Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey,
I have had reptiles for almost 9 years now. Since when i was about 6-7 years old. I've had a Boa, Sudan plated lizard, Leopard Gecko, Green Snake, Rose hair T, 3 Uromastyx. But my dad has something with letting me get new ones. How do you think I can convincce him to let me get a chameleon? (veiled jeuv male)

Hi,

What is his reasoning behind it? Could it be that he is the one who pays for food, care, supplies, cages, vet bills, makes arrangements when the family goes away for vacation, etc? Herps are expensive to keep and need regular care. The math says you are about 15 right now, so I doubt you have a job to help pay these bills. He may have other reasons and you may want to sit and chat with him about it. Are you doing poorly in school b/c you pay too much attention to your herps and not to your homework? Sorry, just thinking like your Dad might

As for convincing him, that is something you need to figure out with him. No one here can say "tell him they don't cost much" or "really dad, they're no trouble" because none of that is true. Chams are high maintenance pets and need daily attention, so it may not be the right time for you or him. Maybe he is having trouble paying to keep your animals. A suggestion would that you wait until you can find an after school job and offer to cover food and supplies (or other agreement).

In the meantime, how much research have you done on the care and potential health problems of chameleons? A consideration for you: all the animals you mentioned that you have kept are adapted to desert-like conditions whereas chameleons have high humidity requirements, eat daily (unlike your T who can go for weeks w/o food - I have 2), they do not drink from a bowl, need a dripper, misted regularly and a large (expensive) screen cage, lots of plants and vines, etc. Humidity can be very difficult to maintain in a screen cage - believe me! If you get a young one you need to pay close attention to calcium intake so they do not develop bone disease (common if under or over supplemented). If you get a female, you will have to be aware of her egg development and prepare a laying site for her – this can be a few times a year and she does not have to be mated to produce eggs.

There is an excellent article on the TRUE costs of keeping chameleons (link below) and I would recommend while you are on that site you look at their other articles (go to their "Article Reference" for an index of topics). You will find excellent info there. Other sites for you to check out are:
AdCham - species profile, husbandry and health issues, gutload recipe,
www.adcham.com/
Kammerflage Kreations - top U.S. breeder; wonderful site with tons of info
www.calumma.com
Chameleon Journals – vet topics, husbandry, etc.
www.chameleonjournals.com/

This is probably not what you want to hear, but it is in the best interest for the health and proper keeping of chameleons that I say it. I am not telling you NOT to get one, but if you do "convince" your Dad make sure BOTH of you understand the care and husbandry of these animals. Have him check out this forum and/or read the articles I have suggested. He may just fall in love with their googly eyes and get one for himself that he will let you visit! LOL!!

Sorry this is so long, but I just felt it was a good time to make some points, since it is often AFTER someone has gotten a cham (and does not realize what they have taken on) and then it can sometimes be too late. Don't mean to over dramatize, here, just want you both to understand.
If he does agree be sure you have done all your research first, not just an article here and their. I spent 4 months researching, lurking on and then asking questions on this forum before I got my first chams. Do your homework (uh, school, too )

lele

>>Hey,
>>I have had reptiles for almost 9 years now. Since when i was about 6-7 years old. I've had a Boa, Sudan plated lizard, Leopard Gecko, Green Snake, Rose hair T, 3 Uromastyx. But my dad has something with letting me get new ones. How do you think I can convincce him to let me get a chameleon? (veiled jeuv male)
cost of chameleons

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0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta
1.0 African Clawed Frog - Skipper
0.5 Mad. Hissers
0.1 Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula (no name yet)
0.1 Goliath Bird-Eater Tarantula - Natasha

sage advise yet again from lele

thanks again for being a part of our lives...
scott

>>sage advise yet again from lele
>>
>>thanks again for being a part of our lives...
>>scott

I should think she could add it as a part of a Cham FAQ page that is being drafted to go along with another help page that was just finished and put up today.

Cham Help & Resource Info
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_____

PHWyvern

This is great! It will help us save valuable time trying to help a cham in need. Thanks for posting it!

There is an article on the chameleonnews.com site that is designed to give parents an idea of what level of care and type of husbandry chams will need. It might describe more about them for your father so he can be clear about just why he is not eager for you to get one. He should give you a reason, as it may be a really good one. Go to http://www.chameleonnews.com and search the issues posted in the past year. Can't recall which issue it is in, but was written by Allison Banks. Maybe it will help build your case too.