Newbie that wants to do things right!

[maryanne27]

Hello! Clearly, I am new to this forum, and I am also going to be a first-time chameleon owner soon. Most likely, I will be trying to purchase a Senegal or a graceful chameleon. I have been trying to do research to get the right habitat set-up and to sort of know what I am doing before I actually get my chameleon, but I still need help!!
Does anyone have any basic tips to offer someone just starting to care for a chameleon? For instance, what would you recommend for the ideal habitat? I see a lot of information about misters and foggers and drippers, but I can't figure out which is actually best for a reasonable price. Also, I saw that a standard household light bulb would provide enough heat for basking... is this true, or should I go for a real heat lamp? I don't want to fry my new pet, or let him freeze! These are the two main things I am hung up on, but I am open to ANY tips, tricks, and information that anyone with more experience has to offer. Thank you!

 

[carol5208]

Hi Maryanne and welcome to the forums! You have chosen the right place to come and learn about chameleons. Here is a general caresheet to help you out. It will tell you everything you need to keep your chameleon healthy.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/senegal/ Most all of us use regular housebulbs for heat. The wattage will depend on what basking temp you are trying to achieve and variables like your overall house temp which will effect it. As far as the misters, drippers.... Chameleons can sometimes be very finicky about drinking and some owners rarely see theirs drink. Many of us either hand mist and have the automatic misting sytems and then add the dripper also. My chameleons rarely drink from me misting so I use a dripper that I actually drip on their noses to get them to drink. It can take several minutes for them to start drinking so whatever process you choose, it cannot just be for seconds at a time. We don't have too many Senegal of Graceful owners on here, but there are a few. The most popular chameleons to start our with are Veilds or Panthers. Hope this info helps you out.

 

[jannb]

Welcome to the forums. This is an awesome place to learn about chameleons. I have a Graceful and he is the sweetest chameleon. I got him from Terry here on the forums and he is CB not a wild caught and spoiled rotten. She has a few of his siblings left and I highly recommend her if you go with a Graceful.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/captive-bred-graceful-chameleons-55-5-6-month-olds-118167/

Here's my little Graceful, Tate.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/tate-6-months-old-photos-118615/

Their care is pretty much like that of a veiled. I'm attaching my blog for general care for you.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html

More great info here: https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/chameleons/

 

[ThatDigitalChameleon]

Make sure your enclosure is set up before you get him/her home that way they can get comfortable quickly. and get some supplements for their food so they stay healthy. As far as enclosures go. i'd say get a screen enclosure, tehy seem best for humidity and health in general. Can't say an exact size but...
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/chameleons/
... that's a great place to start for general information on food, ie. gutloading supplements and types of food. also reccomended enclosure sizes for different species and lighting/humidity... basically everythign for new or soon to be owners.

Personally i wouldn't get a dripper or misting system unless you also make a good drainage system... mine kinda sucks and it flooded once. although i'm home for over 70% of the day so i can personally mist my veiled throughout the day and keep an eye on him.

Buying retail can get pretty expensive but there's a lot of diy things you can do to get your cham a nice habitat as well. For set ups check the enclosure forum and look at some images, there's also drainage system tips too.

OH! Welcome to the forum!

 

[maryanne27]

Thank you all so much! I'm really glad I joined this site now haha