Let's see pics of your older chams (5+ years)

I don't know if a thread like this has been done lately. A forum search engine search didn't bring up any similar subject threads, so here goes.

Let's see pictures of your older (geriatric :p) chameleons.

Reason is: one of the questions we get asked most often is how long do chameleons live.

Our longest living chameleon was Guido, our first chameleon, a male veiled who passed away at the age of 8. But we still have Pegasus, a male panther, from Kammerflage Kreation's Bilbo line. We acquired him up here in Washington State from a Craigslist ad, of all things, in 2007. He has been in our care since. We believe he hatched in 2006. He is a cross morph (Nosy Be/Ambanja), so I think we only ever bred him 1 time.

Guido in his prime:
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Old Guido, age 7 years:
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Pegasus, when we first got him in 2007:
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Pegasus today after his personal shower, age 6 years. As he aged red dots appeared:
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Both Guido and Pegasus required personal showers to stay hydrated and also a bit of handfeeding. Pegasus will still eat and drink on his own but barely enough to sustain himself. He is still very active, climbing about daily and likes to be placed where he can ogle the ladies. He also still comes forward and reaches out to be held and coddled.
 
Nice thread Sandy. I just saw this. Your Guido looked allot like my Luie. I'll post my oldest guys.


Vega younger

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Vega as a little old man (around 8) Vega passed away a couple of years ago.

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Mufasa younger

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Mufasa now (over 6)

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Luie as a young man

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Luie just shy of 5 years old

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Gimlie

Gimlie around two years old:
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Older, around six years old (he became more orange as he aged):
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Currently seven (and not long left in him I'm afraid - like pegasus, lots of hand watering and feeding now):
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More photos of Gimlie: https://www.chameleonforums.com/panther-thru-years-75909/

This is Simon at around 4 years old:
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Simon at seven (also like Pegasus, Simon gained red spots as he aged too):
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Great pics! It is interesting how their colors seem to "ripen" and continue to improve with age. Also, for my guys, and I think others' as well, the bonding becomes more significant as they age and they want to be held more. Most of my older panther males, even the 2-3 year olds, will actually reach out for me when I come to their cages. The veiled males have been that way, too, but only if I have raised them from juveniles. If I purchased the veileds when they were already a year old the bond is never as personal.
 
Since females don't live as long, what age would you consider them to be 'old ladies'? My dear old Tommy reached 4 years old, but he had a tough life of being passed around and would probably lived a lot longer had he lived in a good forever home from the start. Amy is 3 years old now.
 
oldies but goodies! Every one of them! Jann, I think Mufasa looks better now! His colors are amazing!
 
What a lovely thread.

I hope I can post Simba on here one day.

Only just over a year now, so a while to wait LOL!
 
What an epic thread! So interesting to see more colors filling in when they've past their 1.5 year mark. It seems Chams never stop changing and developing new colors, and that's why I started collecting them in the first place. :D Just looking at these majestic old chams makes me hope one day I can post my own pics in threads like these.. My oldest cham is just reaching the 1.5 year mark lol
 
Jannb - your animals are amazing!

Gesang - yours too! and I agree, they seem less fearful, more trusting, more friendly as they age. Even Gimlie, who was always tolerant, seems more friendly now. One of my females used to plot my death, but in old age she started to be quite agreeable.
 
Since females don't live as long, what age would you consider them to be 'old ladies'? My dear old Tommy reached 4 years old, but he had a tough life of being passed around and would probably lived a lot longer had he lived in a good forever home from the start. Amy is 3 years old now.

I am so sorry you lost Amy so soon after posting this. I think getting a chameleon girl to age 3 is definitely an accomplishment that far surpasses what many keepers have experienced with their females.
 
I am so sorry you lost Amy so soon after posting this. I think getting a chameleon girl to age 3 is definitely an accomplishment that far surpasses what many keepers have experienced with their females.

Thank you so much! She had no problems at all until January this year when she had a bout of Pneumonia, and things gradually went downhill from there. I am so happy that she had 3 wonderful years with me though, its just a shame it couldn't have been more.
 
Geriatric Veiled, a Rescue at Least 8 Years Old

I have a veiled, a rescue we adopted 7 1/2 years ago, so he is at least 8 years old. He is still bright and feisty, but his tongue goes out about an inch, and we have to hand feed him or put food in a white porcelain bowl so he can see them and catch them. We also supplement his water by giving him sips a couple of times a day from a small pitcher made for olive oil. He seems to enjoy roving around his cage, hunting for crickets who escaped the bowl. and he is still shedding regularly and showing his colors when he gets surprised. He is not as spunky as he was when he was younger, but who is??? He occasionally loses his grip on his branch, especially at night when he is asleep, and falls, so we have gradually removed rock formations and such from the cage so he won't hurt himself, and upped the bark in the bottom of the cage for cushion. The only recent picture I have of him is high rez, and I was not able to get it small enough to upload it with any decent picture quality, but I can tell you he looks like my grandfather: old and wrinkled and skinny, but he still has plenty of spunk.

He has developed a very sweet habit in his old age. We keep his environment at what is supposed to be ideal temps, but I think in the morning when his infrared heat lamp kicks off, and the basking light and UV lamp click on, he might be a little chilly as he is now somewhat slow to wake up and move to his basking lamp side of the cage. When I come in to see him in the AM, if I put my hand against the side of the screen cage, he creeps up the branch and presses against the warmth of my hand, and stares at me pointedly until I mist him with some warm water and give him a sip or two from his little water pitcher. He will tolerate, but does not like to be touched directly, but seems to appreciate the radiant heat from my palm.
 
Khumbu, aka: NOOGIEMONSTER!!!!!

This was him a couple months before his 9th birfday. Lost him last September... he was a little over 9. I miss him.

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