Many questions from new comer!

[lionfranky]

Hi, I posted questions on food section but I felt I can't just post on each section since there are too many questions!

1. I am about to buy a male veiled chameleon. I visited Time Square PETCO in NYC several times. Other then one pale color baby chameleon, other chameleons looked healthy. Should I go get one from this store, or order online? I saw an article saying that it is better to buy chameleons from good breeder since it would send message that petstore would not treat pets poorly.
If then, would you recommend good places or sites to order?
http://flchams.com/
http://www.lllreptile.com/catalog/2-chameleons

These two are two sites I found so far. Are there better places to order?
Wouldn't chameleon get sick while getting to my house?

2. Look at the uploaded picture. This chameleon cage setting is from PETCO. Is this recommended? The staff there was kind enough to explain stuff to me. Should I order cage from other sites? Should I really get live plants? If then, what kind and where should I get it?
BTW, is this kind of cage large enough to house two chameleons? I am thinking of getting male and female if that is possible.
http://flchams.com/product/large-chameleon-kit/


3. When should I start handling a chameleon after it enters its cage? I read how to tame a chameleon somewhere in this site. Don't wear pink, red and black suit. I don't know when I should start interacting with my chameleon. The staff at PETCO told me that I should start at least showing my hand to it early.

4. I work at bank, so I leave my house early at least 7:00 am. I read that I should feed a chameleon early. Is it okay to feed it when I get back home around 6: 30 pm? Should I schedule? or should I really become an early bird and start feeding early in the morning? Or just leave few crickets and leave?

I am currently obsessed with chameleon. I just read one owner losing a chameleon on this forum. I don't want to repeat the same sad story. I want to be a responsible owner, so please help me out!

 

[jannb]

Welcome to the forums. I keep veileds and they are an absolute pleasure to work with. You can see my veileds here. https://www.chameleonforums.com/my-beautiful-veileds-142194/

I recommend you buy from a small time breeder l got all my veileds except one here: https://www.chameleonforums.com/baby-veileds-142724/

My blog for new keepers will answer allot of you other questions.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html

More chameleon info can be found here. https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/chameleons/

 

[Kayroxyoursox]

That chameleon starter kit is what i got for my first on and it seemed to work pretty well

 

[Andee]

I would never suggest housing a male and female together, first off because chameleons get rather stressed when they are housed together. They are not social creatures and don't like to be around each other 24/7. And males mature much more quickly than females should be bred, so if she has the ability to produce eggs (though she really should be a certain weight and usually age before being bred) she will get pregnant from him and you will have babies on your hand before you know it and probably way before you are ready for it.

Shipping Chameleons is usually done over night and I would never suggest doing it in a longer period. Over night shipping may be more expensive but it is better for the cham. If it's done over night and the correct way, chameleons really ship rather easy and are usually fine when they reach you, unless they were sick before.

If you decide to get live plants, which I always suggest getting a combination of live and plastic, so that you have the added foliage from the plastic that you can maneuver how you want, but have the added naturalness and humidity from the live plants; I STRONGLY recommend getting a pothos or something non-toxic or so low in toxicity it doesn't matter because a veiled often eats the plants in it's cage.

Colors of clothing rarely matter to a chameleon, that depends on the cham. Some chams will never be able to be hand tame, some are easy to hand tame. They aren't really a cuddle hold me pet most of the time. There are some chameleons, like Ryker, my panther boy who is pretty much a dog in a chameleon skin... I sometimes think he thinks he is a puppy. He loves coming out because he knows he will get outside time and enjoys it. He's not afraid of anyone yet, and will pretty much cruise anyone I put him on. He's an awesome chameleon... yet he is not normal by any standards.

A lot of chameleons can be fearful or aggressive, and they won't be that way until they hit puberty. I wouldn't handle a newly introduce chameleon until it's had around a week to settle in. Try hand feeding it first. Hand feeding is a huge step towards handling, NEVER force handling. No grabbing, always allow the cham to walk onto your hand.

Feed your chameleon usually around a two hours after the lights have come on. So if you are leaving to early to feed it, I would feed some free range items, such as crickets (remember baby chameleons eat A LOT of food, sometimes around 12-24 crickets a day) and let it hunt for the day. Then come home and maybe a few hours before lights out feed a few soft bodied worms (things that digest quickly) like silk worms or hornworms.

 

[reptileguy112]

A few tips lots of people get wrong is you shouldn't have bedding, there needs to at least be one screen side and a screen top (I prefer whole screen cages), an adult needs a 2' x 2' x 4', get a tube light over a coil or round bulb, replace the bulb every six months, mist a few times a day, put reptile calcium on all of its food with no D3, calcium WITH D3 once every two weeks on food and Reptivite once every two weeks on food. Colors don't really matter, some chameleons can be handled although they are not social animals so don't do it often, its better to bond by hand feeding it. I hope I helped BTW FL chams is good, I like LLL reptile also but I have heard of them giving bad quality animals and simply wrong orders.My personal experience is they sold me a female veiled when I ordered a male.

 

[lionfranky]

Shipping Chameleons is usually done over night and I would never suggest doing it in a longer period. Over night shipping may be more expensive but it is better for the cham. If it's done over night and the correct way, chameleons really ship rather easy and are usually fine when they reach you, unless they were sick before.

If you decide to get live plants, which I always suggest getting a combination of live and plastic, so that you have the added foliage from the plastic that you can maneuver how you want, but have the added naturalness and humidity from the live plants; I STRONGLY recommend getting a pothos or something non-toxic or so low in toxicity it doesn't matter because a veiled often eats the plants in it's cage.

So do I better get pothos that are planted on a flower vase? It looks like some sort of vine. Do I have to connect it to screen? What about the chameleon kit screenshot I posted here? Is it recommended? So far one member seems to like it. Do you think I should put pothos inside that kit?

Feed your chameleon usually around a two hours after the lights have come on. So if you are leaving to early to feed it, I would feed some free range items, such as crickets (remember baby chameleons eat A LOT of food, sometimes around 12-24 crickets a day) and let it hunt for the day. Then come home and maybe a few hours before lights out feed a few soft bodied worms (things that digest quickly) like silk worms or hornworms.

So I better turn on light before I go to work right? Then does it mean I have to wake up at 5:00 am? I don't think I can handle that lol. Can I just turn on light and leave crickets? My work schedule would be 7:00 am to 6:30 pm.
Based on this, how would you recommend my schedule?
Wouldn't silk worms or hornworms too big for baby chameleon?

And thank you so much for answer so far. I will pour my passion into my chameleon if I get one.

 

[reptileguy112]

So do I better get pothos that are planted on a flower vase? It looks like some sort of vine. Do I have to connect it to screen? What about the chameleon kit screenshot I posted here? Is it recommended? So far one member seems to like it. Do you think I should put pothos inside that kit?



So I better turn on light before I go to work right? Then does it mean I have to wake up at 5:00 am? I don't think I can handle that lol. Can I just turn on light and leave crickets? My work schedule would be 7:00 am to 6:30 pm.
Based on this, how would you recommend my schedule?
Wouldn't silk worms or hornworms too big for baby chameleon?

And thank you so much for answer so far. I will pour my passion into my chameleon if I get one.

Small hornworms are fine, all silkworms are fine. Turning on the light at 7am and off at 7pm is fine. Never leave food in the cage, just ask anyone what happens if there is a hungry cricket in there.

 

[reptileguy112]

I would keep it simple and just stick a umbrella tree and a ficus in there. A pothos is also good, just keep it in a put and drape it over a branch or jungle vine you have in there

 

[Andee]

That chameleon kit is great, but I wouldn't suggest it for a really young chameleon, probably not until the baby is six months. Until then you'd want a baby cage. Which is usually an 18x18x36 enclosure.

Pothos usually need to be hung in someway to make it work... I am not quite sure how most people do it, if you go to the enclosure board and look up some threads there or search pothos on here you will probably find something. I have never used a pothos myself since I have only fostered and rehabilitated veileds for short periods and usually only in smaller baby enclosures. Panthers don't eat plants usually so I don't have to worry about using as safe as plants, so I can use things such as ficuses. There is a huge list of chameleon safe plants though. http://www.tikitikireptiles.com/pages.php?id=8 This gives you some, though you should always double check on an actual internet search whether the plant is toxic or not. Like Ficus if it's eaten can cause diarrhea and digestive tract problems. Though it's on the list, it isn't safe for a veiled.

I would turn on the lights and put some crickets in before you leave, then feed the worms when you get home. I would also get a timer for your lights if you can, it's just easier and more consistent. Silkworms and hornworms can be raised from eggs and they are tiny at that stage, though they tend to grow faster than your cham. They would definitely be small enough for your cham after a few days of growth when they are from the eggs.

But I haven't said nearly anything close to all you need to know to be prepared to bring a little chameleon into your life yet, so be sure to read the links that jannb posted and then ask more questions after.

As for having hungry crickets in the cage, just leave a slice of orange in the bottom of the cage for the day if you are worried about them chewing on your cham before you get home. Crickets are not natural hunters... (unless you get those weird giant carnivorous and slightly cannibalistic crickets from the desert XD) they would rather eat food left on the floor than something moving.

 

[JaxyGirl]

My favorite plants to use are Pothos an schefflera. I look for a Pothos that is as viney as possible. Then I attach the vines to the sides of the screen with high test fishing line which you can get at Walmart or any where that sells fishing line. I love Pothos because it is very hard to kill and it grows easily so you can keep wrapping it around branches as it grows. Just make sure wish the leaves down really well first. I use dawn dishwashing liquid. Then replant them in organic soil. Make sure the pots have good drainage

 

[PatsyB]

I ordered my male veiled from FL Chams and he is perfect. I looked at a few other places but we fell in love with one there. I had a little stress in the overnight delivery where he was supposed to be delivered on a Friday morning but when I checked UPS they said there was a problem he wouldn't be delivered until the next business day. I called UPS and as I was on the phone with them, problem was solved and he was delivered when they said he would be. One note of advise with FL Chams, they respond best to text messages.

Babies grow FAST! We got ours in April and started with the 18x18x36 Reptibreeze thinking we would get him the big cage for Christmas. Three months later we realized that we couldn't wait that long because he was already outgrowing the small one.

It's also a great idea to get the light timer so you don't have to mess with the lights. I put my crickets in in the morning before I got to work and let him hunt them all day. I also have a bowl for super worms (although, they don't stay in the bowl) and put some horn worms in for him to find. With the live plants, not only is drainage important but you want to put some large rocks over the dirt so that the cham doesn't eat the dirt.

 

[Jamie1128]

I'm new to this site...but I currently have 5 chams...i just picked up a panther i ordered from a breeder...he is my first panther...she says he is 10 weeks old but I have never seen one so tiny...can anyone let me know how big a 10 week old panther is supposed to be?? I would attach a picture bit not sure how to do that on here...lol

 

[lionfranky]

I ordered my male veiled from FL Chams and he is perfect. I looked at a few other places but we fell in love with one there. I had a little stress in the overnight delivery where he was supposed to be delivered on a Friday morning but when I checked UPS they said there was a problem he wouldn't be delivered until the next business day. I called UPS and as I was on the phone with them, problem was solved and he was delivered when they said he would be. One note of advise with FL Chams, they respond best to text messages.

Babies grow FAST! We got ours in April and started with the 18x18x36 Reptibreeze thinking we would get him the big cage for Christmas. Three months later we realized that we couldn't wait that long because he was already outgrowing the small one.

It's also a great idea to get the light timer so you don't have to mess with the lights. I put my crickets in in the morning before I got to work and let him hunt them all day. I also have a bowl for super worms (although, they don't stay in the bowl) and put some horn worms in for him to find. With the live plants, not only is drainage important but you want to put some large rocks over the dirt so that the cham doesn't eat the dirt.

So do you recommend buying a chameleon from FL Chams? Should I avoid buying it from PETCO or other local shops? FL chams seems trustworthy as it solely focuses on chameleons only. Should I get chameleon kit from there as well? It seems ones from PETCO are much cheaper even with misting system. Which age should I get to make taming easier? Baby or juvenile?
I just want screen cage that would accommodate an adult chameleon properly when the chameleon grows up. I can't afford two separate cages.
Should I gut load crickets before going to bed, so I can just wake up and release them into the cage?

 

[PatsyB]

I had good experience with FL cham. If it's your first cham I would buy from a breeder that only because you don't know where that pet store cham came from and how it was cared for etc.

I'm not sure what is in the chameleon kit but personally I don't like pre-made kits. I like piecing things together. So many people that buy them for other reptiles end up buying better versions of what came in the kit.

Gut load your crickets at least 24 hours before you feed them off.

 

[lionfranky]

I had good experience with FL cham. If it's your first cham I would buy from a breeder that only because you don't know where that pet store cham came from and how it was cared for etc.

I'm not sure what is in the chameleon kit but personally I don't like pre-made kits. I like piecing things together. So many people that buy them for other reptiles end up buying better versions of what came in the kit.

Gut load your crickets at least 24 hours before you feed them off.

So I guess I will trust you on where to buy a chameleon. Thank you.

But how am I supposed to piece things together to make a cage? Do you at least get a screen cage? Then buy other things separately? Have you looked into chameleon cage set up listed on FL chams?
http://flchams.com/product/extreme-large-chameleon-kit/
or ones that is much cheaper with additional baby veiled chameleon?
http://www.lllreptile.com/products/4780-veiled-chameleon-package

I am not confident in piecing things together without kit. Do you recommend this or get kit from PETCO (Look at the screenshot I posted.)

Should I get a chameleon from FL Chams, but get kit from somewhere else?

 

[JaxyGirl]

So I guess I will trust you on where to buy a chameleon. Thank you.

But how am I supposed to piece things together to make a cage? Do you at least get a screen cage? Then buy other things separately? Have you looked into chameleon cage set up listed on FL chams?
http://flchams.com/product/extreme-large-chameleon-kit/
or ones that is much cheaper with additional baby veiled chameleon?
http://www.lllreptile.com/products/4780-veiled-chameleon-package

I am not confident in piecing things together without kit. Do you recommend this or get kit from PETCO (Look at the screenshot I posted.)

Should I get a chameleon from FL Chams, but get kit from somewhere else?

I know how confusing it is getting a new baby Cham. These are things to start out with.

http://www.lllreptile.com/products/11723-zoo-med-medium-repti-breeze-aluminum-screen-cage
Or
http://www.lllreptile.com/products/11724-zoo-med-large-repti-breeze-aluminum-screen-cage

http://www.lllreptile.com/products/67-zoo-med-15-repti-sun-50-uvb-bulb
http://www.lllreptile.com/products/83-18-fluorescent-hood-fixture
Get a regular incandescent 60 watt bulb and put it in this http://www.lllreptile.com/products/92-zoo-med-black-ceramic-mini-clip-lamp

http://www.lllreptile.com/products/23033-zoo-med-little-dripper
http://www.lllreptile.com/products/22986-exo-terra-mini-mister-spray-bottle

http://www.store.repashy.com/superload-4-oz-bag.html to gut load crickets

http://www.store.repashy.com/calcium-plus-4-oz-bag.html To dust crickets twice a month.

http://www.lllreptile.com/products/2309-rep-cal-calcium-without-d3 Dust crickets every day

Add fake or real plants there's a list of safe plants on the forums. Repot them in organic soil and wash the leaves with dish soap. Add vines to climb on
No substrate on the floor of the cage.
Add a temp and humidity gage.

This is just a sample of the basics that you need for a Cham enclosure. I feel a lot of kits come with things that you end up paying for that you don't need. You can definitely go with more expensive lighting enclosures etc. but this is a great starter for a baby Cham. Eventually you will have to upgrade to a larger 36 or 48 inch tall enclosure for an adult.
Hope this helps

 

[Andee]

Kits come with things you either don't need, or they come with not enough stuff to decorate with, last kit I bought gave me one measly plastic plant. It wasn't worth the money I spent on it. Plus when you put the cage together yourself you can completely change it to look how you want it.

I would also suggest getting either a pumpable spray bottle if you are doing hand mistings or just going all out and getting an auto-mister which makes your life a hell of a lot easier. It makes sure no matter what your baby will have water and I usually like large resevoir misters such as the Mist King. It allows for 5 gallon painter's buckets or larger to be your reservoirs so if an emergency happens your cham will have water for the next few days, in case you can't be there.

 

[PatsyB]

So I guess I will trust you on where to buy a chameleon. Thank you.

But how am I supposed to piece things together to make a cage? Do you at least get a screen cage? Then buy other things separately? Have you looked into chameleon cage set up listed on FL chams?
http://flchams.com/product/extreme-large-chameleon-kit/
or ones that is much cheaper with additional baby veiled chameleon?
http://www.lllreptile.com/products/4780-veiled-chameleon-package

I am not confident in piecing things together without kit. Do you recommend this or get kit from PETCO (Look at the screenshot I posted.)

Should I get a chameleon from FL Chams, but get kit from somewhere else?

I just looked it up, the cage kits from FL Chams doesn't look bad the only thing I don't like is it comes with calcium WITH D3 and you should use calcium WITHOUT D3. As far as the Petco one, for UVB you should really use a florescent tube bulb not a compact bulb. A compact bulb is going to concentrate your UVB to one small area where with a long tube he will get more exposure. Plus a tube bulb will help with your plant growth. You also don't need the repti carpet. Just a plain bottom or paper towel that you can remove daily would suffice.

Before we got Bumble we got his cage off of Amazon and his UVB light off of Dr. Foster & Smith. We had the dome light already because we always other critters and we always have extra. His second cage we bought from LLL Reptiles. Plants were from a garden store in the neighborhood (shefflera was off Amazon). All his decorations was pieced together with things from Michaels and Menards. We also got some feeder cups from Amazon. The fun thing about Chameleons is you can easily make a lot of their decorations yourself. I even went to the dollar store and bought twine and made him little climbing ropes.

 

[dimil]

I'm new to this site...but I currently have 5 chams...i just picked up a panther i ordered from a breeder...he is my first panther...she says he is 10 weeks old but I have never seen one so tiny...can anyone let me know how big a 10 week old panther is supposed to be?? I would attach a picture bit not sure how to do that on here...lol

Hi Jamie,

I've had my ambilobe panther cham for 2 weeks as of yesterday. He was 8 weeks when I got him, 3" long and didn't even weigh a gram. I measured him yesterday and he is now 4" long...growth of 1" in 2 weeks...does anyone know if this is a good growth rate? I'll try and weigh him today as well. Yours sounds about right...they are very tiny. Attached is pics of my little guy, the 1st one is from 2 weeks ago and the 2nd is from last night. What distinct species of Panther do you have?

 

[JaxyGirl]

Hi Jamie,

I've had my ambilobe panther cham for 2 weeks as of yesterday. He was 8 weeks when I got him, 3" long and didn't even weigh a gram. I measured him yesterday and he is now 4" long...growth of 1" in 2 weeks...does anyone know if this is a good growth rate? I'll try and weigh him today as well. Yours sounds about right...they are very tiny. Attached is pics of my little guy, the 1st one is from 2 weeks ago and the 2nd is from last night. What distinct species of Panther do you have?

OMG he is soooo cute! Sounds like his mommy is doing everything right cause he's growing