I have been looking for info about them on the net I havent found much. Are chameleon's a good idea for my first lizard? D

I wouldn't recomend a cham as a first lizard, two main reasons, they are generally an aggressive lizard and they are not very forgiving to mistakes in husbandry ie temps, humidity, ventilation etc...

The two lizard I would recomend are leopard geckos and bearded dragons, both good starter lizards....take a look at the care sheet section on this site.

Hope this helps

__________________
I'll think of something to put here soon.......

Chameleons are expensive, labor intensive and hard to keep alive. They are generally for someone who is very experienced. They are also not a lizard you can hold

I started with one, before I knew better, and did everything by the book. I spent hours and hours doing research on caring for my chameleon. It also took about an hour each day to do all the stuff needed to care for him. One Sunday morning he got sick and died while he was being examined by the vet a couple of hours later. In total he lived about 5 months. No, I don't recommend one as a first reptile.

__________________
0.1.0 Bearded Dragon (Dundee)
1.0.0 Chow/mix Dog (Simba)
1.0.0 Russian Hamster (Bear)
1.1.0 Parakeets (Little Tweet and Feathers)
0.1.0 Long hair gray calico cat (Opal)
0.0.3 Red-eared slider turtles (Mommy, Daddy, Robbie)
0.0.16 Fishy Friends - misc. tropical fish

Besides what has been said, chameleons are not handable, some will tolerate it, but they dont like it, they are a solitary animal that doesnt really like any interaction at all.

I tell you mine is a real grump

The reason I would never recommend one or have one myself is that they are so easily stressed besides all the other very strict housing requirements, and you cant handle them!

Definitly not a beginers lizard!

__________________
Love Always,
Audrey

Owned By,

1.0.0 Iguana Iguana -Louie
0.0.1 Avicularia avicularia (pink toe Trantula)-Muffy
0.1.0 Ceratophrys ornata (Pac Man Frog)-Sparticus
1.0.0 Albino Rat -conspericy
0.1.0 Betta-Alphie
0.0.1 Apple snail- Mr. Bubbles
1.1.0 Mutt puppy's- Socks & Meeko
1.0.0 fieance-Brett

well, personally, I think chams are great pets to keep. My first lizard was a vaeiled cham, and he was kinda neglected, and very vicous. I built a new cage for him, got him looking really nice, and with daily handling, he is really quite tame now. Chams took my fancy, as they were really interesting, and really beautiful. I started collecting the montane species. These are great, as they need a low temp, but a lot of spraying. If you have a ventilated cage, and live plant, branches and other voliage, spray them twice per day, and feed them every day with an ample amount of circkets, they are great. Omly real other requirments are a basking lamp, and a source of UV. And, not over handling,a s they do get stressed, but if you rear them from young, they are perfectly tollerant. I posted some pics of my chams, as you can see in the other posts below.
Cheers,
Ian

__________________
www.mantis-inc.co.uk

Chams are great animals.
To look at.
However I would also not recomend them to some one with no experience at keeping reptiles.
Gotta learn to walk before you can run.

__________________
Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

all of the caresheets i've read, people I have talked to, and things I have heard have all pointed me towards the fact that chams are NOT a "great beginner lizard" whatsoever! I wouldn't attempt it myself just yet and certainly someone who has never had a lizard before shouldn't try it.

Your best bet is with a leopard gecko or a bearded dragon, they both make fantastic pets and can become quite tolerant of handling. My first lizard was a leo, and they are one of the easiest herps to keep IMO. Just great lizards to have

Good luck!

__________________
-Adam

"Help Protect our Planet from Overcollection, Purchase Aquacultured Livestock and Captive Bred Herps"

yeah, I will agree, Leopard Geckos are by far the best herp to keep. But still, chams are not as hard to keep as they are made out to be. Everday watering, minimal handling and a constant supply of UV is all they need, and as a second of third herp, I can highly reccomend them.
Cheers,
Ian

__________________
www.mantis-inc.co.uk

I have a veiled as well, I don't find her hard to care for at all, and she likes being out with my husband and I. Like Ian said, all you really need to keep them happy is uv, heat lamp, lots of places for them to climb and hide, sprayed a few times a day and crickets. I know I got lucky and got one that loves being out with us, but they can be very aggresive, especially males, as I have been bitten before by a friends.

__________________
__________________________
0.0.1 White Spotted Gecko (Worf)
0.1.0 Golden Gecko (Apple)
0.1.0 Veiled Chameleon (Nala)
1.0.0 Leopard Gecko (Ryu)
1.0.0 Mali Uromastyx (George)
0.0.1 Crested Gecko (Rolo)