Greetings. Your questions would be good questions to ask on that Melleri subforum summoner12 pointed out.
My husband and I have Meller's. We keep them in a large free range area of a chameleon room on our property. Meller's are savannah dwellers. They need moderate heat and lots of humidity. 100degrees would probably kill them pretty fast. Ours do best when the free range temp is in the mid 70's, and their 2 basking areas are in the mid 80's. I adjust their temps and basking areas continually as the weather changes. They are definitely not a set-it-up and leave it kind of cham, because if temps get too cold or too hot they can go down hill fast. And, because they are easily stressed it can be difficult to medicate them if they do have a problem. A sick one can die just from the stress of being medicated. We currently have 2 healthy adults, a male and female. Both were WC. The male was acclimated for months before we purchased him last October, the female was acclimated for just a few weeks (but was purchased from a highly skilled importer with Meller's experience- Mike from FLchams). In December we purchased 4 WC juveniles (to add to what we had and begin some breeding groups) from a different importer and lost them all over a period of 2 months. It was crushing. My husband calls them our $1000 dollar chameleons, because that's how much we had in them (They only cost $60 a piece, but we had vet bills, medications, etc.) It was crushing to lose them. They were beautiful.
You will see if you read the Melleri Discovery web site that Meller's are prone to maladies not common to other species. They are also more social, and so require more attention related to that. In my short experience it seems that a lonely Meller's is a sick Meller's. Before we got our female, we had our male for months. His feces were always chunky, watery messes. His skin was always like parchment, no matter how much moisture, mistings, and humidity he had. He wanted me to hold him frequently. Once he got his female (they haven't even mated) his feces became normal, his skin became normal, his appetite increased, etc. Loneliness is a stress factor for them, and causes illness. I seem to be rambling, so, here are a few concise thoughts:
They need A LOT of space. Free range is best for their health and well being (and happiness, really).
WC juveniles are very high risk.
They need moderate temperatures and elevated humidity levels (compared to other cham species). Temps and humidity must be regulated carefully and checked often.
They need plenty of large feeder insects. This can get very expensive, so most breed their own, which furnishes you with yet another challenging hobby and space requirement.
They can be expensive to keep because they come down with unusual illnesses that require vet care. So, you can't just consider the initial cost. You have to have money available for occasional vet bills. At the least you should get annual fecals done on them (or more often). A complete physical will run about $200-$250.
They can live about 20 years. So, you have to think about what you may be doing for the next 20 years. To me it seems cruel to adopt a social species like this, have it bond with you, and then sell if off to someone else in a couple of years. I do realize "life happens", and there are things that come up, but at least at the onset you want to consider whether you are willing to devote yourself to this animal for the next 20 years. It's a longer commitment then for most other species.
These are just a few things for you consider. Let us know how your research goes, if you have any additional questions, and what you decide.
On the plus side- they are a large, friendly species that like to interact with each other and with their keepers, and they can be part of the family for many years. They do more than just sit on a branch and bask all day. It is fun to watch them interact. They are not the prettiest chameleons, however.
