Evening All,
Thought I would share a bit of an update for those following this thread and the shipment in general.
In regards to the pair I received:
The female is gravid as can be seen in the recent pics above. I confess that as this is obviously the first time I have dealt with this species, the long gestation period is a change in pace. Although she certainly shows size, I get he sense she may still have a month or more still to go. People I have spoken to say that the eggs are large compared to other like sized chameleons, so I get the sense she still has growing to do.
In addition, she is eating large quantities of food, especially silkworms. This evening she ate 14 full size ones for example. She cup feeds randomly, same with the male.
In the case of the male, he eats as well, but not as much, which I would guess is normal for an adult male that is obviously not developing eggs. He will eat 4-5 silks one day, skip a day, a few crix, skip a day, etc...
They both seem to be drinking well. I confess I have not actually observed them drinking, but urates are white and with today being the 3 week marked since they were received, I would have expected to see some negative signs had they not been drinking.
As an FYI, they get misted 10 min, 2x day, and have 2 drippers in each cage for 8 hours a day.
They both seem to bask intermittently throughout the day with basking spots around 80*. I use halogen lights, so I would say the direct spot of the beam is a bit warmer. The female basks more often, which again I assume has to do with the development of eggs.
I have also picked up another male from a member who recieved a pair and lost a female.
He has been a bit different and I get the sense that he may be a bit older than the other male.
I took him to the vet this past Monday due to some 'sores' that I noticed on the dorsal portion of the tail below his back. It seems he has a few abscesses from older wounds (perhaps from the wild or as part of the shipping process). One (the worst) was lanced and I am now treating the wound topically. The others appear to have healed or are not active. He does not seem any worse for the wear, but clearly they need to be addressed.
He, like other male, has a random appetite. Today he ate 6 silkworns quickly. Other days he may not be interested.
He spends ALOT of time in his basking spot which he prefers to be a bit warmer, probably 84*. Watering is the same as the other two.
Ambient temp in the room is 73* with a gradient in the cage from 79* at the top to the 73* at the halfway point. Room temp is dropped to at least 61* a night.
I really do believe this drop in temp is vitally important and wish I could get it lower still.
In general, so far so good!! I feel the males have settled in and although I dont think I am out of the woods so far (and not withstanding the wound care on male #2) I believe the critical time has past.
In regards to the female, its all going to depend on how she handles the egg laying process. I do believe I am fortunate here in that she obviously came in gravid but no so far along that she was not able to settle in. She clearly has a daily routine and is not overly shy. So again, just standing by here.
Anyhow, just sharing some general info and an update. Will keep all posted.
Thanks!
