One of the most common exotic animals to have as pets is the chameleon. Before you get one, you should consider the care they require.
When a family decides to bring a pet home, they usually opt for a dog or a cat. They can also choose a bird, a rabbit or even a hamster. What is not so common is for a reptile as particular as the chameleon to become part of a family, but just because it is rare does not mean that it is a crazy decision. If you have decided to share your life with a chameleon, you will have to know the characteristics of this shy animal and you will have to find out about the multiple cares it needs.
The chameleon: introduction
This small, tough-skinned animal is the complete opposite of a dog. It doesn’t like to be picked up or petted, and it needs plenty of room to climb trees. It will want all the privacy it can get, which is why families who prefer an animal that is willing to play and run around all day might not suit the lifestyle of this reptile that doesn’t like being around people or other animals.
The chameleon is native to Africa, where there are 85 different species. Specifically, this animal comes from South Africa and Madagascar, although it is also found in Asia and Andalusia.
Keep in mind that a chameleon eats live insects.
Diet and necessary care
Cage cleaning will be a weekly routine.
As for food, this reptile will eat insects, mainly crickets but also mealworms, zophobas, locusts, grasshoppers, silkworms, flies and cockroaches. We highlight the predatory instinct of the chameleon, and it is that it will never eat an animal that is not still alive. We will get these insects from farms because otherwise they could have pesticides, and if the chameleon is large it could eat a newborn rodent and thus obtain the calcium it needs.
Some species will even accept fruit as long as it is cut into small pieces. Juicy fruit and leafy vegetables should be left in the cage because insects often have a bad calcium-to-phosphorus ratio: this will be a pre-feed, so we will give it to the chameleon from two days before giving it insects. It is also beneficial for the chameleon’s health to add a calcium and vitamin supplement to its food, one that is specially created for reptiles. Pet stores sell calcium in powder form, which can be added to its daily food to ensure that it receives all the nutrients it needs. It should receive this calcium three times a week, and we will give it vitamins every two weeks. The vitamin supplement is ideal for strengthening its bones, and minerals are also ideal.
In addition to these treatments, it is also essential that your pet be seen by a veterinarian for check-ups and also for occasions when it is necessary to check on their health.
Of course, people who are sensitive to seeing one animal eat another might have a hard time keeping a chameleon in their home.
As for water, the chameleon does not drink from a container but sucks on wet leaves. For water, we will use a drip water system: we will place a sprayer on top of the terrarium so that it sprays water approximately twice a day.
The chameleon as a domestic animal
This reptile eats very little, moves slowly, and can even remain completely still for long periods of time. As this is normal behaviour, we should not suspect any illness or health problem when we notice that it does not move.
What should the chameleon’s habitat be like?
If we have a chameleon at home, it will be important to buy a large and tall cage, with a minimum size of 50x50x90 if this reptile is small. We will choose wire mesh walls for better ventilation, and we will place the cage in a quiet place where we do not pass by very often. This care is essential to avoid stress. In addition, we should not leave the cage where it is very cold.
The lizard will need heat and UVB/UVA radiation, and for this we will place some specific tubes inside the cage that emit adequate lighting for ten hours a day. We will try to ensure that the reptile can get sunlight for at least one hour a day, so we can place the cage near a window to open it during this time. However, we will be careful that no draft enters through the window.
As for the light that the chameleon needs, it can only receive morning light or the light that continues to shine during the evening. The chameleon is sensitive to high temperatures, and land chameleons in particular will need a special terrarium that does not receive direct sunlight. In summer, therefore, the terrarium should be outdoors.
Each of the different types of chameleons will need a specific environment. Thus, the veiled chameleon should live in a habitat with a temperature of 26 to 35º and a humidity of 50%, while the Jackson chameleon will need a temperature of 21 to 29ºC and a humidity of 50 to 80%. The panther chameleon, on the other hand, will need a temperature of 24 to 35ºC and a humidity of 60 to 85%.
While in the morning these small animals will need a temperature of 25 to 26 degrees, at night they will particularly benefit from the cold, approximately 5 to 6 degrees.
Because this small animal needs a lot of ventilation, glass cages are not at all suitable for it. The habitat requirements of this small reptile make us completely rule out an aquarium. However, don’t worry: it is not true that caring for a chameleon is necessarily difficult, but it is essential to take great care, especially with regard to its habitat and therefore temperature and humidity.
The lights in our house will remain off during the night, and if the temperature is at least 18ºC we will not need to turn on the heating.
Remember that these small reptiles will need a lot of humidity, and it is a good idea to pour a little water two or three times a day around the cage and on the plants.
We can keep the chameleon in a terrarium. The requirements are basic: it will need sufficient lighting and it will get this with a fluorescent lamp. This terrarium should be higher than it is wide, otherwise the animal could suffer from anxiety. Although wire mesh is ideal, we can also cover the cage with mosquito netting, with a large hole, or even nylon.
The chameleon needs ventilation and humidity
Regarding this grid, keep in mind that the larger the grid, the lower the humidity, and remember that almost all ground chameleons need 100% humidity at night and 70-100% during the day. Therefore, this particular animal will need a small ventilation opening.
Tips and Suggestions
A person who has a chameleon as a pet also needs to know and take other basic care measures. We will keep it as far away as possible from red and white colors, because they can stress it enormously. No joke: since it cannot metabolize the color red, being exposed to it could lead to death.
We, for our part, must have the permits to care for an exotic animal as a domestic animal, since it is an imported animal.
If we have more than one chameleon at home, it is preferable to have each one in a different place since they are very territorial animals that could fight each other. They should only be in contact with another chameleon for mating because otherwise they could act aggressively towards the other animal and also towards their owner. This happens due to stress.
Before bringing the chameleon into our home, it is preferable to know where it comes from as well as to make sure that it is in perfect health. To confirm that its health is adequate, its eyes will be positioned slightly outwards, visibly, instead of sunken.
Mountain chameleons need a temperature at night that will never be found in an apartment, so if we live in an apartment it would be unrealistic to think of having one as a pet. Its natural habitat is 5 to 10ºC at night, and during the day it does not exceed 25ºC while our night temperatures can be higher than 20ºC. The habitats are completely incompatible, so the animals could not survive.