How old is he?

[BenjiTheCham]

I got my cham the other day and I was told he is 6 - 9 months old.. But I was on reddit and I saw someone who said theirs was 5 months old and he looked twice the size of mine! I wanted to make sure that this age is right. They gave me a pretty big age gap as well. I got the from my local reptile store, but I don’t think the guy knew much about what he was talking about.. he was saying mealworms are one of the best feeders for them lol.
I’ll attach some pictures, but I’ll try to get some better ones. I’ll try to be able to show it compared to other things as well, but he isn’t used to me yet so I won’t be able to hold him

 

[PabloTheCham]

He does not look like a 6 month. I was told the cham in my profile pic was 6 months old at the time.

 

[BenjiTheCham]

He does not look like a 6 month. I was told the cham in my profile pic was 6 months old at the time.

Okay, I didn’t think so either. Seeing pictures of Other Chams made me question this..

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Is it polite to ask, or is that just female chameleons?

I got the from my local reptile store, but I don’t think the guy knew much about what he was talking about.. he was saying mealworms are one of the best feeders for them lol.

I think that's pretty telling right there. I've heard that some stores sell them too young out of the same ignorance or ambivalence.

I think a picture next to a ruler might be most helpful(?) I've done that with other reptiles for scale.
(Reptiles for scale! HA! )

Close may have to do. Chameleons, like other lizards, grow at different rates, have different growth spurts, etc., and they're all individuals. Assuming that your husbandry is spot-on, there are still factors of genetics, general health, and care he got before in your keeping.

I have a lizard I've had from a baby, but he still only reached 3/4 of the size he should have as an adult (according to all the resources). He's healthy, eats like a roach hoover, and gets plenty of everything he's supposed to. The two best explanations have been 1. genetics, and 2. reptiles are getting smaller in captivity. [shrug]?

 

[BenjiTheCham]

Is it polite to ask, or is that just female chameleons?


I think that's pretty telling right there. I've heard that some stores sell them too young out of the same ignorance or ambivalence.

I think a picture next to a ruler might be most helpful(?) I've done that with other reptiles for scale.
(Reptiles for scale! HA! )

Close may have to do. Chameleons, like other lizards, grow at different rates, have different growth spurts, etc., and they're all individuals. Assuming that your husbandry is spot-on, there are still factors of genetics, general health, and care he got before in your keeping.

I have a lizard I've had from a baby, but he still only reached 3/4 of the size he should have as an adult (according to all the resources). He's healthy, eats like a roach hoover, and gets plenty of everything he's supposed to. The two best explanations have been 1. genetics, and 2. reptiles are getting smaller in captivity. [shrug]?

I am almost for sure his a male. He doesn’t usually let me get closer enough to see the spur clearly, but I can try to get a picture of his feet just for more inspection. I’ve only had him for a few days, so nothing in my care should impact his growth. Tbh I wouldn’t be too surprised if he was younger. Like I said, the guy didn’t seem like he mainly took care of the chams.
I couldn’t find a ruler, so I used a mechanical pencil for size. This is through the side of the enclosure and he is around 3-4 inches away.. he is still pretty jumpy and I dont want to stress him out too much. I’m sitting on my bed atm and if I look over he immediately changes color. Im sure he’ll get better with it soon.

He started walking away so I figured I’d throw in some pics of his feet to see if you can see the spurs. I’m not sure if you can tell from the pic tho

he was at a weird angle too..

 

[BenjiTheCham]

It’s also hard for me to get good pictures because every time i get close to him, he slides sideways on his branch. I know he is scared, so I feel bad for laughing, I walk into the room and I just see him slide sideways.

 

[Char333p]

Hmm yeah he looks like 5 to 6 months. Hard to tell size completely from photo but yeah.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

I am almost for sure his a male.

I'm sorry, I wasn't questioning his sex. The thread was titled, "How old is he?" and I was attempting a (bad) joke about asking a female her age. Maybe times have changed.

I guess I wouldn't worry too much about his actual age (nothing to be done about that anyway).
What's important, IMO, is whether he looks healthy, hydrated, well-fed, no MBD... that kind of stuff.
Those kinds of things you can control or improve.

 

[PabloTheCham]

I'm sorry, I wasn't questioning his sex. The thread was titled, "How old is he?" and I was attempting a (bad) joke about asking a female her age. Maybe times have changed.

It was actually pretty funny....

 

[BenjiTheCham]

I'm sorry, I wasn't questioning his sex. The thread was titled, "How old is he?" and I was attempting a (bad) joke about asking a female her age. Maybe times have changed.

Omg . I didn’t notice. That’s funny lol.

I was questioning it though.. bc the past few days he has been digging in the substrate.. I had a thread on this earlier. I think he is just scared tho