• Screen Terrarium
• Digital Thermometer
• Heat Lamp and Bulb
• UVB Lighting – linear tube
• Dripper
• Misting Bottle/ Misting System
• Branches/Vines
• Foliage
• Calcium SupplementChameleons require a vertically-oriented enclosure screen terrarium. Younger animals are best kept in smaller caging. Larger cages should be bought as they grow.
Due to their sticky tongues and the risk of ingesting bedding, we find it safest to not use substrate. Instead, leave it bare and wipe clean throughout the week.
Chameleons need a hot basking site that reaches 88-93 degrees and a cooler area between 75-80 degrees. Linear 5.0/6% UVB should be used along with heat for proper health.
Hydration, rather than humidity, is the key to a healthy chameleon. Chameleons do not drink from standing water and prefer to only drink from rain or dripping water, so it’s best to utilize a combination of a drip system, mist system, and hand spraying the enclosure daily.
Chameleons feed on a variety of insects. The food should be dusted with a quality calcium such as Repashy Calcium Plus LoD.
Chameleons eat different amounts depending on their life stage. Small babies should eat daily where older animals will eat 3 or 4 times a week.
Remove any uneaten food each night from your pet’s enclosure.
Calcium supplements should be added to the live insects 2-3 times a week.They need a large variety of climbing branches and vines to navigate the enclosure and lush foliage for security and the drink the water from the leaves after misting.
Be sure to spot clean your chameleon's environment daily, removing any feces, urates, or shed skin. Provide multiple drinking opportunities daily through a dripper, mister, or hand spraying. Provide food daily for babies, and 3-5 times per week for adults. Remove any excess uneaten crickets, as the crickets can bit the lizard if they are left.
Female chameleons always require a lay bin of damp substrate available to them. This container should be at least 6 inches deep to allow for the laying of infertile eggs. Once laid the bin should be cleaned of eggs and replaced.One of the most common health issues in chameleons is MBD (Metabolic Bone Disease). Symptoms of this include malformed limbs, brittle and soft bones, weak muscles, and decreased appetite. This usually occurs when they are deprived of proper lighting and supplementation and fed a poor diet. With an appropriate habitat, quality lighting, and varied diet, this is easily preventable.
Dehydration can easily occur without access to a dripper or frequent misting. Chameleons require a lot of water to thrive. It's necessary for the to have multiple drinking opportunities each day.
Chameleons get stressed very easily and should not be handled. Over handling can lead to decreased appetite, an eventual total lack of feeding, and eventually death from an inability to cope with the frequent stress. However, once a chameleon is acclimated and comfortable in their habitat, they will learn the daily routine and come to recognize their owner as the food source. After some time, it is possible to hand feed the chameleon, where they will zap bugs from our hands with their long, sticky tongues. This is the best way to interact with a pet chameleon.
Chameleon Care Sheet
Over 200 species of chameleons have been described by science. they inhabit a variety of warm habitats from rainforests to deserts in Africa, Madagascar, southern Europe and into southern Asia. The most commonly kept species include Veiled, Panther, and Jackson's Chameleons. These specialized lizards have adapted to live mostly in trees. They hunt by stealthily moving through the branches or waiting patiently for prey to come within striking distance before launching their super sticky tongues at great distances to catch their meals. Most are very territorial and will aggressively defend their space from other lizards. Each species has its own color and pattern that they can change based mostly on their mood and temperature. While at rest they display mostly greens or brown, but can rapidly change if they feel threatened, if they see a member of the other gender, or if some other stressor triggers a mood change.
Size: 10-18 inches
Lifespan: 5-7 years
Diet: Insectivore
Care Level: Advanced
Temperament: Easily Stressed - Not Handleable
Activity: Diurnal
Dfw Reptarium reserves the right to refuse sale of any animal that we do not believe will receive proper care.