chams rule
New Member
I'm new to chams and am looking at all my possibilities. What do you think would be the best for a beginner? I know it all depends on how well you can take care of it, but which one has the easiest maintenance?
Types of Chameleons
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windex
New Member
the "easiest" or better yet, the most "forgiving" would be a panther or a veiled chameleon.
That being said, they are also two of the larger cham species and will need a large enclosure, and no chameleon is easy to take care of, it takes a lot of time and care to properly raise a chameleon.
That being said, they are also two of the larger cham species and will need a large enclosure, and no chameleon is easy to take care of, it takes a lot of time and care to properly raise a chameleon.
chams rule
New Member
Thank you. I hate using the term "easy" with chameleons because I know they are a lot of work, I just didn't know how exactly to word it. And space is not a big issue, when we move I'm having my own reptile room. I understand that a 2x2x4 cage is a minimum for either and that is no big deal at all. I like the term "forgiving" I think it befits the situation. Thank you for the input!
kplatvoet
Member
I would say the most forgiving is a healthy chameleon- While some get lucky getting a chameleon at a show or pet store, most of the people who's first post is in the health clinic section in this forum got their chameleons from pet stores or without much research at shows.
Part of it is volume, part wrong information and a lot of being unprepared. If you start with a well set up cage that conforms to the care sheets here and some healthy and well gutloaded feededs and add a healthy well started chameleon - It's not that hard it's more just keeping it up and dealing with any problems that arise.
If you start with a healthy chameleon and the right care it's a lot easier to notice something wrong- It's so frustrating when you hear - "well I've had the two of them in the cage together for the last 3 months and they were fine and then suddenly" The people who put the care sheets here did it with what worked well for them-and they really care, not because they wanted to sell you a night light. You'll see different things that work but it's easier to see what isn't working if you start with what's proven to work.
As far as what kind of chameleon you should get - I suggest getting what you want if you can get it from a good breeder (classified here are a good place to start) If you don't you'll just end up getting another one later ..
There is more information out there with panther or veiled. My jackson seems to be more sensitive to change than my other two. I think finding and keeping a jackson healthy is harder I'm not sure if that is because mine is a unexpected offspring from a petsmart jackson or just me being a newb. They are not forgiving at all when very young and there are a lot born unexpectedly.
For ease of maintenance get a good misting system (I had a monsoon- broke in a month) start with good easy to maintain drainage and an set up that you can wipe the bottom of the cage out with ease and without disruption to your chameleon. Check out the "care and breeding" section for feeders - maintaining feeders is more of a chore as it's less rewarding in the short term. In the long term I've seen a difference.
Part of it is volume, part wrong information and a lot of being unprepared. If you start with a well set up cage that conforms to the care sheets here and some healthy and well gutloaded feededs and add a healthy well started chameleon - It's not that hard it's more just keeping it up and dealing with any problems that arise.
If you start with a healthy chameleon and the right care it's a lot easier to notice something wrong- It's so frustrating when you hear - "well I've had the two of them in the cage together for the last 3 months and they were fine and then suddenly" The people who put the care sheets here did it with what worked well for them-and they really care, not because they wanted to sell you a night light. You'll see different things that work but it's easier to see what isn't working if you start with what's proven to work.
As far as what kind of chameleon you should get - I suggest getting what you want if you can get it from a good breeder (classified here are a good place to start) If you don't you'll just end up getting another one later ..
There is more information out there with panther or veiled. My jackson seems to be more sensitive to change than my other two. I think finding and keeping a jackson healthy is harder I'm not sure if that is because mine is a unexpected offspring from a petsmart jackson or just me being a newb. They are not forgiving at all when very young and there are a lot born unexpectedly.
For ease of maintenance get a good misting system (I had a monsoon- broke in a month) start with good easy to maintain drainage and an set up that you can wipe the bottom of the cage out with ease and without disruption to your chameleon. Check out the "care and breeding" section for feeders - maintaining feeders is more of a chore as it's less rewarding in the short term. In the long term I've seen a difference.
