how much does it cost to keep a veiled cham for one year. bcuz i read that it cost like 400bucks a year to keep one and that just doesnt sound right. if anyone has experience with veileds and knows the cost please let me know.
veiled cham cost per year
- Thread starter austinpetemo
- Start date
$400 a year? That seems a lot for me.But they need a well diet. Just do a lot of research,but maybe on the food and lighting.
My veiled chameleon is 4 years old. He is a geriatric chameleon and is showing his age. I bought him and 2 others when they were 2 mos old. Most chameleons only live for about 3 years. One of the other two escaped from its enclosure and died an untimely death and the other one died during the past year from old age. It is possible to spend $400 a year on upkeep for them. When you consider that a vieled chameleon can easily eat a dozen crickets a day and if you buy your crickets from a pet store they would cost around a dollar, you also have to dust the crickets with calcium powder before you feed them and that is a must, I didn't think mine needed to be dusted before feeding because my chameleons looked so healthy and were growing so fast, wrong, I ended up having to take the chameleons to the vet for calcium shots, so if you get a chameleon don't make that mistake. You need to gut load your crickets before you feed them and most pet stores sell that also. They require 2 lights, one full spectrum and a basking light and you need to replace the bulb in the full spectrum every year for it to be effective. I started them out in a 20 gallon high tank with a live plant and screen cover, as they grew I bought a medium sized screen enclosure and by the time they were adults I had to purchase a large screen enclosure. I bought my crickets by the thousand to save money and kept them in a 10 gallon tank with a screen top and fed them the gel food that they sell at petsmart. A thousand crickets lasted approximately a month. Another thing that you need to be aware of is that chameleons will not drink from a bowl so you need to either mist your plants a couple of times a day or you can do like I did and put an ice cube on top of their enclosure so that as it melts it drips onto the plant leaves. I would suggest checking out reptile shows before purchasing one, you will probably get a lot more info on their care and have a contact person to call if you need help if you buy from someone who raises their own chameleons. They are a 3 to 4 year committment so think carefully before you purchase. I don't think I will get another one, but I will have to say they were some of the most interesting pets I have ever had and you do get attached to them. They do not like to be handled and they will bite you even at a very young age if you aren't careful how you handle them.
That actually sounds about right.400/12=$33.33 a monthHe'd eat alot in the beginning which would be about 5~6bucks a week ($20~24/mo), then equate in the electricity.. the figure might be even more than that depending on what size enclosure and bulb wattage + nightlight.
Good advice Pam. As unplesant as it may sound, you could try breeding dubia roaches for feeders. It take a little while to get a colony going but once you do you'll hardly ever have to buy crickets again.
http://www.blapticadubia.com/
http://www.blapticadubia.com/
Just remember to give your chameleon a varied diet. Don't just feed one type of food. And make sure you dust it with calcium and vitamin powder. Chams are very prone to calcium deficiency.