Wild Caught Gracilior Before and After Pictures

jajeanpierre

Chameleon Enthusiast
This is Brando, a wild caught Trioceros quadricornis gracilior imported May 2016.

@Andee asked if I had Before-and-After pictures of Erik whose pictures I posted recently. I do somewhere on my phone but it is thousands of pictures ago. Here are some some "Before" pictures of Brando that were taken the night he arrived and the next day. The last picture was taken a few minutes ago. Brando and Erik were bought the same night.

I hope everyone sears that first picture of Brando in their brains and understands that every wild caught comes in like that. Most die before they even make it into the shipping box in Africa. The few that make it alive to US shores rarely live very long. The effects of severe dehydration don't usually show up right away--it might take them years to die from kidney failure caused by their import. Brando is probably on borrowed time.

I picked up Brando and seven other imports the night after he was imported. I arrived home close to midnight and had them set up in cages soon after. The first picture tells you all you need to know about how awful the import process is for most chameleons. He stayed like that just breathing in the mist for three hours. I didn't turn off the lights or the misters until after he turned away, about 3:00 a.m. The second picture is the next day. He's a godawful color, but he looks pretty good. The third picture was taken three months after import. You can start to see his nice colors coming out. You can also see the severe damage to his dorsal crest. The fourth was today, his normal relaxed, albeit not-happy-to-have-a-phone-in-his-face, colors. For you @Andee. @jpowell86

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Kinda bitter-sweet this... We want to keep them as a 'pet' but so many die to accomplish that.
On the other hand, the way things go in the world the captive ones may eventually be the only ones left in existence.

Take good care of yer chams boys and girls, a lot have suffered to make it possible.
 
It really is horrible how something so natural (like a nice good misting for a chameleon) can make them so desperately content. That face in the first picture is the one that shows how badly he needed a good long drink. To just think how strong the ones who make it as far to get into homes have to be, it's amazing.

He is already looking so much better, hopefully he will be able to give you some good lines and not only that but also live a nice few years with you after that horrible experience.

They deserve so much and you Janet are just the person to make it possible. I wish you so much luck, with both the breeding process and just getting as many imports to turn around as you can. You are such an amazing person <3 you have my respect in so many ways
 
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