You are right-it is the Mellers forum!
Mine has a basking lamp-it is quite a ways above the cage and just provides light and raises the room temp a little, and I do notice that he will sit under it. Sometimes when I want to guage the temps over a period of time I throw the digital thermometer, cord probe and all in there on the tub floor-he loves hanging out on the probe cord! I now see him eat more in front of me, and today I introduced a little bigger crickets and I think that worked out well. I think it will be at least a month until he goes into a big boy cage. I just looked back and noticed that Fisher was in the tub for 4 months! Pat looks great!

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Julirs http://www.julirschameleons.com 2.2.50+ Veiled 1.1 Oustalet 1.2 Nosy Be 5.3.3 Pygmelions 1.0 Fischers 0.0.1 Mellers 0.1 Ambilobe 0.1 Side-Striped

Juli, I think Mike is holding one for me until he/she is older. I'm getting mine in about a month and a half to two months. Would he/she still be tubbed by then? Also, what makes tubbing a baby Melleri a better option?

I got three from Mike that are all living together in a small screen cage. At the size I got them, two weeks ago, they were already eating 2 week crickets which are too large to escape from the screen cage. I've been leaving them outside 24/7 and they all seem to grow visibly larger daily which is just astonishing to see. When I left for work yesterday morning one of them had started shedding. When I got home all three had shed with just a few remnants of old skin on their heads. I'm sure by the time you get a 2-3 month old it'll be plenty large enough for an appropriate sized screen cage.

I see-I just meant that when you get it, it will be the same age as mine will be then.

If you read the other Mellers post, Kristina and Summoner ended up first putting theirs in cages, then went back to tubbing in order to give them a better start. Kristina's were losing weight, and Mike suggested to try raising them as he did, in tubs. Summoner has an excellent tub set-up, he has pictures in this thread. I still see mine in a tub for another month. I guess it all depends on how big he gets. Fisher was in the tub for 4 months!

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Julirs http://www.julirschameleons.com 2.2.50+ Veiled 1.1 Oustalet 1.2 Nosy Be 5.3.3 Pygmelions 1.0 Fischers 0.0.1 Mellers 0.1 Ambilobe 0.1 Side-Striped

Thanks Julirs!

About the heat lamp, what temp are you getting at his basking spot? I had a 50w and put the probe under it where Pat might sit and it was reading 86ish. He seemed to really like it, he was sitting just off to the side of where the probe was. He then took an interest in the probe and started to make his way out of the tub lol. Once he saw my hand reaching in he made a U turn. So I placed a 25w lamp into his fixture and its now about 82.5 degrees. The other side of his cage is 77 degrees.

I did see him eat a cricket just after I shewed him off the probe cord. Second time I've ever seen him eat.

How hot does it get outside by you? Can they tolerate socal temps? It's gotten pretty warm where I live. I could put him outside in his screen cage.... but the heat would worry me to death.

Thanks Kent, Juli and Summoner! I did see the other thread, I just wondered why tubbing was better for Meller's in particular. I did talk with Kristina a little bit and she mentioned that I aught to just talk to Mike about exactly how he is housing them at the time that I get mine. She didn't really elaborate as to why tubbing is a better option when I spoke with her.

How large exactly is a three month old Meller's? I'm just picturing my teeny little 3 month old veileds and panther of the past!

I think it hits right around 80.

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Julirs http://www.julirschameleons.com 2.2.50+ Veiled 1.1 Oustalet 1.2 Nosy Be 5.3.3 Pygmelions 1.0 Fischers 0.0.1 Mellers 0.1 Ambilobe 0.1 Side-Striped

Well, I'm only 4 blocks from the water so it's been much more mild (and humid) for me. Probably only 80 degrees or so at the warmest so far, but these guys have been in direct sunlight in it though I usually shade them under a tree. Oh, and speaking of humidity....I've had all the critters outside 24/7 for the last couple of weeks. The last three or so nights have been so humid, there are still water droplets hanging from the top of my cages in the morning, left over from the last misting session 14 hours prior.

Kat, I've always used tubs for babies that require tiny food that can escape through screen. I'm kinda curious how big a 3 month old is myself too. These we have now must be what, about 6 weeks? At the rate mine are growing, I could see them being 5-6 inches in another 6 weeks.

You know, I don't think I've ever had a chameleon under three months of age. So that is probably why I never knew about the tubbing thing and thought it was unusual. Mystery solved!