Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have been wanting a chameleon for years.

I need advice and what type is the best, easiest to care for, cage requires etc. i want to know all I can BEFORE I buy one.

Thank you
-----
Owned by 1 bearded dragon, 2 Leapord geckos,1 iguana, 2 cats,1 dog , 2 wonderful kids and a husband

1,0,0 breaded dragon
0,2,0 leapord gecko's
0,0,0 iguana
0,2,0 cats
1,0,0 dog
1,1,0 children
1,0,0 husband

as far as what type is easiest...Jackson's, veileds or panthers are probably your best bet...not sure what your situation is but you might want to take money into consideration...panthers are pretty expensive (200 plus) while jackson's and veileds are in the 50-100 range...care for all three is pretty similar (differences in humidity, cage setup and size requirments being some of the bigger differences)...others will have more to say....do your research

http://www.chameleonjournals.com/

have a look around at this link and read some old posts for alot more detailed care info

My advice is: Go with a veiled.

Panthers and jacksons are somewhat more sensitive. Veileds are much more forgiving to "mistakes". Veileds are easy to care for and need a little bit higher heat that the others...which in some cases is a major plus. (or minus)

Veileds are a large chameleon...they grow super fast, and eventually get fairly tame with regular handling...best to start with a little 2" hatchling...we took an adult from somebody who didn't have time for him and he was nasty...after much time he's somewhat better...but definetly a veiled baby...they are also more affordable than panthers. And they eat ficus...which in my opinion is nice. If they get hungry we know! (The plant will have little triangle bite marks on every leaf!)

Anyway, you can go to the veiled caresheet on this site...

and GOOD LUCK!
-----
Chris Vanderwees
REPTILE SALES AND INFORMATION
E-mail Me
1.3.0 Bearded Dragons
1.2.0 Green Basilisks
1.1.0 Crested Geckos
1.3.0 Veiled Chameleons
1.1.0 Corn Snakes
1.0.0 Tokay Geckos
0.0.1 California Kingsnakes
2.7.0 Leopard Geckos
0.1.0 Green Iguanas
1.1.0 Savannah Monitors

Hi there,

Here is a friendly opinion from a fellow female herp lover:

Choose a jackson.
Why? Many reasons. I'll explain.

My hubby and I started with panthers and stumptails the first year. The second year we added veileds, and mellers. By year three we added deremensis, quadracornis, rudis. Last year we finally added jacksons. Wow... what the heck were we waiting for! Actually, my hubby wasn't all that attracted to the jackson for some reason - but now, he can't imagine what he was thinking.

While each species have personality galore - and some individuals have enough for 6 - each one of our jacksons is sweet and friendly (we keep between 38-50). They are not that difficult to care for, one just has to keep in mind that they need things a bit cooler as they are a montane species rather than a lowland (panthers or veiled).

Never have we had one bite, snarl or hiss. They don't mind being moved so that you can clean the cage, and they love most feeder insects. As long as you meet their environment requirements, you should have a good pal that doesn't mind people so much. Some even like to get out for short tours of exploration.

On the flip side - veileds are one of the most aggressive species of chameleons that are readily sold to the public. There is no way to predict if you will be lucky and get one that will tolerate handling after they reach maturity. Sure, there are friendly young ones, but once they reach adulthood they join the ranks of the common "leave me alone" ones. Male and female, alike.

Panthers can be shy - friendly - or aggressive. We have all of the above. For the most part, the females are usually quite passive. Most males, if gotten young and handled a bit, will always remain calm. There are exceptions, as always. Some of our adult males are really pussycats - but we have one tiger. *LOL*

If you want tons of colors and can afford the panther, choose a young cb panther male that has been handled by the breeder. (It is certainly okay to ask the seller these questions.)

If you want a horned chameleon which reminds you of the dinosaur age - and has great personality - choose a jackson male. (You can ask the seller about their personalities too.)

Hope this helps,
BTW... our absolute favorite "character" chams are the quads..
-----