Chameleons may not physically be as big as dogs or cats, but once you have a one, or worse yet more than one you begin to realize that they can cost almost as much, if not more at times! While they do not require regular vaccinations or obedience classes, they do need fresh food daily, a fairly sizeable amount of equipment initially, replacement specialty light bulbs, a constant supply of living plants (because the first two you bought might not make it!) and... get ready... very pricey vet visits! Often the vet visits are checkups, occasionally they are to double check that something odd is nothing serious, and unfortunately, sometimes when something is truly wrong. It is always best to be as prepared as possible.

Always remember that expenses will expand far beyond the costs of initial equipment. With time you may invest in new or updated watering systems, new enclosures, and so on.

This overview is extremely general, but it should give new keepers or people who haven't kept chameleons in a while an idea of what to expect. Again, different species of chameleons have vastly different requirements (and this not apply in any way to smaller ground dwelling species, who have completely different requirements)

These prices are very general estimates, in United States dollars. Reptile supplies in other countries tend to be more expensive, but you can use a general currency converter to check what these prices are in other currencies.