Chameleon

[huntergoodman]

I already have a leopard gecko and I am currently trying to get a chameleon. My moms says no, how do I get her to say yes. I have told her I'm responsible, I have did my research. I will pay for everything. She still refuses.

 

[Carlton]

What are her reasons for saying no? There could be many valid ones. If you are dependent on your parents they do have the final say about what pets they'll permit in their house.

Just because you've "done your research" doesn't mean you are ready to take this on. Leopard geckos are really simple by comparison.

 

[Serbianchameleon]

I don’t know your moms temper but maybe the easiest way is just to buy one and get everything set up when she is at work haha. You can tell her that they dont make any mess and they dont stink and there are no noises..

 

[Coop]

I agree with @Carlton . Being only fourteen, i understand the situation with parents. However, I also scoured and lurked this website for a year, and studied for months before that with various websites. A chameleon is a huge jump from a leopard gecko, and if one piece of husbandry is off, it can spiral catastrophically. It also depends on your parent's situation, as chameleons are very costly, along with which type of cham you get. These are great resources for two mainstream species linked here.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/panther/

 

[Ares05]

Chameleons are a lot of work and time.. not to mention they are pretty much money black holes. I spent 800-900$ on my setup and my veiled.. thats not even including maintaining his feeders, him, his cage, vet visits for if he gets ill, regular fecals, light replacements, etc etc. Thats only to list a few things. These are absolutely not a beginner reptile, unlike leopard geckos.

Yes, what are her reasons for not letting you get one?

 

[Carlton]

I agree with @Carlton . Being only fourteen, i understand the situation with parents. However, I also scoured and lurked this website for a year, and studied for months before that with various websites. A chameleon is a huge jump from a leopard gecko, and if one piece of husbandry is off, it can spiral catastrophically. It also depends on your parent's situation, as chameleons are very costly, along with which type of cham you get. These are great resources for two mainstream species linked here.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/panther/

Not everyone has the space a decently generous chameleon setup will require either. You can't just stuff a big screen cham cage anywhere.

 

[jamest0o0]

 

[PabloTheCham]

Not everyone has the space a decently generous chameleon setup will require either. You can't just stuff a big screen cham cage anywhere.

you can... that's what i did. My room is tiny and I stuffed the cage there, and it is fine, you just have to manage space wisely haha.

 

[PabloTheCham]

I already have a leopard gecko and I am currently trying to get a chameleon. My moms says no, how do I get her to say yes. I have told her I'm responsible, I have did my research. I will pay for everything. She still refuses.

Write an essay about the upfront costs, yearly costs, electricity, everything. Then, make a deal with her. If you let me get the chameleon, i will from now on wash the dishes everyday for 6 months.
In all honesty, a cham is probably not the best pet for you due to their maintenance, not being able to handle it and all that. i was in the same situation as you a few months ago, and i am sort of regretting it due to the costs, and all the work i put into the enclosure. They really are not called advanced pets for nothing. Feeders really are expensive, even with breeding.
if you want a cheap, handleable reptile, get a ball python. yes ball pytons cost money, but they are infintely cheaper.

 

[Carlton]

I don’t know your moms temper but maybe the easiest way is just to buy one and get everything set up when she is at work haha. You can tell her that they dont make any mess and they dont stink and there are no noises..

Terrible advice! I hope this was a joke!

 

[The Wild One]

My parents made me prove to them for 3-4 months that I was responsible enough for a Cham. That was taking care of dogs and my little brother. I had to show them all of my research and they would ask questions at random times to make sure I had my facts straight. It took me almost a year to save up enough money to buy everything for Coda. On free days I would ask them to dive me to pet stores to see the chams (BAD IDEA DONT BUY A CHAM FROM A PET STORE) and supplies so I could tally up all of the costs (which was a lot of money) and make sure I had enough. At one point my dad made me figure out exactly how much tax there would be. I made diagrams and sheets, schedules, you name it. You also have to pay and take care of feeders so keep that in mind. Even now when I’m in the process of making a bioactive viv I have endless google docs of info and money saved up. If you could show us your research we could tell you if it’s correct or not. But in the end they are your parents and it’s their house so what they say is typically the end all be all.

 

[kinyonga]

Terrible advice! I hope this was a joke!

It agree 100%...terrible thing to suggest even as a joke.

 

[PabloTheCham]

Terrible advice! I hope this was a joke!

well, it worked for my tattoo hahah

 

[jamest0o0]

My parents made me prove to them for 3-4 months that I was responsible enough for a Cham. That was taking care of dogs and my little brother. I had to show them all of my research and they would ask questions at random times to make sure I had my facts straight. It took me almost a year to save up enough money to buy everything for Coda. On free days I would ask them to dive me to pet stores to see the chams (BAD IDEA DONT BUY A CHAM FROM A PET STORE) and supplies so I could tally up all of the costs (which was a lot of money) and make sure I had enough. At one point my dad made me figure out exactly how much tax there would be. I made diagrams and sheets, schedules, you name it. You also have to pay and take care of feeders so keep that in mind. Even now when I’m in the process of making a bioactive viv I have endless google docs of info and money saved up. If you could show us your research we could tell you if it’s correct or not. But in the end they are your parents and it’s their house so what they say is typically the end all be all.

Sounds like you have good parents.

 

[Serbianchameleon]

Terrible advice! I hope this was a joke!

It was..

 

[Serbianchameleon]

It agree 100%...terrible thing to suggest even as a joke.

unnecessary

 

[huntergoodman]

What are her reasons for saying no? There could be many valid ones. If you are dependent on your parents they do have the final say about what pets they'll permit in their house.

Just because you've "done your research" doesn't mean you are ready to take this on. Leopard geckos are really simple by comparison.

Her reasons are just simply no.

 

[huntergoodman]

My parents made me prove to them for 3-4 months that I was responsible enough for a Cham. That was taking care of dogs and my little brother. I had to show them all of my research and they would ask questions at random times to make sure I had my facts straight. It took me almost a year to save up enough money to buy everything for Coda. On free days I would ask them to dive me to pet stores to see the chams (BAD IDEA DONT BUY A CHAM FROM A PET STORE) and supplies so I could tally up all of the costs (which was a lot of money) and make sure I had enough. At one point my dad made me figure out exactly how much tax there would be. I made diagrams and sheets, schedules, you name it. You also have to pay and take care of feeders so keep that in mind. Even now when I’m in the process of making a bioactive viv I have endless google docs of info and money saved up. If you could show us your research we could tell you if it’s correct or not. But in the end they are your parents and it’s their house so what they say is typically the end all be all.

Money isn't the problem. I am very responsible. I admit not so much on the dogs but I am getting better and I am going to get a lot better.

Sounds like you have good parents.

My research is pretty straight forward. I'm still researching on the feeders.

 

[The Wild One]

My research is pretty straight forward. I'm still researching on the feeders.

Look into dubia roaches, they are wayyy better than crickets.

 

[Tinytort]

I already have a leopard gecko and I am currently trying to get a chameleon. My moms says no, how do I get her to say yes. I have told her I'm responsible, I have did my research. I will pay for everything. She still refuses.

Anything we suggest is not going to make your mother say yes. If I was you I would talk to her and get the reasons as to why she says no and go from there. I spent about a $1000 on my setup and cham not including feeders. The size enclosure I have is not suitable for an adult male, so I'll have to upgrade and spend probably half my initial cost on a larger setup. If it weren't for the fact that I have tortoises which are similar in care I probably would've had died due the overwhelming anxiety setting up and maintaining a proper enclosure. I still worry about my setup and if anything is wrong. It's a lot of work to take care of a cham and on top of that you need to understand that you will also have to take care of your feeders also. Proper temps, humidity, food, etc. So, there is a lot of money, time, and stress involved.