Ultimate Beginner thread

I agree with Jejeanpierre. In my country we completely lost all the lateralis majors due to lack of interest and very few people breeding them.

If I were you I'd take him up on the idea of investing your time and money in a species a bit more special that likely, without new imports, will disappear from the U.S.

I would love to have the opportunity of working with Cameroon species such as quadricornis. Maybe you can acquire some CB individuals. I do believe you should atleast make sure that whatever you purchase are not wildcaught. That wont be an easy venture for a beginner.
 
I agree with Jejeanpierre. In my country we completely lost all the lateralis majors due to lack of interest and very few people breeding them.

If I were you I'd take him up on the idea of investing your time and money in a species a bit more special that likely, without new imports, will disappear from the U.S.

I would love to have the opportunity of working with Cameroon species such as quadricornis. Maybe you can acquire some CB individuals. I do believe you should atleast make sure that whatever you purchase are not wildcaught. That wont be an easy venture for a beginner.
man aren´t you from sotuh africa? you got pumilum and other bradypodions :eek:
 
Correct, but it is very challenging to legally keep and breed them here. There are some dodgy dealers who have managed to export them from S.A but I wouldn't trust them to hold my cup of coffee... some more trustworthy guys are working on becoming legitimate keepers and breeders. With me moving to the U.K I hope to help them make smooth exports from S.A possible.
 
Correct, but it is very challenging to legally keep and breed them here. There are some dodgy dealers who have managed to export them from S.A but I wouldn't trust them to hold my cup of coffee... some more trustworthy guys are working on becoming legitimate keepers and breeders. With me moving to the U.K I hope to help them make smooth exports from S.A possible.
and you do right in doing so. but you coulf just have a nice garden and let those litle bastards to move in. I would love to have wild chameleons around me.
 
I think I would like to get a Trioceros quadricornis. How much UV light do they need? How exactly would I go about getting one? And what plants would you recommend for the enclosure?
 
I think I would like to get a Trioceros quadricornis. How much UV light do they need? How exactly would I go about getting one? And what plants would you recommend for the enclosure?

Trioceros quadricornis quadricornis or Tropcerps quadricornis gracilior? I have babies of both available. PM me and we can go over your cage set up. Please send me pictures.
 
and you do right in doing so. but you coulf just have a nice garden and let those litle bastards to move in. I would love to have wild chameleons around me.

The bradypodions are restricted to small niche habitats in the country. Most species are found along coast lines. I live in Johannesburg with no Bradypodions near by. I have heard a story that someone released some in Johannesburg and so a small population have developed.

Otherwise I only have the chance to find flap neck chameleons where I stay. But you won't even find them too regularly in the urban areas.
 
The bradypodions are restricted to small niche habitats in the country. Most species are found along coast lines. I live in Johannesburg with no Bradypodions near by. I have heard a story that someone released some in Johannesburg and so a small population have developed.

Otherwise I only have the chance to find flap neck chameleons where I stay. But you won't even find them too regularly in the urban areas.
aaahh yeah I got carried away with the films i saw of bradypodion thamnobates in South africa and though they where common. would have been cool due.
 
Janet, every single time I see that orange headed male I'm in awe. I need a male from his line. Wow he's so awesome.
 
To the Op. Graciliors would do great at the temps in your critter room. All you'd need is a mister and a UV light. Look at the cham in my avatar, that's one of Janet's graciliors. They are incredible.
 
Why? Why would anyone suggest a veiled chameleon?

There are so many chameleon species that are interesting to look at without all the health problems associated with the poor nutrition and woefully inadequate husbandry that mass produced veileds receive. There is a reason veileds develop MBD. Many captive bred ones show evidence of stunting--just look at their faces and casques. They are not the faces and casques of a veiled in the wild.

Let's not forget how difficult most adult male veileds are to deal with. Be honest, they can be incredibly difficult to handle.

I find it disheartening that the chameleon community sees only two species of chameleons.

There a a kajillion species that would work in this person's environment without the need to change a lot such as the addition of heat. The species I breed are examples that would do very well, my species for example. I think they are incredibly hardy and easy to deal with--easy enough for a rank novice.

There are more chameleon species out there than just veileds and panthers and MANY species that are quite easy to keep. @Tinarex
Good points of course...but if you are someone who cares about buying cbb only (avoiding wild collection misery those animals are subjected to) the less-common species are harder to find. Yes, I know, catch-22. If people don't buy them those few breeders have less of a market, etc. etc.
 
Which chameleon are you interested in? The species I breed?

I breed Trioceros quadricornis quadricornis and the sub species Trioceros quadricornis gracilior. They are from the mountains of Cameroon. Both species are not too active, not too big and really interesting with all their dragon bling--large gular crests, dorsal crests, sail fins (males) and horns (males). The graciliors have the added benefit of bright colors (both sexes) and red claws (males and females).

Both take the same kind of care--"low" temps and lots of water. I do not have basking bulbs on any of my quads or graciliors. They are pretty flexible and will do well in a lot of temps as long as they don't get above 80F for long. They are not forgiving about the amount of water they get, so drainage is something that needs to be planned for and not an afterthought.

They are a really interesting looking chameleon that is quite flexible and incredibly hardy. Below are some pictures of some of my gracilior males. The interesting thing with graciliors is that they have ruby red claws as adults. Graciliors have colored cheek patches which quads do not. The second to last picture was taken by Chris Anderson of a gracilior's claws in the wild. The last picture is a typical quad male I found on the internet. My own quad males get really ticked off when I try to take pictures of them and put on a really ugly face. They are all wild caughts, too, so banged up.

I have one gracilior in a bioactive glass terrarium using only a fogger and am not thrilled. I haven't gotten it right. I get a lot of water build up and don't think I am giving him enough water. When I have the time, I will change it and add automatic misting once or twice a day.

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Wow, what beautiful reps!! I would definitely love a couple of those if you were local. What a shame that they are becoming few in numbers. Thank you for posting those awesome photos too :)
 
To the Op. Graciliors would do great at the temps in your critter room. All you'd need is a mister and a UV light. Look at the cham in my avatar, that's one of Janet's graciliors. They are incredible.
you need day light aswell mah man, not just uv b :D
 
That's a given, but I find that my graciliors don't care for too much daylight. They take a little, and then go back into the shadows of the plants.
 
Wow, what beautiful reps!! I would definitely love a couple of those if you were local. What a shame that they are becoming few in numbers. Thank you for posting those awesome photos too :)

Why is local an issue? Like all breeders, I ship and shipping is cheap, fast and safe.
 
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