Just starting up any advice?

[ChamHeyo]

Hello, Me and my wife are getting ready to set up for our first chameleon. Currently we just have the cage which is a 260 gallon Reptarium, which is approximately 30x30x72. Just looking for a little advice to the decor/plants and lighting, and whether the Reptarium is a good size. We have done extensive research and have been reading the forums just reaching out. We are planning on getting either a Nosy Be or a Ambilobe panther cham. Wont actually get him till we have our set up perfected.

Thanks much

 

[Montium]

Quit now, while you can.

 

[ChamHeyo]

I've heard that they get quite addictive! But we are both pretty excited to get our collection started

 

[kimbodini1]

I am just one step ahead of you. I have my enclosure built and waiting. I purchased an Ambilobe but the weather has been too cold here to have him shipped. I'm already pondering the idea of building another enclosure for a second and still don't have the first. So yes I would agree they can be addictive. It doesn't help that there are so many varieties.

 

[Solid Snake]

Live plants.

Actual vines and branches in the enclosure.

Start a dubia colony early.

Find a nice place to collect wild feeders near by. A place that no one has reason to used pesticides/insecticides.

Start learning nutrition all around period. Feeding the animal, and feeding it properly will be the largest pain, and it will be immidiate, and it will always be your responsibility. Even after youve learned to expertly gutload, and breed your own feeders to always have on hand, it will be what ties up your time. The sooner you get to a place where you have a plan for what to feed your chameleon, and at least dont have the worry along with the work, the better off you and the animal will be.

In your free time, read old posts. Specifically, read old posts about health issues. Having an idea of what issues your animal may have throughout its life (and it will have them) and how to spot possible health issues early will save you and your animal alot of suffering. You should not have to freak out, take pictures, post here, wait for replies, weed out the replies that are useless/bad info, follow up, and do your own research, just because your animal sustained a burn. You should know when you see it, that it at least resembles burns youve seen, and to apply some appropriate ointment immediately, check the animals situation to make sure the burn does not happen again/get worse, then post here on advise moving forward of course. Maybe not the best example, you get the idea though. Going over old posts will provide you with more knowledge than you know what to do with. This means you will have tools to use, before a situation occurs. That is very important with these animals. As they can be quite fragile.

Have fun...