. Pothos are SUPER simple to propagate, so you can buy a small one and just take cuttings and root them in water. I use mason jars on my porch, cut off about 2-3" from the end of a pothos stem and put it in the water. You'll have roots shooting off in no time. Spider plants are nice and full, as well and when they get big you can easily split them. I bought 2 4" pots of spider plants at IKEA (weird, I know, but it's tough to find them down here for some reason). That was maybe a year ago, in that time they each filled out an 8" pot, and I split them so now I have 8 or 9 pots of spider plants, plus they keep sending out pups, so I cut them off and have them rooting in water as well. If you are planning in advance you can buy much smaller plants, and let them grow so you don't have a higher cost initially.
As for bigger plants, I use arbicola (shefflera) which are pretty hardy in my male veileds cage. I'm trying to perfect propagating them but have had little success so far. I have 2 6' benjamin ficus trees on my lanai where I free-range. I've just learned how to propagate them, however that's really a long-term project - I'm actually going to plant them in my backyard as shade trees when they are large enough.
As for bigger plants, I use arbicola (shefflera) which are pretty hardy in my male veileds cage. I'm trying to perfect propagating them but have had little success so far. I have 2 6' benjamin ficus trees on my lanai where I free-range. I've just learned how to propagate them, however that's really a long-term project - I'm actually going to plant them in my backyard as shade trees when they are large enough.
