Andee
Chameleon Enthusiast
Last night I was looking for the exact day I had gotten Hope, she has been in my care a little over 1 year, close to a year and a half. When she came into my care it is likely she was at least a 18 months old now that I know how slowly jackson's grow and I know for sure she had been with the pet store for 12 months. I am very surprised she is doing as well as she is now. When I first got her I knew for sure the longest she would have lasted in their care was another 3 weeks if she was lucky. I am so glad I took her home the day I did, she needed care so desperately. My lovely little girl is now showing a huge turn around in ways I never expected looking back at her pictures. Originally I wasn't sure if she'd make it through recovery. Then I was perfectly happy if she lived one year as a healthy chameleon. Now I wouldn't be surprised if she passed my expectations again and lived another 2-3 years.
Today as I was taking out all my reptiles for some sun (two of them have removable enclosures at the moment so I don't have to sit with them) I snapped some poor pictures. But I will place them next to various pictures from her past and I want you to see the huge difference in her. This will show you why I don't always give up on what seems like desperate cases. Because I have seen some crazy situations turn around, trust me. But of course I will never put a chameleon through a situation that I know they have no chance to get out of, especially if they will live with constant issues afterward. With Hope, she is a live-bearer, and I very carefully control her living conditions so that she does not produce slugs. I feed her probably less than is recommended. But she still weighs 75 grams which is what she weighed when she came in, but instead of it all being fat, she has gained a huge amount of bone weight back and a lot of healthy muscle back. She has lost a lot of her belly fat. She still has her regular basking temps, but she does great on her low food source, she doesn't go too thin and always has energy. I do regularly give her snacks every 2-3 days, but they wouldn't be considered near a meal at all. Maybe it's one or two small worms, often silkworms. My regular meals usually happen about 2-3 times a week, and usually consist of 4 appropriate size roach nymphs or isopods, often a tiny super worms, maybe a wax worm depending on the weather, and if I have them two black soldier fly larvae.
First pictures of her: November 30, 2015
Hope 2016
Hope 2017
Today: 3/12/2017
Her legs are so much better, her grip is amazing. It's definitely not as strong as a normal chameleon but so much better. Her legs will never be completely straight and I will never have the delusion they will be, but they are far more straight then I ever expected. She hardly ever belly drags like she used to. She will now spend most of the day standing and holding herself up. Though she does get tired and rest. Her nails are more brittle than most chameleons without severe MBD. But I am still so happy with her progress. She keeps climbing over my expectations and obstacles in her way like they are just another branch to be conquered. If anyone ever doubts themselves, just remember this little 70-75 gram jackson chameleon was able to come back from death's doorstep and thrives now.
Today as I was taking out all my reptiles for some sun (two of them have removable enclosures at the moment so I don't have to sit with them) I snapped some poor pictures. But I will place them next to various pictures from her past and I want you to see the huge difference in her. This will show you why I don't always give up on what seems like desperate cases. Because I have seen some crazy situations turn around, trust me. But of course I will never put a chameleon through a situation that I know they have no chance to get out of, especially if they will live with constant issues afterward. With Hope, she is a live-bearer, and I very carefully control her living conditions so that she does not produce slugs. I feed her probably less than is recommended. But she still weighs 75 grams which is what she weighed when she came in, but instead of it all being fat, she has gained a huge amount of bone weight back and a lot of healthy muscle back. She has lost a lot of her belly fat. She still has her regular basking temps, but she does great on her low food source, she doesn't go too thin and always has energy. I do regularly give her snacks every 2-3 days, but they wouldn't be considered near a meal at all. Maybe it's one or two small worms, often silkworms. My regular meals usually happen about 2-3 times a week, and usually consist of 4 appropriate size roach nymphs or isopods, often a tiny super worms, maybe a wax worm depending on the weather, and if I have them two black soldier fly larvae.
First pictures of her: November 30, 2015
Hope 2016
Hope 2017
Today: 3/12/2017
Her legs are so much better, her grip is amazing. It's definitely not as strong as a normal chameleon but so much better. Her legs will never be completely straight and I will never have the delusion they will be, but they are far more straight then I ever expected. She hardly ever belly drags like she used to. She will now spend most of the day standing and holding herself up. Though she does get tired and rest. Her nails are more brittle than most chameleons without severe MBD. But I am still so happy with her progress. She keeps climbing over my expectations and obstacles in her way like they are just another branch to be conquered. If anyone ever doubts themselves, just remember this little 70-75 gram jackson chameleon was able to come back from death's doorstep and thrives now.
