Acclimating WC Melleris

[draetish]

I will be acquiring a WC melleri in the near future to start on my collection and would like to hear from the successful experts that have acclimated WC. I've done some research online but would like to hear personal experiences of what works and mainly what "doesn't" work. Thanks for your input!

 

[Texas Panther Man]

Im going to lurk on this thread Donna as Im curious about the methods others have had success with also. My lack of exp with wc's has kept me from obtaining any up til now.

 

[draetish]

Here is an interesting article one member sent to me. I suppose the bottom line is 1st: hydrating & minimum stress 2nd: food 3rd: parasite treatment.

http://www.chameleonnews.com/?page=article&id=39

 

[Chase]

Here is an interesting article one member sent to me. I suppose the bottom line is 1st: hydrating & minimum stress 2nd: food 3rd: parasite treatment.

http://www.chameleonnews.com/?page=article&id=39

Interesting! Donna, also, if I may add, when yours comes in, give him a shower, so it can be hydrated after shipment. Then leave him be and let him
get used to you!

 

[draetish]

For sure and I would set up the enclosure big enough to have one side as a make shift showering area, like my rain chamber idea. I'm talking about a 6' long by 3' wide enclosure with a small corner for a shower/rain chamber. That way the cham won't stress being moved to a "shower".

 

[Eltortu]

For sure and I would set up the enclosure big enough to have one side as a make shift showering area, like my rain chamber idea. I'm talking about a 6' long by 3' wide enclosure with a small corner for a shower/rain chamber. That way the cham won't stress being moved to a "shower".

That sounds like a lot of work, but if you have time and resources have fun with your project...

 

[draetish]

That sounds like a lot of work, but if you have time and resources have fun with your project...

It's a labor of love and a passion. I do have all the above and then some. That is the fun part of chameleons, designing a make believe place for them and the cool thing is, you get to enjoy it too!

 

[Versagirl]

hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Make sure you get a fecal asap as well for parasites.

 

[summoner12]

First thing before you get the cham, read the MD side.

Melleri Discover

First thing after get your cham, apply what you learned from the MD site and follow some of these guidelines...

Hydrate. This is critical if the animal is a FOB, Fresh Off the Boat.... or plane I guess. If the animal comes from a pet shop or from someone you may suspect has less of a clue than you, again, hydrate.

Offer some food. Don't dust heavily with supplements. Horn worms and silks worms are a good first food because of the hydration they can provide. If you are making your own chow for the silks, make the chow on the 'wet side' of the scale, the worms will be extra juicy.

Keep an eye out for poop and get it looked at by your vet.

refer back to you MD reading... there is a lot of info there, so read it a couple of times.

 

[draetish]

Thanks Kevin! What do you look for in a WC other than the obivous signs.

 

[Ryan Jarosek]

Thanks Kevin! What do you look for in a WC other than the obivous signs.

Try for young if you can. A horn is nice as well. Check the feet pads for sores and toe nails. Use a good source or If you can look them over in person find one that looks more alert than the rest. You can get a feeling of who feels better.

Colors should be a lime green and a nice yellow. Avoid all all yellow or really yellow looking melleri. Check the eyes to make sure they are clear. Look for filarial worms under the skin.

in the attached pic are good resting colors. The frsh imports probably won't look like that. They will probably be darker green color.

I have had the opportunity to pic melleri out of 60 + I can tell you out of the 60 fresh imports only about 4-5 were even worth looking at.


This is good for WC...
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/ryan-jarosek/119-new-arrival-bringing-home-new-chameleon.html

Good luck

 

[Texas Panther Man]

Great info in that article. I wondered how long to wait before giving them their first treatment. I believe you could apply that acc procedure for just about any wc species dont you think?

 

[draetish]

Excellent information Ryan. How long do you quarantine a WC?

 

[Ryan Jarosek]

Excellent information Ryan. How long do you quarantine a WC?

Until it is clean. Test , Treat , Test Treat and Re-Test

30 - 60 days is not uncommon. Maybe more depending on what they come in with.

 

[Ryan Jarosek]

Great info in that article. I wondered how long to wait before giving them their first treatment. I believe you could apply that acc procedure for just about any wc species dont you think?

I treat any WC I get ASAP depending on hydration level and over all condition. If it is hydrated A good import can get panacur walking in the door of my house.

Hydration is #1 in acclimation.

 

[Ryan Jarosek]

Great info in that article. I wondered how long to wait before giving them their first treatment. I believe you could apply that acc procedure for just about any wc species dont you think?

Yeah it will work for just about anything. I tend to alter it a little when I post it on forums depending on the forum.

 

[draetish]

o Visual inspection for subcutaneous (filarial) worms – These parasites are often visible under the skin. Your veterinarian can sometimes surgically remove them.

What does this look like? How big are they and are they moving around?

 

[Ryan Jarosek]

o Visual inspection for subcutaneous (filarial) worms – These parasites are often visible under the skin. Your veterinarian can sometimes surgically remove them.

What does this look like? How big are they and are they moving around?

You asked for it... http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1WmXfTC8u...-filarial-worms-before-after-worm-eye_1_1.jpg (Steve I found this pic doing a google search, hope its ok)

They will look similar under the skin on the sides , face , just about anywhere...

 

[draetish]

Kinda what I thought but never imagined around the eyes.