Looking after an elderly chameleon

Charlieemma

New Member
Hey I've never posted here before but I've read a lot of threads on this forum :) this is my best friend Ujji his fifth birthday is coming up soon and he's recently been to the vets for the first time, she said he was in good health but that their life expectancy is a . I've had him for around four years, i was looking for a tank on ebay and found a guy selling a tiny tank with the chameleon included, i never planned om getting a chameleon but he has filled my life with so much love and i am so glad we met even of in a peculiar way. He has a bend in his spine since I got him and the vet saidit would have been from MBD when I first got one but he's gone on to live many happy years, he is a very friendly guy who likes being handled and will happily do everything with me, i know handling can stress chameleons but he chooses when he wants to come out and i can tell by his colours he gets excited exploring and he also spends a lot of time outside in natural sunlight 🌞 anyway i am wondering if there is anything in particular i could do when looking after an older chameleon because i see a lot of 6 month to 2 gear chameleons online but can't find much about 4+ as he does seem like more of an older man in the last few months, he had good days and less good days where he's very slow and just chills by his lamp or at the bottom but most of the time he is still active, still eats and drinks, it takes him longer to get going in the morning and he has burned a small part of his back and a small patch on his head which is healing slowly, he's not super bright as often as he was when he was younger but overall he seems pretty happy. Is there anyone else with older chameleons i know they can live for up to 7 (?) years in captivity but is there anything that would help him live happier and healthier for longer ? any response welcome thank you for reading 🌞x (all photos are of him in the last 6 months)View attachment 329142
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My boy just turned 4 years... The only thing I have done differently is made sure there are enough branches so he can easily move around in his enclosure without worry of falling. This is what most people I have talked to have done. Depending on their care they can live longer than 7 years. It is just about trying to make their husbandry perfect.
Just make sure the burn was treated properly. A thermal burn without treatment can develop an underlying infection.
 
Hey I've never posted here before but I've read a lot of threads on this forum :) this is my best friend Ujji his fifth birthday is coming up soon and he's recently been to the vets for the first time, she said he was in good health but that their life expectancy is a . I've had him for around four years, i was looking for a tank on ebay and found a guy selling a tiny tank with the chameleon included, i never planned om getting a chameleon but he has filled my life with so much love and i am so glad we met even of in a peculiar way. He has a bend in his spine since I got him and the vet saidit would have been from MBD when I first got one but he's gone on to live many happy years, he is a very friendly guy who likes being handled and will happily do everything with me, i know handling can stress chameleons but he chooses when he wants to come out and i can tell by his colours he gets excited exploring and he also spends a lot of time outside in natural sunlight 🌞 anyway i am wondering if there is anything in particular i could do when looking after an older chameleon because i see a lot of 6 month to 2 gear chameleons online but can't find much about 4+ as he does seem like more of an older man in the last few months, he had good days and less good days where he's very slow and just chills by his lamp or at the bottom but most of the time he is still active, still eats and drinks, it takes him longer to get going in the morning and he has burned a small part of his back and a small patch on his head which is healing slowly, he's not super bright as often as he was when he was younger but overall he seems pretty happy. Is there anyone else with older chameleons i know they can live for up to 7 (?) years in captivity but is there anything that would help him live happier and healthier for longer ? any response welcome thank you for reading 🌞x (all photos are of him in the last 6 months)View attachment 329142View attachment 329152View attachment 329145View attachment 329146View attachment 329148View attachment 329150
Lovely fella and cool camping van, he travels with you?
 
My boy just turned 4 years... The only thing I have done differently is made sure there are enough branches so he can easily move around in his enclosure without worry of falling. This is what most people I have talked to have done. Depending on their care they can live longer than 7 years. It is just about trying to make their husbandry perfect.
Just make sure the burn was treated properly. A thermal burn without treatment can develop an underlying infection.
yes i have packed out his home more with leaves but will add more sticks for him to climb on :) Can panthers live longer than 7 years !!!? wow how old can they get, i just went on what the vet said as everywhere online had different ages
how would the burn look if it was infected? it seems to have scabbed and the scab falls off now
 
yes i have packed out his home more with leaves but will add more sticks for him to climb on :) Can panthers live longer than 7 years !!!? wow how old can they get, i just went on what the vet said as everywhere online had different ages
how would the burn look if it was infected? it seems to have scabbed and the scab falls off now
How long they live depends on husbandry but they can be taken down by random illness or just out of the blue they decline. Average is typically 5 years. Some can live longer at 8 years. But this is not the average of most.

If it was not a deep thermal burn then it could have healed without further infection. If it has already peeled the damaged skin and you do not see fleshy or pussy looking skin under it.
 
Okay that’s interesting. We got a member that wants/wanted to do the same.
You got an enclosure inside the van? Our a plant where he sits on/in?
hey sorry for the slow reply i would love to share more about my experience with living in a van with a chameleon as o have seen nothing about it online anywhere and I never met anyone else with a chameleon friend in their van! i have an exclosure i made myself out of wood, perspex and mesh it's 4.5ft by 2ft by 1.5ft and it's built into the structure of the van with live plants inside, i have an T5 uvb and a ceramic heat lamp plugged into old evo pro and it's all run of solar, let me know if I can give more info ☺️
 
hey sorry for the slow reply i would love to share more about my experience with living in a van with a chameleon as o have seen nothing about it online anywhere and I never met anyone else with a chameleon friend in their van! i have an exclosure i made myself out of wood, perspex and mesh it's 4.5ft by 2ft by 1.5ft and it's built into the structure of the van with live plants inside, i have an T5 uvb and a ceramic heat lamp plugged into old evo pro and it's all run of solar, let me know if I can give more info ☺️
Always!! And some pictures are always welcome as well. Love such pioneering! And then also some actual sun time, when possible?
 
Always!! And some pictures are always welcome as well. Love such pioneering! And then also some actual sun time, when possible?
yes he is very sociable and sunbathes a lot it's really important for him to have real sunlight he loves it 😊 and here are some photos to get an idea...i am no builder so it's by no means a work of art but he has been much happier in here than his previous tank (exo terra paludarium large/x-tall) - the main focus was keeping it really lightweight for the van as my truck is rated at 3.5t.
it's a wooden frame with mesh top and front, the back and sides are perspex and the base is made with aluminium sheet that creates a tray at the bottom for water. there is a drainage hole in the bottom of the tank too. and the whole thing is attached to the van wall with brackets and has supporting legs. and for running it electric wise the truck has a lot of power with 1400W of solar om the roof and 2 300ah Li-ion batteries and a 1200W inverter and all electronics get plugged into standard plug sockets. it's all been a bit of an experiment but been living in the van for over a year with him and he's been on many happy adventures with me 🌞
 

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Wow….that’s really cool. I love that out of box thinking and it’s nothing common. I think he lives a happy life with you and his improvised enclosure, that combined with sunlight and fresh views. Keep us posted please.
 
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