studiocham
New Member
Thank you, Brad, for bringing this subforum into existence!
greetings, melleri fans
- Thread starter studiocham
- Start date
Chameleons Northwest
Avid Member
Yes, Brad and Kristina, thank you. We now have a Melleri place to post - with photos included, and a place to gain added support/info from crossover interest!
Brad Ramsey
Retired Moderator
This will probably be my only time to post on this forum.
I just want to say that I am looking forward to reading it every day!
You Go, you Melleri people!!!
-Brad
I just want to say that I am looking forward to reading it every day!
You Go, you Melleri people!!!
-Brad
nightcrawler
Avid Member
as brad said i wont post on here either. unless to say how good your cham looks, but i am looking forward to reading your posts. the pictures also. bring lots.
summoner12
Avid Member
Wow, VERY nice!!
I would really like to keep a Melleri... someday.
I would really like to keep a Melleri... someday.
This is awesome, finally an easy to follow forum/format and random other chameleon knowledgable people can read and chime in with helpful info too.
I can even post a pic real quick like this!
He hates the CHAMera haha, I don't hold him much either so....he hates ME TOO
It's awesome we've got species specific sub forums too, I hope to see those filled with info so I can learn more n possibly care for more!
I can even post a pic real quick like this!
He hates the CHAMera haha, I don't hold him much either so....he hates ME TOO
It's awesome we've got species specific sub forums too, I hope to see those filled with info so I can learn more n possibly care for more!
Will Hayward
New Member
My one and only.
studiocham
New Member
Hi Chris,
Is your guy a CH or WC? I noticed the orange-tinted shed on his limbs (as opposed to the white shed elsewhere). I'm trying to find out if this only occurs on WC, or if all melleri occasionally do this.
I brought in a WC sample to my vet, who determined the orange pigment was inside of the shed cell walls. Excuse my being Captain Obvious here, but that's interesting because all the chromatophores are well below that shedding layer, and any environmental staining would be on only one side (exterior) of the shed. So, I'm curious if the orange sheds are from WCs eating something captives do not have access to, or if any melleri can do this while dumping excess beta-carotenes? Does the orange coincide with a certain time of year?
BTW nice animal!
Yes...he is nice.....to look at! Ha, He's a grumpy one.
He's a WC and I'm not sure, but I think the shedding is that color from incomplete sheds in the wild, I've had him...for *thinks real hard* like 8 months and that was his first shed...sorta, he shed once around the beginning of Feb. it wasn't a complete shed, his legs and feet didn't shed, nor his tail. Then about a week later, he started shedding again and this time, the legs decided to shed as well, but he still hasn't shed a complete shed.
I'm thinking the lack of nutrients in the wild makes their shedding somewhat incomplete, then bringing them into captivity where they get all the nutrients they need and a lot of other healthyness, they start to thrive and catch up on the shedding, and end up shedding two or more layers which makes it a different color because the previous shed is still on there, but dead skin so it absorbs dirtyness, but you can't see it until the shedding, when it's got it's transparency.
That's just theory, I've seen orange sheds like that on other reptiles once or twice, ones that hadn't shed completely before.
studiocham
New Member
Adult melleri tend to shed in sections, even under optimal humidity with dry-outs. If you think about it, it makes sense- giants have a lot of material to shed all in one go, while remaining very active (unlike a snake). There are pix of the shed pattern in the albums on the yahoogroup.
Do you have the chance to check out the orange shed of your melleri under a scope? You'll be able to tell if the color is dirt or compressed layers, or inside the actual cells.
Do you have the chance to check out the orange shed of your melleri under a scope? You'll be able to tell if the color is dirt or compressed layers, or inside the actual cells.
I don't have a microscope, I wish I did though!
I know they don't shed all at once, what I meant was, unhealthy, reptiles, or those who have a deficiency in something, can have trouble shedding, and say, in the wild that's more likely, now say, shedding time has come and gone, and some skin didn't come off, it's just dead skin that can absorb whatever comes in contact, then next shed, it finally comes off and it's discolored from the elements. I'm sure moisture would absorb through the dead dry skin and discolor it entirely...
I don't know, just was a theory, I remember my Veilds would get discolored shedding on their feet during shedding, it seemed that was a spot that the shed would stay since they're always grabbing something, then from the traffic it would become discolored...if that makes sense?
It's ALL JUST THEORY lol
studiocham
New Member
Well, one of my adult 2005 CBs is shedding today, and here's the thing: his upper body and head shed is white. The skin shedding from his legs is tinted orange. I'm talking about the forearms and tops of his feet, as in, surfaces that don't get tinted from climbing wear, like the soles. The texture of the shed areas is the same, light and papery. I should mention, the rest of him is not shedding, as to be expected in adult shed pattern.
So orange shed does not only occur in WCs. Leaning towards some nutritional thing...?
So orange shed does not only occur in WCs. Leaning towards some nutritional thing...?
Will Hayward
New Member
Kristina, could it be from betacarotene in one of your supplements, feeders or gutloads? Many animals can have a yellow/orange/red tinge to their skin when they consume much of it in their diet. Could it be possible that it only really shows when the skin is loose, because of how the chameleons scails change colour which might prevent it from showing until the top layer has lifted?
studiocham
New Member
Maybe. I'm wracking my brain about gutloads over the past few months, and my wet gutloads have been mustard and turnip greens, apples. I know, I know, the sugar- but other fruits aren't working for them. Since their body chemistries got out of whack from the water, I've had to rebalance them slowly on low-K foods.
K content of foods:
http://www.healthtouch.com/bin/ECon...e=POTASSIUM+CONTENT+OF+FOODS+LIST+&cid=HTHLTH
A and/or carotene content of foods:
http://www.unu.edu/unupress/food2/UIN02E/uin02e0i.htm
That list doesn't mention the greens I was using.
I started to switch to carrots as of last week, and this week, sweet potato. That skin was probably not produced from excess betacarotenes, the gutload change is too recent.
I'm not supplementing with beta-carotenes- no pollen here. They get a drop or less of liquid A once every two weeks, depending on how they are doing. I give A supplementation by experience and observation, not the calendar.
Chameleons Northwest
Avid Member
All of our chams get fed feeders that have consumed the same gutload (using a formula based on the one on the Melleri site), veggies, etc. We have one female Sambava Panther Chameleon who routinely sheds pigmented skin. The shed skin has the same orangy-brown look as your Meller's. She is perfectly healthy, as far as we can tell, with pristine fecals, energetic, good appetite, clear, bright eyes, good coloration, etc. Our other female Sambava Panther sheds white skin. In fact, all of our other chams shed white skin. I just figured it was some sort of harmless anomaly.
