Hello from Texas!

[mofoya]

I'm new here and am getting close to getting my first cham! I've been working on getting my enclosure location planned and built and learning as much as i can about these awesome animals! I'm excited because a naturally lighted corner of a room in my house just became available for my enclosure!

i also have an extra closet that will be perfect for breeding crickets if i decide that i'd rather not buy them from the pet store.

anyway, my purpose here is to learn from all of you and hopefully avoid some problems that i haven't thought about yet.

i look forward to talking to you all
Thomas

 

[KingJulien]

Welcome! I've found this forum to be very informative and helpful. There are many experienced people here who are often nice enough to help out the new people with questions (like me).

What kind of chameleon are you planning on?

 

[moviemanmania]

Welcome, welcome! You are at the right place. Sit back and read away!

 

[carol5208]

Welcome the Forum and be sure and post some pics when you new addition arrives! This is the best place for you to learn about everything from A-Z!

 

[Gensen]

Welcome!

Good luck with your Cham when you get one, and your on the right track by doing research first instead of just running out to buy one on a whim... I got mine a week ago and he has adjusted wonderfully and I think a big part of that is that I had everything properly set up and planned for his arrival.

So take your time and good luck... I'd also recoomed buying from a breeder verses a pet store, may want to check out the sponsors on this site.. atleast you know your Cham will be healthy from the start which is 1/2 of the battle.

 

[Manik6]

agian welcome and what part of texas are u in? if you have any questions check out the forum and if there is anything u cant find, feel free to ask.

 

[jannb]

Hello and welcome to the chameleon forums! What kind of cham do you plan to get and how old?

 

[mofoya]

wow, thanks for all the replys!
I'm in south texas about 100 miles south of houston.

my original plan was to get a male veiled, but lately i've been thinking about a male jackson's. as far as age goes, i would like him to be big enough already to eat adult crix without a problem. they will be the staple and feeder size is an issue i'd rather not deal with since i'll probably have other concerns as a first-time cham owner. I would like him to be friendly enough to come out and not be afraid of me...would a younger cham adjust better?

i measured the new corner yesterday, and it looks like my enclosure can be about 1.5'd x 3.5'w x 7'h - (seems to me a lot better than the pathetically small terreriums they sell at my local pet store). next comes materials...my wife wants me to build a new stand for one of her fish tanks, soooo i'll sneak in some materials for my project at the same time!

 

[Texas Panther Man]

Welcome to the forums. Good luck with your future addition. You could build your stand and buy a screen cage for the enclosure. Site sponsor DIY has some nice cages and then you could build your drainage into your stand.

 

[Texas Ranger]

Welcome! This is the right place to be. Post pictures when your new addition arrives.

 

[txskunk]

hey and welcome abroad Texas is deep on the forums lol, heck we about got enough people for a club haha take care and look forward to seeing some pictures...

T.skunk

 

[Manik6]

cool! im in houston guy! as far as a nice chameleon it really all depends. they all have their own personalities, so friendliness is no guarantee. i have a male jackson and for the most part he is pretty cool. i can open his cage and move stuff around without him worrying about me. hell just look around and when im done hell be on his way but if i try to hold him he will fight it a bit. i never really hold him anyways. none of the female jacksons ive ever had would be to fond of me being in their enclosures at all. just do your research before u make a choice. jacksons are also known to be a little tougher to care for. ive never had anything other than jacksons so i couldnt really compare.

 

[JaxyGirl]

Hi and welcome to the forum!!!! There is a lot of great info on here so all I can say is read, read and read some more. But, don't hesitate to ask questions. We're here to help. I have a male Jackson's and he is Amazing and very friendly. I've had him for over a year and a half now and I just love him. The Horns are amazing...just like a little dinosaur. Anyway, enjoy and good luck with your new cham when you get him

 

[moviemanmania]

I firmly believe that free range chameleons are the friendliest and most playful. It is a big difference in the way you setup your enclosure, but free ranging makes all the difference. If you want a chameleon that you can pick up at any time, bring with you the other room, etc, then you will have to give him more space than the enclosure will allow for. This prevents him from becoming so territorial and encourages more reaction between the two of you. Just be mindful of other pets. You can do a search around the forums for other people's free range setups, or you can look at my albums and check mine out. I have done this both ways with one cham being caged and one being free ranged all it's life; its a miraculous difference. If you research it, you will find the same to be true.

 

[JaxyGirl]

I firmly believe that free range chameleons are the friendliest and most playful. It is a big difference in the way you setup your enclosure, but free ranging makes all the difference. If you want a chameleon that you can pick up at any time, bring with you the other room, etc, then you will have to give him more space than the enclosure will allow for. This prevents him from becoming so territorial and encourages more reaction between the two of you. Just be mindful of other pets. You can do a search around the forums for other people's free range setups, or you can look at my albums and check mine out. I have done this both ways with one cham being caged and one being free ranged all it's life; its a miraculous difference. If you research it, you will find the same to be true.

I absolutely agree 100% with Moviemanmania. I've been Free Ranging my Jackson's for over a year now and in fact he no longer even has a cage. He has his Free Range Area with hanging plants, UVB and UVA but can climb down anytime he wants. He pretty much owns the living room and lords over my two cats. Free Ranging is the way to go if it's possible to do it. My cham is very friendly, happy and healthy...I can pick him up anytime, bring him anywhere and he never stresses out. Just one happy cham