melleri help

[jamncristian]

i am thinking about becoming a proud owner of a melleri but i am not sure if they can be kept alone because i am only interested in one. if they are introduced to me at a late age how it will react to me and will its behaviore change over time?

if all melleri owners could come pitch in it would be great

 

[Chameleons Northwest]

Greetings. Since you asked, here's our experience with a loan Meller's. Our male Meller's, Hercules, lived alone with us for 4 months. He was very "needy", always wanting to be held. His poops were very mucous-y (even more than normal for Meller's). He didn't hydrate well. He humped the furniture in his cage, making loud banging noises that could be heard throughout the house. He was lonely and stressed. Once we got him a female he settled down and became healthier and his behavior became normal.

It may be different for a lone female. But it may not, I don't know.

 

[Pure]

They each have different personalities. Though they have a higher percentage of "nice" ones compared to other species. Yes their personalities can change, due to any number of reasons. How long will it take for you yo earn his trust, also depends on the animal. Ye they can be housed alone. Having one who stresses when not in the company of other Melleri, is pretty rare.

 

[jamncristian]

Greetings. Since you asked, here's our experience with a loan Meller's. Our male Meller's, Hercules, lived alone with us for 4 months. He was very "needy", always wanting to be held. His poops were very mucous-y (even more than normal for Meller's). He didn't hydrate well. He humped the furniture in his cage, making loud banging noises that could be heard throughout the house. He was lonely and stressed. Once we got him a female he settled down and became healthier and his behavior became normal.

It may be different for a lone female. But it may not, I don't know.

WOW that made me laugh. the reason for wanting a loneone is because i dont want babies and i definately not be ready for them

is there a way to keep them from making babies just in case if i do if i have to get another one

 

[AJA]

Do you know if your new melleri will be WC or CB?

They are a really cool chameleon and it won't be long before you want another one.

In my limited experience I find them to be very "sensitive" and "smart". I picked up two WC and one was very grumpy (Oscar) and the other very mellow (Bert). Oscar figured out within the week that I was not a bad guy and has mellowed out.

There is a great website for more information at:
http://www.melleridiscovery.com/index.html

Be sure to get a fecal done if he/she will be WC. IF you do get a WC female she may already be producing viable eggs so you haven't a choice in babies. HOWEVER, there would be lots of CF friends who would take those eggs off your hands if you didn't want to deal with incubating.

 

[jamncristian]

Do you know if your new melleri will be WC or CB?

They are a really cool chameleon and it won't be long before you want another one.

In my limited experience I find them to be very "sensitive" and "smart". I picked up two WC and one was very grumpy (Oscar) and the other very mellow (Bert). Oscar figured out within the week that I was not a bad guy and has mellowed out.

There is a great website for more information at:
http://www.melleridiscovery.com/index.html

Be sure to get a fecal done if he/she will be WC. IF you do get a WC female she may already be producing viable eggs so you haven't a choice in babies. HOWEVER, there would be lots of CF friends who would take those eggs off your hands if you didn't want to deal with incubating.

I haven't ordered one (yet) I saw two melleri at the orlando repticon show and just thought they were so cool. I was really interested and wanted to know more about them to see if it would be a good choice for me

if i do get one it will be CB. id rather not deal with parasites and such

 

[Carlton]

Well, getting a cb melleri won't guarrantee you don't have to deal with parasites. Chams eat insects and insects have parasites...just the way it is. Fecal checks will keep track of this for you. What you would get is a cham whose personality may be known earlier (mellow versus grumpy or spooky), one that is hopefully not damaged from dehydration and shipping stress on top of a full load of parasites that bloomed while it was stressed in transit, and also one that hasn't been removed from the wild breeding population. Yes, you can keep one alone. Sexing them is really difficult, so you may not know what you have until you add another. They are not easy to breed so even if you have a pair nothing may happen.

Be ready to provide a BIG habitat (I would always keep them free range) with larger tougher trees than you would need for the more commonly kept species. More insects, lots of misting (a misting system will really help here), and a learning curve. The Melleri Discovery site is excellent!