Wanting to get one for Christmas

casioravine21

casioravine21

New Member
Should I get a chameleon for Christmas? I have a bearded dragon already, and I love little chameleons. They are just so cool! I already know most of how to care for them. Would it be OK if they stayed in the same room as the beardie, or would they have to be in another room? I have another room, just in case. Another thing I was going to ask is what is the absolute BEST staple besides crickets? Crickets are just not a good choice for me, they stink and tend to get away. Would flightless fruit flies be OK? And another thing, how much should I feed it a day? I am going to order from LLLReptile.
 
Chameleons are fantastic pets... They can be quite difficult and require a lot of work, but for me, thats part of the attraction. I love to see them thrive after all that hard work.. It part science, part art, and part manual labor :)

Sounds like you have a lot of time to reasearch, decide, and prepare for your new little buddy. Here is a great place to start. These are caresheets for different species of chameleons you may be interested in.

To address some of your questions:
- Chams can be in the same room as a beardie. Probably best that there is a limited line of sight to prevent stress in the chameleon
- Best staples besides crickets are probably dubia roaches and silkworms. A wide variety of well gutloaded food is the biggest single factor in chameleon rearing success and no single feeder should make up more than 40% of their diet.
- Flightless fruit flies will be too small for most chameleons except babies. Blue bottle flies are a great option for variety.
- the caresheets address feeding, but basically they can eat all they want when they are young, gradually reduced to 5-8 bugs (equivalent to adult sized crickets) every other day. Species and gender play a role here, so the care sheets are a great resource.

Enjoy the research and preparation and we will be here if you have any additional questions!
 
deadhd5 said:
Chameleons are fantastic pets... They can be quite difficult and require a lot of work, but for me, thats part of the attraction. I love to see them thrive after all that hard work.. It part science, part art, and part manual labor :)

Sounds like you have a lot of time to reasearch, decide, and prepare for your new little buddy. Here is a great place to start. These are caresheets for different species of chameleons you may be interested in.

To address some of your questions:
- Chams can be in the same room as a beardie. Probably best that there is a limited line of sight to prevent stress in the chameleon
- Best staples besides crickets are probably dubia roaches and silkworms. A wide variety of well gutloaded food is the biggest single factor in chameleon rearing success and no single feeder should make up more than 40% of their diet.
- Flightless fruit flies will be too small for most chameleons except babies. Blue bottle flies are a great option for variety.
- the caresheets address feeding, but basically they can eat all they want when they are young, gradually reduced to 5-8 bugs (equivalent to adult sized crickets) every other day. Species and gender play a role here, so the care sheets are a great resource.

Enjoy the research and preparation and we will be here if you have any additional questions!
Click to expand...

Awesome, and thanks! I am getting a male veiled.
 
I agree with doing research but it sounds like you have plenty of time to do that :) The forums are also a great place to learn. I have had my current chameleon for just over a week and I am learning new things every day by caring for him and reading the forums. Don't be afraid of asking questions. Everyone is really friendly and willing to help you give the best care to your chameleon (when you get it).
 
I am back, now. Is a 28"x16.5"x30" screen cage good for a male? And another thing, are phoenix worms a good staple? I am going to start breeding some next week.
 
That size cage wouldnt be big enough. The very minimum size is 4 feet high, 2 feet deep and 2 feet wide for an adult male veiled or panther chameleon.
 
casioravine21 said:
I am back, now. Is a 28"x16.5"x30" screen cage good for a male? And another thing, are phoenix worms a good staple? I am going to start breeding some next week.
Click to expand...

Variety is best. It's not good to have a staple. There are loads out there to choose from. Dubai roaches, hornworms, silkworms,butter worms, stick inscects to name a few. Check out sandrachameleons blogs on here. She is the feeder and gut loading guru on here. Good luck when you get your baby.:)
 
Kate said:
Variety is best. It's not good to have a staple. There are loads out there to choose from. Dubai roaches, hornworms, silkworms,butter worms, stick inscects to name a few. Check out sandrachameleons blogs on here. She is the feeder and gut loading guru on here. Good luck when you get your baby.:)
Click to expand...

I want to stick to worms. Can I maybe try Superworms too?
 
Really you are going to have to include either roaches or crickets in the diet, it cannot just consist of worms.
 
I'm assuming you're buying the cage from lllreptile aswell, buy the 30x16.5x48(100 gallon) mesh cage, its only $71.99 which is a good deal. As for a staple diet, crickets id say. I have many animals and have always kept crickets, and never had a problem with odors. If it weren't for the chirping i wouldn't even know they were there, as long as you keep your critter room fairly clean and keep up with chores, you shouldn't smell anything.
 
Another feeder you could try is getting mealworms and keeping them till they transform into beetles.I recently tried it for the first time and my males veiled loves them.id imagine the beardies would like them too but there too big for mine at the minute
 
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