Chameleon care

Chameleons are an intriguing reptile pet, but require specialized knowledge for successful care if these creatures are to survive in captivity.

By Jack Marinadi, Vet   Talk to the Author.

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Chameleon care

Chameleons are an intriguing reptile pet, but require specialized knowledge for successful keeping. Information regarding various aspects of husbandry such as species choice, housing, feeding and health are all essential if these curious creatures are to survive in captivity. With their independently rotating eyes, opposable toes and long tongues they are certainly one of the most amusing of pets. They are certainly not a pet for a novice reptile owner or a child. If you choose to take on the responsibility of owning one of these fascinating creatures, it is essential that you research all aspects of chameleon care, especially housing and feeding. If these two requirements are not adequate, the animal will not survive. It would be totally irresponsible to take on the responsibility for the life of this animal without acquiring the necessary knowledge to provide for its most basic needs.

Species Selection

Each species of chameleon will have different requirements in terms of housing, temperature, and feeding and therefore you must learn specifically about the type of chameleon you own. Ensure that the animal you purchase is captive bred. It is irresponsible to take an animal from it's own habitat in the wild just to have one as a pet. Wild caught specimens are also less likely to thrive than captive bred stock. All chameleons react poorly to stress and handling, but captive bred animals are slightly more tolerant. The more common captive varieties are easier to maintain, breed more readily, and are therefore less expensive. The veiled chameleon is readily available, and is a good choice for a committed chameleon owner.

Health

Knowledge of chameleon husbandry is limited, and specialized veterinary care for these rare exotics is almost nonexistent in most areas. Once a captive chameleon is on a downhill slide, the unfortunate result is inevitable, even with veterinary intervention. You must find a healthy specimen and follow every recommended guideline in order to maintain health. This cannot be stressed enough. Otherwise you are doomed to failure.

You must be vigilant about your chameleon's behavior, and try and correct any problems at the earliest stage. If a chameleon ignores food, or loses it's appetite for even one day, that is an indication of a major problem. If the eyes appear sunken, or the skin tents when pulled slightly, the animal could be dehydrated. If it has difficulty climbing or supporting it's weight it may have severe nutritional deficiencies or metabolic bone disease. If the animal appears thin, with a traceable line alongside the backbone and tail that becomes increasingly obvious with time, it is unlikely that the animal will survive more than a few weeks, and you should seek the help of a highly experienced reptile keeper for advice and hand holding.

Housing

Chameleons are arboreal animals, meaning that they live in trees. A pet chameleon will only thrive if you supply housing that closely resembles their natural habitat. They require a large enclosure with a minimum of ten cubic feet filled with vegetation for camouflage and exercise. A vertical enclosure containing a live ficus tree and climbing pathos vines is ideal. In order to minimize stress on the animal, the cage should be located in a quiet area with minimal human contact. The best cages are made of a mesh, which allows good ventilation, rather than glass. Although glass aquariums are often used for reptiles, they do not allow sufficient air movement for chameleons, and should be avoided. The long rectangular shape is also not ideally suited to housing a climbing animal. A substrate such as reptibark or sand can be used on the cage bottom. However, to avoid the chameleon ingesting the substrate, it is wise to offer insect meals in a container.

The chameleon will need a thermal gradient within the enclosure from 70 degrees to 95 degrees Farenheit, which is achieved through placement of heating lamps above the cage. This will allow the animal to thermoregulate (raise and lower body temperature) as necessary by basking in a warm spot, or moving to a cooler location. Heat rocks are not suitable, as the chameleon will not crawl to the bottom of the enclosure to find the warmth. In addition, a fluorescent light, such as a Vitalite, which produces sufficient quantities of UV radiation, is absolutely necessary for calcium metabolism. Even special incandescent reptile bulbs that claim to have UV spectrum are not sufficient for the needs of this animal.

Feeding

Chameleons are insect predators in the wild, and will only feed on live, moving prey.

Variety is essential to the diet of a healthy animal. Unfortunately, the types of live food available from the local pet shop are often limited to crickets, mealworms, waxworms and the occasional pinkie mouse. The grocery bill for feeding a mature chameleon can total more than $25.00 per week. You may want to try field plankton' by sweeping a net through the outdoor vegetation. However, with the common use of pesticides in urban areas, the few insects caught would be laced with poison, making a rather unhealthy meal for your animal. Vitamin and mineral supplementation is ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL. Without regular supplementation of the food supply with calcium powder (phosphorus free) daily and multivitamins twice per week, the animal will soon develop nutritional deficiencies. Also, 'gutload' the live food by feeding the crickets or mealworms with fish flakes and veggies immediately before feeding the chameleon. The animal will get the advantages of a more herbivorous diet when it digests the stomach contents of the insects. Moving water must also be supplied by means of a drip system or a melting icecube, as chameleons will not drink from a static waterdish.

Good luck. Remember, the above recommendations are only the bare essentials. Find more information at the library, online, or from specialized pet magazines. The life of your pet depends on it.

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