New with questions.

[Fireflyfarm]

Hi All,
My husband and I are planning to get a Panther Chameleon. We are doing our research and learning everything we can before we get a new baby. We have chosen our breeder and already started planning his cage.
My first question that I couldn't find any info on is whether having other pets in the house is too stressful. We have three dogs and two cats. Is that just too much crazy for a chameleon? Obviously we wouldn't do any free range inside but would have a large, well appointed cage. The cage won't be tucked away in a private room. He would be out in the house where we can enjoy him. That means he would have dogs and cats wandering around.
What do you think???

 

[ChameleonsByVanGogh]

you want them in a quiet room away from a hole lot of noise and traffic...if not have them in a cage full of décor so they have plenty of hiding place and keep them up high and as long as your dogs aren't loud all the time they should be fine

 

[dom1959]

i have a cat, i took about a month training the cat that the table where the cham cage would be was off limits. i used 2 sided sticky tape on the floor and on the table. cats really don't like the sticky tape on their feet. also my cat does understand no, and so far 7 months and no issues.

 

[ChameleonsByVanGogh]

you will be fine !!

 

[szpond]

My chameleon always keeps a close eye on my cat. She will bother his cage if I'm not careful (unfortunately she isn't easily trained, I've found it easier to lock her out of the room).

He doesn't like her, that's for sure. He shows his darker colors when she is in the room. I don't let her come into his view anymore because of this.

Maybe try what I do. I have him in my bedroom and I've made it a habit to close the door behind me.

 

[Dr O]

continuing with what CBVG wrote, it is considered “bad form” to place chams in areas of the house that tend to have a lot of activity. there probably isn’t one among us who would love to be looking at their chams all day long in their kitchens and living rooms, but most dedicated owners would not do it. of course the reason comes down to the fragility of the family Chameleonidae. and there are many chams who would quite literally be stressed to death in that setup.

should you still choose to place him there, one positive note is that Panthers are one of the species that imo have a greater percentage of individuals who could handle that kind of stressor versus many other species. with that being said, those individuals are likely still a minority. since you know where you will be getting him, i would try very hard to choose him based on a very outgoing personality over color or pattern, as that’s really what is of paramount need in your situation.

and i definitely agree to heavily plant his cage, making sure that he can have absolute privacy in all of his climate/POTZ zones. i say that so he doesn’t just have some little area to huddle up in that wouldn’t allow him to thermoregulate/UVB himself properly. and to anyone reading this and your cham(s) may be in a similar situation, is your cage setup that way?

kudos on doing the early research to you and your husband! we people like you here! good luck, and we can’t wait to start seeing the photos!

o—

 

[Fireflyfarm]

Thanks all! I'm going to talk to the breeder to get their input. We've been so focused on color that I hadn't even thought of asking about personality.
We would definitely have TONS of hiding space in the cage in all the zones. My hubby is a horticulturist so he's excited about the plant material and decorating the cage. And not sure if its true but I've read that a heavily plant protected environment actually helps them feel more comfortable about coming into view. Guess they know they have safe places to retreat to if necessary?!?!