Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am currently finishing up a cage for a chameleon, I have all the pieces cut and the base compeleted, just have to put the sides,screen and door.. but anyway..

it will be 2'x2'x4', I bought 3 plants, a ficus, hibiscus and a pothos, not sure which ima use if i dont' use all 3 (any suggestions?).

Now to my question, i am lookin at reptilemax.com to get my chameleon, just.. which one? They have babys for sale, then they have these others ranging from price of 65$ to up over 100$.

Now unless im mistaken all those older chams, are priced individualy, im guessing since they all have names anyway that this is how it is?.

So I guess my question is, should I spend the money and buy say "ringo" the 65$ cham who was born on feb 6th, or would it be just as good to buy me a baby male cham?

Any input is welcomed, as well as any advice to other places to shop online, or about this store in particular.

Thanks,

Jacob

P.S. Is there anywhere to get a baby panther? reptile max only has adults, and if so how much? and well I guess the same questions as above, is it wise to get a baby?

Hehe, Ringo looks like he needs to work out his bi's a little more. j/k He looks very pretty. He would definately be easier to care for than the babys they are offering (save a freak mood swing and refusal to live). I don't have expierence with the babys and for my first (or even my 3rd) cham I definetly wouldn't try it. They are too small, too fragile, too demanding, and I'm not at that level. Are you at that level? What's your cham expierence so far?

first cham, which is why im asking..

I know pretty much for -most- reptiles the younger you buy the less hardy they tend to be.

Thanks for your response, I will prolly end up getting ringo.

Just to clarify, ringo doesn't have his 'colors' yet right? they dont' usualy start coming around till the 6month or so right? which is the main reason why the more expensive chams seem to have more colors then him? cuz they are older?

Well the cage is going good.. the base is made, and the legs and are connected to the support pieces up top and such, just have to find some screws to hook the base to the rest of the cage then i can put the screen on. I had planned on having it done today, but I had to restart after i accidently busted a piece off a base I already had made, so i had to make a new base;-p

Since your cage is going to be 2'x2'x4', I would go with Ringo. That's too big of a cage for a baby Cham, they tend to get lost in a big cage, can't find the food and sometimes wind up starving to death. Go with the older guy. As far as the plants, the Hibiscus tend to be too fragile and can't stand up to the Cham's powerful grip. Use the Ficus and the Pothos (probably on a stand). If the leaves fall off the Ficus then you might eventually want to get a Broadleaf Schefelera or Schefeleara Amate. Be sure to shower all the plants really well or spray them off outside and then let them sit for two weeks before your Cham gets on them. That time period should effectively end the half-life of most commercially used pesticides. Good luck.

Thanks!

Well i started out with a 2'x2'x2' cage and decided to just take the 2x2 frame and put longer ones in its place.. so i did that and well stupid me broke the bottom of the base (wood broke)..

so I had to build a new base, and since i started using a diff wood i went ahead and recut the 4' high pieces and used those.. basically rebuilding the whole cage from scratch. But in the end today below is what I got done! all I have left is to make a door for the front, screen top/bottom and im good to go..

but back to the topic, I am still in the air about which, i've heard some support to both sides.. So im on the fence!

as far as plants go, I got some "All natural" dirt it said no enhancements were put in it etc etc.. I assume this is the stuff people talk about? got it from walmart.. but I plan on showering the plants tomorrow and repotting them withis new soil. I am planning the ficus(u can see in the picture how large it is in the cage) and then putting a shelf on the back corner and puttin the pothos and letting the vines fall down, and well im still debating the hibiscus it CAN fit in the front right corner, but like i said im not sure yet...

well thanks for the info!! keep it coming guys