Rubidius
New Member
I don't own any chameleons at all at the moment, but I've been saving up to get one, and have done A LOT of research.
What I Think I Know:
These are generally not hands-on pets unless you raise them from a very young age, and even then they can end up being grumpy little dudes. They require a moist environment due to the fact that they get their water by licking leaves (and probably everything else in the cage. My leos do that), but over-moisturising and lack of consistent cleaning can result in excess and unwanted bacteria that can sicken or even kill your cham. They need variety in their diet and can eat crickets, mealies, dubia roaches, and certain foliage/vegetation (ficus, hibiscus, and certain greens).
They are diurnal, and require UVB/UVA lights as well as a heat lamp in order to process their calcium supplements.
When aggitated, veileds will puff up and hiss. They may even bite if further provoked. I'm pretty sure the other species can do similarly (puff up, hiss), but I'm not sure.
When the tank is too hot (which, if you use a flexarium/screen cage, theoretically shouldn't happen because of the airflow), your cham will sit with its mouth open, not in an aggressive manner, which indicates you ought to turn the heat lamp off for a bit.
Make sure you have plenty of things for the precious beb to climb on and hide in, and your flooring should consist of a substrate that's good at holding in moisture. This substrate should be replaced on a regular basis so as to prevent mold growth.
Another thing I've read is that chams are actually quite intelligent as far as reptiles go, and that they can remember faces.
When selecting a chameleon there are certain things to look for and certain things to look out for.
First off, if the animal is not active and it's broad daylight, this could indicate illness. So can dark colorations, which can be a clear sign of high stress. Animals with bowlegs, bizarre features (such as dislocated jaws and sunken eyes) as well as an overall off (nonexistant) behavior can indicate MBD, caused by a lack of calcium in the animal's diet. You want an animal that reacts to your presence, is alert, brightly colored (in a baby's case, green), constantly looking around (I love this about chams; they always look so frumpy and suspicious x3), and will eat.
I think that's all?
There's probably more, but you're all probably asleep or tallying my n00b errs.
As you may have picked up a little above, I own leopard geckos. Two, to be exact, Sam and Zelyx, and I have had experience with cresties as well. My perosnal cresty experience was extremely tragic though due to the fact I bought him at a large chain pet store (a major mistake on my part t _ t), and he had an internal illness that I didn't catch onto until too late. Ever since that, I live for my animals, and am absolutely terrified of taking care of them wrong or doing something wrong for fear that they'll die on me prematurely like Tiger did.
In conclusion, I figured I'd just run everything by the actually experienced owners of these beauts, and see if ya'll can give me some tips and advice when it comes to trying to tame chams, care for them, giving them as stress free a life as possible, etc.
What I Think I Know:
These are generally not hands-on pets unless you raise them from a very young age, and even then they can end up being grumpy little dudes. They require a moist environment due to the fact that they get their water by licking leaves (and probably everything else in the cage. My leos do that), but over-moisturising and lack of consistent cleaning can result in excess and unwanted bacteria that can sicken or even kill your cham. They need variety in their diet and can eat crickets, mealies, dubia roaches, and certain foliage/vegetation (ficus, hibiscus, and certain greens).
They are diurnal, and require UVB/UVA lights as well as a heat lamp in order to process their calcium supplements.
When aggitated, veileds will puff up and hiss. They may even bite if further provoked. I'm pretty sure the other species can do similarly (puff up, hiss), but I'm not sure.
When the tank is too hot (which, if you use a flexarium/screen cage, theoretically shouldn't happen because of the airflow), your cham will sit with its mouth open, not in an aggressive manner, which indicates you ought to turn the heat lamp off for a bit.
Make sure you have plenty of things for the precious beb to climb on and hide in, and your flooring should consist of a substrate that's good at holding in moisture. This substrate should be replaced on a regular basis so as to prevent mold growth.
Another thing I've read is that chams are actually quite intelligent as far as reptiles go, and that they can remember faces.
When selecting a chameleon there are certain things to look for and certain things to look out for.
First off, if the animal is not active and it's broad daylight, this could indicate illness. So can dark colorations, which can be a clear sign of high stress. Animals with bowlegs, bizarre features (such as dislocated jaws and sunken eyes) as well as an overall off (nonexistant) behavior can indicate MBD, caused by a lack of calcium in the animal's diet. You want an animal that reacts to your presence, is alert, brightly colored (in a baby's case, green), constantly looking around (I love this about chams; they always look so frumpy and suspicious x3), and will eat.
I think that's all?
There's probably more, but you're all probably asleep or tallying my n00b errs.
As you may have picked up a little above, I own leopard geckos. Two, to be exact, Sam and Zelyx, and I have had experience with cresties as well. My perosnal cresty experience was extremely tragic though due to the fact I bought him at a large chain pet store (a major mistake on my part t _ t), and he had an internal illness that I didn't catch onto until too late. Ever since that, I live for my animals, and am absolutely terrified of taking care of them wrong or doing something wrong for fear that they'll die on me prematurely like Tiger did.
In conclusion, I figured I'd just run everything by the actually experienced owners of these beauts, and see if ya'll can give me some tips and advice when it comes to trying to tame chams, care for them, giving them as stress free a life as possible, etc.
