There are many people who decide to adopt a reptile for its beauty or extravagance, but specifically, when we talk about chameleons, we find a beautiful animal with curious eyes that we cannot look away from.
If you wonder what you need to have a chameleon as a pet, you have entered the right place, in this article on our site we are going to review everything that is essential: from its correct adoption, of its diet and even about the care it requires. Keep reading about the pet chameleon and discover a beautiful and slow animal to appreciate, care for and feed.
Where should I adopt a chameleon?
There are many types of chameleons and ways to get one as a pet. In general, the first option of many people is to go to a local store where they have exotic reptiles. our site does not recommend this type of adoption as it finances a business in which chameleons are bred by the hundreds, without paying attention to the quality care they deserve.
If you observe chameleons that have missing fingers or have excessive wounds, you are probably facing one of these cases. It is because many of the chameleons are raised in large trays into which insects are thrown to feed them, due to the poor precision of the young and the small space they have, they inadvertently bite and eat each other.
Buying and selling over the Internet is also not recommended, since on many occasions we can take home a sick or weak specimen, not everyone is trustworthy, remember that.
One option is to go to approved breeders where you can see the breeding environment, incubation, etc. In these sites, a considerable quality of breeding is ensured, the animals are treated with a minimum of dignity, etc.
The best option without a doubt is to go to exotic animal rescue centers, but why? There are many people who decide to abandon reptiles since they are long-lived animals that need a series of specific care. Also because of the size or excuses of any kind, many are abandoned daily.
You will find in this type of animal shelters of different ages, qualities and history, on top of that it is a solidarity action so you will not have to pay the high prices imposed by the market for the life of an animal, small donations will suffice to ensure the treatment of a next rescued animal.
The Chameleon's Terrarium
Before coming to your home with a chameleon you must have its habitat ready, the place where it will live from now on, and it is that they are animals that require specific lighting and temperature.
You can make a terrarium for your chameleon yourself or you can use online shopping websites where you will find second-hand products. You should consider having a terrarium as large as possible being the minimum size 60 wide x 60 long x 120 high in centimeters.
It is important that the terrarium is well ventilated, mesh terrariums will be a good option. Look for those that are not aluminum as they can cut the little fingers of our new chameleon. It is preferable to use a metal mesh.
Chameleon terrarium temperature and humidity
Before adopting a chameleon as a pet we must know that inside the terrarium we must incorporate lighting, temperature and humidity fixed:
- The lighting must be on for 10 hours a day and for this we can fix two fluorescent tubes to the upper part of the terrarium (we must avoid burns) in an area inaccessible to the animal. The fluorescent or compact 5.0 lamps offer the necessary uva/uvb although we can also opt for a single mercury vapor lamp of about 100w or 160w that offers heat, always depending on the size of the terrarium.
- The humidity is another important factor to take into account and that is to maintain optimum levels between 50% and 80% we can spray the terrarium ourselves about 4 times a day. If we prefer an automatic system we can use a regular humidifier or a drip system.
- Finally we must notice the temperature appropriate for the chameleon, which is between 27ºC and 29ºC during the day and between 18ºC and 22ºC in the evening. It is very important that it is always stable as it is one of the most common causes of death in reptiles.
Remember that the place of origin of the chameleon will finish correctly defining the temperature it needs, humidity and other variables. For this, it is very important that you consult the person who offers you the chameleon for adoption about the care it has received so far, including factors such as temperature, food, etc.
Terrarium setting
To finish with the terrarium, note that we have to place a base of earth or gravel and different well-attached branches so that the animal can move from one side of the terrarium to another and vegetation that makes you feel comfortable and in your habitat:
- Small Ferns
- Selaginella denticulata
- Fittonia verschaffeltii
- Cryptanto
- Creeping Ficus
- Small piles
You can add charcoal to the gravel to prevent the appearance of verdigris or mould.
Chameleon feeding
Chameleons are insectivorous animals that have a strong predatory instinct, for this reason they usually never accept dead animals. You should consider it before adopting one.
We must provide them with a rich and varied diet with different types of insects, approximately 3 a day. To do this we will go to a store and we will get some different classes, among them:
- crickets
- cockroaches
- worms
- lobsters
- etc
The insects that we provide to our chameleon should always be based on their size and before leaving them in their terrarium they should be sprinkled with calciumWe can use special feeders for reptiles that prevent insects from moving around the terrarium freely, thus preventing them from hurting our chameleon.
We can also sprinkle vitamins occasionally, never excessively. It works wonderfully in the breeding season, cold months or after suffering from an illness.
To finish with the feeding of the chameleon, highlight that these reptiles do not drink "stagnant" water or in a fixed drinker, we must spray with a sprayand water the vegetation of the terrarium so that it comes to look for the small drops fixed on it.
Chameleon He alth
If you have never had a reptile as a pet before you should consider the high costs of exotic vets.
Your chameleon can suffer from different bone problems as well as trivial illnesses throughout its life and it will be essential that you go to a specialist to do certain check-ups. You should also count on them when you go on a trip, they will need someone to look after you every day. It is very important that you consider this before adopting one because we should only adopt a chameleon as a pet if we are going to take good care of it.
