sibling vs stranger recognition

[studiocham]

Thanks to FL Chams, I have six new CH from 3 bloodlines. They have been raised with their own siblings until today, when they were moved to one large communal cage. On arrival here, they all were marked with non-toxic color dots to identify their origin clutches. While the paint dried, I provided Hydei, but no takers. They were busy settling ranks, as observed in the 2005 CB hatchlings. They showed lateral compression, swaying, raised pinched forefoot, the whole routine, ending as soon as the targeted audience showed green and broke eye contact. Each had never seen the other clutches before, so some displays were in order. It wasn't the paint color signalling to them; no two of the same displayed to each other. I gave them a hand-misting, all had a drink, and then got the feeding responses. After eating, exploring was more interesting than shouting at each other.

After lights out, I checked on them again. The red dots (my younger female's) and blues (Megana's) were scattered around the cage (a 260-g Reptarium horizontal). These two were the closest:

The two yellows had found each other and were roosting together on the same twig. It's all too new to roost with strangers.

Later, another roosting check and a light hand-misting: the red and blue pictured above had moved to share one branch, about 4" apart. It will be interesting to see if all three clutches' babies will eventually roost together. No question, juvenile melleri recognize the distinction between strangers and sibs. I hope more keepers have the opportunity to repeat the experiment.

If you're wondering why I mist even after they go to roost, babies will drink at every chance and need hydration even more than the adult melleri. I'll probably do another misting in the middle of the night for a couple weeks. This is in addition to the auto mist system.

 

[Brian]

There cute...I want on now Better do my homework first.

Brian

 

[Julirs]

Kristina-I have one of Megana's babies and yours seem to be so much more green. My little one is getting greener by the day, but is still very much showing it's tuxedo colors. Would you suggest that I get another ASAP for best outcome? They do drink alot. I mist 6X daily at least and it drinks it's fill.

 

[studiocham]

There cute...

That they are. Even the non-herp people around the studio are baby-talking at them and suggesting names.

If you have any questions while doing your homework, fire away!

 

[studiocham]

Kristina-I have one of Megana's babies and yours seem to be so much more green. My little one is getting greener by the day, but is still very much showing it's tuxedo colors. Would you suggest that I get another ASAP for best outcome? They do drink alot. I mist 6X daily at least and it drinks it's fill.

Are you checking on them by day or night? The greens show most when they are in the shade or roosting by night (these are roosting pix). By day, these beasts are distinctly b/w tuxedo.

Based on my own experience, it seems that melleri pairs on up to groups do better. Same or close-aged animals are a good bet. Some people have done fine raising singletons, and every animal is unique. I'd say, read a lot, ask keepers who raised singles and pairs, and assess your individual melleri. Try showing it a photo of a calm baby melleri, and see what it does. I'll always suggest taking your cues from your own animal.

 

[AndrewH]

Hey Kristina,

I have on of their bros from mike.

what was the name of the paint that you used to tag them?

 

[spatulars]

This is really interesting to me, especially because I wondered how chameleons avoid inbreeding in the wild. Perhaps if they can identify their siblings, they can avoid mating with them? Although if people can breed brothers and sisters together in captivity, perhaps they aren't that picky when it comes to mating in the wild.

Nevertheless, those little guys are awesome!

 

[Kat77]

Oh no! Now I want to get another one! I've got one coming shortly, but now I'm thinking I want two....

 

[studiocham]

what was the name of the paint that you used to tag them?

I'm using Liquitex acrylic tube paints. The jarred Liquitex is too runny for the job, the tubed has more polymer medium/gel. Only use the colors that are ASTM certified non-toxic. Avoid Cadmium colors. Lightfastness ratings are not important, even though they are under UV lamps; the paint only stays on as long as one shed cycle, not long enough to change the pigments.

I apply dots to the hip or dorsum areas.

 

[dodolah]

Kristina,
as far as paint goes, maybe instead of liquitex acrylic, you can try tempera paint since they are using egg whites as emulsion rather than a polymer.

(it's probably safer.. just as a suggestion )

Problem with all that red, yellow, white, and blue (or any bright paint), even though they are certified, all of the bright paint colors often use toxic metal -mostly lead- as pigments.
Maybe, next time you can try colors such as yellow ochre (4 yellow) and burnt sienna (4 red). They use ground earth as pigments.

 

[bucky]

Studio i have to say,i really enjoy reading your observations on your mellers and i find it SOOOOOO fascinating how you tell us how they settle ranks etc.. Thank you very much for sharing this with us

 

[studiocham]

Kristina,
as far as paint goes, maybe instead of liquitex acrylic, you can try tempera paint since they are using egg whites as emulsion rather than a polymer.

(it's probably safer.. just as a suggestion )

There are problems with using tempura paint: first, water washes it right off. Misting will remove your color dots. It is also a dry, cracking paint, so after it dries on a flexing living form, it pops right off the skin. Zoos use tempura paints for "enrichment" painting because it's non-toxic AND it comes off readily.

Acrylics bend and flex when dry, so they don't impede basking, stretching, or movement, and they stay on until shed off.

Not to imply that human skin is anything like baby cham skin, but I have really sensitive skin to chemicals and have never had an issue with Liquitex in use or in wear. Liquitex acrylics don't have fumes, either (it says slight "fruity" odor on the MSDS, but that's nothing like the acrid stench of alcohol or toluene, and it doesn't linger). When hubby worked in a SFX studio, they airbrushed Liquitex right onto my skin to do a vid test for makeup FX. I had to show movement so the makeup appliance could be seen flexing, which is what the Liquitex does. Other brands, cheaper brands, I would not trust on my own skin, let alone on neonates. They don't have the thorough labels of Liquitex, either.

Problem with all that red, yellow, white, and blue (or any bright paint), even though they are certified, all of the bright paint colors often use toxic metal -mostly lead- as pigments.
Maybe, next time you can try colors such as yellow ochre (4 yellow) and burnt sienna (4 red). They use ground earth as pigments.

I will check my acrylics box tomorrow, but the only ones I could find labelled ASTM that were still what I'd consider toxic on some level were the Cads. Lead was used to create white paint until titanium became the norm (using white on melleri neonates is visually moot, lol). You'll find titanium white is a major ingredient of ladies' makeup (replacing the deadly white lead of ages past), and titanium is a metal that is considered safe in this form. In other colors, I always was told that lead was used as a flux, both for the texture and for the limiting optical refraction, not so much pigments. Gold was used to enhance red paint/pigments and is still used in some red glass, yet it is a metal considered safe for use in dental work. You can find organic red pigment sources now. In my entire studio color arsenal, the only things with any lead worth mentioning are the ceramics clear overglazes and a handful of long-discontinued 1960's art glazes. And I'm certainly not using glazes on these guys!

On "ground earth" minerals: some that we don't even think of as metals actually ARE. You just have to watch what you use, not every metal is the enemy.

Here's the MSDS:
http://www.liquitex.com/healthsafety/msds/HeavyBodylNonCadmium.pdf

Hobby paints like Testors and Tamiya ARE NOT safe for animals or wee kids, and not even water soluble for clean up. The one is an enamel (mmm... toluene) and the other is alcohol-borne. Fumes. Bad.

 

[studiocham]

It will be interesting to see if all three clutches' babies will eventually roost together. No question, juvenile melleri recognize the distinction between strangers and sibs. I hope more keepers have the opportunity to repeat the experiment.

I can only speak for my group, but now they totally accept each other. They can be seen piled on each other basking all day, and switch partners to roost.

Keepers with babies from more than one clutch: what are yours doing?

 

[studiocham]

To effectively feed them farmed houseflies, I moved them back to the 260-g Reptarium on Sunday. Over the past couple days, since the move, they have been re-establishing ranks again with the little gular displays.

A change of territory must mean that they have to start all over again with ranks.

They will be 3 months on August 28 and the week following.