Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i currently own leos and henkels leaftails, and have been reading the chameleon forum because one of my friends has a pair of pygmys. and i really like them, and think that they are really cool, especially after i saw some of the ones atthe white plains show. so i was wondering what is a "beginner chameleon"... something that stays relativly small.

The best choice would be a male veiled. It does depend on what you mean by staying relatively small though. A veiled will need a minium cage of 4ft high x 2ft wide x 2ft wide (it needs to be tall) and the cham will get from 16-24". Another good choice would be a panther which come in different color locales and also are more expensive.

You may also read that jacksons are good first time chams, but I just don't think that I've seen people having as much first-time success with them.

A female veiled won't live as long and you'll have to deal with the laying of unfertile eggs even if you don't breed it. Egg-laying is hard on the animal and it takes some extra expertise to make sure all of it's needs are met during this time. Veileds can be sexed as soon as they hatch from the egg.

I've kept a fair number of reptiles and, for me, nothing is better than a cham!

good luck, you've picked a good place to start your research!
Joel Fish

Pygmy chams certainly have an attraction for most herp lovers, yes. However, as experienced keepers of many species of chams (including pygmy species), we don't consider them the "first" one to try to anyone.

Even though it is handy that you can keep pygmy chams in an aquarium - we recommend at least a partially screened enclosure.

While some folks recommend veiled, they are often aggressive after they sexually mature, and this often shocks the keeper. If you want a relatively friendly cham, one that isn't too large, and one that you can get a LOT of advice for - try the jackson.

Anything larger than a pygmy - and you will need a screened enclosure - period. Therefore the initial expense for the set-up is more. We will say that the enjoyment is well worth the expense, but you really need to read and search out all the requirements of keeping chams before taking the plunge.

Hope this helps,
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cool. i've took all of your info into consideration, but remember seeing mountain chameleons at the white plains show for pretty cheap, and liked them. some where a plain brown but some had white stripes (i'm guessing male and female), they were pretty cool.... so i was wondering if anybody had any input about them? -thanks

forgot to say.. i think that the panther and jacksons are a little too expensive for me.. seeing how it will be my first chameleon. just incase i do something drastically wrong by accident.

Mountain chameleons were my very first chameleon. I had an imported male that I kept for almost 2 years. I had never gotten him treated for parasites and I never had a UVB bulb on him (I knew nothing about them besides what the guy told me at the store). But I wish I had started with something like a veiled. If a problem does come up, it's alot easier to find help and info on veileds than it is on mountain chameleons. Veileds are also going to be easier to keep. They can withstand higher temps and less water, which are 2 of the biggest problems people throw at their chameleons. Veileds will also cost about the same or less than mountains. The only thing worse is that they'll need a bigger cage, but not that much bigger. If you're going to have all the equipment, you might as well take up a tiny bit more space and get a good solid chameleon. They need a 2x2x3-4 foot tall (or equivalent) cage as an adult.
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Tyler Stewart
Las Vegas NV