Chameleon Monthly Weigh In!!

[jpowell86]

Last night I weighed all my animals as I normally do once a month. I wanted to share some pics of Macumba. When I first got him he was almost 13 inches in length and only about 84 grams - which is terribly underweight for a Melleri of his size. He had a heavy parasite load and was completely dehydrated. Last night he was 18 1/2 in and weighed 387 grams! With his appetite, I really don't feel as if he has maxed out. I can't wait to see how much more this behemoth will grow!

 

[dash1998]

Wow! That chameleon is humongous! I love the colors. I've never weighed my chameleon before. Why do you do that?

 

[jpowell86]

He is getting large. I take the weights of my chameleons so I can keep up with their growth rates and by having monthly documented numbers I would be able to see if there are changes that need to be addressed(e.g. parasites, illness, etc.).

 

[Lathis]

That's an impressive recovery! I wouldn't have thought a chameleon as stressed and underweight as that would rebound, particularly Mellers which are notorious for being difficult to acclimate. A nod to you and your obvious good care - he's absolutely beautiful

 

[jpowell86]

That's an impressive recovery! I wouldn't have thought a chameleon as stressed and underweight as that would rebound, particularly Mellers which are notorious for being difficult to acclimate. A nod to you and your obvious good care - he's absolutely beautiful

Thank you very much Lathis! I honestly wasn't sure he was going to make it either when he first arrived.

 

[dash1998]

That makes sense. So would you suggest I weigh my chameleon too?

 

[jpowell86]

I don't think of it as a completely necessary step in chameleon husbandry per se. In fact, I would imagine that most people do not weigh their animals on a regular basis, but I keep log books with all my animal's stats. All in the name of science!

 

[BayChams]

Good idea! I might try that some day!