The Incomparable YingLong

[jajeanpierre]

It is with tremendous sadness I announce that my beautiful YingLong has died of visceral gout likely caused by kidney failure as a result of severe dehydration at import.

He was the most beautiful blue, with sparkles sprinkled on his eye turrets, face, cheeks and shoulders; just a spectacular animal.

Enjoy his pictures. I'll miss him terribly, but I am ever so thankful I have so many of his babies.

@maryanne27 @jpowell86

A couple of days after import:

Battered, beaten up and oh, so unhappy. Who would have imagined this woebegone little animal would grow so beautiful.

Six months after import:

2016:

 

[ZacharyLeesWife]

He was a beauty! So sorry for the loss

 

[Extensionofgreen]

I'm so sorry you lost him! He did his duty and contributed to the next generation. He was sure handsome.

 

[Remkon]

Sorry for your loss @jajeanpierre , he truly was a beauty!
At least he got the best of care he could wish for in captivity during his short lived life!

I love the looks of these quads but I think I will never take the plunge on that one.

 

[NHenn]

I'm so sorry for your loss Janet He was absolutely stunning.

 

[jajeanpierre]

I'm so sorry for your loss Janet He was absolutely stunning.

Thank you Nick. He really was gorgeous. I held back a pair of his babies, trying to get his blue to develop a really blue line of graciliors if that is possible. I have a clutch not quite three months old and another big clutch in the incubator so I still have an opportunity to get his blue. I have a few older ones of his but they look more on the yellows and oranges than blue.

You know Nick, even in death he was beautiful. I've never seen a dead chameleon that you could think of as beautiful--dead chameleon and beauty is a bit of an oxymoron. He was a good weight and black with beautiful blue/green sparkles, almost like a quad female telling the males "No!". It killed me. I still cry about him and it was more than two months ago.

I opened him up, saw the classic chalky deposits on the liver and immediately drove him to the vet's for necropsy and pathology. He had urate deposits in his lungs, liver, testes, kidneys--everywhere. I feel lucky he had almost two good years with me and I got lots of his genetics. It seems few wild caughts ever have the opportunity to pass on their genes.

They have such a horrible time with import. The Cameroon shipments were boxed up, hanging in cloth bags for at a minimum of six days of transit to get from the airport in Equatorial Guinea, through US Fish and Wildlife in Miami, the importer's. Who knows how long they sat hanging in that box before being shipped. This, a species I can dehydrate in a few hours of sun on a cool, dry day with misters running around the cage and soaking the plants, cage and chameleon every 30 to 60 minutes. You know all that of course, but I don't think the general chameleon keeper has any idea what they go through to get to the US or how many died. Losing him made me determined to breed every wild caught I have as soon as possible because you just never know how long they will live, regardless of the care or veterinary attention.

 

[Ilike4hornedchams]

Awe so sad, but thanks to you I think his children will spread across the states like Gangis Khan with some luck! lol.

 

[Mtnlaurel]

That is so sad and I am so very sorry.

 

[leedragon]

oh shit man sorry for your loss. he was really awesome

 

[JacksJill]

Sorry for your loss. It's a tribute to the care you gave him that he did as well as he did for so long. Hopefully his progeny can prevent others from enduring the import process.
"A thing of beauty is a joy forever"

 

[NHenn]

Thank you Nick. He really was gorgeous. I held back a pair of his babies, trying to get his blue to develop a really blue line of graciliors if that is possible. I have a clutch not quite three months old and another big clutch in the incubator so I still have an opportunity to get his blue. I have a few older ones of his but they look more on the yellows and oranges than blue.

You know Nick, even in death he was beautiful. I've never seen a dead chameleon that you could think of as beautiful--dead chameleon and beauty is a bit of an oxymoron. He was a good weight and black with beautiful blue/green sparkles, almost like a quad female telling the males "No!". It killed me. I still cry about him and it was more than two months ago.

I opened him up, saw the classic chalky deposits on the liver and immediately drove him to the vet's for necropsy and pathology. He had urate deposits in his lungs, liver, testes, kidneys--everywhere. I feel lucky he had almost two good years with me and I got lots of his genetics. It seems few wild caughts ever have the opportunity to pass on their genes.

They have such a horrible time with import. The Cameroon shipments were boxed up, hanging in cloth bags for at a minimum of six days of transit to get from the airport in Equatorial Guinea, through US Fish and Wildlife in Miami, the importer's. Who knows how long they sat hanging in that box before being shipped. This, a species I can dehydrate in a few hours of sun on a cool, dry day with misters running around the cage and soaking the plants, cage and chameleon every 30 to 60 minutes. You know all that of course, but I don't think the general chameleon keeper has any idea what they go through to get to the US or how many died. Losing him made me determined to breed every wild caught I have as soon as possible because you just never know how long they will live, regardless of the care or veterinary attention.

Janet, I know exactly what you are talking about with them still having beauty in death. I think the imports from Cameroon / Equatorial Guinea are usually the worst around and most of the animals are in terrible condition. As much as I want to work with different species that are not in captivity or successfully bred in captivity, it is so hard to support any import of these amazing creatures knowing what they go through to get here and the amount that lose their lives along the way or shortly after getting here. So, I know losing him is hard but the fact you were able to produce offspring from him and still have more potential babies to hatch is absolutely amazing and in the end a great success for what he had to go through.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Janet, I know exactly what you are talking about with them still having beauty in death. I think the imports from Cameroon / Equatorial Guinea are usually the worst around and most of the animals are in terrible condition. As much as I want to work with different species that are not in captivity or successfully bred in captivity, it is so hard to support any import of these amazing creatures knowing what they go through to get here and the amount that lose their lives along the way or shortly after getting here. So, I know losing him is hard but the fact you were able to produce offspring from him and still have more potential babies to hatch is absolutely amazing and in the end a great success for what he had to go through.

I cry when I go through new imports. Just cry. Few chameleon keepers ever see what you and I have seen. They just don't know. So much of the abuse is unnecessary!

I finally found out why the Cameroon imports were so beaten up with deep cuts along their spine. The exporter puts them in really lousy cheap bags that unravel during transit. They are in transit a minimum of 6 days before they make it to the importer's. The threads unravel and wind around them. Some die just from those stupid cheap bags. So avoidable! I have a gorgeous orange-cheeked adult wild caught that had a wonderful sail fin until he was bagged up for export. I bought him with half inch of living pink exposed bones on his sail fin--maybe five spinous processes with a lot of exposed living bone. Of course it became infected. It will eventually probably kill him regardless of the veterinary care he gets. So needless!

I don't think there will be any new Cameroon imports for many years to come. What is here is it.

I feel a special responsibility to my wild caughts. In the great scheme of things, YingLong lived a very long and very productive life but there were probably hundreds or thousands of YingLongs that died horribly in the import trade for every YingLong that reproduced. It's why I am doing what I am doing. @NHenn I'm going to send you a PM. I need an opinion. Thanks.

 

[guanagator]

Sorry for your loss Janet, glad you have some of his babies though.

 

[maryanne27]

Aw @jajeanpierre I'm so sorry... That's just awful. I feel honored to have one of his offspring that carries those gorgeous blues. He really was remarkable - it was photos of him that got me hooked on the species in the first place!

 

[jajeanpierre]

Aw @jajeanpierre I'm so sorry... That's just awful. I feel honored to have one of his offspring that carries those gorgeous blues. He really was remarkable - it was photos of him that got me hooked on the species in the first place!

Thanks everyone for your kind thoughts.

I'm hoping to find another male like your Olivander. I have a big clutch of young YingLong babies now and one in the incubator. I'll hold a lot back. If I don't find it in a son, I'll have enough of his genetics to get it from the next generation.

He really was so beautiful. The blues were not only blue, but had a jewel-like quality to them. I think your Olivander has that, too. Treasure your boy.

 

[Motherlode Chameleon]

My condolences about Ying Long Janet. He was a beauty Trioceros quadricornis gracilor.

Best Regards
Jeremy A. Rich

 

[BKO Overdrive]

Sorry for your loss this week just isnt a good one

 

[Chameleon Crazy Chick]

I'm so sorry Janet.... He was gorgeous. If his children have even half the beauty of him, they will be spectacular. I"m a new keeper, and so it's terrible to hear about the horrible things being done to WC chams..... But I'm happy that you managed to give this guy some peace and happiness in the last few years. That, to me, is the best form of treatment. Good old TLC.

 

[jpowell86]

Hey Janet. This was a tough one wasn't it? It is a great loss but the last year has also been a great triumph. You did wonderfully bringing him back to vitality and ensuring his genetics live on. I admit, it is sad hearing someone lost their chameleon, but this one felt personal to me. I loved that animal. Every time I came to your house I couldn't help but devote most of my attention to him. How lucky he was that you grabbed him at import.

Import is a nasty bit of business. I feel terrible knowing I buy WC animals but also know that it is necessary for furthering genetics and establishing a species. You're right, there is a huge sense of responsibility to these chameleons. This is actually a perfect example of the responsibility we should feel when buying WC animals. Their genetics are precious and their time can often be short. Bringing an animal back to health doesn't ensure longevity. Unfortunately, the internal damage is done before you make the purchase. Poor YingLong suffered the effects of capture and shipment just like every other gracilior in that shipment has or will. You went above and beyond and did him justice for all he had to endure.

He was beautiful Janet and I hate that he died. He was awesome! @jajeanpierre

 

[jajeanpierre]

Hey Janet. This was a tough one wasn't it? It is a great loss but the last year has also been a great triumph. You did wonderfully bringing him back to vitality and ensuring his genetics live on. I admit, it is sad hearing someone lost their chameleon, but this one felt personal to me. I loved that animal. Every time I came to your house I couldn't help but devote most of my attention to him. How lucky he was that you grabbed him at import.

Import is a nasty bit of business. I feel terrible knowing I buy WC animals but also know that it is necessary for furthering genetics and establishing a species. You're right, there is a huge sense of responsibility to these chameleons. This is actually a perfect example of the responsibility we should feel when buying WC animals. Their genetics are precious and their time can often be short. Bringing an animal back to health doesn't ensure longevity. Unfortunately, the internal damage is done before you make the purchase. Poor YingLong suffered the effects of capture and shipment just like every other gracilior in that shipment has or will. You went above and beyond and did him justice for all he had to endure.

He was beautiful Janet and I hate that he died. He was awesome! @jajeanpierre

Thanks Joel. I'm so glad you got to see him and I know how much you loved him. I don't think anyone who didn't see him in person really could understand just how beautiful he was. For some reason, I needed someone else to share him with and I am glad it was you, someone who has the extensive knowledge and has seen so many animals and species. It was a loss to me personally, but thankfully, not to the species. There are a lot of YingLong babies out there and I'll keep quite a few.

His death reminded me just how difficult and unpredictable it is to keep the wild caughts alive and breeding. I had been lulled into a false sense of security since so many of my wild caughts were thriving. I thought I could always breed them later. I've changed my position--I'm breeding every one of my wild caughts regardless of whether or not there is a market for such a large group of babies at once. I can't risk losing the genetics. The animals paid dearly to give me those genes and it would be irresponsible for me to waste their gift.