Chameleons are one of the most popular exotic pets. They are loved for their easy tameness, unusual behavior and, of course, their ability to change color. For the successful keeping of a chameleon in the house, it is important to create the necessary conditions.
Terrarium
Chameleon care begins with setting up a terrarium. You need to keep the pet in conditions as close as possible to its natural habitat. The vertical terrarium should have a volume of 200 liters or more. To maintain the required temperature (from 28 to 30 ° C) and humidity (at least 70%), the terrarium must be equipped with an air humidifier and heaters. In addition, the chameleon needs dosed ultraviolet radiation. Therefore, the terrarium must be equipped with a UV lamp.
The most popular types of chameleons suitable for home keeping are common, leopard and Yemeni chameleons.
At all levels within the enclosure, place branches slightly thicker than the circumference of the chameleon's foot. It is advisable to make gardening of the tarrarium. For this, plants such as ficus, lemon, hibiscus, coffee tree are suitable. If you are caring for a Yemeni chameleon, keep in mind that, unlike other species, a significant part of its diet consists of plant foods. Plants with succulent fleshy leaves such as Tradescantia or Kalanchoe are preferred.
In order for the chameleon's house to be well ventilated, it is desirable that one of its walls is made of a stretched non-metallic mesh. It is recommended that the terrarium be thoroughly cleaned once every two weeks.
Feeding
The chameleon should be fed with mealworms, flies, zoophobes, crickets, locusts. Large species can eat lizards and small mammals. You can add slices of citrus fruits, grapes, bananas to the diet.
The average length of a chameleon is 25-30 cm. The largest species grow up to 50 cm, the smallest ones - up to 5 cm.
Young individuals are fed twice a day in large portions - the chameleon himself will determine the amount of food he needs. Adult chameleons should be fed 3-4 times a week, spreading out the food for them with tweezers. You can also serve insects in a feeder, which is a regular glass or plastic jar.
Chameleons drink a lot. In nature, they collect water droplets from leaves. Therefore, several times a day, plants in the terrarium should be sprayed with water from a spray bottle. You can also put in a little effort and teach your pet to drink from a pipette, or install a drip in the terrarium that is adjusted to deliver a few dozen drops per hour. It is important to keep water in the cage at all times. So the animal will be able to receive all the moisture it needs.
