Has the thought of raising your own chameleons had ever crossed your mind? Would you consider it? With their charming looks and appeal, surely this shouldn’t be as much as a wild idea as you’d think it would be!
Don’t worry, with the amount of proper care and love, you could look pass their creepy exteriors and focus on what makes them special. One of the most prominent traits that differentiates chameleons from the rest would be their colour changing abilities to blend into the background. This, clearly, can only be done if they are at their prime health and happiness.
So, in order to appreciate their prime traits and what makes them special, you should be able to make them happy and healthy. Read on through this article to find out the several tips on how to keep your chameleon healthy.
1. Understand Their Personalities and Traits
Before tailoring the right health routine for your chameleons, take time to understand their individual wants and needs. Uniforming every chameleons’ needs is an unwise move, as every individual would require different needs. Some chameleons are more social than others, while some chameleons would greatly oppose human contact due to their fragile nature.
On that note, most chameleons are sensitive to human touch – therefore, isolating themselves is a common move and is not usually a sign of sickness. A prominent sign of sickness, however, is a pale exterior and overall weakness. If you sense a worrying change in your animal companion, be sure to consult medical professionals immediately for help.
2. Designating Calm Living Spaces
Chameleons are very much prone to stress, so it is wise that you designate a living space that is far from the noise and hustle. It is also advised that you place your chameleons away from other pets – such as cats and dogs – to avoid conflict amongst species.
Furthermore, the size of the living spaces should be spacious enough for your animal companion to live and move around comfortably. The rule of thumb states that the ideal size of their living space should accommodate at least 3 times their body size – but it really depends on the breeder’s capabilities and circumstances. A spacious living space allows chameleons to move around and get some exercise, which would in return benefit their overall health.
Said living spaces should also shaded and far from direct weather harm. In the same time, they should have a healthy access to direct sunlight to suck up all the vitamins found in sun light.
3. Glass Cages
Though a chameleon’s cage can be constructed with different materials, breeders would strongly advise that you build their cages with glass. Glass is a material that allows good air ventilation and exposure to sunlight, that helps these chameleons to live comfortably and healthy.
In said cages, be sure to add some greenery, small climbing obstacles, and toys to keep them active and in good shape. These toys could also calm your animal companion down, and help them adjust to this new environment.
4. Feed
Another way to ensure that your chameleon receives the right amount of nutrients and vitamins to optimise their health is to feed them the right feed. Chameleons are relatively low maintenance when it comes their feed: breeders could feed them over-the-counter pellets or organic alternatives such as crickets, worms, spiders, and small insects. Some breeders might even invest in extra supplements to reach their maximum advised daily intake of vitamins. If you’re second guessing on what kind of feed you should be feeding your animal companion, don’t be afraid to consult medical professionals and do more prior research for advise.
5. Hydration
Just as any living species would, hydration and water supply is greatly needed for chameleons to maintain their overall health. There are multiple ways for them to get hydrated: some breeders would spray water in the greeneries they have installed in the cages where chameleons would “hunt” for hydration. This is done for recently migrated chameleons that may need to adjust from natural circumstances to caged life.
Another way to hydrate your animal companion is to install running water in their cages that mimics a real life waterfall. This medium could be purchased at your nearest pet shops, and it is also done for the sake of recently domesticated chameleons to adjust from wild life. These are just some tips you could consider, but providing a dish filled with water or installing a bottling feed should be sufficient.
6. Maintain Warmth
As most living creatures do, chameleons require warmth in order to live healthily and comfortably. To maintain the body heat, breeders could install a 60 watt lightbulb nearby their cages. When chameleons feel the coldness, they would find themselves gravitating towards the light source. Be sure to turn the lights on during night time, when it is the coldest – lighting it at daylight is unnecessary and could cause them stress.
7. Humidity Level of Cage
The ideal and healthy humidity level of your animal companion’s cage should reach about 50%. Anything above or below those levels is deemed unhealthy and could be at risk of fostering mosses and dangerous fungi. Breeders should underestimate this, and should take direct action to reach the ideal balance of their animal companion’s cage’s humidity levels.
8. Utilise Spraying Containers
One tool that breeders are advised to invest on is spraying containers. Breeders should fill said containers with fresh water and spray the greeneries planted in the cages. This is to both balance their humidity levels and hydrate their chameleons. Utilising a spray bottle allows gentle drips of water that is sanitised from harmful bacterias fostered in open areas.
9. Socialising
Chameleons, as any other pets do, require love and attention to grow healthily. Be sure that you dedicate enough time to socialise with your chameleons, and/or allow them to communicate with other chameleons too. There are multiple ways to do this, such as taking your animal companion out of the cage and let them absorb the natural sunlight for a good organic dose of vitamin D.
10. Sanitise Living Areas
Last, and most importantly, breeders should sanitise said living spaces as routinely as possible. This is to avoid the chances of dangerous bacterias and illnesses growing in their living spaces. You could purchase non toxic detergent to fully cleanse the area, or could scrub and rise the area thoroughly with clean water. As a financial savvy alternative, some breeders like to mix vinegar and baking soda with warm water to use as detergent.
Sanitising living spaces also includes replacing food dishes and sweeping out leftovers. The piled up junk found in their living spaces is the home of many harmful bacterias and diseases. Be sure that you deep cleanse the area 2-3 times a week to prevent your chameleons from catching diseases.
So there you have it, tips on how to keep your chameleon healthy. Note that these are just general tips, and as smart breeders, you should not generalise your animal companion with others. Every chameleon requires different needs, so more prior research and professional consultation is advised.