Pygmy Chameleons

[CaptainMorgantown]

Hello!

My local Petco just got in two tiny chameleons which they have labeled "dwarf stub tail chameleons" but they look exactly like pictures of Pygmy Chameleons that I have seen. Anyway, I sort of fell in love with them, and I might get them, but I just had a few questions.

1. They are selling them for 50 dollars each, is that a good price?

2. I've read that Pygmy chams are a bit difficult to care for, and that they have to have high humidity and a moist tank. I also own several different species of frogs, including Whites Tree Frogs, do you guys think it would be the same basic concept in terms of keeping the enclosure moist?

3. How big of a tank do they need? I was think about just getting one, but if I change my mind I will only get two at most. What size tank would be good? Petco is also selling some Zoo Med tanks, and one of them would fit perfectly on a nightstand that I have in my room. I think that it is a 12x12x12, but it might be a bit larger. Would that be too small? I think it would be, but I thought I would check.

4. I read that you can't touch these guys at all because they are very delicate. Not that I am going to handle them all of the time, but I would like to make sure I'm not going to kill them if I touch them.

5. Do they travel well? I'm in college and I usually go home for breaks, taking my animals with me. They would only spend about 2 hours tops in a car.

I think that is all of my major questions for now. I did read several care sheets, but I would rather get the answers straight from the owners.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Thezillaman21]

Hello!

My local Petco just got in two tiny chameleons which they have labeled "dwarf stub tail chameleons" but they look exactly like pictures of Pygmy Chameleons that I have seen. Anyway, I sort of fell in love with them, and I might get them, but I just had a few questions.

1. They are selling them for 50 dollars each, is that a good price?

2. I've read that Pygmy chams are a bit difficult to care for, and that they have to have high humidity and a moist tank. I also own several different species of frogs, including Whites Tree Frogs, do you guys think it would be the same basic concept in terms of keeping the enclosure moist?

3. How big of a tank do they need? I was think about just getting one, but if I change my mind I will only get two at most. What size tank would be good? Petco is also selling some Zoo Med tanks, and one of them would fit perfectly on a nightstand that I have in my room. I think that it is a 12x12x12, but it might be a bit larger. Would that be too small? I think it would be, but I thought I would check.

4. I read that you can't touch these guys at all because they are very delicate. Not that I am going to handle them all of the time, but I would like to make sure I'm not going to kill them if I touch them.

5. Do they travel well? I'm in college and I usually go home for breaks, taking my animals with me. They would only spend about 2 hours tops in a car.

I think that is all of my major questions for now. I did read several care sheets, but I would rather get the answers straight from the owners.

Thanks for your help!

$50 each is alittle high when they are on lllreptile they are like $20 each but you have to also figure shipping.
I'm not a Pygmy owner so I can only tell you what if read. They don't need a full vented cage so glass is better as for size 1 male per cage 10gallons for each chameleon In the cage. As for handling they are super sensitive I'd say do only as needed. And I'd imagine they would move easily comPared to other chams because the cage is small enough to just be lifted and set into a car.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Never thought I'd see a petco with pygmies!

1. Not terrible, not great

2. An excellent caresheet on pygmies: http://chameleonnews.com/05DecRouthouska.html

3. 12x12x12 is too small for a pair, but good for a single one. I have a pair in an 12x12x18 and that would be minimum because I feel like that is a bit on the small side already. But that type of cage works well for pygmies!

4. It's not that they'll drop dead if you touch them, it's just that you are a very huge scary predator that is reaching for them so it is very stressful for them. You just have to understand the reason behind their fragility when they are so small. I never handle mine unless absolutely necessary.

5. They travel pretty well. I would limit travel to only as needed (they can go weekends without care sometimes) to limit stress but when you do travel with them cover their cage completely because when it's dark they'll just hunker down and wait for it to pass instead of trying to run away from the movement if it's light.

 

[CaptainMorgantown]

Okay, this is awesome information! I'm glad that I decided to ask on here. So 50 is high? I felt like it might be. If I do decide to get some, I may order online. I don't know how old these guys are, and if they are a bit on the older side it would really suck if they died in a few months. Are there any trustworthy website that sell them for a good price? Also, are there any members with some good pictures of their own pygmy setup?

 

[SarahcoadunatioZac]

Pygmies are so awesome, the smaller the better!

 

[arielle]

pygmychameleon.co.uk has tons of information on pygmies! Unfortunately, the site is down right now.

I only have one picture of my old set up, it's not very good though

there's also this section of the forums: https://www.chameleonforums.com/pygmy-enclosures/

 

[pssh]

$50 is high for normal chameleon sellers, but at a pet store its probably not that high. Keep in mind shipping is usually $40-$60 so if you only get one, it would be about the same or cheaper to get it at the store.

As for picking one out by hand, check for:
Open, alert, and full eyes
A nice round body, preferably with little to no bruises
Straight limbs with good looking feet and joints
A tightly closed mouth with no defects/injuries
Make sure the head/cheeks are not sunken in

Smaller ones tend to be younger while the larger animals are often older. Males have longer tails and less rounded looking 'spikes' on the spine. (there arent really spikes on the spine like a veiled or panther has.)

 

[qdude46]

dont buy them from petco because i go to one all the time with my friend who know a lot about reptiles and she points out all the problems with their herps, whites tree frogs with abnormal color, untreated water dragon with hurt noses from tank wall, etc. she bought her first leopard gecko from there not knowing that was a bad idea and it soon died from an intestinal problem so what ever you do dont buy herps from petco, if you really want a pygmy i suggest getting one from a breeder or reptile expo