pygmy chameleon

[crestedgecko]

Hey everone. I was considering getting a pygmy chameleon and I was wondering if someone that had one could tell me all about it, what it needs and how much time you have to put into it.
Also how big do they grow?

Thank You

[spidergecko]

I have one. It is pretty easy to keep. I have it in a cricket keeper with 2" of Bed-A-Beast and live plants. I spray twice a day and feed it small crickets every other day. Mine is a female, it's about 1.5". Here is a care sheet outlining all you need to know:
http://www.martinsreptiles.co.uk/ukchams/stumptailcare.htm

[galad]

Yea pygmy chameleons are awsome. Totally amazing.
I cannot remember the exact name but it is the smallest vertebrate on the earth a scientific marvel.
I'm sure Carl C could help alot on this subject.

peace

[crestedgecko]

thank, where would I be able to find one in Canada or even better in Ottawa, Ontario? I have never seen them in my local pet stores.

[dank7oo]

Ottawa .. thw worlds crappiest chameleon center.
Unless the local witch is willing to "give" you one, your best bet is at the show in Toronto.

They are not easy to keep as allueded to in another post, rather, different and present different problems.

Keep us updated on your aquisition.

Jason

[crestedgecko91]

hey, so the best place to get one would be the toronto reptile expo. How much harder are they to keep? How much money do they usually run at? Is there any place in Canada besides the expo that I can get one?

Thank You

Matthew Geddes

[crestedgecko91]

(I changed my name to crestedgecko91 instead of crestedgecko)

[spidergecko]

I wish you were closer because I posted my female cham for sale. She's about 8 months.

I have found this chameleon to be a very easy lizard to keep so if others have had trouble, I wouldn't know. I just followed the care guide I posted above.

Here's the link to my ad:
http://ssnakess.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=66915

[galad]

Hey dank you should be so lucky to live in ottawa. At least you can drive to t.o in less the 5 hours. You guys get all the good reptile shows in ontario.
Come to winnipeg, then you will see hurtin'. We have never had a show here in the last decade or at all, to my knowledge.
lol

peace

[Trace]

Pygmy usually refers to Rhampholeon brevicaudatus. Brookesia minima would be the smallest. B. minima seldom comes in and does poor in captivity.

Brev's are easy to care for as long as you meet their requirements. Hatching and baby care is not difficult but requires really small food items.

Dank- The local "witch" would be?

Carl

[dank7oo]

And you'd like to know ...

Jason

[Trace]

Yep I'd like to know.

Carl

[HeatherRose]

:O Jason!

[DragnDrop]

Let's leave the ID of the witch as an unanswered question, shall we?
There's no need to go any further with it.

[vipervenom]

Pygmy's are generally difficult to keep for a number of reasons. Reason number one, most all come with parasties, mites, worms etc. and deteriorate fast. Number two, they overheat very easily, and number three, it is often hard to find food insects for such a small lizard.

The 'hardiest' species (if there is such a thing for pygmy chams) I would say is Rh. Brevicaudatus. Lucky for you, they are also the most common. I would normally say get cb for sure, but they are very limited, event hough there are a few about. When or if you purchase one/them, immediately treat for parasites and worms.

I consider them difficult to keep as they often do not show signs of disease until it is way too late, and considering their limited colour changing ability, it is even harder to know whether they are sick or not.

[crestedgecko]

Thank for telling me, also I was wondering how you would get one checked for parisites and how much money it would be, also I was wondering if they change colors like other chameleons? The last thing it I was wondering if anyone knows where I could get a cb pygmy chameleon and how much one would be?

Thank You

Matthew Geddes

[vipervenom]

There is a way to manually check for parasites int heir stool, however, I am not familiar with the process and couldn't inform you how. The most reliable way is to take it to the vet to do a fecal sample for worms and parasites. Make sure it is a reptile vet so they know the basics at least of doing examinations of this sort.

Pygmies generally have very limited colour changing ability at best. Most shades of the rh. brevicaudatus are from olive green, to most shades of brown, and darker colours when stressed. Occassionally I observed mine with bright almost pale green when sleeping. And they occassnally have horizontal stripes. But these guys aren't known for their colours, but rather their uniqueness.

There is I beleive a cb being advertised on the Reptile Canada site, not sure though. My apologies if that mentioning isn't allowed.

[Brock]

Don't buy WC unless you want to be a pioneer in establishing these guys in the Canadian pet trade, and if you do, I definately commend you because we need it.

Pygmy chameleons are known to have high rates of death from coccidia, even in some CB ones. Try to get second generation CB pygmies if you want to play it safe. Parasites, like with any WC animal, are a given and must be checked and treated. As mentioned, Rh. brevicaudatus is the most common CB and will cost you from 35-60$ each, I'm sure you could get a deal on a trio.

They can be housed together with one male and multiple females, Rh. spectrium I believe has the blue spots on the head/eyes, but other than that they are usually just brown. Brookesia perarmata and Brookesia decaryi have interesting physiological features if you wanna look them up on google, but they are difficult to find. I have seen them advertised on Global Exotic's webpage (advertised on homepage of sSnakeSs).

Pygmy chameleons all have similar care, which is rather easy to maintain. I don't keep them personally, but I've read a lot about them, and they just need a well established terrarium with food sources and a UV light. Being forest dwellers you don't have to be heavy into the UVB, it's more for the plants, but you should dust crickets once a week with Vit D3 so they are getting that in their bodies. They like plant litter, ficus leaves give off natural leaf litter and Oak trees are good to use in vivariums as well. You'll want moss and a good soil mix for humidity to stay up, spraying once or twice a day for drinking, and a constant supply of 1-2 week old crickets and fruit flies. As long as you have plenty of flora in the tank and good soil and moss, they should look after themselves.

-Brock

[vipervenom]

For short, not a good starter cham.

[crestedgecko]

Hi, to start I guess there isn't any cb chameleons for sale on reptilecanada. I have found someone with a Rh. brevicaudatus for sale for $50. Is that a cb pygmy chameleon because I am getting very confused?

[crestedgecko]

Hey, I was also wondering: someone told me 2 places where I could put up adds for pygmy chameleons and I forget the 2 places. Could someone tell me some good canadian websites where I could post wanted signs or could search for people that are selling a specific reptile.

Thank You

[meow_mix450]

One thing you can do is go to a pet store and ask to get a speical order in for you. But it will most likly be wild caught.

Meow

[vipervenom]

Captive bred are likely more money, but not always.

The term pygmy chameleon refers to the two genus Rhampholeon and Brookesia. They are called pygmies because of their minute size. However, often when speaking towards one another, keepers often associate Rh. brevicaudatus with pygmy chameleons. The term Stump-tailed chameleons is also often used. When purchasing or researching pygmy chameleons, look at the scientific name, as the common names of these chameleons are often numerous, or they posess none.

Again, the most common species is Rh. brevicaudatus (like you had mentioned in your very recent post). Ask if it is cb (captive bred), if so, I say that is a really good price, and a good place to start.

[meow_mix450]

lol I got a question, right now I am able to get a hold of 6. I need to know how to tell which is a female and which is a male. I know that females are generally larger then males. But I also want to find out other ways of telling if there male or females

Meow

[RDexotics]

If you're talking about R. brevicaudatus the males usually have yellow eye turrets and there tails are longer.

[RDexotics]

heres some pics

male
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/7294MVC-049F-med.JPG


female
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/7294MVC-047F1-med.JPG

[meow_mix450]

Males are darker and have longer tails? haha

Meow

[vipervenom]

The tail base in males is generally a little thicker as well. Also judge by the hemipenal bulge, and males are generally smaller than females. One of thing I have noticed is that males have a more 'rigid' back. As in the dorsal scales (or spines, whatever you want to call them) are a little more evident. All of this is made easier when you have several specimens at which you can compare.

[monitor12345]

well if you want to get a pygmy and your willing to pay shpping prices got to sandfiredragonranch.com gottem for 30 a piece

[kinyonga]

Don't know if any/all of you are aware of it or not...but brevs are one of the best chameleons at playing dead. They will curl slightly to one side, not breath, not move, not move their eyes....and you will swear they are dead. If you put the faker down and go away it will eventually move.

Just wanted to warn everyone not to dispose of one they think is dead until they are absolutely certain.

B. theili (sp?) are excellent at playing dead too.

[vipervenom]

Yeah, it's called akinesia. Most leaf chams do it, some more than others. They stiffent heir vertebral column and close their eyes and stay completely still, to camouflage themselves as a dead leaf.

My female b. decaryi always does it to me. Be careful when handling one as sometimes they will just drop, or roll off your hand by feigning death.