Need help with Melleri

[jajeanpierre]

As some of you know, I went with Joel when he looked over a new import of Melleri. He rejected the biggest animal because he felt it was most likely a male and he didn't need a male. As soon as Joel explained to me why he was not taking him, that darned chameleon looked at me, right down to my soul. I brought him home.

I know it's an uphill battle that I might not win, but I'll give it my best. I think I have been pretty successful keeping a fairly large group of wild caught quads and graciliors alive, so I do have a pretty good understanding of getting wild caughts acclimated.

But this is a big ol' Mellers and they are very different from a quad.

My current problem is his housing. I think my too-small housing is going to stress him to death. I have a cat and a pit bull so free range isn't an option. I intend to close off a big garden tub so I can have drainage and enough space, but that can't be done instantly.

I'm thinking that in the mean time, I could set up a free range in a bathroom that is not used. I can put plants in the tub and hang lights for the time being. I desperately need to get him out of the cage he is in. I have a second misting system, so I don't have that problem.

Joel has been helping me, of course. He started a slide the other day and I ended up getting him to my vet's Tuesday for fluids. He hasn't eaten so I am force feeding him Carnivore Care. I think if he were not so stressed by the confines of the cage (a large Dragonstrand Breeder, so 44" tall by 21" x 16") I think he would move around, drink more and eat. I have to get him out of that cage today!

How big should his perches be?

I want to make something out of oak branches that will support him and allow him to move all around the bath tub area without being able to reach the bar that will have the lights hanging from it. The structure will be oak branches with plants securely attached to the frame filling it in for cover. He weighed 252g at the vet's and he was dehydrated and hadn't eaten for more than a week so he is a bigger animal than 252g.

Here's a picture of where he is now. I intent to enclose the tub but that will take a bit of time. I need to reduce his stress levels right now--he can't wait. The other unused bathroom is your standard bathroom with a normal tub.

 

[Lazereth]

RocketMan likes to rest on thicker branches they are about 1.5 - 2 inch thick. He has a wide verity as seen below. I've always been under the impression that thinner branchs can hurt there feet over time. I did have him in a small cage at one time, I could tell he wasn't enjoying it as much. In the pic below it's hard to see but in the back, they are lower thick branches as well that he prefers to sleep at night and hidden away. My other chameleons don't mind being in the open sleeping. RocketMan is a CB about 2.5 years old, he had some bacteria issues a couple months back, the vet gave me some med to give him every day for 2 weeks and it worked, he put on about 55g in a matter of 2 to 3 weeks.
If you got any questions about what I'm doing please let me know.

 

[Chase]

As you can see in @Lazereth's post, most people I know who keep melleri use more horizontal branches. When I kept them I had different horizontal perches (of course with plenty of vertical branches as well).

Chase

 

[Carlton]

Yes, definitely need more of a horizontal space IMHO. Melleri are heavy bodied and obviously large, so the usual vertical orientation cage isn't going to work very well. They do tend to rest horizontally much of the time. Some melleri don't fuss too much in large cages but others never really settle. My first wc was like this. I built her a 7'x7'x7' wire cage initially, but she fretted, didn't eat, pawed at it endlessly, and kept rubbing her nose no matter how I adjusted it. I finally removed the CAGE but kept the clump of plants where they were in the room and blocked her into that space with a wall of cardboard around the perimeter. The cardboard was taller than she could reach over. She eventually learned where the heat, the light, the water, and the food was and stopped roaming.

Some ideas to get this working: Make a frame of something that can sit in the tub and support a network of branches. A drying rack, a frame of pvc pipe, a clump of fake trees and your live Ficus connected with branches, something that lets the cham roam the area above the tub. Then barricade the cham's ability to leave the tub area. Can you shut the bathroom door to keep the other pets out?

 

[jajeanpierre]

Yes, definitely need more of a horizontal space IMHO. Melleri are heavy bodied and obviously large, so the usual vertical orientation cage isn't going to work very well. They do tend to rest horizontally much of the time. Some melleri don't fuss too much in large cages but others never really settle. My first wc was like this. I built her a 7'x7'x7' wire cage initially, but she fretted, didn't eat, pawed at it endlessly, and kept rubbing her nose no matter how I adjusted it. I finally removed the CAGE but kept the clump of plants where they were in the room and blocked her into that space with a wall of cardboard around the perimeter. The cardboard was taller than she could reach over. She eventually learned where the heat, the light, the water, and the food was and stopped roaming.

Some ideas to get this working: Make a frame of something that can sit in the tub and support a network of branches. A drying rack, a frame of pvc pipe, a clump of fake trees and your live Ficus connected with branches, something that lets the cham roam the area above the tub. Then barricade the cham's ability to leave the tub area. Can you shut the bathroom door to keep the other pets out?

I am so happy right now. Looked in the cage and couldn't find the Melleri. He's moved. He was down in the middle of the ficus. HUGE improvement over lying on the bendy vine under the lights with his eyes closed wishing to die. (His eyes were full of debris from import--vet has flushed them and given him fluids and I've been force feeding him Carnivore Care for a couple of days.)

How long is their reach? I'm worried about him reaching the lights that are hanging over a free range set up.

Joel (jpowell86) said he thought he is about two years old based on the size/bulk of his arms. The vet weighed him at 252g, but that is after not eating for over a weak and being dehydrated so he is bigger than 252g. Joel saw him at the importers--Joel and I went together. Joel was staying with me for two days so he could buy them and he could hydrate them pretty much two days before he made the long drive back to Dallas. It wasn't a planned purchase on my part, although I've always planned to have a Mellers "some day." Not wanted to have one, planned to have one.

I have a cat that stays in my bedroom and the master bath where the mellers is so free range there is out. Plus dogs that sometimes sneak into my bedroom.

I would like to set up a wire cage around my garden tub in my master bath. I had always fantasized of having a big chameleon there. I think I can keep it cool enough in the summer and there is some natural light coming in the window. I really believe that having sunlight as opposed to artificial lights must make them happier, even if they don't get any UVB. If I can't do that easily, I'll just set up a free range in the tub of another bathroom that no one uses. I don't like that because there is no window in that bath so no natural light.

 

[Carlton]

I don't recall catching my melleri trying to get at the overhead lights. There were ReptiSuns so they were no more than 18" away from any perch. I had protective cages over the bulbs, but the ceiling didn't offer any routes that might attract them so probably had no reason to try. FWIW, maybe just building that enclosure "fence" around the garden tub would be the simplest thing. A pvc frame that goes flush to the walls and up to the ceiling with chicken wire might be quick and relatively cheap.

Another idea: Check the classifieds or craigslist for a one piece shower or tub surround and make a wire mesh face, door, and top for it. They often free stand so you could put one almost anywhere it wouldn't get knocked over.