what do i need for a chameleon?

[NewOwner112]

hello! i am getting a chameleon this sunday and i need help.
i am not new to the world of reptiles, i had a bearded dragon and a few anoles awhile ago and decided that i would like a chameleon. unfortunatly i only have around $120 to spend this weekend for him. i will be able to buy better stuff later, but for now this is all i have, so if you know of anything thats on sale please tell me!!!!!!!! i heard that senegal chameleons are cheap, and are the best for beginners, is this true? also, what brand of cage is not extremly expensive, but good. and what should i feed him, is mealworms and such okay? ( roaches and crickets not allowed in the house) is ther any vitamins i will need to get? and what else do i need?
please help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[chamillionaire3]

well to be completely honest with you i would wait until you can save up more money. the chameleon itself will probably run you almost that whole 120. as far as cages, they are not cheap either. personally i built 2 seperate cages for under 75. your also gonna need a misting system and the decorations for the cage as well. this is not a cheap hobby for real. and as far as fedding the chameleon your gonna have to use crickets because they are the easiet insect to gutload, meaning they are the easiest to feed nutritional food so that your cham gets nutrition from the cricket. yes they can eat mealworms but i only feed mine mealworms maybe 2 or 3 times a week. and the on top of all that you are going to need uvb and heat lights. those are an absolute must otherwise you will be hurting your cham.

 

[DavidBuchan]

Hello, welcome to the forum Roaches and crickets are two of the best feeders available, partly due to ease of gut loading. In fact most of the work involved in chameleon keeping is looking after insects. Variety of foods is definitely best.
Mealworms are fairly fatty and should make up no more than about 10% of a chameleons diet.
The best chameleon species for a budget or beginner is probably a Veiled. No chameleon is a 'cheap' pet though, even without big vet bills if something goes wrong...... You can avoid the need for an automated mister if you can spare 20 mins a day to hand mist. Use a good pressure pump mister and it's much easier - http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgu...imUKiKM4HL0QXksoGIAw&ved=0CIwBEPUBMAs&dur=448
If you are able to make your own screen cage you could save a good amount too. Lights are of course vital so you can't save anything there.

Here is a great all-round caresheet for Veileds - https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/chameleonsinmyhouse/395-veiled-chameleon-care-sheet.html

 

[Olimpia]

Here is one of my blogs, it is supposed to give you a run down on cost but it also serves as a list as well: http://muchadoaboutchameleons.blogspot.com/2012/03/average-cost-of-owning-chameleon.html I also tried to tell you where you can get everything cheaply, mainly at home improvement stores and online vs. pet stores.

Hope it helps!

 

[Decadancin]

My advice would be to wait just a bit. I started with a temporary setup that was not intended for a chameleon, and wound up spending a lot more money than I intended! I'm not complaining about that, but too often money issues can be the demise of chams. Feeding the wrong foods can and usually will lead to health issues, and this will lead to more money problems. If you are not able to properly care for the animal, I would try to choose something else. I don't think any of us would say this is a cheap hobby!!! Research a lot before buying and you can plan out your expenses better. (Always have a little emergency vet money ready!)

 

[Carlton]

hello! i am getting a chameleon this sunday and i need help.
i am not new to the world of reptiles, i had a bearded dragon and a few anoles awhile ago and decided that i would like a chameleon. unfortunatly i only have around $120 to spend this weekend for him. i will be able to buy better stuff later, but for now this is all i have, so if you know of anything thats on sale please tell me!!!!!!!! i heard that senegal chameleons are cheap, and are the best for beginners, is this true? also, what brand of cage is not extremly expensive, but good. and what should i feed him, is mealworms and such okay? ( roaches and crickets not allowed in the house) is ther any vitamins i will need to get? and what else do i need?
please help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well to be honest I don't think you are going to get that chameleon on Sunday because you aren't ready. You don't seem to have everything you need to set one up correctly.

Are you certain that you can get the correct type and size caging locally? If not you'll have to order one. Can you be certain that you can get the correct lighting (ReptiSun 5.0 fluorescent tube plus a basking spot) at any local shop? Most pet shops don't carry them and ordinary fluorescent tube lights won't work. UV for desert species like your beardie will be too intense. You can use a regular incandescent light bulb for basking, but you must have the correct UV.

You need an accurate thermometer and a humidity gauge. Again, the typical pet shop stick on types are just not reliable for such a humidity-sensitive herp. To provide correct humidity and drinking water you will need to be able to spray the foliage down several times a day and/or set up a dripping water source so your cham can drink enough. A dish of water won't work as the water has to be moving to attract the cham's attention. Forget those decorative waterfalls. They are a headache to keep clean and most chams won't drink from them anyway.

You'll need several live foliage plants too (such as Ficus, schefflera, Pothos and need to wash them down to get rid of any pesticide or fertilizer sprays the nursery has used on them.

A starter colony of feeders other than roaches or crix? If neither of these are allowed in your house just what are you planning to feed a cham? Mealworms are not a decent basic feeder at all and there are not very many other options readily available. You won't be able to keep a cham healthy on just one or two feeder types. You will need several dusts for the feeders...plain calcium, calcium with vitamin D3, and a herp vitamin dust. Also gutloads for the feeders, but don't bother with the typical pet shop cricket foods as they aren't worth the money.

And, once you have all this stuff on hand you will need time to set everything up and check the resulting temps and humidity before exposing your new cham to the setup. It takes some trial and error.

Sorry to burst your bubble but you really need some prep time before buying any cham. That "cheap" Senegal is not a good choice because it was most likely imported from the wild, is suffering from stress, possible injuries, dehydration (and in the early stages of kidney or organ failure), poor care (after all they are cheap so no one seems to care very much if they die before someone buys them) or if a female could be gravid. Not an easy newbie choice at all.

Really, take some time and read the sticky forum messages about "basic cham husbandry" and assemble your equipment list first, then ask us specific questions that aren't clear, and then think about your cham choices before bringing anything home that will be counting on your readiness.

 

[GabeCastro]

You've got tons of great help from everyone who commented on your thread.

If I were you, i'd def save up first. $120 isn't much. Try to get atleast $400-$500 bucks then think about really getting a cham.

Lights, cage, food, and a few things here and there will EASILY be around $400 bucks. Thats not even including a chameleon.

Majority of all your beardie equipment cannot be used/recycled for a chameleon. They're desert species which means they have 2 totally different husbandry needs.

Take a look at the links our members gave you and read up on caring for a chameleon. Also buying from pets stores is sketchy...They could be sick then you got to deal with vet bills, and those aren't cheap.

Good luck and welcome to the forums! Let us know how everything goes, I really wish you rethink your decision and save up allot more to get a chameleon that you "really" want. Maybe Have someone go half with you on Christmas or something?


Gabe.

 

[NewOwner112]

hello! i am getting a chameleon this sunday and i need help.
i am not new to the world of reptiles, i had a bearded dragon and a few anoles awhile ago and decided that i would like a chameleon. unfortunatly i only have around $120 to spend this weekend for him. i will be able to buy better stuff later, but for now this is all i have, so if you know of anything thats on sale please tell me!!!!!!!! i heard that senegal chameleons are cheap, and are the best for beginners, is this true? also, what brand of cage is not extremly expensive, but good. and what should i feed him, is mealworms and such okay? ( roaches and crickets not allowed in the house) is ther any vitamins i will need to get? and what else do i need?
please help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

also, turns out that my dad will help with whatever other expenses, and i'll pay him back later. ( and i will try to get some crickets

 

[cricketkilla]

hello! i am getting a chameleon this sunday and i need help.
i am not new to the world of reptiles, i had a bearded dragon and a few anoles awhile ago and decided that i would like a chameleon. unfortunatly i only have around $120 to spend this weekend for him. i will be able to buy better stuff later, but for now this is all i have, so if you know of anything thats on sale please tell me!!!!!!!! i heard that senegal chameleons are cheap, and are the best for beginners, is this true? also, what brand of cage is not extremly expensive, but good. and what should i feed him, is mealworms and such okay? ( roaches and crickets not allowed in the house) is ther any vitamins i will need to get? and what else do i need?
please help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

120$ won't cut it man. When it comes to chameleons and their care, there is no cheap route. For an adult you need a large cage 2'x2'x4' that's around 100$, lights are going to run you anywhere from 75-100$, and feeding just those feeders won't cut it. I wouldn't use mealworms due to the low meat to shell ratio and it could lead to a bowel impaction. That's just a little taste of how much dedication it takes to keep a chameleon. If you go to the resources tab on this forum, you can check out some of the site sponsors that sell cage packages. For a good setup with everything a package deal will be around 250-300$. Hope this helps man, feel free to PM me if you need help if you decide to join the chameleon club