You said..."Hi, my name is Sameer. And I am from India. Recently I got a small chameleon from wild forest near my place. According to me it is Indian chamaeleo Zeylanicus but experts on this forum would know better. I don't know much about chameleons. Can someone help me with my queries. As of now I have fixed up his cage and I am feeding him 7-8 mealworms daily. I do look video on youtube for help but It would be great if someone who is familiar to this species can help.
I am putting down my queries one by one please have look at it.
First of all I am not sure whether it is male or female. Also it appears to me smaller in size, so I am assuming that he might be young.
On first day I tried serving him red and black roaches and superworms but he didn't eat any. He kept staring at them. He was not eating anything by himself, I had to hand fed him in his mouth. When I use to do that he was eating quickly. He has been drinking quite a good amount of water which is sprinkled on the plants. So I am assuming that Super worms and roaches are too large for him to eat. But not sure what could be the reason for not eating. He eat lots of Mealworms though, but are they good for his health and how much should I feed him.
Apart from his food habits, he stays active whole day though little slow and conscious with his moves but he sleeps at 7pm and wakes up in the early morning whenever I put on the lights. So is it a good sign or is he sleeping too much?
Also few years ago it was difficult to get insect food for pet reptiles in India since it was banned by government, but things have changed. As of now I get good amount of superworms, mealsworms and red roaches. So what should I feed him daily? I need help with respect to his diet and supplement.
I am attaching few photos of him. Can someone please have a look and tell me everything possible about this breed, his health, approximate age and gender etc.
Awaiting for your reply.
Thanks in advance."...
I just noticed your post above in someone else's thread and in another thread that you asked about zeylanicus chameleons...
When someone hijacks another person's thread people often get ignored. I'm assuming you don't know how to start your own thread...so I started this one for you.
Welcome to the forum!
I'm not sure if you're allowed to keep the chameleon in captivity. It would likely be best to leave it in the wild but here's some information you will need to help it survive.
Regarding feeding it mealworms. They are not a good choice.
They need exposure to UVB or sunlight so they can produce vitamin D3 so it can use the calcium in its system.
If you need it captive bred insects such as crickets, superworms, wax worms, roaches they will need to be supplemented with phosphorous-free calciumat each feeding and an appropriate vitamin powder (I use one with a beta carotene source of vitamin A) twice a month and if kept inside phosphorous free calcium/D3 powder twice a month. You also need to feed/gutload the insects properly. I use a wide assortment of greens (dandelion greens, kale, endive, collards, escarole, etc) and veggies (carrots, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, squash, etc) and a little fruit (Apple, pear, berries, melon). The insects do need to be of a size that will fit easily into the chameleon's mouth. Not sure why but wouldn't eat the roaches or superworms but would eat mealworms. Is it eating now?
I leave the lights on 12 hours a day...but you should be able to have them on from dawn to dusk since the chameleon is from that area.
I have to go back to look at the photos tomtell the sex, etc.
Hope this helps.
BTW to start your own thread go to the forums page and select the appropriate forum and click on it. You should see s button that says "post new thread". Click on it and you should be able to start your own threads then.
I am putting down my queries one by one please have look at it.
First of all I am not sure whether it is male or female. Also it appears to me smaller in size, so I am assuming that he might be young.
On first day I tried serving him red and black roaches and superworms but he didn't eat any. He kept staring at them. He was not eating anything by himself, I had to hand fed him in his mouth. When I use to do that he was eating quickly. He has been drinking quite a good amount of water which is sprinkled on the plants. So I am assuming that Super worms and roaches are too large for him to eat. But not sure what could be the reason for not eating. He eat lots of Mealworms though, but are they good for his health and how much should I feed him.
Apart from his food habits, he stays active whole day though little slow and conscious with his moves but he sleeps at 7pm and wakes up in the early morning whenever I put on the lights. So is it a good sign or is he sleeping too much?
Also few years ago it was difficult to get insect food for pet reptiles in India since it was banned by government, but things have changed. As of now I get good amount of superworms, mealsworms and red roaches. So what should I feed him daily? I need help with respect to his diet and supplement.
I am attaching few photos of him. Can someone please have a look and tell me everything possible about this breed, his health, approximate age and gender etc.
Awaiting for your reply.
Thanks in advance."...
I just noticed your post above in someone else's thread and in another thread that you asked about zeylanicus chameleons...
When someone hijacks another person's thread people often get ignored. I'm assuming you don't know how to start your own thread...so I started this one for you.
Welcome to the forum!
I'm not sure if you're allowed to keep the chameleon in captivity. It would likely be best to leave it in the wild but here's some information you will need to help it survive.
Regarding feeding it mealworms. They are not a good choice.
They need exposure to UVB or sunlight so they can produce vitamin D3 so it can use the calcium in its system.
If you need it captive bred insects such as crickets, superworms, wax worms, roaches they will need to be supplemented with phosphorous-free calciumat each feeding and an appropriate vitamin powder (I use one with a beta carotene source of vitamin A) twice a month and if kept inside phosphorous free calcium/D3 powder twice a month. You also need to feed/gutload the insects properly. I use a wide assortment of greens (dandelion greens, kale, endive, collards, escarole, etc) and veggies (carrots, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, squash, etc) and a little fruit (Apple, pear, berries, melon). The insects do need to be of a size that will fit easily into the chameleon's mouth. Not sure why but wouldn't eat the roaches or superworms but would eat mealworms. Is it eating now?
I leave the lights on 12 hours a day...but you should be able to have them on from dawn to dusk since the chameleon is from that area.
I have to go back to look at the photos tomtell the sex, etc.
Hope this helps.
BTW to start your own thread go to the forums page and select the appropriate forum and click on it. You should see s button that says "post new thread". Click on it and you should be able to start your own threads then.
