Chameleon owners?

[MJ5150]

Anyone have a chameleon or chameleons? I was at the pet store tonight getting stuff for our dog, and saw some cool ones. Now I want one.

Maybe even a gecko. I would so name it Gordon.

-Mike

[Radical Edward]

I havn't owned one, but a friend of mine worked at a pet store and would often keep their "extra" stock of animals at his house. I helped him take care of them and they were rather inexpensive to feed and such.. However, they can be quite nippy and their mouths can really cut you up. If you get one make sure it's friendly, or young enough that you could hold it often and get it used to being held. Also, the cages, lighting, thermometers, bedding, etc can get quite expensive.
Found this site for some info. Hope this helps: http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/chame...onbasics_2.htm
That said, I think they're flippin' awesome.
This proves their awesomeness: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMT1FLzEn9I

[Bobbo 77"]

Órale!
Used to have lot's when I was a kid...really enjoyed them.

[Hoover]

I had an anole lizard when I was ~10 years old. Back then pet shops would market these as "chameleons". Needless to say, I was very confused when I started studying zoology in junior high school!

[Steve]

How many do you want? Those things are everywhere in Florida. I'll send you a box full.

[lunarpollen]

Anoles are different than chameleons... Anoles are a lot easier to care for... Chameleons need an intricate habitat set-up for them and need to be very carefully cared for; they are extremely sensitive to their surroundings. Anoles don't require nearly as much maintenance.

[jp58]

I had an iguana, no idea how he stacks up to a chameleon. Rex got to be around 13 inches long and was kept in a moderate fishtank with a heat bulb and water bowl. Got about 50/50 live food and dry food with a nutritional spray. Had a fake tree which he "marked," a small rock "cave," and some woodchips.

[MJ5150]

Originally Posted by Steve

How many do you want? Those things are everywhere in Florida. I'll send you a box full.

Yeah, that was actually when I first started wanting one. After I left having lunch with you, I went down to that park again and saw a couple hanging out. I sat there for a good 45 minutes just watching them crawl around on the branches.

-Mike

[CrispyDelicious]

As with all reptiles, startup costs can be pretty high, but maintenance is generally quite cheap.

Chamelons need specific UV lighting, IIRC. You'd need A heat lamp and a UV lamp, or you can get the heat/uv combo (thoug the bulbs are damn expensive).

Feeding them is easy peasy - a small dish with bugs, om nom nom.

As for housing, you can get a tall cage, but what's really cool is they can be put in an indoor tree, and they will never leave!

But yeah, if you are serious about this, do your research.

FWIW, I don't have a chamelon, just a few other scaley critters.

[lunarpollen]

Originally Posted by jp58

I had an iguana, no idea how he stacks up to a chameleon. Rex got to be around 13 inches long and was kept in a moderate fishtank with a heat bulb and water bowl. Got about 50/50 live food and dry food with a nutritional spray. Had a fake tree which he "marked," a small rock "cave," and some woodchips.

13 inches is small for an iguana... And iguanas are herbivores... What kind of iguana did you have? Doesn't sound like a standard common green iguana, which makes a very good reptile pet, very easy to care for compared to others.

[jp58]

Originally Posted by lunarpollen

13 inches is small for an iguana... And iguanas are herbivores... What kind of iguana did you have? Doesn't sound like a standard common green iguana, which makes a very good reptile pet, very easy to care for compared to others.

Ehh. It was more of a guestimate. I had the thing when I was about 16 and I'm in my 20's now. He was pretty big though and he stayed in a 50 gallon fish tank.

I had frogs for the longest time. Maybe I remember giving them the crickets. I remember feeding him pellets and a nutritional spray for sure though. Its been long enough ago that I don't remember what he was exactly. He came from a petsmart around here though, and he had spines and a beard flap. Marked his turf with some grey stuff that the guy at the pet store said "wasn't poo." And he wasn't difficult. All I had to do was make sure his heat/uv bulb was on when I left for school every morning and make sure he had food and water.

[Phalex]

I have this one;

[MakiSupaStar]

I have a whole bunch of chameleon's. Somewhere.

[rr5025]

Originally Posted by Mikaela Ellinger

This proves their awesomeness: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMT1FLzEn9I

How many RayBans do you need? damn they're not cheap to have that many

My girlfriend has a gecko and they're pretty cool. At first she had a crested gecko but he unfortunately died. A few month ago she got a velvet gecko and that thing is a nightmare, it's fast as hell and loves to bite. If you're going the gecko route I would definitely consider a crested gecko, you can actually interact with them.

[chondro776]

Don't do it.

Chameleons vary considerably in habitat use, origin, behavior, etc. etc. etc. I didn't see you even mention which species you were looking at (most likely calyptratus, as they are a pet store staple).

They are hands off pets, they are exceedingly fragile, they are short lived (most species, not necessarily pardalis or calyptratus).

In short, get a bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps) or a Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis macularius).

Chameleons don't belong in pet stores, im(very experienced)o. You are talking about a $50 lizard that requires a $500 habitat (common problem with pet reptiles).

I bred and sold reptiles to the pet trade for over a decade. In general, I have come to the conclusion that the VAST majority of people have no business keeping them as pets. They are capable of suffering just like a cute little dog or cat, yet people don't seem to understand this.

Oh, and if you are going to buy a pet reptile a pet store is THE last place to even think about buying one from.
a) the 'experts' there no nothing about the subject
b) pet stores (b/c of the financial model) purchase the 'left overs' from legitimate breeders (at best) or imported animals from their native lands (may as well be dead for a noob).

If you are serious, go do your homework first.

[chondro776]

oh...and for god's sake don't get an iguanna. There are few animals less adapted for captivity.

You are talking about an animal which (when healthy- forget the 'growing to the size of their cage crap- absolute nonsense) which attains at least six feet in length.

Healthy iggies are usually not friendly (there are rare exceptions).

Their diet requires quite a bit of attention to detail (as with herbivores in general).

Nutritional deficiencies are common place.

And you are talking about a $1 lizard that requires a $3000 enclosure. Even worse than the chameleon example above.

Leo gex, beardeds, captive bred snakes. That's what to look for in a lizard.

Or you know....listen to the kid in the pet store.

Photo of one of the hatchling M.viridis I built. Just to establish whatever credibility is appropriate...

[MiniMoose234]

Chameleons are definitely not a pet for handling, mainly because they are very timid and get stressed.
And about the iguanas, they are probably the worst choice for a first reptile, they get to be between 4-6 feet long, can be moody (during breeding season) and live a long time and require a lot of care and time. And huge cages/it's own room.

Originally Posted by chondro776

oh...and for god's sake don't get an iguanna. There are few animals less adapted for captivity.

You are talking about an animal which (when healthy- forget the 'growing to the size of their cage crap- absolute nonsense) which attains at least six feet in length.

Healthy iggies are usually not friendly (there are rare exceptions).

Their diet requires quite a bit of attention to detail (as with herbivores in general).

Nutritional deficiencies are common place.

And you are talking about a $1 lizard that requires a $3000 enclosure. Even worse than the chameleon example above.

Leo gex, beardeds, captive bred snakes. That's what to look for in a lizard.

Or you know....listen to the kid in the pet store.

Photo of one of the hatchling M.viridis I built. Just to establish whatever credibility is appropriate...

Couldn't agree with you more. I'm planning on studying herpetology in college, my girlfriend might as well (Having a reptile loving girlfriend is about as awesome as it sounds)
I've had turtles and anoles when I was little and felt bad, and gave them to the edisto island serpentarium. More recently i've had 2 bearded dragons, a corn snake and currently a very fun western hognose.

Beautiful python btw. I've always loved the tree pythons and boas.

[warwick.hoy]

The wife and I have owned a few herps (get your mind out of the gutter) but not a Chameleon. The reason being is because their care requirements are pretty high as mentioned in this thread. If you want a starter herp Mike,...get a Leopard Gecko but don't keep it on that calcium sand they sell at petco (My wife calls it Petco,...where the pets go,....to die).

I've seen some very nice setups for all kinds of cool critters but they come at a cost. Definitely do some research. There are some forums out there and realize that keeping herps is more of an active hobby than having a pet.

Spam Alert: There is a reputable breeder here on this side of the state, although you're not likely to get a live animal in the mail with temps in the 20's

http://www.evergreenreptiles.com/indexnav.php

[CrispyDelicious]

Well, you all are crazy with your suggestions, because:

Blue-Tongued Skink > all other lizards

so there

[warwick.hoy]

Originally Posted by CrispyDelicious

Well, you all are crazy with your suggestions, because:

Blue-Tongued Skink > all other lizards

so there

I like Beardies a lot but we can't afford a proper enclosure.