Captive to wild

[rachelk]

Do you think a captive bred cham could survive if he is put back into his natural habitat? Like say he was kept as a "pet" for a few years and then released back to where they are found in the wild, could the cham survive? Just a thought?

 

[desultadox]

They seem to do well in Southwest Florida lol! I think chams do retain a lot of their natural instincts, but even if they did survive they definitely would struggle more than one born and raised in the wild.

 

[adrianchr9]

They're low on the food chain, no?
Even an adult chameleon raised in the wild would struggle, that's why you typically don't see too many adult chameleons in the wild.

^ Thats what I heard anyway, someone correct me if I'm wrong

 

[hallenhe]

They might not be quite as helpless as some of our domesticated-for-millennia animals (even those can go feral and survive), but at least some individuals would face a difficult adjustment. Thaxter shows no sign whatsoever of fear of humans, and expects food to be brought to him; he'd probably learn quickly enough to hunt when he's hungry, but the fearlessness could serve him ill. (Of course, many of our chameleons are far removed from their native environment as well - chams can survive and thrive in Florida or Hawai'i, but it's hardly their native haunt, and Michigan and the UK would present considerable problems of their own...)

 

[panthercham]

There are threads here on escapee chams that have been found weeks and even months later and I know when mine are outside they have no problem catching bugs and insects. They do it with ease and their instincts seem to kick in in both in eating and blending into their environment....sneaky buggers! My blue bar panther turns grey and dark and blends beautifully in trees to the point where you really cant see him even when he is only a foot away from me.

I think weather and predators would be their main concerns, if they were in a suitable environment I think they would and could prosper as in Florida.

Here is a picture of him trying to head for the roof.....he didn't make it