New to Reptiles

C

clayw

New Member
Hey everybody.
So a little background information on me, I work in the saltwater industry for a tank manufacturing company here in southern california.
Ive always wanted to keep a chameleon and have for whatever reason stayed away from it, well now I think Im ready, Ive been doing some reading and want to get started. Ive never kept a reptile, just reef tanks as far as exotic things go.
I am interested in keeping a panther chameleon but wondering if I should start out with a hardier species...thoughts?

We were setting up for the APEX show and I wandered over into the reptile building and saw some chameleons and decided ok Im ready to get into this. BUT I would like to make, or pick up, an enclosure sometime soon and begin stocking it up with plants and what not...thoughts?
Id like to start getting together the necessary equipment before purchasing the animal and make sure everything is dialed in and the plants are thriving, I also want to get used to the regular maintanence and stuff before I get the animal.

does anyone have any input on automatic misters? these seem to be the best route for me...?

How hard is it to build my own enclosure? The ones I see commonly are made from window screen framing and the screen mesh...

If anyone can help me out with these questions or advice I would really appreciate it. Thank you.
-Clay
 
chameleons dont go well with noobs but if you are dieing to get one i would get a male veild chameleon.

automatic misters are great i would get one :) and i would just buy a chameleon viv from a pet shop or online. i think its just better. 3ftx2ftx2ft is a good size.
 
an adult male will need a 4 feet high 2 feet square screen cage and a male veiled is the best to get first. You dont have to have an autmatic mister yu will just need to handmist a couple of times a day. :D
 
Hi clayw-sounds like you are planning and setting up your cage and researching which will set you up for sucess with your cham. Cage size will depend on how old of a cham you get. I also suggest male Veileds for a first cham. If you get a 2 month old, you can get a 16x16x30 screen cage that will last you for several months, but if you get a 5 month old, you could get a larger cage and not need to upgrade. Auto-misters and light timers certainly take alot of the work out of cham keeping, especially if you are not home much.
 
Well...I have to start at some point right? I plan on getting the chameleon once everythings put together...veiled looked good but i heard they were aggresive. i like the panthers and the jacksons

It looks like everyones suggesting a veiled though so that may just be it then. ya i want the auto mister, and the lights and everything will be hooked up to my reefkeeper controller since i have one not in use. These dont seem like theyre more expensive than a reef, that Im excited about.
-clay
 
Hi welcome to the forum!!! All I can say is Read, Read then Read some more..LOL! I have a Jackson's...I love the horns! And he's a real sweetie! :):):)
 
Like Jann said, not all Veileds are mean. I have had far more nicer Veileds than I have had nice Panthers. They are all individuals and it is hard to guage personalities.
 
Thanks guys, I checked out the mist kings today at the APEX show, and they look neat, but Im contemplating building my own mist system, it does not seem like it would be to hard, but either way, Im still looking into it, the Mist Kings did look nice priced at $135. Im really digging the turquise chams i was seeing today.

heres a question for you guys...whats the deal with foggers? are they any good? beneficial? reliable? i also saw one of these set up today and it looked pretty cool but i dont want it if its not going to be of that much benefit to the animal
-clay
 
Foggers are optional for veileds or panthers. A few good mistings is fine for them. Go with what you really want, just read as much as you can, consult books, and speak to experienced owners/breeders to make sure you've got it all down. Don't get a veiled if you don't want a veiled. Male panthers' care requirements are almost exactly the same as veileds. In fact, I keep mine exactly the same way and they are fine. The only difference is my panther prefers free ranging or hanging out on your arm more than being in a cage (my veiled is the exact opposite and will take a finger off if he can get you. [he actually did try once, but he was too small to make me bleed at the time but he tore my skin pretty good.])
 
someone at apex today told me that foggers burn out or break a lot...any truth to that? ill for sure be hooking up an automatic mister to turn on saaaay 4 times a day? maybe five for shorter periods, whats a good amount? but i would also like the fogger in another location on the tank if they are worth the money. So far it looks like I might be buying from a breeder located in Corona CA, cant recall the name. I would rather have a panther, then a jacksons.
thanks pssh
-clay
 
Foggers generally do tend to break quickly, so many recommend humidifiers instead (but again, it's optional and not really needed for a panther if it has ample opportunities to drink water.)
 
ok then, well as cool as the fog looks, ill just stick with a mister and have it set to go off a few times through out the day, i really wanted to start with a large enclosure but by the sounds of it, seems i should be getting a small one since the cham will be a baby.
-clay
 
You can always get/make a large enclosure and then raise the floor while it's a baby so it's not as tall. If you get a 5-6 month old male it might be big enough for a 2x2x4 if it's an aggressive hunter or if it cup feeds.
 
Hello Clay, I started with a panther as my first chameleon, and don't see any reason you can't do that also. A mist king is the way to go as it offers the most flexibility you will get. Forget the foggers - I have 4 in the closet and none work well. LLL Reptile is an excellent, reasonable place to buy quality products for your chameleon. You could get the small cage for the baby, see what is needed then as he grows, you can decide if you want to build his adult cage. Do make sure you have the correct lighting and temps prior to putting the baby in the cage. Set your cage up post pictures and we will help with anything you might forget. A chameleon will never be a set & forget reptile but with proper set up & care they are fairly easy most of the time. The real key is starting with an excellent set up. Best of luck.
 
cool thank you laurie, I will definitly post pictures, maybe tomorrow Ill just purchase a small enclosure for a baby and start piecing things together.
 
Well I decided to just build my own enclosure, I plan on letting the cham free range a lot so this enclosure wont be to big, mostly because it will be baby when I purchase it. Anyways, i went down to homedepot and picked up something a little small than a 2x2. Im staining and sealing the wood right now with Behr Semi Transperant weatherproofing wood stain. Its made for decks and stuff so I figured with the constant misting this stuff will help the wood out. Tomorrow when I go into work Ill cut the wood up and frame it out. I have not picked up the aluminum mesh for the top yet, I will do that soon. My dimensions will be
14" long x 14" wide x 20" high.
-clay
 
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