I have been thinking a lot lately about our mission to give our chameleons a long, healthy life. We have come far in our husbandry! If I was asked the question, “how to give a chameleon a long life” I could easily spend a year going through everything we have talked about in eight seasons of podcasting! But I think I can summarize it into three main points.
What I think is significant about this first point is that we are past the measuring stick of whether our chameleon dies or not and are now on to how long our chameleons live. And this is immensely difficult to test as it not only takes ten or more years, but it also is affected by an enormous amount of variables that cannot be accounted for. And so, we must decide what guide we will use to point the way for moving forward. I cannot think of any better guide than working to replicate the natural condition as closely as possible. We cannot measure the effects of micro stresses and how they add up. But we can observe nature and make educated advances in providing the benefits without the dangers.
This requires constant growth and looking for ways to make things better. And so we must have the attitude of explorers. I don’t know if we will ever have our captive conditions optimized so well that we can sit back and rest. But I am pretty sure it won’t happen in my lifetime! I know it is exhausting and I can’t blame keepers for deciding they are done with change. Perhaps, one day, I will want to just be content with what I have. But, if that day ever happens for me, I know it is far in the future.
And the third major point to longevity is nutrition. This is, perhaps, the most obvious one on the list, but it is also the one we have so little true information. Sure, we have ideas we are sure are correct, but solid, proven information? I am afraid when you dig down into all the things you think we know you will find a disturbingly shaky foundation! Nutrition is a huge growth opportunity for us in chameleon herpetoculture!
So, I hope you enjoy coming along with me on this journey! I have written up a more detailed post on the website that you can read here. Take a look there and let me know what you think about our study of how to help our chameleons life longer.
How to give your chameleon a long life
If you would like to listen to a podcast episode on his topic just hit "play" below!
- Give your chameleon a low stress life
- Stay on top of the latest in chameleon husbandry
- Give your chameleon nutritious food
What I think is significant about this first point is that we are past the measuring stick of whether our chameleon dies or not and are now on to how long our chameleons live. And this is immensely difficult to test as it not only takes ten or more years, but it also is affected by an enormous amount of variables that cannot be accounted for. And so, we must decide what guide we will use to point the way for moving forward. I cannot think of any better guide than working to replicate the natural condition as closely as possible. We cannot measure the effects of micro stresses and how they add up. But we can observe nature and make educated advances in providing the benefits without the dangers.
This requires constant growth and looking for ways to make things better. And so we must have the attitude of explorers. I don’t know if we will ever have our captive conditions optimized so well that we can sit back and rest. But I am pretty sure it won’t happen in my lifetime! I know it is exhausting and I can’t blame keepers for deciding they are done with change. Perhaps, one day, I will want to just be content with what I have. But, if that day ever happens for me, I know it is far in the future.
And the third major point to longevity is nutrition. This is, perhaps, the most obvious one on the list, but it is also the one we have so little true information. Sure, we have ideas we are sure are correct, but solid, proven information? I am afraid when you dig down into all the things you think we know you will find a disturbingly shaky foundation! Nutrition is a huge growth opportunity for us in chameleon herpetoculture!
So, I hope you enjoy coming along with me on this journey! I have written up a more detailed post on the website that you can read here. Take a look there and let me know what you think about our study of how to help our chameleons life longer.
How to give your chameleon a long life
If you would like to listen to a podcast episode on his topic just hit "play" below!
