New Chameleon Owner that needs help

Klyde O'Scope said:
If we're still talking about the indigenous Mediterranean chameleon you've 'taken in', he should be fine. He's survived this long out there, and those temperatures aren't that extreme.

I don't find a care sheet specific to Mediterranean chameleons ( Chamaeleo chamaeleon ), but kinyonga has kept & raised them.
Click to expand...
From what I've seen when its rainy/cold outside she tends to turn almost black and doesn't move as much and thats why i thought that sometimes she might be a bit too cold.
 
KyleXaka22 said:
From what I've seen when its rainy/cold outside she tends to turn almost black and doesn't move as much and thats why i thought that sometimes she might be a bit too cold.
Click to expand...
Cold? Yes. Too cold?...

Lots of lizards turn dark when cold, frightened or stressed, and AFAIK, most cold-blooded animals slow down when cold because their metabolisms slow down when cold.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ectotherm
The opposite happens when they get warm—they lighten in color and move more quickly (sometimes to get away from too much heat).

These are natural occurrences and perfectly normal—nothing to be concerned about if within the species' temperature range and the animal is otherwise healthy.

Why Do Lizards Turn Black?​


Since Chamaeleo chamaeleon has been living on Malta successfully for ~150 years...

Just out of curiosity, do you recall any die-offs of these chameleons after particularly cold (or hot) weather? I couldn't find anything, so again, it sounds like they've adapted quite well.

You've probably seen this thread from 2013; I just came across it:

Wild Chameleons in Malta​


I also came across this article:

Chameleons in Gozo - University of Malta​

which says, in part:
Legal Protection and Conservation
....
The Environment Protection Act and the Reptiles
(Protection) Regulations of 1992, lists the
Chamaeleo chamaeleo as one of the species to
protect.

Handling a chameleon for reasons that are not
purely scientific is in fact illegal. To keep it as
a pet, to sell it, to export it or to kill it is illegal,
yet little is known about these directives. School
children, farmers and nature enthusiasts that
encounter a chameleon will often handle it and
displace it to other areas of the island (or possibly
to their garden).
....
In Malta too, the chameleon is protected. Yet,
despite the Environment Protection Act, little is
done to really protect this animal.
Click to expand...

I'm not suggesting or implying anything—just passing along some things I found.
 
Klyde O'Scope said:
Cold? Yes. Too cold?...

Lots of lizards turn dark when cold, frightened or stressed, and AFAIK, most cold-blooded animals slow down when cold because their metabolisms slow down when cold.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ectotherm
The opposite happens when they get warm—they lighten in color and move more quickly (sometimes to get away from too much heat).

These are natural occurrences and perfectly normal—nothing to be concerned about if within the species' temperature range and the animal is otherwise healthy.

Why Do Lizards Turn Black?​


Since Chamaeleo chamaeleon has been living on Malta successfully for ~150 years...

Just out of curiosity, do you recall any die-offs of these chameleons after particularly cold (or hot) weather? I couldn't find anything, so again, it sounds like they've adapted quite well.

You've probably seen this thread from 2013; I just came across it:

Wild Chameleons in Malta​


I also came across this article:

Chameleons in Gozo - University of Malta​

which says, in part:


I'm not suggesting or implying anything—just passing along some things I found.
Click to expand...
Yes, I've seen all the articles searching for answers. Good to hear that this is normal.

Thankyou!
 
KyleXaka22 said:
Hey guys, another question that i have is that im not sure what i should do about the temperature. During the night, it usually drops around 13 to 14 degrees (55 to 57 F) and in the morning its like 20 degrees (10am) (68 F). Last night, i took him in and put him outside in the morning cause he was awake but it was still pretty cold at around 6/7am. Should i get an enclosure for him inside and keep him there till its warmer? People mentioned that he'd be stressed because of that but im not sure what to do here.
Click to expand...

If the chameleon is normally found in the area you are keeping it in, then the temperatures should be ok for it...depending on whether there are places in your yard that it can find to brumate/hibernate in.

From what ice heard, they will sometimes even go as far as digging a shallow hole and staying in that for the winter.

If that species is normally found in your area, the. I wouldn't take it inside and then put it back out again unless it wasn't in a suitable spot to brumate/hibernate in and you had unusually cold temperatures there.

Just my opinion.

Here in Canada, I have no choice but to keep them inside in the winter....and as a result of me living here, it's difficult to get them cool enough during the cold season, to reproduce. I've only been able to hatch eggs that were produced from retained sperm that had so to speak, already been tempered.
 
Hey again, I've been searching all over the internet trying to find safe/unsafe plants for chameleons. I've been through a lot of different websites but do you guys have a website that you fully believe/trust?

Thanks in advance!
 
KyleXaka22 said:
Hey again, I've been searching all over the internet trying to find safe/unsafe plants for chameleons. I've been through a lot of different websites but do you guys have a website that you fully believe/trust?

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
These lists are generally recognized as 'safe' but read any notes.

https://chameleonacademy.com/plants/
https://caskabove.com/chameleon-safe-plants
https://www.madcham.de/en/pflanzen-fuers-terrarium/
https://www.chameleons.info/l/safe-and-unsafe-plants/
 
Hey guys, today i've noticed these black spots on the little fella. Anyone knows what they could be?
20211120_155219.jpg
 
KyleXaka22 said:
They are not raised or swollen.
Click to expand...
Thank you. That eliminates some things.

I'm not a veterinarian, and TBH, not very familiar with this species, but from a brief survey of pics of Mediterranean chameleons and some other digging, I'm thinking there may be nothing wrong at all—these could be perfectly normal for the species (BICBW).

https://www.google.com/search?q=spo...XMlGoFHbnaCXYQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1024&bih=625
https://www.google.com/search?q=spo...VRk2oFHTsjCJQQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1024&bih=625

I'm looking only at those of same species with overall coloration similar to yours.

There are also many threads on discoloration in the archives.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/search/1500033/?q=discoloration&c[title_only]=1&o=relevance

You may find a clue there, as you're in a better position to compare what you have to other pics & descriptions.

Please keep us updated.
 
Klyde O'Scope said:
Thank you. That eliminates some things.

I'm not a veterinarian, and TBH, not very familiar with this species, but from a brief survey of pics of Mediterranean chameleons and some other digging, I'm thinking there may be nothing wrong at all—these could be perfectly normal for the species (BICBW).

https://www.google.com/search?q=spots+on+"mediterranean+chameleon"&client=firefox-b-1-d&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiNzYyk06n0AhXMlGoFHbnaCXYQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1024&bih=625
https://www.google.com/search?q=spots+on+"european+chameleon"&client=firefox-b-1-d&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi-kdu006n0AhVRk2oFHTsjCJQQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1024&bih=625

I'm looking only at those of same species with overall coloration similar to yours.

There are also many threads on discoloration in the archives.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/search/1500033/?q=discoloration&c[title_only]=1&o=relevance

You may find a clue there, as you're in a better position to compare what you have to other pics & descriptions.

Please keep us updated.
Click to expand...
From the google links, it seems that its normal as it looks basically the same as the pic that i attached. Will look more into the threads from the archive. Thanks once again for your help!!!
Screenshot_20211121-163115_Chrome.jpg
 
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