Looking for the right kinda cham...

[beardiedude]

Hey guys,

I'm living in hot sunny, Southern California and looking for Mr. Right, the chameleon that is, for a possible year round enclosure. First, a summary of the season temps...

Summers are HOT! Gets up to 100 degrees at the climax. In the shade, maybe 80ish. Night in the summer are between 75-80. Thats maxing out on temps for most chams...

Anyways, spring, fall, and winter are near optimal temps for many chameleons that I know of. Temps between 60-to high 70's. Nights in the winter hover above freezing, but thats easily fixed with heat lamps.

I'm looking for a smaller sized cham that could handle these temps. I am willing to bring him inside for the summer or winter if it gets too cold or hot. My problem: The only place I can bring them inside would be the garage. Not exactly cooler/warmer than the outdoors.

Any reccomendation are appreciated...


Thanks Eric

 

[booshified]

hello,

there are a few people on this forum that are from San Diego. I think that we can all agree that if you want a chameleon you should stay away from the local pet stores.

do plenty of research. then when you figure out what you want order it from a reputable breeder. there are again quite a few on this site.


cya,
Brandon

 

[Kent67]

Calyptratus and oustaleti can handle the extreme temps of east county given shade during the summer and a chance to warm back up during the colder winter days. I would still bring them in when it dips to the mid 40's at night though.

 

[beardiedude]

Thanks for the tip to oustallets. Nearly slipped my mind! Anyone got any personal experience with them?

Side note: I'm not new to chameleons. I have bred panther chameleons for a few years. I had to take a break due to moving houses. Now, I got some time and really want to get back to my interests: Reptiles....


Any more ideas?

 

[Kent67]

Matter o' fact, I know of one well known author who accidentally left an oustaleti outside on a night that went below freezing. Woke up to find him stiff on the ground with ice on his side from the sprinklers. They put him under a low wattage bulb, let him warm up slowly, and he was fine!

I really dig oustaleti. They may not be the most colorful chameleon but their size makes up for it imo. They may be shy at first but can do very well, especially captive breds. Word of warning though, they eat a lot!

 

[beardiedude]

Hmmmm. I was never looking for a bold colored chameleon. Chameleons weird body shape is interesting enough for me....

Dang, big eaters? Might be a wee problem. Thats why I was leaning towards a smaller cham. I have never been able to keep larger crickets alive well. Always get too messy or crowded.

Would it pack down as much crix as a beardie, or more?

 

[Kent67]

That I can't answer having never owned a beardie. I'd say an adult oustaleti could eat 15 large crickets and 8 to 10 superworms a day, or similar volume of whatever. I've had some that ate quite a bit more than that too.

 

[Vegas Chad]

Sounds like you need a carpet chameleon!

 

[Jeweledchameleons]

year round cham

Well for odd body formations and crests you're mostly out of luck
those tend to be very tropical
there's a saharan species that I think is attractive but haven't every heard of any being available
I've got a few veileds for sale from a nice male line (I'm also in san diego)
and those are going to be better than anything you can find in one of the pet stores.

PM me if you're interested.

 

[beardiedude]

Darn the oustallets might not work out well then.... I'm not good with bugs; keeping them alive or escaping.

Carpet eh? Heard that they are often full of parasites... Any tips to where I could order some CH or CB?

Jeweledchameleons, I didn't mean a chameleon with crests, horns, or other creative body parts. I meant that the chameleon itself is interesting, how as a general they have a weird body; odd hands, cool eyes, the tongue, color changing, and stuff like that.

I have given the veiled some thought too, but again its just a little bit big on the eating for me. I'm a teenager who just got a job and has some money to support a reptile. I have to pay for everything out of my own pocket: Even vet bills. That is why I'm striving for a smaller, possibly captive bred chameleon to care for.


Thanks again for the ideas guys. I'm interested in Rudis chameleons too; any idea on how to keep them cool in a hot garage, or is that just like trying to freeze hell?

 

[barnaby]

I'm no expert but I believe Rudis are very heat sensitive...

Why don't you try Pigmies? They're more resistant and less demanding than Rudis, they're small, social... they're a little dull in terms of color, but you said you didn't mind that.

My 2 cents.

 

[wow]

Sounds like you need a carpet chameleon!

yeah thats what i was thinking if you could make/get a cage that was in the shade but had a good foot in the sun that would work well. they dont need a huge cage so you could setup a smaller one indoors for cold nights.

 

[Sara270]

Sorry, I am a little late on reading this thread. Welcome Beardiedude! There are a bunch of us from San Diego. You're idea of housing outside year-round is an interesting one. I have ambilobe panther chameleon and he says outside all the time (right now).

I live near the coast, so temps are a bit more temperate (relatively). He is still getting great sun during the day (temps in 70-80 range with sun, shade, auto mister) and seems unhappy when I try to bring him inside. The temps at night are in the mid- to low-60's right now. I am contemplating how long he can stay outside for before it is nessary to bring him in (at least at night). I recently bought ceramic heat emitter and plan to use it (when it gets colder) and my temp gun to make sure his screened enclosure hovers around 65 during the night. I got the idea because I like to sit out at bars/restaurants year-round with those patio heaters.

I too would like to keep him outside as much as possible, but I have no problems bringing him in if I can not maintain the ~60' temp he needs.

Hope I didn't steal your thread, but I have been thinking about this for a while and was excited to join in on the discussion. You should join us this Saturday at Sandbar for a drink. Mmmm beer!

 

[beardiedude]

Thanks all for the tips.

I know Rudis Chameleons are heat sensitive, which in my case is a HUGE problem. I just wanted to know if anyone had any cooling tips for them... If not thats fine, I had none either! LOL

I have given pygmies a thought, I really like there spunk and how they piddle around the tank. You know a pygmy might actually be the right chameleon for me. Inside in a glass tank could work out nicely, have a spare 10 gallon... Let the research begin!

Carpet chameleon is a great back up plan too. I am VERY good at building cages and have built literally tons! Build em for friends and myself. I think I could easily build a bigger outdoor cage with a small ceramic heater, and a smaller indoor cage for those chilly nights.

I'll consider the carpet chameleon too, its very much like a panther only without the bullethole in my wallet!

Sara270, thanks for your input. As you know, the coast and inland San Diego are VERY different! Almost worlds apart! My dad and I used to keep panther chameleons outside for 7 months out of the year with great success and brought them in for the other months. I love panthers, but really I want to step out of the box and get a different chameleon.

PS, I'm only 16 so the only drink I could enjoy with you guys would be a good ole Sprite! LOL

Take care and thanks for the tips. I have narrowed my search to 2 very good choice....


Eric

 

[Vegas Chad]

If you want a -small- and hardy cham I would say go with a Carpet… The are small enough to live in a cage that is much smaller than anything that you would put a veild or panther into but they still have great color with less of an appetite. I don’t have the link to there care sheet on this computer but I believe that it is on the cham news somewhere.
I have 2 CB and 1 WC… The WC is doing very well; I have had her for about a year now with no issues… You just have to find some good imports; check with Mike with the Madagascar shipment comes in… You can find some CB carpets however they are not common, you will have to look, ask and have the money when they are out for sale because they usually go fast.

 

[Sara270]

PS, I'm only 16 so the only drink I could enjoy with you guys would be a good ole Sprite! LOL

Eric

16, huh? LOL...maybe in a few more years!

 

[Kent67]

I have ambilobe panther chameleon and he says outside all the time (right now).

Speaking of, why don't you ever post some pics of Pablo? Seriously folks, she's got a beauty from BlueBeast and she's holding out! She should start a thread for him, what do you think?

 

[Sara270]

Speaking of, why don't you ever post some pics of Pablo? Seriously folks, she's got a beauty from BlueBeast and she's holding out! She should start a thread for him, what do you think?

Sorry, didn't see this. I will start a thread when I get some better shots. He is fiesty and hard to get to be a good subject. Here are a couple of shots when he was acting pissy because I was following him around with my camera. Hopefully I can get some better shots soon.

 

[stevereecy]

Darn the oustallets might not work out well then.... I'm not good with bugs; keeping them alive or escaping.

Carpet eh? Heard that they are often full of parasites... Any tips to where I could order some CH or CB?

Jeweledchameleons, I didn't mean a chameleon with crests, horns, or other creative body parts. I meant that the chameleon itself is interesting, how as a general they have a weird body; odd hands, cool eyes, the tongue, color changing, and stuff like that.

I have given the veiled some thought too, but again its just a little bit big on the eating for me. I'm a teenager who just got a job and has some money to support a reptile. I have to pay for everything out of my own pocket: Even vet bills. That is why I'm striving for a smaller, possibly captive bred chameleon to care for.


Thanks again for the ideas guys. I'm interested in Rudis chameleons too; any idea on how to keep them cool in a hot garage, or is that just like trying to freeze hell?

Check out Senegal Chameleons. If you get one that has been treated for parasites, they can be fairly hardy and they are small.

 

[Jeweledchameleons]

I would say that a veiled would work out
but you would have to bring it indoors (not the garage)
when it's really hot or dipping down in the 50's.

But then again, those that own the home might not be reasonable
and call it a filthy animal and deny it's safety from excessive temperatures.
If you're sure that you'll be able to take indoors and protect it
I'd say that it may be a good fit.
What part of SD are you confined too?