New member & mama with a question (=

[MeanAileen]

Hello to all who read this (=
My name is Aileen and as the title suggests, I'm new to this site, I'm a mom and I have a question! Lol! First, I'll give you a brief background of me....I'm a huge animal lover, raised by an animal lover and am in the process of raising 2 of my own animal lovers! (soon, 16 & daughter 6). In my lifetime I've had (too) many cats, 8 dogs, ? Mice & rats, birds, frogs, lizards (geckos, anoles & a bearded dragon), 2 corn snakes, countless fish &a beautiful ball python, (that I think may be gravid!). I think that's it... Oh ya, 4 chickens too! Like I said, love animals!
So, as you can probably see, I'm not inexperienced in general, but I've never had a chameleon and I was considering getting one for my daughter. Of course, I've been doing obsessive research, but books only tell me what the person who wrote it wants to tell me and I wanted some real-person advise on what type would be best for my girl.
I always have to think of space issues, so I've been leaning towards a pygmy, but I'm not sure of their temperament with a"newbie" to the species. As far as my daughter is concerned, she's awesome with critters and knows how to handle snakes from hatchings to our lovely 4.5' Ball, but does that even help when it comes to chameleons?
Any advise anyone has would be super helpful! (and sorry for such a long post

 

[Murrdox]

Your daughter is 6? My first thought is that 6 is way too young for a chameleon. Here's my other comments:

- You mention getting started with a Pygmy. Now, I'm not an experienced Pygmy keeper, so I'll allow other people to comment regarding them specifically. But from what I do know, Pygmy's are pretty advanced to care for, even as chameleons go. I've never heard anyone suggest a Pygmy as someone's first chameleon.

- Kids love handling creatures, especially young kids. Chameleons in general are best left alone. I love hand-feeding my chameleons, but that's as close as I get to them unless I need to clean the cage. I think your kid might be disappointed with the level of interaction she'll have with a chameleon. I'm sure she'd be gentle since she knows how to handle small snakes and such, but really what you're concerned about is the stress on the animal. That said, handling once a week or so for a few minutes is unlikely to be tremendously harmful.

- Chameleons require pretty advanced care. A 6 year old won't be able to take care of it. You'll be doing 90% of the care involved.

All that said, chameleons are wonderful, beautiful creatures, and you sound like an experienced herp caretaker so I'm sure that if you do decide to get a chameleon, you'll give it a good home.

A carpet chameleon is a little smaller and they don't require quite as large a cage as some others as well. I've not owned a Carpet though, so I'm not sure how they are as a first chameleon though. Just a suggestion.

 

[camimom]

Welcome!
chams in general are harder species to keep.

That being said, I would not recommend a pymgy as the first cham you get.
I understand that space is limited, So i would recommend doing some more research, seeing what other species are out there you like, and go from there.

Good luck!

 

[pssh]

If you're willing to put a lot of effort into it, you could potentially start with any chameleon. A bearded pygmy would be the general "starter" pygmy (R. brevicaudatus) They are not a chameleon that should be handled, so don't expect to be doing much of that.

A smaller but still fairly big (and handle-able to an extent) chameleon might be a female jacksons. You wouldn't have to worry about the fact that most chameleon species lay eggs as they give birth to live young. (Many problems arise from females because of eggs, but jacksons females don't have those issues.) You would want to get a CB (captive bred) jacksons. They are a little more difficult to care for than a veiled or panther (the most commonly recommended species) but it's doable if you are dedicated and definitely do your research.

 

[imcurt]

I agree that you will be doing most of the work.And that six is too young The two smaller species that come to mind is jacksons or carpets, either one would do fine in a 16x16x30 enclosure.Jacksons do better with a bit cooler tempatures than carpets. (check your homes average temps).Hydration is the biggest issue most new keepers run into. what ever cham you end up getting.I cant stress enough on getting some type of misting system.mistking or aquazap are my top two choices.And there site sponcers.Ive herd the moonson works well with a single cage and they are self contained.Site sponcer joshsfrogs carries those. Good luck with your research.

 

[Cadance]

Welcome, we just got a Cham as a family pet because I wanted my sons (which are hoping to get some kind of reptile soon) that with chams really all you get to do is look and that they take a lot of time to take care of. We have a Jackson we believe he is male he is very sweet he will let me and only me hold him with everyone else he turns a dark/black color with me he is bright green/yellow so I know he is not stressed. He is my first Cham and I can say I love him he is great however my sons have changed their minds on wanting one for their own pet. I would say keep reading about them and talk with your little girl and maybe get it as a family pet? They are amazing animals and so much fun to have just a lot of work but worth it.

 

[pssh]

Just because he is green/yellow doesn't mean he is isn't stressed. Getting brighter may indicate stress as does getting darker.

 

[Cadance]

Just because he is green/yellow doesn't mean he is isn't stressed. Getting brighter may indicate stress as does getting darker.

I understand that , whenever I take him out which isn't very much and only for a little bit he climbs on me the only time I ever make him come out is when I am cleaning his cage other then that I let him come to me.

 

[pssh]

Just making sure you understood it.

 

[Cadance]

I also watch his body language as well to make sure he isn't stressing because I don't want to stress him out.

 

[creddjobs]

Welcome to the Forum. You will fund a buttload of information. Search is your best friend! Welcome!

 

[MeanAileen]

Thank you all for your advise. That's exactly what I wanted to hear...unbiased feedback.
And just for the record, whatever type of lizard or whatever, we end up getting will be my daughters in the sense that she can name it and call it her own pet, but I would never let her be the one fully responsible for it at this age!! The poor critter would be dead in 3 days! Lol! (besides, I'm far too anal-retentive to allow that to happen!)
I will keep everything said so far, in mind, and keep on doing my research.
Thanks (=

 

[DekuScrub]

Thank you all for your advise. That's exactly what I wanted to hear...unbiased feedback.
And just for the record, whatever type of lizard or whatever, we end up getting will be my daughters in the sense that she can name it and call it her own pet, but I would never let her be the one fully responsible for it at this age!! The poor critter would be dead in 3 days! Lol! (besides, I'm far too anal-retentive to allow that to happen!)
I will keep everything said so far, in mind, and keep on doing my research.
Thanks (=

keep up the reseach.

my recommendation is, make more space. and get a veiled.

senegals may be a good option. theyre pretty small, inexpensive, and wont require much space. expect to be spending A LOT on the screen cage, lights, and cage furnishing. ive never kept them so i know nothing about their disposition or hardyness but like i said theyre pretty inexpensive.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

If intended for a kiddo I would actually suggest a different type of lizard altogether. A Pygmy should not be handled, like at all, which makes for a very boring pet for a youngster. And other chameleon species really aren't much better in that regard. A leopard gecko doesn't need a lot of space, are easier to take care of and some are very friendly! A bearded dragon is also a great lizard pet for youngsters, but they need a really big cage.

 

[thephotoprincess]

Thank you all for your advise. That's exactly what I wanted to hear...unbiased feedback.
And just for the record, whatever type of lizard or whatever, we end up getting will be my daughters in the sense that she can name it and call it her own pet, but I would never let her be the one fully responsible for it at this age!! The poor critter would be dead in 3 days! Lol! (besides, I'm far too anal-retentive to allow that to happen!)
I will keep everything said so far, in mind, and keep on doing my research.
Thanks (=

Jackson's are fairly small and mellow ... and pretty dramatic with their horns. They are easy to care for as well.