Caging for Melleri
The two main concerns for caging Meller’s chameleons are large space and privacy. Add to these the temperature, humidity, proper screen size, and live plants, and you have quite a building project.
Melleri are naturally active chameleons. This means they alternate between basking and deep shade, hunt throughout the day, and actively display and defend their territory when necessary. Display elicits stress, which means the captive environment must be private. No other pets or heavy traffic (either automotive or people) should be visible to the melleri. Every time a melleri sees an intruder, it will display and stress some, so to keep your animal healthy, maintain its privacy.
Cage Placement
Set up placed by sliding glass door for ventilation /K. Francis |
|
Interior of juvenile cage /photo K. Francis |
Sturdy outdoor set up, under trees that will soon provide a shaded microclimate. / photo K.Francis
Example of a basement enclosure. Photo/A. Wilcockson
|
Scout out a good location for your melleri before you buy or build the cage. Keep in mind the privacy and the temperatures needed for your pet’s comfort. Keepers have the best results when they set up both an indoor and an outdoor cage for the same lizard’s use. Outdoor basking is very important to melleri health.
Comfort Day range: ambient 65°F to 80°F
Night range: 70°F down to 50°F
Heat spotlight only: 80-90°F
Heat stress is observed when the ambient temperature reaches 83-90°F
Humidity: alternating from 20 to 80% throughout day and night
Melleri thrive in alternating humid-dry conditions. Choose a location with good ventilation. Too much constant humidity reduces activity and invites bacterial and fungal infections. Zero humidity irritates eyes and hardens the skin, making shedding difficult.
Gradients and Perches
Because they are active, the cage must be furnished to accommodate their lifestyle. The cage should be tall and provide a vertical temperature gradient. The placement of a humidifier to one side of the cage creates a horizontal humidity gradient. Keep an evaporative humidifier constantly blowing on the melleri enclosure, but angle it to allow the animal to perch well out of the breeze, if it chooses. Your melleri will be most healthy when it can select its own perches- cool, moist, warm, or dry- throughout the day. Active climbers need strong perches of varying grip texture and diameter. These can be made of heavy nylon rope, dowels of several sizes, sandblasted dried grapevine, natural tree branches that have been sterilized, and the very best brands of manmade rubber-coated wire vine. Some keepers find that wrapping the natural wood perches with VetRap® medical bandages increases grip and reduces the occurrence of footpad lesions and other grip-torque injuries. Large and medium horizontal perches should run diagonally and along the cage walls to give the animal places to rest off the screen. Allow 10" of headroom above the highest perch for an adult to fully bask. This article details cage gradients:
http://chameleonnews.com/?page=article&id=64
Plants
Melleri are omnivores, which means that they will eat any plants in their cage, real or artificial. To avoid a life-threatening intestinal blockage, never use plastic trees or leafy vines in your melleri’s cage. Use only living, non-toxic plants in the cage. Some hardy species include Pothos vine, Ficus benjamina, Ficus alli, Xylosma congestum, and Hawaiian Schefflera. Cross-reference each toxic plants list to be sure before you put them in a cage. Some plants are listed as non-toxic to humans, but are toxic to some animals. Use common sense to avoid plants with spines like cacti, some citrus, and bougainvillea. Some plants are weaker than others, and you don't want an adult melleri to break a vine or branch and fall:
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/9008/toxicmf.html
Warning: Although classified as non-toxic, some plants commonly used with melleri have irritating sap. This includes Ficus species and Mango. Watch for broken stems or torn leaves, as the sap could injure your chameleon’s skin and eyes.
You may wish to plant curly mustard greens in the pots of your ficus trees to grow your own source of healthy greens for your melleri. Some melleri may even learn to graze the mustard, self-regulating their intake. The tree pots can be brightened with non-toxic African violets, Swedish ivy, and other safe, short plants. Use common sense and avoid growing weak vine plants like melons, which are meant to grow on the ground. Melleri can climb even the narrowest vine, break it, fall, and be fatally injured. Some keepers find that fruit trees like guava and citrus can be grown indoors and yield fruit, in addition to providing shelter for their pet. One should use good judgment when it comes to using any of this fruit, since many chameleon parasites can be transmitted to humans.
Screen Size
Juveniles can be housed in fine screen cages, but the active adolescents require larger mesh screen to prevent claw and foot damage. Adults need at least 1 x 1.5" vinyl-coated mesh screen. Do not use screen size larger than .5” x 2” rectangles, or the melleri will injure its rostrum (nose) by trying to push through the screen to freedom.
Cage Size
If you take on the responsibility of keeping a giant, you have to think big. The overall cage size should be as large as you can make it. The minimum is 4' x 6' x 6' for a single animal and a robust collection of live plants. Outdoor enclosures are preferred for physical and mental health. The 260 gallon Reptarium all-screen cage, when placed on a raised platform, has worked for some as a temporary outdoor cage. Large and medium horizontal perches should run diagonally and along the cage walls to give the animal places to rest off the screen. Allow 10" of headroom above the highest perch for an adult to fully bask. Live potted trees such as Ficus benjamina or Ficus alli tolerate the climbing and perching of this giant species.
Some melleri do not tolerate caging but may thrive in a free-range indoor set-up.
http://chameleonnews.com/?page=article&id=60
http://chameleonnews.com/?page=article&id=77
http://chameleonnews.com/?page=article&id=121
If your melleri rubs its nose on the cage walls, it is looking for something you are not providing. They want territorial security, UV light, warmth, water, and food. Check your husbandry to find out what needs adjusting.
Basic supplies to set up a cage /photo K. Francis |
Lighting Requirements
Indoors, provide the low-heat fluorescent Reptisun 5.0 bulb and a hot basking spotlight. If not using Reptisun, make certain that you are using bulbs that provide both UVA and UVB radiation. Reptisun lights should to be placed within 6 to 8" of basking perches for maximum effectiveness and they need to be changed every six months. To imitate the natural daylight cycle, buy household lamp timers and set them on 12-hour cycles. Melleri do best with a combination of outdoor natural sunlight basking and indoor care only when weather is extreme. Indoors, provide the low-heat fluorescent Reptisun 5.0 or 10.0 bulb and a hot basking spotlight. If not using Reptisun brand, make certain that you are using bulbs that provide both UVA and UVB radiation. Visit this site for lamp surveys. An additional type of light that chams seem to gain psychological benefit from, even though they are not rated for UV, is a plain, household "daylight" compact fluorescent bulb. Chameleons seem to enjoy these bulbs, and the bulbs illuminate their plants beautifully. These bulbs are not recommended as a sole means of reptile lighting, they are simply a nice addition to a proper mix of UVB and UVA bulbs. Reptisun lights should to be placed within 6 to 18" of basking perches for maximum effectiveness and they need to be changed at least every six months. To imitate the natural daylight cycle, buy household lamp timers and set them on 12-hour cycles. Melleri do best with a combination of outdoor natural sunlight basking and indoor reptile lighting (while weather forces them indoors).
Cage Cleaning
Bacteria and fungi are common and serious problems that cause severe infections and death. Regularly check the cage for mold and fungus growth, and remove feces (droppings) or dead prey insects whenever you find them. Inspect the plants and pots to be sure the chameleon is not eating the potting soil. Soil eating is a sign of insufficient nutrition, so make adjustments in gutload or supplementation. Clean cage furnishings seasonally or more often if needed, only using residue-free chemicals that are safe for pets or infants. Palmolive antibacterial dish soap, Quatricide and Nolvasan pre-op surface cleaners are safe, or you can use enclosure sanitation products from reptile specialty stores. Chameleons tend to rub their vent (cloaca or anus) on perches after defecating, so scrub perches well with a hard brush. You may not see it, but perches can be quite dirty. Bleach should not be used on plastic, as it will be absorbed by the material and can poison animals over the long term. Follow directions on product labels, rinse all surfaces thoroughly with clean water, and allow all to dry before returning your melleri to its territory. |
