Species Identification.. Please Help!

[Confuzed]

Today, while on the drive home, I spotted a chameleon in the road. Not wanting someone's beloved pet to become roadkill, I quickly placed the chameleon in a carrier I had. However.. I'm no expert and have no clue what species it may be. I figure it would help to identify it, so I could post up "Found" signs and contact the SPCA.

Thanks

 

[SoCaliSon]

A beautiful Melleri, and a Large Adult at that... What a find!

I would post some signs in case someone is looking for their beloved pet.

 

[Confuzed]

Thanks! =)

 

[AJA]

WOW...what a find! How does someone identify THEIR chameleon?
"uh, it's green and has a sticky tongue and loves crickets, yeah, that's it, it's mine! "

Seriously can you microchip your cham?

Someone on this forum had his chams taken from his yard, if they were somehow identified ( tattooed?) he might have a chance of getting them back.

 

[Orchidartist]

Now why couldnt I find something like that on my way home!!!

Good on you for bringing him home. Somebody surely misses him/her!!!

 

[Confuzed]

on a side note, i can tell that the poor thing is terrified.. is there anything i can do to make it feel better so it doesnt keel over before i get it back to its owner?

 

[Orchidartist]

Do you possibly have a large potted plant you could supervise him on? Mellers live in large enclosures, he is probably stressed from being on the ground.

 

[SoCaliSon]

You are going to want to get him comfy since you don't know how long you will have him. Do you have other pets loose in your house? If you have an indoor tree like a ficus or something of the sorts you could take him home and set him up on that for a while. If he gets a nice high point under a light maybe for some warmth he should be content there and not want to roam. Another option is buying a cage, or maybe someone local to you on the forums would be willing to loan you one... If I was closer I would give you a cage in a heartbeat.

He looks dehydrated(I say "he" but I have no way of knowing the sex). He could really use a shower... If you have a Pothos hanging vine plant, you can set him on that in the shower with warm water bouncing off the walls and onto him. Letting him sit it the shower like that for up to 45 mins at this point looks called for. You may consider offering him up to someone local to you and experienced who is prepared to take proper care of him while the owners are located, I would just make sure that whoever agrees to this, agrees to help find the owners as well.

You did the right thing saving him, and by coming here!

 

[Confuzed]

My family's not too big on indoor plants, however.. I have a huge enclosure for my pampered hedgehog. She has a smaller cage that she can stay in, so maybe the chameleon can take up residence in the big cage until the owner is found. I've previously housed reptiles, but ironically, I gave my massive collection of reptile stuff-enclosures, substrate, misters, climbing nets, dishes- away to the elementary school down the street.

But anyway, since he's such a big fella, what should i feed him? Large crickets from Petsmart? I have some mealworms, but the poor thing is probably too scared to eat.

 

[bigcappa]

If you need any more advice or if you havent heard from the owner in a few days I live in the houston area and I would take care of him/her for you and if you have any more questions feel free to email me at [email protected]

 

[SoCaliSon]

If you are going to keep him in that cage be sure to sanitize it before putting him in... Chams are real touchy when it comes to parasites. Just be sure to put something in there for him to climb and maybe hide in. Do you have any lights left, Dome Lights, UV Lights? If you do have a dome light, a regular house hold bulb in there should help to keep him warm. I would definately try to get him drinking for you, that is very important, they need a lot of water and depending on how long he has been roaming, he could be VERY thirsty.

I would put up an add on Craigslist... Saying you found a chameleon, but don't give to much info... Ideally you want anyone who tries to claim it to say ... "I lost my Melleri" If that is not what they say, most likely they are just trying to claim one that is not theirs.

 

[jannb]

He would be much happier on a large tree.....in a room in your house. He's beautiful.....good luck finding the owner.

 

[Zen Reptiles]

I'm actually so jealous right now. I wish I found giant mellerii on the side of the road here...!

Looks healthy to me! Would be interesting if there are more out there...the Hawaiian jacksonii got established with only a dozen or so loose babies!

Very interesting, make sure to keep him hydrated+humid with a good 2-3 minute misting once or twice a day.

If you have trouble finding the owner, there are several people on here who work with mellerii and it'd be great to see him go to a breeding project so we don't have to rely on importing wild caught chams anymore!

And good for you for stopping and picking him up, thanks for doing that.

 

[bigcappa]

I just happen to have a spare tree inside just for that Jannb... , but yeah def cool find... and lucky for it