Please help me identify what type of chameleon this is

[Mike0110]

i found this chameleon and im trying to figure out what type of chameleon it is. ive done some research and checked out a few pictures of different chameleons but i just cant find it. im actually trying to keep him and im building him a 3 ft x 2ft x 2ft cage and i already have all his supplies for the cage including a live weeping fig plant. as you can tell in the pictures hes a big chameleon but ive been able to get him onto my hand about twice since i got him and he was not tried to bite me. i have heard him hissing though.

 

[OldChamKeeper]

Looks like a she, also needs a laying bin since it looks super gravid in some pictures.

 

[Mike0110]

Thanks for the reply. But are you able to tell me the type of chameleon it is

 

[Kayroxyoursox]

I was going to say female panther but I don't want to be wrong. If it's a female and gravid she needs a lay box.

 

[Justin Carl]

female oustalet's chameleon

 

[Kayroxyoursox]

And I was wrong anyway haha. That's what I get for chiming in on matters i don't really know much about.

 

[MamatoElvis]

I could be wrong but I don't believe that size cage would be big enough. Maybe a senior member could chime in here but that is a very large breed so a 2x 2 x3 seems very small.

 

[Craigwyatt]

100% oustelets.

 

[Chris Anderson]

The chameleon you found is a female Oustalet's Chameleon (Furcifer oustaleti). As mentioned above, she is gravid, so you will want to get a laying bin ready for her.

Chris

 

[Trillian]

Where did you find her? I think there are wild populations in Florida. If she was wild, there's a good chance the eggs are fertile, so you have her plus a potential 30+ hungry tiny fragile mouths to feed.

 

[Mike0110]

Thanks everyone that really helped alot. I've done some research now on her specific type of chameleon and I read that they are one of the biggest chameleons out there. How are you guys so sure she is gravid she really does not look like she would have eggs. Another question I have how can you tell it's a female

Thanks

 

[Mike0110]

Thanks everyone. I didn't know what type of chameleon I have. She is wild as I said I found her outside. How are you guys so sure she is gravid. I really don't see anything around her stomach. What can I use for a lay box

 

[Trillian]

Please please search the forums for advice on caring for female Oustalets, incubating eggs, and caring for the hatchlings. There are chameleon keepers who have had chameleons for decades who wouldn't consider breeding because successfully caring for hatchlings until they can be rehomed is very much a full time job. There are several members who can give you advice, but it may be better for you, her, and the hatchlings to put her back where you found her.

Chris Anderson knows as much about chameleons as it's possible to know. If he says she's gravid, she's gravid. I have a female panther, she's 3 1/2 and has laid two infertile clutches. I can't tell when she's due to lay by looking, I go by her behaviour. Some chams have special colour patterns when they're gravid.

 

[jajeanpierre]

There are several members who can give you advice, but it may be better for you, her, and the hatchlings to put her back where you found her.

Releasing a non-native species is environmentally and ecologically irresponsible advice. They are a non-native species. Any non-native species displaces a native species. How damaging is up for debate, but what isn't up for debate is that it is unethical as well as illegal to release a non-native species into the wild.

If you do not intend to raise the babies--an expensive proposition, by the way--the eggs can be destroyed. I think zoos freeze them. There is nothing wrong with destroying fertile eggs. It is no different than buying farm-fresh eggs from a farm with a rooster in the flock. There is something very wrong with releasing her back into her non-native habitat.

 

[Trillian]

Releasing a non-native species is environmentally and ecologically irresponsible advice. They are a non-native species. Any non-native species displaces a native species. How damaging is up for debate, but what isn't up for debate is that it is unethical as well as illegal to release a non-native species into the wild.

If you do not intend to raise the babies--an expensive proposition, by the way--the eggs can be destroyed. I think zoos freeze them. There is nothing wrong with destroying fertile eggs. It is no different than buying farm-fresh eggs from a farm with a rooster in the flock. There is something very wrong with releasing her back into her non-native habitat.

Obviously you are right, it is irresponsible to release non-native species. Legally you are obligated not to return her to the place she was found.

If you are determined to keep her in captivity, I agree that you should freeze the eggs.

Lay box requirements differ between species, so it's very important to research her needs, because she will die if she isn't able to lay her eggs. For panthers they need a large container with a good enough damp soil/sand mixture that they can tunnel into it around a foot. Oustalets may have similar requirements, but you need to research properly.

Releasing a non-native species is environmentally and ecologically irresponsible advice. They are a non-native species. Any non-native species displaces a native species. How damaging is up for debate, but what isn't up for debate is that it is unethical as well as illegal to release a non-native species into the wild.

If you do not intend to raise the babies--an expensive proposition, by the way--the eggs can be destroyed. I think zoos freeze them. There is nothing wrong with destroying fertile eggs. It is no different than buying farm-fresh eggs from a farm with a rooster in the flock. There is something very wrong with releasing her back into her non-native habitat.

Obviously you are right, it is irresponsible to release non-native species.