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Keeping chamleons....


Marsdinho
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Hi,

 

After a number of years keeping tropical fish, I have decided to change my aquarium for a vivarium.

 

I want to keep Chameleons, but dont know much about them really (I plan to do a lot of research first !)

 

Does anyone on here keep them, or know anyone that does and can offer any information.

 

Many thanks

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Hi,

 

After a number of years keeping tropical fish, I have decided to change my aquarium for a vivarium.

 

I want to keep Chameleons, but dont know much about them really (I plan to do a lot of research first !)

 

Does anyone on here keep them, or know anyone that does and can offer any information.

 

Many thanks

I can tell you that they're not the ideal rep for a novice. They're fairly delicate and demanding of exactly the right conditions, etc. They're not particularly hardy either, so one mishap can end in tears.

 

Cute little fellas though.

 

There are reptiles more suited to a first timer, depending on the sort of vivarium you'd like to have.

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We have kept chameleons for over 7 years, And they are one of the essayist reptiles to keep. All you need is a viv with Eco dirt, plant for them to climb, with a heat bulb,at the top. a reptile UV strip light, food is crickets fruit flies wax worms, and mist them with a spray bottle every day. We take them into the garden on hot summer days and let them climb in the pear tree. sort of catch there own food safari.

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The yellow anaconda was £80. The cheapest you can probably get is a corn snake for £40-50. I'd budget for about £200 for a small snake, including the full set up. Vivarium, thermostat, heat source (there are several options here), decorations, water bowl and substrate. I had the mum problem too. Wouldn't let me have any, now I have three. :D Her fears were somewhat justified when I brought them home for a week last year and one escaped. :|

 

The itinery for this one was something like:

 

Anaconda - £80

Vivarium - £150 (but you could get away with something half that size for a small corn or king snake)

thermostat - £25

2x light fixture - £20

UV light bulb - £15

Light bulb - £2.50 (bog standard 9W low energy bulb from B&Q is fine, although some lizards need a full spectrum ligh bulb)

Decorations - £50

Coarse bark - £20 (Massive bag, could cover the viv 5 times)

Cage lock - £7 (one of the more important investments, trust me ;) )

Water Bowl - £10

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Incidentally, I'd say snakes were generally easier to care for. I haven't owned any lizards but they eat live crickets and meal worms, at least every other day. They also need to be kept alive and fed, I'm sure Ponty will tell you more. A snake on the other hand will take a relatively sized mouse or rat every week or two.

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I used to have chameleons in the garden, before we moved. Cute.

 

Also had a cobra in the same garden, before I took his head off with a spade. I would've preferred to chase him away, but Mrs. H wouldn't have set foot outside the door again unless I showed her the carcass.

 

I do have the African equivalent of the Black Widow spider (Brown Button spider "latrodectus geometricus") in the garden at the moment, but don't tell Mrs. H

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We have kept chameleons for over 7 years, And they are one of the essayist reptiles to keep. All you need is a viv with Eco dirt, plant for them to climb, with a heat bulb,at the top. a reptile UV strip light, food is crickets fruit flies wax worms, and mist them with a spray bottle every day. We take them into the garden on hot summer days and let them climb in the pear tree. sort of catch there own food safari.

 

Do you provide them with pen and paper, or do they have keyboard skills?

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