Considering getting a Cham.

I have raised Bds,Igys(green,cuban rock,desert) red ear sliders. i am considering getting a cham. i was wondering what kind i should get housing,substrate,correct temps,humidty,cage layout,handling,diet, and etc anything else i should know.

It all depends on what you want. There are some chameleons that take to handling better than others. If you want one as a pet I would recommend a male veiled or a male panther chameleon. Jacksons seem to stress out more when handled. I would also recommend purchasing a juvenile and raising it so it will be used to you. Females don't make good pets in my opinion because they run the risk of egg binding when they become breeding age if not bred at that point. The females are also not as colorful as the males. Caging should be screen or open for good air circulation, do not keep them in glass aquariums. Moving water or dripping water is important for them to drink. I have found that the use of live plants works well if possible. Research is the key, there are a lot of websites available with great info. Good luck.

Jerm

ok right now im looking at a baby male veiled cham., but can u tell the sex that early. I was looking at LLLreptile http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog/...ed-chameleons/. Iv got an 29 gall. laying around that i could use. ive got peat moss and soil for substrate and ill have to go buy a little dripper or something else and do i need a 24hr red light or not. from what i understand a male usually lives 8 years???

Veileds are one of the easiest to care for due to their ability to tolerate a wider range of temperatures. With veileds, sex can be determined from the time they emerge from the egg. Males have a "spur" on their back legs. A 29gal. aquarium is OK for a temporary enclosure but he will quickly grow out of that. I don't recommend chameleons be kept in glass for long periods anyway. One of the problems that glass enclosures cause is fungus from stagnant air. When I use an aquarium for juveniles I stand it up on one end to give the chameleon more height, which they prefer since they live in trees. I would say no on the 24 hour red light, I like to let them cool down at night up to a 10 degree day/night variation. I personally don't like to use red lights at all for them because they normally radiate too much heat in one area. They are more for desert herps. Try to use a full spectrum day time heat bulb just for a basking area. Make sure that he can go to the other side of the cage to get away from the heat light also. He also needs a flourescent full spectrum light if he's not getting natural sunlight. The flourescent light doesn't put off any heat, that is why you need both it and a basking light. Spraying daily is important on juveniles because they can dehydrate quickly due to their small size. I spray hatchling panthers 2 to 3 times a day. 8 years sounds right on life span of a male veiled, females live only a couple of years usually. For substrate, it varies depending on how old he is. With hatchlings, i usually use paper towels in the bottom for easy frequent cleanings, as they get older, i use bark. You have to be careful what you use because when they shoot their tongue out it can stick to whatever you are using. If it is small enough to fit in their mouth they can accidently ingest it which can cause future digestive issues. Their are a lot of great books and informative web sites out their that would be worth checking out for more information. I am just scratching the surface on husbandry of chameleons, another important factor is calcium and vitamins. "Dusting" the crickets is very important especially in growing juveniles.

Howdy,

Try:

A few more sources of info just in case you haven't seen them:

http://www.chameleonsdish.com/

http://www.chameleonnews.com/ especially http://www.chameleonnews.com/ref.html

how big does a ficus tree like this get http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog/...cus-tree-live/