Adult male, irritated by being weighed/ photo courtesy K. Francis

Growth and health conditions can be monitored by recording weights of captive melleri. It is important for every melleri owner to buy a gram scale and a notebook, and measure the weight at least monthly. This chart shows weights of a male and female, of similar age, measured in grams. Each increment on the horizontal represents the average weight of one month, starting on December 1999 to November 2003. The left hand (red) line is the male, the green line is the female, and the two blue marks indicate post-deposition weights. The wild-caught male was 8-9 inches total length in December 1999, and the captive-hatched female was approximately 19 inches total length, and two years old when acquired in 2001. 

The sudden rise in the female’s weight after acquisition is due to the fact that she had been previously underfed. The sudden drop in both weights is directly after a cross-country move with their keeper. It took several months for the stress to pass and for both lizards to regain normal weight. This is an objective proof of the stress that melleri experience from being moved. It is no surprise that importation and change of ownership is so detrimental to the species.

Captive Bred Melleri Growth Chart

In early 2005, when my first brood hatched, I was cautious about handling the babies too much, so I have only a few early weights recorded. This chart records 4 siblings out of the 50, from 1 month of age to near adult age (2 years). Note that the "Dingle" sibling is a runt, but it managed to live well beyond the usual runt life expectancy of 2-4 months. To avoid excessive, unhealthy growth and fatty liver disease, I cycled even them down in temperature and reduced daylight hours each Winter. Weights are given in grams, and lengths are Total Length, rostrum to tail tip, in inches.

Acclimated and healthy adult melleri experience hormone-influenced weight fluctuations throughout each year's cycle. Exposure to sunlight or increased UV levels, better prey availability, and possibly the infrasonic communication between melleri can induce hormone production. At the start of annual hormone increase, just before the courtship activity begins, melleri of both genders begin to hunt and consume more prey. Courtship season sees an increase of 30-40 grams in average-size adult male melleri. Females, of course, are usually gravid at the end of courtship season and will achieve a maximum annual weight gain of 200 grams over their "normal" weight. By the time egg deposition occurs, the male will have gradually shed all his breeding weight. It is impossible to provide firm dates or seasons for the annual cycle, as each captive melleri produces hormones according to the timing and resources provided by the keeper. Some keepers manipulate the cycle with artificial lighting and increasing feedings, but those keepers who utilize outdoor caging for much of the year are at the mercy of nature's timing. For these reasons, schedules of captive melleri (in different parts of the world) are likely to vary from those in the wild. Because the weight loss over the course of a year is substantial and requires experience to identify for each individual chameleon, it is necessary to watch for more reliable signs of illness: poor color, weak grip, sickly postures, etc.

Chart © K. Francis