What is the best food for chameleons?

@AnamCara do you know what the cost is for the whole setup without the cham?

Look at the links I sent you -- they all have prices listed in them.

I can tell you that through trial and error, plants, vet appointments and not to mention the time I have put into learning / exploring this hobby -- close to $2500 (I'm probably under estimating here.)

@AnamCara what breeds of cham do you have?

I have a female panther chameleon -- she is very chill has a nice temperment but I still don't handler her often as it stresses her out.

She also lays infertile eggs which is its own hurdle.

How old are you? Do you have a good job and access to a good reptile vet? I ask because often younger folks get chams and find they can't get them to a vet or afford the cost.

Chameleons are not a pet -- they are a hobby. An incredibly rewarding one -- but the up front setup is the most expensive and hardest learning curve. Now that mostly her whole system except food delivery is automated -- it's fairly simple.

NOTE -- the food is not all the chameleon needs -- it will also need supplements (calcium, calcium w d3 and multivitamin -- or an all in one)
 
@AnamCara and @Tony_S do you feed babies and juveniles the same types of food as adults just smaller, or is it completely different food?
Yeah, I'm feeding my 5 month old panther 1/2" crickets along with silk worms and bsfl since that's what he wants. I offer dubia's unsuccessfully everyday still though.

You have to feed them what they will eat when they are young.
 
@Ana
Yeah, I'm feeding my 5 month old panther 1/2" crickets along with silk worms and bsfl since that's what he wants. I offer dubia's unsuccessfully everyday still though.

You have to feed them what they will eat when they are young.
Ok. Thanks for the help!
 
@jannb cham vet in Bay Area?

Side note -- can you search inside a thread? Do you know? I wanted to search in the giant area by area vet list in the health clinic but couldn't figure out how.
 
@AnamCara Thank you for telling me the price. I am 25 and I have been setting aside money for a cham. I don't know if I am close to a good vet I have not looked into that.

You are already off to a better start then most people we see come here. Keep asking questions and we can help save you a lot of money. As @AnamCara said there is a lot of trial and error in chameleon keeping. The good news is that your here asking questions to learn from our mistakes before you buy.
 
Here’s a list of CA vets that see reptiles.
https://thereptilereport.com/california-reptile-veterinary-directory/

The question about searching would be a good question for @Decadancin
I’m not sure.

This is what I get from a general search for Bay Area vet.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/search/296328/?q=Bay+Area+vet&o=relevance

Thanks for the question Jann. Ironically I was just looking for this type of option yesterday and could not find a way to do this. Sorry @Brad , but this was one of the items I was going to add to my project list...
 
So this!^



Where do you live? lol There is no reason an entry level viv should cost more than $500 for a veiled, cost of cham included. $700 max for a panther from a respected breeder.

Probably should have clarified I meant this is what I've spend on her--not the startup cost.

I bought the cham kit, replaced everything, had mites, replaced the entire viv-- included vet cost, fecals, swapped plants, bulbs,--and then all the feeders and their food over a year and a half (I dont breed any bugs atm). Humidifier, fogger, distilled water... Im not saying I'm the smartest most thrifty person! But I've spent an arm and a leg on Ms. Mona!
 
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Probably should have clarified I meant this is what I've spend on her--not the startup cost.

I bought the cham kit, replaced everything, had mites, replaced the entire viv-- included vet cost, fecals, swapped plants, bulbs,--and then all the feeders and their food over a year and a half (I dont breed any bugs atm). Humidifier, fogger, distilled water... Im not saying I'm the smartest most thrifty person! But I've spent an arm and a leg on Ms. Mona!
That explains it!
 
Probably should have clarified I meant this is what I've spend on her--not the startup cost.

I bought the cham kit, replaced everything, had mites, replaced the entire viv-- included vet cost, fecals, swapped plants, bulbs,--and then all the feeders and their food over a year and a half (I dont breed any bugs atm). Humidifier, fogger, distilled water... Im not saying I'm the smartest most thrifty person! But I've spent an arm and a leg on Ms. Mona!

I did somewhat the same with Lennon. Live and learn.
 
I have a lot into Peri. I haven't had to replace anything. But I did buy a bunch of luxury items to start off with such as the solarmeter, herpstat 2, and mistking.

Plus I went all in with his enclosure.
 
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