byrnesr
New Member
Hello everyone!
I've kept reptiles all my life: Horned Lizards, Green/Red Iguanas, Haitian Jeweled Cury Tailed lizards, Anoles, Burmese Pythons, Columbian Red Tailed Boas, Crested Geckos, the list goes on. But always wanted a chameleon, as was the case with many of you.
I've spent the last 6 months preparing a suitable enclosure for a chameleon. But I had some difficulty in selecting which species to get. Jackson or Veiled, as a beginner with chameleons I wanted to start with a durable species. In the end I chose a Veiled because of humidity control issues and durablity. A few weeks ago I aquired a junvenile veiled chameleon from a local pet store. He was in great shape, but I felt bad for him in the little enclosure he had. Those of you that recommend only breeders, remember these little guys need homes too.
I brought him home, introduced him to his new home, and named him Caesar. He seemed small for his cage at first, then I notice he tends to traverse the whole cage daily. Sleeping in varying locations, basking, hunting, and drinking takes him all over the cage. So far he is doing very well. Actually, I think he's going to eat me out of house and home. He was downing 14-16 small crickets per day. In addition, I provided him with some nectar fed house flys, an occassional mealworm, and small locusts. I recently moved him up to large crickets and small locusts. So 8 medium-to-large crickets and 3 to 4 locusts. I feed him throughout the day from both is feeding station and by placing locusts on the vines.
He appears to be on the cusp of getting his colors. For the most part he stays the pale green/w white side patches of a junvenile. I notice some faint darker green barring now and then. So I think he must be close to 4 1/2 or 5 months. The real treat was when I attempted to feed a mealworm via silver metal tongs. He instantly inflated, turned dark green with darker green/black spots and swayed back and forth agressively. Turns out it's the tongs he's reacting to. For a 15-20 sec. exposure it took him 45 mins to calm down and his color to return to normal. Won't do that again.
I find it odd that I cannot find a color meanings table. Are the color patterns expressed by chameleons strictly individual or are there general patterns common to all of a species? If so where can I find more information?
Find pictures and details of his enclosure here. I welcome your comments or questions.
I've kept reptiles all my life: Horned Lizards, Green/Red Iguanas, Haitian Jeweled Cury Tailed lizards, Anoles, Burmese Pythons, Columbian Red Tailed Boas, Crested Geckos, the list goes on. But always wanted a chameleon, as was the case with many of you.
I've spent the last 6 months preparing a suitable enclosure for a chameleon. But I had some difficulty in selecting which species to get. Jackson or Veiled, as a beginner with chameleons I wanted to start with a durable species. In the end I chose a Veiled because of humidity control issues and durablity. A few weeks ago I aquired a junvenile veiled chameleon from a local pet store. He was in great shape, but I felt bad for him in the little enclosure he had. Those of you that recommend only breeders, remember these little guys need homes too.
I brought him home, introduced him to his new home, and named him Caesar. He seemed small for his cage at first, then I notice he tends to traverse the whole cage daily. Sleeping in varying locations, basking, hunting, and drinking takes him all over the cage. So far he is doing very well. Actually, I think he's going to eat me out of house and home. He was downing 14-16 small crickets per day. In addition, I provided him with some nectar fed house flys, an occassional mealworm, and small locusts. I recently moved him up to large crickets and small locusts. So 8 medium-to-large crickets and 3 to 4 locusts. I feed him throughout the day from both is feeding station and by placing locusts on the vines.
He appears to be on the cusp of getting his colors. For the most part he stays the pale green/w white side patches of a junvenile. I notice some faint darker green barring now and then. So I think he must be close to 4 1/2 or 5 months. The real treat was when I attempted to feed a mealworm via silver metal tongs. He instantly inflated, turned dark green with darker green/black spots and swayed back and forth agressively. Turns out it's the tongs he's reacting to. For a 15-20 sec. exposure it took him 45 mins to calm down and his color to return to normal. Won't do that again.
I find it odd that I cannot find a color meanings table. Are the color patterns expressed by chameleons strictly individual or are there general patterns common to all of a species? If so where can I find more information?
Find pictures and details of his enclosure here. I welcome your comments or questions.
