Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, i was recently looking as some chameleons online, and thought that they were pretty cool. Since then, i have done some reading on the caretaking and whatnot of them. I was just wondering if you could give me maybe a caresheet that you know of, something that i can trust, because i have heard many mixed ways of caring for them. Also, how big do they get? And if any spacifics, which kind would be best for a beginer with chameleons... i currently have 2 anoles, and 2 leopard geckos. Thanks for any help you can give me
-----
Matt
Owner of:
1.0.0 Brown (Bahaman) Anole
0.1.0 Green Anole
0.2.0 leopard geckos (temperature sexed)

What kind of chameleon are you thinking about getting?
They are grouped in two catagories, montane and lowland.
Are you wanting one for a pet, or to breed? Chameleons are
more difficult than geckos and anoles. It is very important
that you do your homework before purchasing one.

Legendcham

There are many species though the ones you will find most often are veiled (Chamaeleo calyptratus), panther (Furcifer pardalis), and Jackson's (Chamaeleo jacksoni). They are each quite different in care, personality and looks, so it's hard to say which is best for you. Veileds are probably the most forgiving of beginner mistakes, but none are as easy as anoles or geckos. They require a much more complicated setup with humidity controls, UVB lighting, variety of carefully gutloaded live food, larger screen cages with live plants, etc. The best cham sites I know of online are these:

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

Also, don't buy a very small baby for your first. They are much fussier to feed and acclimate. Instead, try to find one about 4 months old. You will see other species that are almost always wildcaught. They will need careful vet treatment for parasites and are often ill from stress and dehydration before you ever see them. MAKE SURE your vet has experience too, before you need them!

ok great... thank you... i'm going to look into those sites, and make sure that these are what i am going to want. Thank You.
-----
Matt
Owner of:
1.0.0 Brown (Bahaman) Anole
0.1.0 Green Anole
0.2.0 leopard geckos (temperature sexed)

I just wanted to say "amen" to Carlton's post. Chams are VERY different from any other reptile you've kept and there's a lot of bad info out there. Do lots of research before you buy and do NOT buy one less than 4 months old. I'd also recommend paying top dollar from only the most reputable dealers/breeders such as www.calumma.com. Chams are so expensive to maintain and so delicate that the initial purhase price is the cheap part. It's the last place to try to save a few bucks. Get a good CBB cham from the best breeder you can find.

And do NOT fall into the trap of thinking that some chams (e.g., captratus) are "desert" chams. Virtually all of the commonly kept chams have very high hydration requirements in the form of extensive misting & dripping. If you go to the taxonomy section of www.adcham.com you can read up on some of the more common (and uncommon)species.
Ed