Chameleon Books

Books about chameleons are appearing with amazing frequency. I’ve been collecting chameleon books for nearly 20 years and have some firm favourites.

It will come as no surprise that the books vary greatly in quality. Some chameleon books are excellent, while others are out of date or even contain incorrect information.

I started keeping chameleons in the UK when the hobby was still new. My first attempt at keeping a chameleon was with an unfortunate European chameleon bought from a local pet shop in Portsmouth several decades ago. At that time no one had been successful in keeping these amazing creatures alive more than a few months. There was no literature and no Internet.

The pet shop advised me to keep it in a glass aquarium with a tight-fitting lid. Add lots of moss, they said, to keep the humidity high. They added that I should stick in a water bowl and feed it on flies. Poor old Goggles lasted about a month. In hindsight, I’m surprised he survived the pet shop!

Information Galore!

Nowadays, of course, the situation is very different. Amazon is awash with chameleon books. Having now successfully kept chameleons in South Africa and Malaysia, one thing that stands out in many books is that they are limited in the information they provide.

There is an assumption that anyone reading the books must live in either Europe or the northern part of the US. Given that this is where the majority of keepers live, this is understandable but still unfortunate.

Not all books are as narrowly focused. And some that are aimed at keepers in temperate zones have excellent information that is valuable no matter where you live.

The following gallery shows some of the books I have read – and reread. And in a couple of cases, read to the point that they have needed replacing.

Conscious of the gap in chameleon books for people living outside of temperate regions, I have written two books that cater for beginners and more experienced keepers. The design is deliberately broad enough to help people, no matter where they live.  Click the links for information:

Beginners Guide to Exotic Chameleons

Exotic Chameleons in South Africa – their care and breeding