Hi! About everyones chameleons...

[Wilma]

hey trace, so cool that you always rescue them silly lil' lizards! How often do they usually want out of their cages?

[Wilma]

Hi Jaylen,
lol, glad the dogs didn't mind be threatened by a territorial chameleon! It seems a shame that zeus is less interested in handling. COuld he just be mad at you?
lol, how the heck did you manage to sleep with him and not role on him????


:P

[Wilma]

Thanks for the reply telecomandy! lol, pretty much what I am understanding from everyones posts, besides how much they love chameleons! Is to handle them consistantly but it wont help if as an individual they wont take it. :P My little Bay leaf already puffs and hisses... but I don't pay attention.

At what length does "teenagehood" usually occur? lol, will have to watch my fingers then!

My plan for now is to have him in the ten gallon till he grows another .5 of an inch then build a small cage for the small ficus plant I have out of two large pant saucers and plastic mesh. Then build a 4x2x2 adult cage when he outgrows that. Hopefully by the time I get him to the juvi cage I will have him bottle feeding so I wont need to worry about insect escape. If not then i will need to use a very small mesh :S

[Trace]

I would try and make both the juvi and adult cages out of fine mesh so you can freeroam his feeder crickets. Chams like to hunt their food so it gives them a little mental stimulation every day! Keep a feeding bowl for the mealies tho.

Try not to get him hooked on eating out of a bowl tho... I've heard of tongue injuries because of that.

Also, if they are only "shooting" their tongues a few inches to catch prey, their tongues actually become unfit and they won't be able to extend it the full length!

Cheers!

Trace

[Jaylyn]

Wilma,

Actually I'm glad Zeus is finally content. I would much rather he has some typical male veiled "lizardtude" than being restless. He looks so happy when he stares out the window. His appetite has improved, as well. The old guy has had a hard life - he deserves some peace.

Oh - he would sleep with us - just on our shoulders while watching TV. We'd put him back in his tree when we went to bed.

I agree with Trace on the bowl feeding. And it doesn't take long for tongue atrophy to occur and once the damage is done ... it's hard to fix it. Zeus is the only one of mine that cup feeds - that's because he's lost his ability to zap. I love watching the rest of them hunt - especially the females.

Your cage size sounds good - but as always the bigger the better (except for babies).

As far as handling - stress can be subtle and cause health problems. Watch your chams carefully - they are still more like wild animals. Some may tolerate handling - but the ones that actually 'enjoy' it are few and far between. Don't mean to sound like a party pooper.

Jaylyn