All New Chameleon "Owner"

[Kontti]

Hi!

I got here in hope of getting some advice --- we "saved" an Maltese Chameleon 4 weeks ago from the street.. (my husband said, that he would have otherwise been driven over) So far he has been with us, sleeping his nights on the small palmtree in the window, spending his day on the backyard on the plants, then back to "safe plants" sometimes it feels, like he knows.. I really have grown to love him. Now it seems, that the natural food (= flyes) are getting more rare.. (it´s getting a bit colder) what can I feed him with? Any tips?

 

[dodolah]

can you post pic of him?
I'm not familiar with the term maltese chameleon.

 

[skeeta]

Hi Kontti, welcome to the forums!
Your little chameleon can eat crickets, grasshoppers, butterflies, moths etc. Check your local pet shop for "feeder" quality insects and search "gutload" here for tips on what to feed the insects so they are a healthy meal for the reptile. (on the green bar at the top of the page)

Where do you live, Malta?
How cold does it get during the winter?
Are you planning on keeping it, or just giving it a hand?
Any questions you have will get plenty of attention.

Good luck.

 

[skeeta]

Hey dodolah, check out ...

MALTESE LACERTILIAN SPECIES
Class: REPTILIA
Order: SQUAMATA
Sub-order: LACERTILIA
Family: CHAMALEONTIDAE
Chamaleo chamaleon
European Chamaleon

 

[dodolah]

gotcha, thanks

 

[Kontti]

Maltese Chameleon

can you post pic of him?
I'm not familiar with the term maltese chameleon.

Here is one pic of him - today I heard from our neighbour, that they had one like mine, but he was much bigger - total body lenght was approx 15 cms..
Mine is approx 10 cms in body and another one for the tail. Got nice tips for the food, thank you for all members so far - tomorrow I will go to the petshop with shoppinglist

 

[Kontti]

Hi Skeeta!

Hi Kontti, welcome to the forums!
Your little chameleon can eat crickets, grasshoppers, butterflies, moths etc. Check your local pet shop for "feeder" quality insects and search "gutload" here for tips on what to feed the insects so they are a healthy meal for the reptile. (on the green bar at the top of the page)

Where do you live, Malta?
How cold does it get during the winter?
Are you planning on keeping it, or just giving it a hand?
Any questions you have will get plenty of attention.

Good luck.

Thanks for the detailed answer, I will take it with me to the petshop here.
Yes, I live in Malta, and for me it´s a new world with Chamelions as pets.. I come from Finland, where you cannot find chameleons in nature. Daytime temp here in Malta is about 15-20 C during winter months , night time 10-13 C.. not bad.
I am planning to keep him, if I only can, should I buy him a terrario or something ? He likes moving back and forth ... from the window plant, where he sleeps and if I leave him on the back yard, in the plant basket, he crawls back to living room, near me.. He seems to love his new "home" at our living room window shelf (very wide, where I made his home)

 

[skeeta]

Hi Kontti,

Your little guy is a beaut!
If you want to get him a terrarium, try to get one with screen or plenty of ventilation (they are prone to respiratory infection in stagnant air).

Here is a link that will answer many questions you may have about your visitor.

http://inny.ipbfree.com/index.php?showtopic=764

Let us know if you need more information.
Happy chameleon keeping!