Melleri cuddle

[Chameleons Northwest]

My husband surprised me soon after we lost Megana by asking if we could get some more Meller's chameleons. So, on 7/20 we got 3, theoretically 1.2, but time will tell (hopefully). Tonight I found the big "female" cuddled up to what is tentatively being considered the male. This is not very unusual behavior for Meller's. As you can see they are shedding. The big "girl" is obviously full grown. As for the other 2, they may still be juveniles. I have never raised this species so I'm not a good judge of their age.

Here is the second "female", photo taken tonight (sorry I woke her), much smaller than the other.

Their weights and measurements upon arrival were as follows:

Big "female" (Deborah) 440g and 11" svl
Smaller "female" (Queen Esther) 155g 8.5" svl
"Male" (Gideon) 140g 8" svl

Here are a few daytime photos of them and a portion of their free range:

TWO "FEMALES"

THE "MALE"

 

[Rocky]

Wow that is one nice free range for them. One of these days I'll have enough room for a group of mellers

 

[Vampire.queen]

That is so cute
And what a pretty jungle they have down there!

 

[CNorton]

Really cute sleeping habits!

So I've heard that mellers seem to have considerably more affinity for their keepers. Even described as doglike in their desire to be with and around people. Is this just a rumor/myth? Are they just a tad more curious than others or is there some truth to the above? I certainly have noticed there peaceful coexistence and added success being kept in pairs/groups.
I've never kept any so I'd love to hear from those of you who keep them.

 

[Chameleons Northwest]

Really cute sleeping habits!

So I've heard that mellers seem to have considerably more affinity for their keepers. Even described as doglike in their desire to be with and around people. Is this just a rumor/myth? Are they just a tad more curious than others or is there some truth to the above? I certainly have noticed there peaceful coexistence and added success being kept in pairs/groups.
I've never kept any so I'd love to hear from those of you who keep them.

A male we had previously would come to the edge of his free range, get up on his hind legs, and reach out for me when I came in the room. He liked to be held and carried around the room while I fed everyone. He also liked to sit on my head while I worked at the computer. So, they can be very keeper-friendly. When we got him a mate he was able to take most all of that and direct it toward his female companion. We were concerned that he would not transfer affections, but he did.

The photo I took tonight of Deborah resting her head on Gideon could be interpreted another way. If that were her primary perch, then I would have to consider the fact that perhaps her resting her head on top of his head is an "alpha" display. Letting him know that she "allowed" him to sleep there, but that she is still in control of that space. But, in actuality, she has 2 favorite perches, both on the LEFT side of the free range. The fact that they ended up together on the right side of the range could probably correctly be interpreted as a positive compatibility display. Which is important to a keeper who has placed a new group together and has to judge whether they will be compatible or not. This is the first such display, and we are quite pleased with it.

 

[Rocky]

Hey Gesang, how do the groups settle out disputes? I see everyone keeping "groups" of them, but I also saw a video of 2 males in the wild fighting each other. Are males not usually agressive towards each other? Do they have groups or possibly harems in the wild?

 

[Chamgirl]

Reading all this makes me want a Meller! Lovely photos too!

 

[jannb]

I love the cuddle pictures. They look so sweet. Nice free range, too.

 

[Linda]

What beautiful chammies!!!...... Hubby I want one!!!! lol

 

[haleybobl]

I love those first pictures, they are great!

 

[Miss Lily]

Aww! They look so cute all cuddled up in thier PJ's! Bless!

 

[drewtt]

Gorgeous chams & great set-up!

Do the two females hang out with each other often? Moreso than with the male?

-Drew

 

[reptimom]

Great pictures!! Asmar and Dayo have not formed that close a relationship yet. they do hang close during the day, but at night Dayo likes to hang out on the lower branches and Asmar hangs out at the top.

 

[PardalisGirl]

Congrats

Congrats on your beautiful new additions! Can't wait to see future pictures documenting their acclimation and developing relationships. I love your choice of names too. The big girl is a beast....a beautiful beast!

Wish one of mine would like to be picked up and carried around like Hercules did. They will eat roaches from my hand but hate being handled. I'm still waiting to see any sign of interactive behavior with mine. I've got five living together in my free range. I've seen nothing in the way of behavior with any of them yet. Keep the pictures of your crew coming

 

[Carlton]

Melleri are so variable in personality. I had a big wc female who was docile and almost friendly. But I also had a wc male who was just plain vicious. He was always stressy, grumpy and the two just ignored each other. It is so great to see more cb melleri being kept in groups! They sure can be tolerant in sharing space...but then we keep them in relatively huge spaces as compared to the "typical" cage setup. That's the way to do it. There are other species that seem OK in small groups, but again, it probably hinges on a nice large free range.