Chameleons
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Yemens are begginers chams, you can use exo terra but would have to cover it up with perspex. Take alook at the link :
http://www.captivebred.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6834&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
I know it is on Chondros, but it shows you what to do :wink:
Make sure you do alot of research.
http://www.captivebred.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6834&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
I know it is on Chondros, but it shows you what to do :wink:
Make sure you do alot of research.
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4,123 Posts
that size tank is not going to be big enough...yemens are a 'starter' chameleon but they still take a lot of work, much much more than leapords.
Min size tank is 3ft by 2ft by 2ft and that is still on the small side..if you were to house more than one you would need a much bigger viv.
The exo terra range are not designed for chameleons. The air exchange is not good enough and the fact that you can see through three sides can lead to a great deal of stress.
Take it from someone that has bred yemens for years, you have to think seriously before purchasing any chameleon..they are beautiful reptiles but they take special care.
Min size tank is 3ft by 2ft by 2ft and that is still on the small side..if you were to house more than one you would need a much bigger viv.
The exo terra range are not designed for chameleons. The air exchange is not good enough and the fact that you can see through three sides can lead to a great deal of stress.
Take it from someone that has bred yemens for years, you have to think seriously before purchasing any chameleon..they are beautiful reptiles but they take special care.
You know what, i really can't undersatnd why people say chameleons are so difficult to look after. I may not be a vetran owner, but so long as you temps, humidity etc are well maintained, you mist them regualarly, keep handling to a minimum and gutload feed well its really not that difficult at all.
Just make sure you do your research and read up about the requirements of these lovely lizards and make sure you are aware of warning signs of ill health and you should be fine.
I have an exo terra tank and my chameleon is doing great. He's only 3 months so size wize its good, when he gets bigger i will upgrade him to a bigger home but i would definately recommend these to start with. They are great to start with because Visiability is good, they are sturdy and easy to clean, you can see easily how much they have eaten and keeping temps and humidity right is easier too. By adding a habistat fan you will increase the airflow. The glass reflections is a negative but through regular misting my glass has been stained with water droplets which has misted up the glass preventing refelctions.
Hope this helps. Goodluck, don't be putt off by getting a chameleon as a result of people saying how difficult they are. So long as you know what you r doing and feel that you can provide the animal with what it needs (which is the same with any other animal) then you'll be fine.
Just make sure you do your research and read up about the requirements of these lovely lizards and make sure you are aware of warning signs of ill health and you should be fine.
I have an exo terra tank and my chameleon is doing great. He's only 3 months so size wize its good, when he gets bigger i will upgrade him to a bigger home but i would definately recommend these to start with. They are great to start with because Visiability is good, they are sturdy and easy to clean, you can see easily how much they have eaten and keeping temps and humidity right is easier too. By adding a habistat fan you will increase the airflow. The glass reflections is a negative but through regular misting my glass has been stained with water droplets which has misted up the glass preventing refelctions.
Hope this helps. Goodluck, don't be putt off by getting a chameleon as a result of people saying how difficult they are. So long as you know what you r doing and feel that you can provide the animal with what it needs (which is the same with any other animal) then you'll be fine.
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4,123 Posts
rainbow,
I have kept and bred chameleons for the last 8 years....and yes it is true that with the proper care they can be relatively easy to look after but if you compare this to something such as a bd or leo then chameleon are much harder...
The reason that the life expectancy of chameleons in captivity is so low is that they do not recieve the care they need...chameleons take daily care and they can easily get sick or stressed to the point that they will never recover..
I would never keep any chameleon in an exoterra tank..they are simply not designed with chameleons in mind...even with a fan there is not enough airflow and respitory infections soon develop...
At three months old an exoterra tank is too small if you are keeping yemens...the tanks are good for amphibs and lizards such as geckos but they are no good for chameleons believe me i have one sitting empty in my lounge at the moment and i could do with a spare viv but i am building rather than use that..
With chameleons it is often a bad start in life that leads to problems later on..trust me on this one i have seen too many badly looked after chameleons....
you are right that if you provide them with what they need they do very well but so often you do not know you are making a mistake until it is too late...
I have kept and bred chameleons for the last 8 years....and yes it is true that with the proper care they can be relatively easy to look after but if you compare this to something such as a bd or leo then chameleon are much harder...
The reason that the life expectancy of chameleons in captivity is so low is that they do not recieve the care they need...chameleons take daily care and they can easily get sick or stressed to the point that they will never recover..
I would never keep any chameleon in an exoterra tank..they are simply not designed with chameleons in mind...even with a fan there is not enough airflow and respitory infections soon develop...
At three months old an exoterra tank is too small if you are keeping yemens...the tanks are good for amphibs and lizards such as geckos but they are no good for chameleons believe me i have one sitting empty in my lounge at the moment and i could do with a spare viv but i am building rather than use that..
With chameleons it is often a bad start in life that leads to problems later on..trust me on this one i have seen too many badly looked after chameleons....
you are right that if you provide them with what they need they do very well but so often you do not know you are making a mistake until it is too late...
I'm not saying your method of chameleon husbandry is right or wrong, each have draw backs like i have said before. My chameleon is doing really well in the exo terra, granted he won't stay in there untill he is fully grown but so far every chameleon specialist i have contacted in the uk recommend them to begin with especially during the winter months here in the uk.
Exo terra fans provide excellent ventiallation, this combined with the mesh lid and front vent strip result in a well ventilated enclosure.
Personally, i would never use calci sand with chameleons as i believe you do, in my opinion this can cause way more damage then keeping a young specimen in an exo terra tank. Impaction can be deadly and the effects can occur very quickly. But the use of it for you may have its benefits.
Exo terra fans provide excellent ventiallation, this combined with the mesh lid and front vent strip result in a well ventilated enclosure.
Personally, i would never use calci sand with chameleons as i believe you do, in my opinion this can cause way more damage then keeping a young specimen in an exo terra tank. Impaction can be deadly and the effects can occur very quickly. But the use of it for you may have its benefits.
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4,123 Posts
we'll have to agree to disagree....like i said i have been looking after chams for years and i have found a 'happy medium'. i don't use flexariums either though...your right about the cold thing...i have mesh doors....
If your way worksd then fair play...i just know what i know...
If your way worksd then fair play...i just know what i know...
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15,027 Posts
Ah rainbow my little prodagey, :wink: !
I agree with Rainbow on all of the above, I believe that the exo-terra tanks are great for a very young cham but be under no illusion it will frow out of it very quickly! Veiled Chameleons grow very quick!!
I also agree with Rainbow on the fact that chameleons are easy to look after it just takes time and effort, sadley lacking by many individuals who keep cham's. Also as said they do require more attention than maybe geckos and bearded dragons to an extent.
Put it this way, my chameleon is sprayed normally twice a day, its water dripper filled once a day and feed everyday. The amount of water that goes through the viv' makes it very difficult to keep clean. Crickets need to be supplied, as well as other items as chameleons will get tired of one type of food and will just stop eating. If a chameleon gets stressed its very hard to de-stress them and it often leads to death. You cannot take your eye off the ball for a second!
Do alot of research on keeping these and they are one of the most rewarding pets you can keep. One thing wirth meantioning is they are not a pet to be handled! You just gotta sit back and watch um!
Any Q's stick um on here, PM me or have a chat on MSN!
I agree with Rainbow on all of the above, I believe that the exo-terra tanks are great for a very young cham but be under no illusion it will frow out of it very quickly! Veiled Chameleons grow very quick!!
I also agree with Rainbow on the fact that chameleons are easy to look after it just takes time and effort, sadley lacking by many individuals who keep cham's. Also as said they do require more attention than maybe geckos and bearded dragons to an extent.
Put it this way, my chameleon is sprayed normally twice a day, its water dripper filled once a day and feed everyday. The amount of water that goes through the viv' makes it very difficult to keep clean. Crickets need to be supplied, as well as other items as chameleons will get tired of one type of food and will just stop eating. If a chameleon gets stressed its very hard to de-stress them and it often leads to death. You cannot take your eye off the ball for a second!
Do alot of research on keeping these and they are one of the most rewarding pets you can keep. One thing wirth meantioning is they are not a pet to be handled! You just gotta sit back and watch um!
Any Q's stick um on here, PM me or have a chat on MSN!
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13,358 Posts
they also say get a male or a pair as lone females will get egg bound
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4,123 Posts
not handled? you try telling that to molly one of my yemens!!! all she wants to do is crawl up my arm!! sure she is a cat at heart...
think she is pretty unique though...you are right most are def a look only animal...
still disagree with the exoterra thing but hey if it works..
think she is pretty unique though...you are right most are def a look only animal...
still disagree with the exoterra thing but hey if it works..
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No never get a pair!!!!! but your partly right, femnales can get egg bound as they will lay eggs even if no male is around. If you do get one get a male, easy to tell they have a spur on the back foot!captaincaveman said:
As for not handled much, yeah your right most don't like being handeld but mine comes out all the time. Track is we never pick him up he always comes to us (everytime we open the flex' - can be a pain in the arse lol)
check him out!
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welshgaz said:No never get a pair!!!!! but your partly right, femnales can get egg bound as they will lay eggs even if no male is around. If you do get one get a male, easy to tell they have a spur on the back foot!captaincaveman said:
As for not handled much, yeah your right most don't like being handeld but mine comes out all the time. Track is we never pick him up he always comes to us (everytime we open the flex' - can be a pain in the arse lol)
check him out!
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nice one. whats wrong with a pair? i meant one male one female not a pair of males
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veiled chameleons are pretty aggressive. if you want to get a pair they would have to be housed separately and kept out of sight from eachother. the female would get stressed out as hell if it had a male around it all the time. :lol: make sure you do the research before you buy a chameleon. I read a few books and checked out a handful of websites before i went ahead with my purchase. Its a lot of work to take care of but it is a way tight pet.
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Yep as above.... if you keep two cham's in a single cage it has to be massive - like greenhouse big! Otherwise as said they will fight generally until one dies. Then the stress of this fight will probably leave the otherone dead in a short time as well.....
Chameleons are very very anti-social
Chameleons are very very anti-social
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yeah a friend of mine kept many veiled together but his viv was massive(basically a walk in cupboard 10ft x 6ft x 7ft if not bigger) and he bred successfully for years and years. he said that they should be mated on their first ovulation to reduce the risk of them becoming egg bound
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you can keep pairs...the males do hassle the females so the viv needs to be pretty big...i keep 2 females quite happily together and also have male female combinations that are fine...they get cycled because a female that is hassled and always pregnant will not last long... one of my males actually stressed when i removed his two females didn't stop until i put a female in with him...bless...
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I dont know how people can think that glass is ok for chameleons when theyre younger, if anything it will cause more stress the younger the chameleon is. Its simple, DONT KEEP CHAMELEONS IN GLASS VIVARIUMS. Putting them in a glass vivarium because "its easier to keep the temperature or humidity right" is no good reason, this is the wrong attitude to have when looking after such an amazing and beautiful animal like the chameleon. More effort should be put in to caring for THEM, its not about whats easiest for you.
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I keep several species of chameleons and for nearly all (bar 1) of my chams have used exo terras for them as hatchlings.
They are not a long term housing option but they are, in my opinion, very good for starting out with. I know of lots of people who aslo use them for thier babies and hatchlings with no ill effects.
I don't agree with the whole chameleons in pairs routine personally - not veileds certianly as they are so easily stressed and, despite popular myth about them being hardy and tough, they are quite sensitive to their surroundings. The fact that a female fires up defensivel when she sees a male and is not wanting to mate paired with the fact that, in nature in their natural environment, they are very solitude aniamsl is enough of a reason for me anyway but each tot heir own.
I know of people who have successfully housed Mellor's chameleons in pairs but these arne't really beginner chameleons and can come with a wealth of other problems to someone who isn't experienced in general chameleon care.
Lostcorn - if you are wanting to get into chameleons and make the leap into geting your first one, I would suggest reading up a lot first - there are many good chameleon infromation sites out there and I have put some links at the bottom of this post for you to take a look at.
Be aware that what works for one won't always work for someone else and that you must read all the information you can and then decide the way forward which you feel most comfrotable with and of course, that is going ot be the most favourable conditions for your new chameleon. Best of lucka dn if I can help at all with any questions you may have, give me a shout
http://www.ukchameleons.co.uk/captivecare.htm
http://www.chameleonnews.com/index.html
http://www.adcham.com/
They are not a long term housing option but they are, in my opinion, very good for starting out with. I know of lots of people who aslo use them for thier babies and hatchlings with no ill effects.
I don't agree with the whole chameleons in pairs routine personally - not veileds certianly as they are so easily stressed and, despite popular myth about them being hardy and tough, they are quite sensitive to their surroundings. The fact that a female fires up defensivel when she sees a male and is not wanting to mate paired with the fact that, in nature in their natural environment, they are very solitude aniamsl is enough of a reason for me anyway but each tot heir own.
I know of people who have successfully housed Mellor's chameleons in pairs but these arne't really beginner chameleons and can come with a wealth of other problems to someone who isn't experienced in general chameleon care.
Lostcorn - if you are wanting to get into chameleons and make the leap into geting your first one, I would suggest reading up a lot first - there are many good chameleon infromation sites out there and I have put some links at the bottom of this post for you to take a look at.
Be aware that what works for one won't always work for someone else and that you must read all the information you can and then decide the way forward which you feel most comfrotable with and of course, that is going ot be the most favourable conditions for your new chameleon. Best of lucka dn if I can help at all with any questions you may have, give me a shout
http://www.ukchameleons.co.uk/captivecare.htm
http://www.chameleonnews.com/index.html
http://www.adcham.com/
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