Keep the chameleon or no?
- Thread starter Cornholio
- Start date
JaniP
Established Member
To echo what everyone has said, check online.
Personally, I have a "bug dealer". She does large bulk orders for everyone online and we pick up from her weekly. It ends up being cheaper and of better quality. Look around for something like that. The more variety the better as crickets and mealworms aren't the best diet.
SIlkworm eggs are a great idea. I hatch out a couple hundred at a time because of the amount of reptiles I have, but you can keep them in diapause and hatch what you need. As long as you keep them very clean they are really easy.
The purchase price of a chameleon is truly the cheapest expense in their life, they are pricey animals to own. Prepare your family for that.
Personally, I have a "bug dealer". She does large bulk orders for everyone online and we pick up from her weekly. It ends up being cheaper and of better quality. Look around for something like that. The more variety the better as crickets and mealworms aren't the best diet.
SIlkworm eggs are a great idea. I hatch out a couple hundred at a time because of the amount of reptiles I have, but you can keep them in diapause and hatch what you need. As long as you keep them very clean they are really easy.
The purchase price of a chameleon is truly the cheapest expense in their life, they are pricey animals to own. Prepare your family for that.
Peachypink
Chameleon Enthusiast
That is very intriguing that you can hatch only what you need with silk worms. Any chance you wanna expand on that and tell me exactly how you do the whole process?
JaniP
Established Member
Sure!
I order my eggs in diapause, they arrive overnight with ice packs. Right away I take out a small amount and put the rest in the fridge.
I place them in the container I am going to hatch them on, on a small new paper plate. I write the data on the plate just because I stagger my batches.
In 5-7 days they start hatching. I cook my silk chow and keep it a little more runny than normal, and I pipe a small circle around the hatchlings.
Overnight they move to the food. The next day I pipe a circle around that first circle, they move to that one overnight normally as well. When they have all moved to the new circle (there are always some stragglers but I do my best to not touch them at all) I pick up and remove the first dried circle of food. Typically all their poop and silk sticks to the remaining ring and it lifts out with ease.
I repeat that process daily until they get to the edge of the paper plate, at which point they are bigger and i move them )using a clean stiff thin paint brush that I use only to move small silk worms), in to my silk keeper. - When they are at this stage I take out my next small batch of eggs because by the time these ones are consumed, the next will be ready.
From there I just do the normal feed and clean until they are the size my animals like, and then I feed them off. I run 2 silk keepers at once.
I hope that helps - i've had great success with minimal die off and I keep my eggs in the fridge for about 6 months. Toward the end of the 6 months the hatch rate drops to about 85% so I'd say thats as long as the eggs last for me.
Feel free to PM me if you need more info so we don't hijack the thread
Winpooh718
Member
Petco is the most expensive, and I found PetSmart workers at Petland Discount buying supplies.
PetSmart has been out of crickets, mealworms and waxworms lately so I tried Petland Discount and their prices are lower and the service is terrific.
I've even been able to get hornworms now, which are ridiculously priced at PetSmart, if and when they have them.
I'm a woman afraid of bugs or I'd order bulk online. I had a bad experience with loose large crickets, so I couldn't handle roaches or other creepy crawly things.
Michael M Perez
New Member
As long as you are happy , keep your pet with you. I guess now he is accustomed with you and (though under pressure)you are planning to sell him back. I feel sorry for him. Like in the rpevious post think of options where you can breed sell and make money for its food.
As far as menu is concerned, maintain variety. Good nutrition i sa must. I guess crickets are easily available at affordable prices.
As far as menu is concerned, maintain variety. Good nutrition i sa must. I guess crickets are easily available at affordable prices.
Andee
Chameleon Enthusiast
Crickets are generally easy to breed though I would just buy bulk for one reptile. Silkworms are a breeze once you get a system down. Hornworms eggs don't cost tons from online breeders and then you easily get enough hornworms possibly too many lol. Stick insects are relatively easy if you have their food plants near by. Roaches of certain types are simple. Flies and certain moths are easy to pupate, most I don't breed but feed in both worm and fly form except things like blue bottles. I've done Matids once, way too much work for a feeder. I've done grass hoppers from the wild but am now using their old clean cage for my new stick insects. I used to have 4 types of roaches now only two.
OldChamKeeper
Chameleon Enthusiast
I only have one adult chameleon, (I know, right??? Who just has one???
You sir are a deviant. Register at the local PD please
Rayzilla
Member
trickedoutbiker
Avid Member
I happen to find that hilarious as well.....
A reptile is an odd pet they say? How so? Or is it just that they are too mainstream and only like the all-too-common dogs and cats that a newborn monkey could raise? Are they scared of someone putting a little bit of $$$ and effort into raising a beautiful animal? Are they scared of accepting that you are interested in reptiles? I wish MORE people were!
By all means, do not get rid of the chameleon and get a bunny. Well, unless you are into bunnies, of course.
That is them trying to force their beliefs and ideas on you. If you are into bunnies, then wouldn't you of gotten one to begin with instead of the chameleon? I don't think they put a whole lot of thought into that right there....
What you need to do is, somehow check behind your parents' ears for any type of locking mechanism or button, because they are certainly not from this world!
Ever seen the movie "Men in Black" where the human head opens up to reveal the alien sitting inside controlling everything? I mean seriously, how does ANYONE not think a chameleon is neat?If there are no buttons or locks behind their ears, please, say a prayer for them.
Not religious though? No problem! Since they are so into warm-blooded animals, simply ask them if you can spend your money on the "amazing white pony" from the guy standing on the street corner instead..... That will really fire them up and get their gears spinnin! You chose a chameleon.... Could of chose to spend your money on lots of other things, like drugs. Or Candy Crush power-ups . But you chose a chameleon instead because you want to love it and raise it. Any parent should be proud of their kid for making that choice! 
BillB
New Member
I buy 500 crickets for $14 @ a place called That Fish / That Pet place in Lancaster PA. I found that if I buy a box of small ones my cham will eat more in a day at the beginning of the batch and fewer as they mature and get bigger but they will last a lot longer and not as much waste by die off before he can eat them. I thought about getting a female too and breading my panther but after reading posts here where people were saying they spend a couple of thousand dollars in feeders to raise a batch to salable size I decided to forgot breeding.
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