Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Not sure what kind though. I've pet sit chams before but never actually owned one. I know you get this quetion alot but what is a good chameleon besided a veiled. I want something with some color but I dont want to dish out for a panther. I also want one I can hold and will be hardy. Any tholughts on Jacksons, fischers, or oustallets

U want cholur i highly suggest a panth, there (imo) the cheapest colorfull cham (go to a show u can get 1 for like 100-150 bux0rs)

but if u want something wit colour AND hardyness a veiled is the only way to go, very hardy and (IMO) beutiful,

jackson's are docile, theyre not very colourfull but they are rather hardy

go read up on some caresheets and such, and make the right choice, member the supplies will prolly cost more thren the cham

You aren't going to get everything you want in one cham. Beauty and color are in the eye of the beholder. Even a simple green graceful cham is beautifully colored. None will like handling particularly. You will be lucky to get an individual cham that tolerates handling more than some others even in the same species. It doesn't always have much to do with how they are raised. "Hardy" has more to do with husbandry, good research and a good setup. Veileds tend to be the most forgiving of mistakes, but are least likely to be easy to handle. There are ALWAYS exceptions. Jax are mellower, but not very hardy for most people especially newbies. Fischeri and Oustaleti tend to be shy and you would need a very large cage for the larger species. Also, almost all of them are wc and could be loaded with parasites, injuries or infections. CB panthers may be colorful and hardy because they are better known in terms of care, but they are expensive. I'd suggest you read about the various traits of these species, decide which you like the appearance of best, and plan to save up your $$ to get what appeals to you most. You'll care more about that animal than one you settle on as 2nd best. Good care info for these species can be found at these sites:

http:www.chameleonnews.com
http:www.adcham.com
http:www.chameleonjournals.com
http:www.calumma.com

ditto. Carlton is great.
Also, the money you spend on the cham will be very little compared to proper lighting, caging, and accessories. In the long run 50-75 more for a panther will be nothing compared to the 100s you will need for the set up and food.
I think i spent over 1500 the first year i had my first cham... i over did it, but expect the unexpected (i live in Canada, dry climate led to two humidifiers, and a fogger, heat req led to 3 different lights, uvb bulbs every 6 months or mv bulbs every year....). It all adds up, i would suggest making a list, and running it by everyone here. They will let you know the cheaper way out for some things (buy as little as possible from pet shops for example) and will tell you if you need to add anything. Add all of that up, then look at your budget. Then you will know how much you have left for a cham and how long you need to save (if you need to)

we built a 2' x 2" x 4' screen cage for under $75, I got a UVA/UVB bulb for $8 at home depot ( ive tested them) and ive got heat lamps like crazy and i live in Houston (humid climate) so not much oh humidity and a plant isnt too expensive.

What brand of UVB/UVB light is it? When you say you tested it what do you mean? Do you have a UV meter? It's important that the UV it produces is in the right part of the spectrum that is available to basking herps. Check the emission against a known herp light such as the ReptiSun or the newer heat/UV incandescent bulbs used by hobbyists just to be safe. They usually list the details of what wavelengths the lights emit on the packages. Something sold as a "full spectrum" light won't be enough.

yes, full spectrum bulbs dont produce UVB. you will need a flourescent tube for that. The only incandesent bulb that will produce uvb is a mercury vapour bulb,a nd the cheapest i've seen is $50. This is INCREDIBLY important to a chams health. some lizards just benefit from uvb, but chams need it. it is VERY difficult to keep a cham healthy without it, even for very experienced keepers. what are you doing for humidity and water?

My dad got a UV meter from his office and we tested it against reptisun 5.0 and they were the same. As for water and heat, i am gonna get a garden sprayer and spray the cage 2 times daily and im keeping it in a room that is 85 degrees in the day and around 80 at night.

make sure there is a cooler spot it can get to, around 75*
also, just to make sure (not trying to be rude) did the meter measure UVB and uva or just uva?
if both, could you please tell me what brand of bulbs you got, i'll be getting some too thanks!

make sure there is a cooler spot it can get to, around 75*
also, just to make sure (not trying to be rude) did the meter measure UVB and uva or just uva?
if both, could you please tell me what brand of bulbs you got, i'll be getting some too thanks!
also, you should let the temps drop at night to about 60-70. room temp is perfect usually