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  • Thread starter Trapper7
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  • #21
She looks healthy and drinking is a good sign. They generally refuse food and drink when they are unhappy.

Just make sure she gets plenty of UVB exposure. Mine ate out of my hand after 2-3 months. It was a female 'Sunburst' Veiled.

Joe
 
  • #22
That's a different species than what I had envisioned. Kinda reminds me of a Gecko. Has it tried selling you insurance?
 
  • #23
Superimposedhope~Yes I also thought it was a good sign that she drank just 3 minutes after I put her in her new home.Also I just put 5 small crickets in there that were dusted with the calcium powder and she ate 3 of them.She took a 4th into her mouth but then spat it out,lol.Maybe that one tasted bad,lol,so that's also a good sign that she ate already
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Thanks PAK
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HAHA Jim you're funny
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*Niki*
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  • #24
Hey Trapper -

Congratulations!!

Like Schloaty said, we have a big beautiful 4 year old male Ambanja Panther Chameleon, (furcifer pardalis).

Here is some advice that I hope is helpful:

1). OK, GET ONE OF THESE BOOKS:

Chameleons by Linda J. Davison and/or The New Chameleon Handbook by Francois Le Barre.

2). Absorb these websites:

Chameleon Information

Chameleon Journals

3). For long term health you will need to do something about the tank...... Think of your new chameleon like a bird. You wouldn't put a bird in a tank would you? There are a few options. You could bust out 3 of the glass sides of a different tank and replace with mesh (we did this when ours was a baby), purchase one of those reptile cages with the mesh or fabric around them, or build a new enclosure. We have 2 enclosures for our adult chameleon we built. One is like a large birdcage. I got the plans from 'Ron Hazleton's Housecalls' website for an iguana cage and modified it so a tray to catch debris and water would fit underneath. The sides are covered with 1/4 inch plastic mesh on the inside (easy to climb on & won't hurt their feet) and black windowscreen on the outside (to prevent the feeder bugs from escaping). The whole front opens like a door. The second enclosure is for outside in the summer so he can some natural sunshine. It's not as elegant - it's a "Tube Cage". Vinyl coated mesh attached to 12 inch diameter plant drip trays. The Davison books shows the tube cages.

You should have live plants in there for your chameleon. Those websites should have lists of the non-toxic ones. Benjamin ficus is a great one, and that's where our chameleon, "Blue", spends most of his time. We have a big mist bottle and mist the cage with warm water several times a day. Also, they usually will not drink from a bowl. We use a large plastic cup with a pinprick sized hole in the bottom as a dripper. We sit it on top of the cage and fill with water once or twice a day. Our chameleon drinks as the water drips down onto the ficus leaves.

At some point, you may want to grow your own crickets. There are plenty of websites that tell how and also a book your library could get called "Eat This Bug" which tells how to raise feeder insects. If you do raise your own, "gut load" them by feeding the crickets things like broccoli, carrots and wheat bran, which improves the nutrition for your lizard. They'll grow faster in a warm place. Ours are on top of two florescent light units that light a CP terrarium.

We vary the foods. Silkworms are a VERY nutritious food item for them. A little pricey, and it takes a little care. We order ours from Silkwormfarm.com. Also, some advocate against wild caught insects but we catch and feed ours grasshoppers, katydids, junebugs, cicadas, large flies, dragonflies, and moths during the summer. You can buy mealworms, but they aren't the greatest - mostly fat and it's hard for the young chameleons to digest the chitin.

I hope this helps. If you ever have any more questions, feel free to PM me.

WildBill
 
  • #25
Thank you for all the info WildBill.I don't think I will be changing her encloser tho.I know that mesh is better but I'm quite happy with the terrarium.Don't hate me
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But anyways,I will check out those sites you posted
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~Niki~
 
  • #26
WB,
The Ambanja and the Sombava are the coolest lookin I think. I found the perfect male and female Sombava breeders but I don't have the time or $$$ yet but they have a litter once a year and I have first pic when I am ready.

Joe
 
  • #27
Niki - I won't hate you - just want little Dino to be happy and healthy in the long run. Be sure and keep us updated.

Joe - that's just awesome. I'll try to find and post some pictures of ours soon.
 
  • #28
The first pic looks like the Budweiser chameleon.
If you get a male you'll have to name it Ozzy.
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Good luck with them.
 
  • #29
Here's a few pics of "Blue". We got him several years ago from LLL Reptile in CA - he was only 2 inches long at the time.

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Blue2.jpg


Blue1.jpg
 
  • #30
Blue is GORGEOUS!!! Look at the difference in the shade of color when he's outside then when he's inside.Now that's a beautiful creature
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Thanks for not hating me WildBill.Do you think Dino could still be happy in a terrarium?I want her to be happy and healthy as well(of course) but I only have this terrarium and won't have room for a mesh "cage" later on
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Right now she's hanging upside down from the chicken wire up top
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~Niki~
 
  • #31
Oh wow, gorgeous pics guys. I always wanted a chameleon when I was young but I had a hard time keeping my first herp (a gecko) and went on to raising small mammals instead. Once they're established, are they difficult to maintain? I've been considering getting another pet for a while, and I've narrowed it down to a lizard or a small bird. One of my reservations to getting a reptile is that it might be difficult to leave it with a housesitter... I'm already nervous enough about leaving my plants to other people's care.
Niki, have you thought about building an extension to the terrarium? A friend of mine used to keep tree frogs in a converted tall aquarium like yours, but the top was a cage of mesh almost as tall as the terrarium itself. They had some climbing branches and a small tree growing up into it. It was just plastic pipe and mesh; I'm pretty sure you could find all the materials at a hardware store. Congratz, too - she's a cutie!
~Joe
 
  • #32
Blue's colors can be unbelievable at times. Sometimes his bars are bright red. At night sometimes when he's sleeping he's off-white with yellow bars. We had a large N. truncata in his cage for a while but it never ever pitchered.

We are lucky because there is a Reptile Shop called Slither and Swim that actually cares for him when we travel for any extended length of time. We pay a boarding fee just like leaving the dog at the kennel!

To build the cage, we got the plastic mesh and the vinyl coated wire mesh at Home Depot and Lowes. It comes in rolls 2 to 4 feet tall by however many feet (5, 10, 25).

If you go to the following website, navigate to "How To Do It" then look under the Outdoor project list for Iguana Cage. We made ours vertical, 2 feet by 2 feet by 4 feet tall. It's up on a cabinet too. They feel more secure high up. IguanaCage
 
  • #33
They are the coolest critters. Ever let him breed? I know breeders frequently look for outside blood. I am going to be getting mine from Kammerflage Creations.

I have a cage about that size that my iguana had but theres sooo much more that I am not ready for yet.

Joe
 
  • #34
Seedjar that is an awesome idea! I might just do that! Thanks
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*Niki*
 
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