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 Quick Guide to Meller's Chameleon Care
This care sheet is provided by the mellerichams YaHoo! egroup
updated 3-18-05
Note: This is a very brief overview of the basic needs of the Meller's chameleon. This is intended to augment the advice of your reptile veterinarian; it is an assist for keepers and vets who have little or no experience with the species. We encourage researching the needs of this species first, locating a reptile veterinarian, setting up the animal's cage and prey, THEN purchasing the chameleon. Always have a vet examine your new pet as soon as possible after purchase, do not wait until it shows signs of illness.
For a list of reptile vets: http://www.arav.org/Directory.htm.
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Species Description
Hatchlings
Healthy hatchlings (4" total length) and juveniles (under 12" total length): crisp black and white stripes Juvenile weight: 20 to 100 grams, depending on age and length
Newborn melleri /photo courtesy The Kammers |
Juvenile at rest with green accents and reduced black display / photo courtesy The Kammers |
Adolescents
Adolescent color: deep forest green with white stripes
Adolescent weight: 100 grams and up
Owned by M. Gradwohl/photo courtesy J. Loyning |
Adults
Adult size: 18-38" long, with about 15-30" tongue reach. Adult weight: 250 to 400 grams.
Gracile type specimens may reach lengths of 30" or more and weigh about 300 grams.
photos courtesy K.Francis |
photos courtesy K.Francis |
blue morph melleri, beginning to spot up in display/photo courtesy K. Francis |
basking color/photo courtesy K. Francis |
Healthy adult color is typically alternating stripes over a background color that covers the head and limbs. Background color may be leaf green or blue-green, with yellow stripes. Adults that are being fed or handled may also show white and black fine spotting all over. See below for stress colors.
When basking, the side facing the sun will turn dark green to almost solid black. The shaded side will stay the individual's normal resting color.
Stress Coloration: Excitement or mild stress begins to show with dark green spotting overlaying the chameleon's normal coloration, as above. Dark green spots turn to black. As stress builds, the spotting expands to black mottling in all stripes. Low-level stress, such as a mild parasitic infection, left unalleviated over long periods, will turn the chameleon brown, pink, gray, and white mottled. As stress becomes severe, the chameleon starts to turn charcoal gray, eventually turning pure white with yellow stripes. At this point, the animal is near death from extreme stress. Never buy a melleri that is sickly gray or white. A gravid melleri is cream, gray, and black colored, with a bloated torso, and should be considered "at risk", not a good candidate for purchase. Recently, a third inherited color Morph of melleri has been determined. These melleri appear various shades of pearly gray to white with neon green spotting, or a full-body Lavender. These are the only gray melleri that are worth purchasing. Postures, activity level, presence of scrapes or injuries, and feeding readiness determine the difference between sick and healthy grays. See the Mellers_Chameleon Yahoo group for the Morph photo album.
gravid female/photo courtesy K.Francis |
near death/ photo courtesy B. Schouten |
A healthy gray with a different morph sibling /photo K. Francis |
A healthy "white" melleri /photo K. Francis |
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Dietary Needs
Subadults eat live insect prey of suitable size (equal to length of mouth, viewed from the side), such as small crickets, young roaches, and moth larvae. Subadults will consume approximately 6 to 20 individual bugs per day, fluctuating with growth spurts.
WARNING: never offer food items that are too large for the lizard to eat and never offer insects collected from areas where there have been insecticide and fertilizer treatments.
Adults require large live prey including crickets, moths, butterflies, silkworms, butterworms, waxworms, giant and standard mealworms, locusts (grasshoppers), mantids, hissing cockroaches, earthworms, walking sticks, and other non-toxic prey. It is recommended to remove the barbed hind legs of grasshoppers before offering them to chameleons as these can cause tears in the chameleon's throat. Adult melleri may also eat hatchling birds, small lizards, and non-toxic, parasite-free tree frogs. If a balanced gutload (a nutritious feed for prey insects) is being used, over supplementation of mineral dust and vitamin liquids can cause deadly edema (swelling on throat or chest). It is better to properly feed all prey, then supplement only as the lizard's growth or reproductive condition require. For prey gutload recipes, see our recommended gutload for the melleri chameleon.
Acclimated adults maintain healthy weights when fed 1-2 large prey items once or twice daily or every other day (for a daily total of 2 to 4 large bugs). New imports should be offered as much as they will eat. Gravid females and growing youngsters should be fed liberally.
Before buying your chameleon gather, house, and gutload several prey species. For growing subadults and gravid females, calcium carbonate dust (or Neocalglucon liquid prescribed by a vet) once or twice a week is adequate. Melleri of all ages may occasionally eat vegetation, so it is very important to provide only live, non-toxic plants in the cage. For a list of non-toxic houseplants: Mollie Frey's Herbs and Plants for Your Iguana.
WARNING: Young melleri can and will try to eat artificial plants, leading to intestinal blockages and death.
Territorial Behavior
Melleri are extremely territorial- they consider everything in view to be theirs to defend. No other pets should enter or share this area. The sight of other animals and frequent human traffic can cause extreme stress for a newly purchased wild-caught melleri, resulting in immune system breakdown, illness and death. Melleri accept the presence of siblings and harem mates. Any introductions of a new individual to an established harem group should be done with plenty of space and care. Some melleri reject each other for their own reasons. See Cohabitation for more details. Look at the environment you provide through the eyes of a chameleon and remove/cover any mirrors or highly reflective surfaces. Place the cage high in the room so the melleri can look down from a perch at least 12" above your head.
Caging Requirements
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.
The overall cage size should be as large as you can make it, such as 4' x 6' x 6' for a single animal and a robust collection of live plants. Some melleri do not tolerate caging but may thrive in a free-range indoor set-up (see below). 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.
screen too fine for such big feet/photo courtesy K. Francis |
Lighting Requirements
Indoors, provide the low-heat fluorescent Reptisun 5.0 bulb and a hot basking spotlight. 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 lamp timers and set them on 12-hour cycles. Melleri do best with a combination of outdoor natural sunlight basking and indoor care when weather is extreme. Never allow the chameleon to bask outdoors without being securely (resistant to animal penetration and wind) housed or under constant supervision. They will wander off into traffic or be prey to other animals including predatory birds. House melleri individually, even if purchased in pairs. For accounts of how keepers have successfully introduced and cohabitated pairs, see Cohabitation. For more information on alternative habitats for giant chameleons: http://chameleonnews.com/?page=article&id=60
http://chameleonnews.com/?page=article&id=77
http://chameleonnews.com/?page=article&id=121
Temperature and Humidity
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
feeding despite the onset of heat stress color/photo courtesy K. Francis |
Keep all heat sources at least 10" from the skin surface of the perching chameleon. Melleri are adept at burning themselves in captivity. Heat lights resting on metal cage screens may be too close to perches. Don't guess: always measure the distance from heat source to lizard to be certain.
Humidity: alternating from 20 to 80% throughout day and night
Melleri thrive in alternating humid-dry conditions. Too much constant humidity reduces activity and invites bacterial and fungal infections. Zero humidity irritates eyes and hardens the skin, making shedding difficult. Morning watering should last at least 20 minutes (Hudson pump sprayers work well) while the animal is visibly drinking, then mist the foliage a couple of times during the day. A stabilized, long-term captive melleri can stay hydrated on one long drink each morning.
Warning: It is not recommended that a first-time keeper rely on only one watering session per day. Your new pet melleri has a variety of stresses and will need considerably more water until it settles.
If you suspect your melleri is dehydrated, ask your vet how to administer electrolytes such as Pedialyte. Signs of dehydration include wrinkled skin, excess skin on eye turrets, skin that tents when pinched, and an absence of white urics whenever the animal defecates. Nearly every healthy deposit should have both a brown and a white lump. To check for tenting, gently hold belly skin between thumb and fingers, making a fold. Release the skin. If the skin stays folded for a few seconds, the chameleon is dehydrated. Dehydrated chameleons also show: a concave casque (skull above and behind the eyes, the parietal area); sunken, wrinkled eye turrets; unshed, thickened skin; closed eyes, watery eyes, or rubbing eyes repeatedly on perches; and excessive salivating while drinking. Saliva can hang in strings from a dehydrated melleri's mouth. For additional hydration, some keepers use bathroom shower stalls as "rain chambers".
On extremely humid days, do not provide additional misting. A cool-moisture evaporative humidifier is low-impact and beneficial (available at Sears, larger pharmacies, and home improvement stores such as OSH). If molds or fungi appear in the cage, the environment is too wet and there are insufficient dry-outs between waterings. If ambient humidity where the enclosure is located (outdoors or indoors) is going to be maintained in excess of 70% for extended periods:
- Turn on AC to help dehumidify indoor enclosure.
- Check humidity gauge (hygrometer) frequently to determine percentage and time the wet period duration.
- If animal is kept outdoors, add an indoor enclosure to provide a safe place for dry out periods. Dry out enclosures should be between 20-40% ambient humidity, with clean, dry perches.
- Examine entire skin surface (including bottoms of feet) for moisture-related infections.
Indoors, it's safe to mist and use rain chambers daily when the humidity is 20-40%, as it is in an air-conditioned/heated home. Keep an evaporative humidifier blowing on the melleri enclosure, but angle it to allow the animal to perch out of the breeze.
Watering Devices
- Dripper/mist nozzles and "potable", "boat/camper" drinking water hoses (ordinary garden hoses leach lead into the water)
- Bathroom shower stall: home improvement stores
- Indoor automatic mist systems are considered required equipment: various herp/pet suppliers
The most common and easily avoidable melleri health issue is dehydration. A dripper is not even close to the amount of water a melleri needs. Unless you are at home all day to hand-mist your chameleons and shower them for 30 minutes each day, we believe automatic misting systems are required equipment for keeping melleri. The ideal indoor system has a pump that can safely run dry and run for 30 minutes or more at a time. One can make do with a shorter duration pump, such as this system:
http://www.bigappleherp.com/Big-Apple-Misting-System?sc=2&category=10
When programming the automatic timer for a short duration pump, cluster most of the 4-minute sessions in the middle of the day, and allow 5 minute cool downs for the pump, between each session. Even with a mist system at work, some seasons and climates are very dry, and some melleri will still need hour-long showers at least once weekly.
Always check the water temperature when spraying. Use warm water to avoid burns and chills. Melleri will resist drinking water that is too cold (including melting ice cubes) or sprayed too hard. They feel discomfort like any animal, including you. If your chameleon is trying to leave its territory, this is a sign that it may not be comfortable there, getting enough to drink, have the proper temperatures, lights, or food. Anytime a melleri voluntarily leaves its territory or 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.
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.
Additional Care Products for Melleri
GSE (grapefruit seed extract) Nutribiotic, a wide spectrum antimicrobial, meaning it kills fungi, bacteria, some viruses, and most parasites.
The Bird Care Company's Enviroclens disinfectant
Pet Focus disinfectant (no need to rinse just let air dry)
For cleaning cages, perches, cricket or other prey rearing cages.
Saniclens, for cleaning watering devices.
Calciboost liquid calcium, for use once a month for young melleri, or as directed by your vet.
Add bee pollen and spirolina (dried blue green algae) to your prey gutload, or dust on prey for added health benefits for your melleri. Both are available at health food stores.
Reptisafe
AmQuel
Water detoxifiers, both of these brand names are safe for use on chameleons. |
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