Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have heared that keeping veils are esy but i have also heard that it is hard. I have kept Red tail boas, ball pythons, bearded dragons, African rock pythons, and savana monitors. wondering if my experiance would be suffiecent.i am worried that i will stress teh Veil out and she will die. I would liek to get a female baby and raise her. but i just need to know how hard is it to actually keep them. i want to knwo first hand not from care sheets. plese help me out.
Pythnguy@suscom-maine.net

Veileds are considered the easiest of the chams, but no cham is easy compared to most other herps. Chams are nothing like the species you have kept so far. Their caging and climatic requirements are different so you will need to learn alot about how to set one up before you buy. They are not really social pets and won't appreciate handling like many other lizards might. Too much handling equals stress and illness, even death. Play with your beardie, look at the cham. I'll put links to the best cham care websites at the bottom of this message. There is a lot to read, but the info is much better than the typical caresheet. I would basically repeat everything on the sites here anyway, so I'd suggest reading them first and coming back to the forum if you have specific questions. Some of the sites also have books and a checklist of needed supplies and equipment which helps you get set up too. Also, getting a tiny baby will be tempting, but not advisable for newbies. For one thing, many tiny babies just don't thrive. Dealers want to sell them young to save having to feed them. If you get a baby you will need to deal with hundreds of fruit flies or pinhead crix every day, getting baby caging as well as adult caging later, worry about overheating or dehydrating the little one, maybe having to treat a tiny cham for a health problem, etc. Responsible breeders don't sell their babies until they are 3-4 months old. By this time the weaker babies have already gone and you are more likely to get a healthy robust one that can handle beginner mistakes.

For species profiles, member setup ideas, the best gutload recipe and specific husbandry articles go to http://www.adcham.com

For care articles, species accounts, and health topics go to
http://www.chameleonnews.com
http://www.chameleonjournals.com

For good setup articles and husbandry go to
http://www.calumma.com

This should get you started. Just come back with questions if you want to, OK?

>>I have heared that keeping veils are esy but i have also heard that it is hard. I have kept Red tail boas, ball pythons, bearded dragons, African rock pythons, and savana monitors. wondering if my experiance would be suffiecent.i am worried that i will stress teh Veil out and she will die. I would liek to get a female baby and raise her. but i just need to know how hard is it to actually keep them. i want to knwo first hand not from care sheets. plese help me out.
>>Pythnguy@suscom-maine.net

I, like you, have had herps before(ball pythons, redtail, geckos, monitors etc). CHAMS ARE NOT LIKE THEM. One thing that is great about chams that is almost completely uniques in herps is they show their feeling quite literally on their sleeves. Their colors are an indication of stress among other factors.I definitly cannot give a recomendation to which species to get but veileds(although not my cup of tea), seam to be very popular. BUY FROM A RESPONSIBLE STORE OR BREEDER. Try not to buy from a store that has them:
1. Setup with more than 1 percage unless babies
2. Setup in a terrarium
And, be preparred for a little more stress. They are not like monitors who are garbage disposals(eat everything in site even if WW3 is going on). Maybe this is just my cham but when i feed Titus, he will wait at least 1 minute for me to leave the room before he starts "hunting". If you want a feeding response in a herp.....get a false water cobra....Intense!!!!!!!!!! Also try to avoid Wild Caught although only the Jackson's and some Panthers(meaning "beginner species" are ever WC with Jackson a majority being WC. Honestly, the three things I like so far about chhams are
1. EATING.....fun fun fun to watch.
2. Color changing. Im tellin you, it's like getting 5 animals in 1.
3.Size. Only a few get really big (meller or as i like to call them, puppies with scales) and screen cages are definitly cheaper than glass or even wood/glass.

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A truly wise man will always be humbled.

thank you for the insite i will be taking it to heart. when i diecid what to do.

People ask if they are ready for a cham because of other herp experience. But a cham is very different from most reptiles in their care and needs and behaviors. So, what you really need to ask yourself is are you willing to put in a lot of work and time in researching, asking questions and caring for your chameleon. Half the battle is your ability to observe your animal, detect possible problems and problem solve. If you are ready to do that then get a chameleon.
To tell you the truth my first reptile ever was my Nosey Be Panther Chameleon "Salvador" He is now six years old (at least because I am a second owner and he was a wild caught male.) So if you are willing to go the extra mile for a rewarding animal then a chameleon could be for you. Just be honest with yourself about being willing to invest time, energy and last but not least money. By the way my first mistake was buying a wild caught animal but back then I didn't know any better. Try a captive born from a good breeder. Kammerflage, Cham Paradise, Screameleons, Ect. Veileds are good beginner Chams. Get one at least 3-4 months old too.