Reptile & Amphibian Forums

definetly after reading all these care sheets I undertand that chameleons, (veiled or jacksons) are a challenge to care for.. Though i wonder, how can i make sure that my chameleon wont get sick?, Could this be inevitable even if i had the 36x24x48 cage, with the required palnts lighting and water and food systems?? And one more question, does the bowl for food have to be shallow? becuase im not into pinching legs of crickets...

There are never any guarantees that your cham will be healthy all it's life nor is it inevitable that it will get sick.
All we can do is give them the best care we can and hope for the best.

words to live by:

Sometimes the most difficult things in life are the most rewarding!

dennis
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compasscreek backcountry adventures

as far as the crickets and leg-pinching goes, well, mine won't cup feed so we just put them in there and let the cham's do the hunting. Mostly, the crix tend to hang out where it's warm up by the basking light...so he knows where to go to find them.

I do grab them by their legs to put them in there, but I'm not breaking them all intentionally...yes, occasionally, legs do fall off...but that's what they have two for...LOL...just kidding...sorry.

Kristen
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0.2 pygmy leaf

im thinking of putting alot of plants in though... i dont know if hell find them...

I use a clear plastic Critter Keeper box with some fresh gutload for feeders. This lets them eat and move around more than in a dish, and I anchor a convenient branch over the top so the cham can hunt from the rim of the box.

That cage (as long as its made of screen) will be plenty big enough. These diseases are not inevitable. If you provide proper caging, lighting, heat, humidity, diet, vitimins/minerals, and a good stress free enviornment, (one chameleon per cage, not too much traffic, can't see other reptiles or pets) your veiled or Jackson's chameleon (i believe thats what you said you wanted) will probably not get a disease, however even with all of this care it is still posible. As far as the crickets go, chameleons have really long tounges, they might surprise you! I've never had much of a problem with making the container too deep so the crickets can't jump out. If there is, try making a little branch that goes into the food cup, but is still well above the crickets, the chameleon will be able to reach them for sure then. Hope this helps, don't get discouraged, the extra time and effort is worth it!

Any pet can get sick despite good care. You can go a long way to avoid it, but chams are not completely figured out in terms of nutritional needs so things do happen. There is no guarrantee. I once bought a beautiful cbb cham from a great breeder who should have had everything going for him. He lived just over a year and died from a massive kidney infection. Nothing was obvious in his care or upbringing to predict this and his clutchmates were fine. I find that if you are someone who enjoys fussing over pets and getting a lot of satisfaction from complicated habitat setups chams are just the kind of creature that you would like. If you are someone who doesn't want daily worry or to spend much time they will be too much work. A snake who eats once a week would suit better.