Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've been immersed in the hobby of saltwater aquaria and such for a while and I'm interested in getting into vivariums featuring frogs and reptiles. I have a 55 gallon tank that I've been constructing to do a dart frog viv, all I have basically so far is a background made of cork and moss and what not, but I was wondering what the fundamental differences would be if I were to go with chameleons. What are some great ways to learn more about them, what are general things I should definately know about them, etc ... I don't mean to just show up and ask to be spoon fed info or anthing,but I'm sure lots of you have lots of knowledge and experience you could share w/ me before I make any decisions. Thanks.

One of the first things to know is that chams don't tend to do well in tank setups. They are quite sensitive to airflow, airborne bacterias and molds. The backdrops typical of dart frog terrariums will harbor sources of respiratory problems for chams. Also, a carefully designed terrarium setup with delicate plants will just get clawed up by their climbing around. Screen caging with large branchy indoor trees or shrubs will be needed instead. A 55 gal tank isn't a big enough space for most available arboreal chams either.

As for good reliable info on cham keeping here are sites I trust:

http://www.adcham.com
http://www.chameleonnews.com
http://www.chameleonjournals.com
http://calumma.com
http://www.geocities.com/ccicenter

So, get out the spoon and have fun reading!

Here is a good article to a couple cage that better for chameleons than a tank. The article compares the high and low points of the two cages. It's a good read!

WHAT CAGE IS BEST?

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Aquariums should not be used for chameleons. All screen or partial screen enclosures are the way to go. The more ventalation, the better. Here is a quick setup guide for a new chameleon enclosure.

Setup Guide

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Farrah & Vincent
Email: Screameleons@yahoo.com
Phone: (571) 437-0642
Website: http://www.Screameleons.com

Well it depends on the species, 55 gall would be great for a colony of Rhampholeons... all leaf chameleons should be kept in terrariums as more humidity the better. What types of chams are you looking into?