Many people want to get chameleons as pets but not sure how hard are they to take care of. These animals are super cool to have around because of how they look and the things they can do.
Many years ago, this got me very tempted in getting one myself but I don’t know if they are going to be hard to take care of. So, I decided to do some research online, and here is the answer I’ve found.
Chameleons are pretty hard to take care of. They need very specific living conditions and the proper enclosure setup to live healthily. If not, they can easily get sick.
As you can see, chameleons are not the easiest pets to take care of. There are many things you need to do research on before you get a chameleon. Read on to find out exactly why chameleons are so hard to take care of.
6 Reasons Why Chameleons Are Hard to Take Care of
There are 6 main reasons why chameleons are hard to take care of. They are the same reasons as to why chameleons are not a beginner level pet.
When you get a chameleon as a pet, you should be ready to spend time, money, and put in a decent amount of effort. This is especially true when you first got your chameleon as there will be many things to buy and setup.
Without further ado, here are 6 reasons why chameleons are hard to take care of.
1. Chameleons Can Get Sick Easily
Chameleons need very specific requirements and if those requirements are not met close to perfection, they can easily get sick. On top of that, they also tend to hide their illness from you when they are sick.
It might be quite a while before you notice that your chameleon is sick. Because of this, you might need to visit the vet more often than you might like and that can cost quite a lot.
2. A Lot of Attention Needed
As I’ve said, chameleons tend to hide their illness very well when they get sick. Despite that, you can still spot that your chameleon is sick if you pay close attention to it daily.
Some things you can pay attention to are things such as their personality, movements, how they eat, how much they eat, what appears on their bodies, etc.
Without paying close to your chameleon daily, it can be very hard to spot when something unusual is going on with your chameleon.
3. Proper Enclosure Setup
Having the proper enclosure setup can be quite complicated if you have never owned any reptiles before. Chameleons have very specific living conditions that need to be met.
They need proper lighting, heat, space, and humidity. Getting any one of these wrong can cause your chameleon to be sick, even if it’s just slightly off.
However, some chameleons such as the panther and the veiled chameleons, are a little less sensitive. Despite that, they can still get sick easily if their enclosure is not properly set up with the needed equipment.
4. Chameleons Are Sensitive Creatures
This applies to their surroundings and the food they eat. Captive chameleons tend to follow a certain routine be it feeding or misting frequency.
On top of that, the water you mist your chameleon with can’t be too cold or too hot, this can stress your chameleons out. Moreover, you also need to take care of the insects that you feed your chameleon.
You don’t want your chameleon eating bad insects that aren’t properly fed. This could lead to your chameleon getting an upset stomach.
However, the thing chameleons are most sensitive to is the change in the environment such as humidity and temperature. These two things can very easily make your chameleon sick if you don’t get them right.
If the heat source in your chameleon enclosure stops working or breaks down, there is really no grace period, you need to replace it immediately.
This is why chameleons are so much harder to take care of compared to other reptiles which are more forgiving. Make sure to always have backup lights ready just in case.
5. Chameleons Usually Aren’t Friendly
When it comes to getting a pet, people usually want a companion with who they can share memories. I am afraid this is not likely going to be the case for chameleons.
Chameleons are solitary animals, which means they like to be alone. Hence, most of them are not very friendly at all.
However, different chameleons will have different personalities. If you are lucky, you might just get a chameleon that is friendly and likes to socialize but that’s rare.
6. A LOT of Research Needs to Be Done
Chameleons are not simple animals to take care of. This is probably the hardest part of all as there are so many things you need to research before you get your chameleon. If not, it will get sick very quickly right after you bring it home.
Don’t be like most people that buy chameleons on impulse because of how cool they are and the things they can do.
You should have already done all your research about the proper enclosure setup, diet, and etc. before you go and buy your chameleon.
Difficulty of Taking Care of A Chameleon: 6/10
To be honest, chameleons are not super hard to take care of as long as you have everything set up properly. However, is it also not a beginner’s pet choice too… they are kind of in the middle.
There are many things that you must get perfect if you want your chameleon to stay happy and healthy. After you’ve set up everything the way they should, all you need is about 10 to 20 minutes for your chameleon every day.
If you are living in an area where it’s extremely cold all the time, it will be much more challenging. The colder it is, the harder it will be to keep your chameleon’s enclosure temperature up to where it should be.
In that case, you need to be a little more creative and do things differently. You might need to get some heating pads and put it around a glass enclosure to retain as much heat as possible.
You shouldn’t be using a wire mesh cage if you are living somewhere that is cold all the time. Wire mesh cage doesn’t retain heat well because of the amount of airflow it has.
Using a wire mesh cage will make your already difficult job of taking care of your chameleon 10 times harder.
Reptile Choices That Are Easier than Chameleons
Most reptiles are pretty hard to take care of compared to mammals since reptiles are cold-blooded. However, some reptiles are easier to take care of compared to others.
If you think chameleons are way too hard for you, there are many others you can choose from.
Reptiles such as bearded dragon and leopard gecko are a tad bit easier and are considered beginner reptile pets. Just like the chameleons, you will still need to do a lot of research since they are reptiles after all.
Here is a great video showing you the top 5 beginner reptile pets you can get:
Conclusion
Chameleons are quite hard to take care of, they are not considered a beginner reptile pet. There are many reasons why chameleons are hard to take care of.
However, one of the biggest reasons is that they need very specific requirements, and if you can’t provide what they need all the time, they can easily get sick.
Even though chameleons aren’t a beginners’ pet, you don’t need to be an expert to own one.
If chameleons seem too challenging for you, there are other reptiles you can get that are more beginner-friendly.
