Chameleons 101

Name: Chameleon

Personality: Like being alone, are easily stressed.

Care: Creating the right environment for chameleons can be a challenge as they have very specific temperature and humidity requirements and trees are their natural habitat, according to About.com. Additionally, they need UV access (natural sunlight is ideal), plenty of privacy and a drip system or consistent mistings. (They don't drink water from a bowl.) A varied diet is best. Gut loading meal worms, crickets, wax worms and the like will help your chameleon get the proper nutrition.

Common Health Issues: Stress is a major problem for chameleons, but the right environment will help avoid this. In addition to proper temperature and humidity, be sure to keep the chameleon's cage clean, as diseases can spread quickly. Metabolic bone disease, parasites and respiratory problems are all common health issues for chameleons, according to Chameleon Crazy. Keeping a close eye on your chameleon and watching for any signs of distress (unusually sleepy, not eating) will help you detect problems before it's too late to treat them.

Training Tips: Some experts say that chameleons are better off with no direct human contact (or as little as possible), while others argue that, by handling your chameleon, you'll help it become less stressed at the sight of you, says Chameleons Online. Try not to force it to do anything it doesn't want to do. Hand-feeding foods it loves is a good way to build trust.

Best For: An advanced reptile enthusiast. Chameleons need a home with diligent owners who are willing to put in the research and work required to keep their pet healthy. Most chameleons will never become terribly friendly, so if you're looking for a pet that will be excited to see you and want to be held, this is not the right pet for you. Females live up to five years and males as long as eight, so this pet requires a fairly hefty commitment.

What Chameleon Owners Say: "The biggest challenge was that we got bad info from a sales rep at a pet store and thought she'd be easier to care for than she turned out to be," says Chicago native Kraig Smith and his wife, Pam, who brought home a veiled chameleon named Delia just over a year ago. The couple have, however, created an environment that is working. For example, Smith tells Paw Nation. "Glass aquariums don't work. We now have her in a mesh terrarium which she loves. The air moves freely throughout and she has a bunch of potted plants to move around. She's up to 10 or more large crickets per day, which means we're running out at least once a week to get crickets, super worms, etc."

Watching Delia eat, is actually part of the entertainment. "Veiled chameleons have awesome tongues -- 1.5 times the length of their bodies -- and it's great fun to watch them eat!" he says. Additionally, he says, "We've worked with her a lot to make her comfortable in our hands and around us. I get the feeling this is not natural for them because it took a long time for her to warm up to the people who feed and water her every day."

Tags: chameleon, chameleon care, ChameleonCare, lizard, pet chameleon, pet lizard, PetChameleon, PetLizard, reptile, small pet, SmallPet