Wanted to introduce myself

[mcanham]

Just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Matt. I have been collecting and breeding chameleons since 1994. I was a member of CIN during the early days. I have an article published in journal 33 (chameleon tail morphology). I have been lurking around CF for a few months now and decided to come out of the closet. I am currently keeping Pardalis (Nosy be and Ambilobe localities). I also have a few slithering friends that take all of my money and time. Anyway, I am no expert but have had experience with montium, calyptratus, quads, deremensis and pardalis. Most of those were projects when I was a younger and in college. I wanted to say hello and give kudos to you all for putting together such a great forum. I have to admit I did not know you existed until about January but find myself gravitating here more than I should. I have posted some photos of some of my animals and and my set up. Not perfect but works for me. I hope to be able to add to the forum from time to time as I love to share what I know about these critter as well as reptiles in general.

 

[erik775]

Welcome to the forum...:thumbup:glad you decided to join inn...

 

[Todnedo]

Welcome.

 

[jannb]

Welcome to the forums. I'm Jann and it's nice to meet you. I like your chams!

 

[KingJulian]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[carol5208]

Welcome! Glad you decided to come out of the closet!!! lol

 

[kinyonga]

Welcome! You've been keeping them almost as long as me! I was a member of the CIN too. It's a shame it folded.

 

[ISA my Veiled]

Welcome! Glad you decided to join up and get even more knowledge than you have! You'll love this site I promise!

 

[ChameleonsByVanGogh]

Wwwwwwaaaaaazzzzzzzuuuuuuuuuupppppp:d

 

[vgaines]

Welcome. This really is a wonderful forum...

 

[Norcal55]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[sandrachameleon]

Welcome. Im sure you will add value, and find it, here.

 

[Djturna4thakidz]

Welcome to the boards!

 

[mcanham]

Welcome! You've been keeping them almost as long as me! I was a member of the CIN too. It's a shame it folded.

It was a shame to see them close it down(CIN) but I have to admit part of me understands why Ardi did what she did. When I read through these post and see how emotional people are over the loss of their pet chameleons you start to realize these creatures posses a certain uniqueness that most other reptiles lack. They require so much attention and care that you tend to see them as more than a small brained lizard that eats insects. They exhibit so much personality and intelligence that it is sometimes painful to think of them being pulled from their native homes and stuck in little enclosures for our own personal gain. I think CIN really felt that the pet trade was the cause of the CITES rating placed on chameleons. These animals are very demanding and its painful to see the number of posts people place on here weekly regarding illness, mbd, vit-d deficiency, over supplementation, under supplementation, vit a deficiency, the list goes on. On the other hand captive propagation is the only way to allow these wonderful creatures to educate and provide us with a great companion. I mean look at the people that are raising these animals correctly, they understand tropical, high mountain, desert, etc, ecosystems. They more than likely raise their own feeders, so they understand metamorphosis, nutrition and even some medical knowledge to understand proper health. So a young person who takes on such an animal is going to gain so much from this experience. This is why I continue to work with these creatures and would push people to buy captive born animals and save the wc for established breeders to offer new bloodlines. Sorry I'm going to step off of my soap box for now. Thanks to all of the kind responses. You all seem to be a top notch group of people.