Questions!

[Brienna]

Hi there!
My name is Brienna I've recently gotten into reptiles and they are really, really growing on me! I own a bearded dragon (Puff) and a satanic leaf-tailed gecko (Murderface). Both are healthy and happy.

I've been looking into pygmy chameleons a lot lately and am becoming quickly obsessed! After viewing some care sheets (by the way.. there aren't that many! If anyone could give me a few links for caresheets they would recommend that would be super. There is no such thing as too much research) I have realized that caring for the pygmy is almost exactly like caring for my gecko. So there isn't any real challenge!

At least I thought there wasn't.

There is a very reputable and amazing pet store (Not a chain store) in my city and they have just gotten in a shipment of Pygmy's. I am really, really concerned however.

ALL of the pymgy's are WC. And the owner said he usually never gets CB.
I am wondering the pros/cons of getting a WC reptile. I am terrified that the cham would stress out and die instantly. How hardy are they? Are they good with adapting to new situations??

Would you recommend purchasing a WC? Even if it is the only kind available?

I'd love some more information on WC.
Thanks everyone!!

 

[pssh]

I would not recommend WC for your first reptile. They dont usually aclimate well and can die even if you did nothing wrong. Order CB online and have them shipped to you. There is actually a pygmy section in this forum. Read up over there and It may help you out a bit. Here it is: https://www.chameleonforums.com/pygmy-enclosures/

There is also a caresheet on this website. www.flchams.com

 

[Brienna]

This won't be my first reptile

I live in Canada and I haven't been able to find any breeders. I have found some sellers but they live across the country and will not ship.

 

[pssh]

I mean first chameleon, my bad. Chameleons are harder than other reptiles because of the amount daily care they require so wild caught are never a good first chameleon. If the store will refund any deaths, then go ahead and try... Also try looking for books, books save your life. There are a few canadian members who might be able to help you find one/some when they get on.

 

[drewtt]

Check out Xtreme Exotics to ask about their pygmies. I saw them at a show a few months ago and for some reason I think they were CB, but I can't remember for sure. And yes, it's a Canadian company.

Drew

 

[Brienna]

Thanks a lot!
I am curious though. Why are they "harder" ? What sort of daily care are you talking about? I'm just trying to learn and get the point of view of others

I'm just asking because I was told by members of another forum that a Uroplatus phantasticus would not survive a second with me (due to them being very "hard" to take care of) and he's been thriving happily with no issues with him or maintaining excellent husbandry

 

[pssh]

If the temps get too high they die, if the temps get too low they die, if the humidity isn't right they die/have problems (URI, LRI), if the females dont like the ground/ soil you provide they become eggbound and die, if you dont provide soil for females they die, if you dont have small enough food they can choke and die, if you dont use the right amount of calcium they get MBD and become deformed and die, if you provide too much calcium/vit A/d3 they can also end up with severe problems, if you dont learn their body language you may not notice that they are sick and they may die, if you dont have proper husbandry they stress and can possibly die.

Sorry for the crazy run on sentence, but there are a lot of things that can go wrong, but if you do your research I'm sure they'll be fine. Pygmies are actually harder than veileds and panthers which are a medium-large species (!) so I might actually be missing (or even adding) some things that are associated with veiled/panther chameleons...

 

[drewtt]

I'm just asking because I was told by members of another forum that a Uroplatus phantasticus would not survive a second with me (due to them being very "hard" to take care of) and he's been thriving happily with no issues with him or maintaining excellent husbandry

How long have you been keeping your phant for?
If you have been able to master phantasticus husbandry and have kept yours healthy for a significant amount of time, I'd be confident that you could keep pygmies as well.

 

[Brienna]

I have had my Phant for three months now
(I know it isn't a long time, it certainly feels like it though! Haha)

 

[lisa h]

I second xtreme exotics. I got a couple of rudis chams from them, and have dealt with them for other things. If I decide to continue breeding pygmies I will get a male from them.
My pygmies were wild caught, and produced 4 clutches for me before both parents died about a month ago. I had the pair for only half a year or so, and I miss them terribly. They were healthy at the time of their death, although the female may have egg bound. One problem with wc is you don't know the age. Xtreme has cb. I will have ch if I have better luck with my next three clutches than I had with this one.

 

[dragongoddess]

Depending on the species, pygmy chameleons only live 3-5 years. With wild caught chameleons you never know how old they are to begin with. They could be a year old giving you 2 years, as long they don't have any parasites they succumb to while in your care. (Stress weakens the immune system making it harder to survive parasites they had otherwise lived with in the wild) Or they could already be 3-4 years old, and may only survive in your care for less than a couple of months. I would get a CB if giving the choice.

I don't know how you keep the substrate for your Uroplatus phantasticus, but make sure if you get pygmies to read up layering for drainage, this is necessary for the frequent misting.

There is a pygmy section here, as pssh said, or I can direct you to a pygmy forum if you like.