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My Chameleons.

Tabitha

Well-Known Member
3 Year Member
Messages
260
Location
South of England
Sooo @Tortoise Tom as requested and hopefully for other herpers out there here’s the collection of Chameleons I keep, there are also some other vertebrates which I will post at another time,


So this is kinyonga boehmeii, Nemo, he’s only about 5” snout to vent, a very active and enjoyable little chameleon.
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My Trioceros xantholophus, He’s very sweet, easy going little guy.
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peregrin the veiled, unlike some he is very gentle and not aggressive at all, I’m very lucky he’s such a sweet guy.
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mr Jolly is my very first chameleon, again a relaxed and easy going creature.

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Then drum roll..
The crowning one of the lot,
My Calumma parsonii, I have two both CBB, I’ve had them for over two years now, Atticus came to me at 69g and is now well over 500g, big when you consider the Panther is 175g,
They use every second of my time and are a huge responsibility, they have their own purpose fitted reptile shed and access out onto individual sun rooms, as you may know they love their water so have waterproof planted enclosures and drains as they get 1.5 hours a day showers.
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This is the female, she loves her showers and spends the whole time just sitting and enjoying the water.
BD28F954-70BE-44FD-9E4B-966855322E8A.jpeg
 

Enn49

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Tarantula Club Member
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Malton, UK
Chameleons have always fascinated me, such odd little characters :). I've only ever owned Veiled in the past.
 

Tabitha

Well-Known Member
3 Year Member
Messages
260
Location
South of England
Chameleons have always fascinated me, such odd little characters :). I've only ever owned Veiled in the past.
Thank you Enn, they are so slow and gentle and sweet, the parsons has attitude but they are all so individual, from species to species and ‘person’ to ‘person’. Fascinating creatures.
 

Tortoise Tom

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Southern CA
Oh what a fantastic lot! Thanks for posting these.

I love them all. Jackson's have always been a favorite, but the name you used is new to me. I haven't kept or researched chameleons for a while. Can you catch me up to speed? Is this a new name? Sub-species? Totally different animal than the Jackson's chameleon that I once knew?

I love the parson's I knew one that lived for 9 years. It was 24" if you count the tail. 24 inches of awesomeness.

Beautiful color on the panther. Stunning red.

Mellers have always been my favorite. I've looked for a breeder over the years a few times, but never got anywhere. Your post here is making me want to look into it again...
 

Tabitha

Well-Known Member
3 Year Member
Messages
260
Location
South of England
Hi Tom, thanks for the reply,
There’s three subspecies, jacksonii, xantholophus and merumontus, I don’t think it’s been renamed or anything and is the most common one in captivity I think. He came to me after poor care and I thought I would lose him but he pulled around and he’s a little cherub.
Parsons lifespan is usually about 20-25 years so they really are a huge commitment. Atticus is 500g but potentially could double that!
There’s are a few people breeding mellers now, I know of a couple of great people breeding them now if you change your mind, I’d never buy wc but I nearly got a cb mellers here a while back but lost out, they are very rare here, but I love them too, I love the waves dorsal line and the colours. I think I have my hands full with the parsons though.
I’m glad you enjoyed the pictures.
 

Tortoise Tom

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Southern CA
You know of Parson's living that long? In years past, no one here could keep them alive for more than about 18 months, so the 9 year old was exceptional back in those days.

Also back in those days we had no subspecific designations for jacksonii. It was all one big happy species. I just haven't kept up with the changing nomenclature, so thank you for the info.
 

Tabitha

Well-Known Member
3 Year Member
Messages
260
Location
South of England
Oh things have changed a lot now I hope, I remember of pet shops with wild caught Chameleons living a few months because no one knew their drinking habits etc, the mellers is nicknamed the 3 month chameleon or something similar because they would die so quickly but again wild caught and parasite laden, after horrific conditions for export, a healthy cb will thrive and live like any other chameleon, certainly my parsons parents are 12 years plus I think, mellers and parsons have a reputation for being difficult but their care is just specific, very specific with little room for error but get everything right and a healthy cb and you are can do extremely well.
So much more info now and the chameleonforums is just amazing, such knowledge from actual long term owners.
Much more info on Jacksons too now, specific care for these montane species is understood a lot more.
Sounds like you will have to look into keeping one of these in the future, there must be some space somewhere without a tarantula in it?
 

Tortoise Tom

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1,034
Location
Southern CA
Oh things have changed a lot now I hope, I remember of pet shops with wild caught Chameleons living a few months because no one knew their drinking habits etc, the mellers is nicknamed the 3 month chameleon or something similar because they would die so quickly but again wild caught and parasite laden, after horrific conditions for export, a healthy cb will thrive and live like any other chameleon, certainly my parsons parents are 12 years plus I think, mellers and parsons have a reputation for being difficult but their care is just specific, very specific with little room for error but get everything right and a healthy cb and you are can do extremely well.
So much more info now and the chameleonforums is just amazing, such knowledge from actual long term owners.
Much more info on Jacksons too now, specific care for these montane species is understood a lot more.
Sounds like you will have to look into keeping one of these in the future, there must be some space somewhere without a tarantula in it?
I do have much to re-learn…

Interesting about your notes on the mellers. I never had any problem keeping them alive and thriving. As far as I know all were WC, but they lived for several years each and I had an easy time feeding them and keeping them hydrated.

I have plenty of space for a chameleon. What I am short on is time. My spiders are fairly easy. Drop in a roach once or twice a week. Squirt some water into the dish once in a while, and leave them be. Chameleons require a lot more time and effort. I'm at my limit with all the tortoises and their constant stream of babies and now I've got nearly 50 tarantulas… Still, every year or two I get on the chameleon forum and read for a few days, or I'll talk to the breeders at the shows… I've been able to resist for a long time, but I really do love them and miss them. I might just have to break down and get another mellers if I can find a CB one now. I still have my old cages and drippers.
 
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