Does anyone have a good care sheet and know of a reputable breeder of chameleons? My son wants one and momma actually said yes!
Reputable chameleon breeders???
- Thread starter tortdad
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BILBO-03
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Chameleon Forums has a great caresheet. Flchams is probably the most well known breeder. What type are you looking for?
Agree with above. Get a Panther. They are much more expensive, but much friendlier then the veils.
I know squat about them so I have no idea what kinds there are. He wants a "colorful" one
@TylerStewart used to breed them and still knows the community well. That is who I would ask.
I also know Ed Kammer of https://www.chameleonsonly.com. Amazing color, obvious good health and I would not hesitate to buy from him.
Be wary of advice you get from a breeder in a different area than you. I talked to a guy at the FLChams table at a show, and I think his advice on housing them would work just fine in sunny southern FL, but his advice would have killed a chameleon housed in SoCal. Not saying they don't know what they are doing, just saying to keep the specifics of your location in mind when receiving any care advice.
There are many species. The two most common and popular are the veiled (calyptratus) and the panther (pardalis). Both are pretty hardy if kept hydrated, fed and housed properly. Houston should be a good area for either of them most of the year.
Get ready to learn about insects too. Can't have an insectivore without the insects. I quit insectivores for a while because I detest the negative aspects of dealing with crickets. They stink, they are noisy, the have mass die-offs for no apparent reason, they will survive and infest your house if they escape, etc… The ease of keeping and breeding dubia roaches made me reconsider keeping insectivores. I highly recommend you start a dubia colony ASAP as they take months to get up and running.
I also know Ed Kammer of https://www.chameleonsonly.com. Amazing color, obvious good health and I would not hesitate to buy from him.
Be wary of advice you get from a breeder in a different area than you. I talked to a guy at the FLChams table at a show, and I think his advice on housing them would work just fine in sunny southern FL, but his advice would have killed a chameleon housed in SoCal. Not saying they don't know what they are doing, just saying to keep the specifics of your location in mind when receiving any care advice.
There are many species. The two most common and popular are the veiled (calyptratus) and the panther (pardalis). Both are pretty hardy if kept hydrated, fed and housed properly. Houston should be a good area for either of them most of the year.
Get ready to learn about insects too. Can't have an insectivore without the insects. I quit insectivores for a while because I detest the negative aspects of dealing with crickets. They stink, they are noisy, the have mass die-offs for no apparent reason, they will survive and infest your house if they escape, etc… The ease of keeping and breeding dubia roaches made me reconsider keeping insectivores. I highly recommend you start a dubia colony ASAP as they take months to get up and running.
Yeah I don't do crickets either Tom, the noise and smell sucks. Dubai roaches are the way to go
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Roaches are something else that do well in south Florida.
Just ask my exterminator.
Just ask my exterminator.
Im super excited about building an enclosure for it. I've decided to not start from scratch, rather convert a china hutch into one.
I've got my eyes on this hutch. These things are tree dwellers and need vertical stuff to climb.
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They also need drips of water as they don't drink from bowls . Humity and heat much like a red footed tortoise. The hardest part is live food and mist for drinking . They also stress easily. So you shouldn't handle them a lot. Also depends on what type of chameleon you get .
Yeah I'm looking into misting systems now.
I'll bet your RFs will love them too. You can feed them all the excess adult males until your cham is big enough to take them down. I squish the roaches head with my thumbnail and forefinger before offering to chelonia. That way they can't run away, but they are still moving and attractive to them. I had a young GC box turtle that LLLLOOOOOOVED roaches. He would do tricks for them.
Yeah I was planing on feeding the bigger ones to my box turtles.
Sorry for my late contribution. You would have good luck with Kammerflage Kreations, Amazing Blue Reptiles, or FLChams. Mike at FLChams is one of my closest personal friends, and has a partner in San Diego (many of their chameleons ship from San Diego). I consider all these vendors close personal friends (I bred chameleons from 2002-2010). Crickets are annoying.... Roaches are better in some cases and worse in others (they hide under cage furniture a lot). I used to use silkworms a lot as well, and another friend of mine is revamping SilkwormFarm.com, which will be up and running soon. They are good and sit up in the branches, full of moisture and calcium for the chameleons.
