Mom... I want a chameleon like Rango! 2026

“Mom, I want a chameleon…!” With the premiere of Rango on March 4, many parents are going to hear that phrase from their children. We have already gone through owls called Hedwig and Nemo fish. Now comes Rango, a very friendly chameleon with an identity crisis and looking for friends.

Is the chameleon a good pet for children?

It must be remembered that before purchasing an animal, you must be sure that it is not just another toy to use and leave as you please, and if you purchase it, you must be responsible for not abandoning it at the first opportunity, especially reptiles such as lizards and chameleons, since they are animals that require a lot of care and attention and are not suitable for small children or very busy people who cannot dedicate much time to them.

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Since we are talking about the Rango chameleon, we take the opportunity to talk to parents interested in having a small reptile for their children, whether for the movie or simply for their own pleasure, about some of the special care that these animals need.

What care does a chameleon need?

Chameleons, unlike other reptiles, need constant airflow, so the best housing for them is a terrarium. It is best to have one for when they are little and another for when they are big. But accommodation is not just the terrarium, you must find the right plants, light, substrate...

Small reptiles spend most of their time hiding in branches, so they must be provided with branches of different thicknesses to exercise their legs, as well as plants with enough leaves to give them the opportunity to drink from them. Along with food, it is the most important chapter when it comes to keeping chameleons in captivity.

There is nothing like natural light from the Sun, no light, no matter how good it may be, can ever resemble this, so if there is the opportunity to expose the chameleon to the Sun, remember that it must be direct without passing through any glass and putting a shaded area for the animal to choose from, but if you cannot do this, the chameleons need light to provide heat and light, a source of UVB radiation for the metabolism of vitamin D3.

Never put a chameleon in its terrarium without first checking the temperature, you can give it too much heat or “leave it cold.” Remember that chameleons cannot regulate their temperature by themselves but rather depend on the outside temperature to do so. Do not place a heat source too close to the animal, it, especially when it is small, does not detect temperatures that are too high and can burn.

Chameleons do not drink stagnant water like other reptiles do, they need to see moving water to drink, that is why we cannot put a pot of water for them to drink. They also need live food, they do not accept dead food, as other reptiles do. Its diet is basically insectivorous, although occasionally some species accept fruits and vegetables. There is a wide variety of food intended for feeding chameleons: crickets, cockroaches, silkworms, lobsters, etc.

Taking into account all the proper requirements for keeping a chameleon, it is recommended to convince the child to prefer having a dog, bird or hamster instead of a chameleon and keep Rango on the big screen, where he really belongs.