Cham keeping after 10 year hiatus

[Ace]

Hello everyone,

It's been long time since I last had chameleons.

Decided to get one as a pet again after so long. Almost forgot how much the initial investment in enclosure and supplies, but as a working adult, I feel less guilty splurging! Haha!

Went back to the first chameleon breeders that introduced me to panther chameleons ( Kammerflage Kreations). My avatar pic was an ambilobe from them named Zulu.

Last week I got a 4 month Sambava male from them. (Sire is Uhtred x mom Lagertha).

His name is Gamba Ezio "Gez" for short.

He is still adjusting to his new environment but eating and drinking well. Although he might have a tongue shooting issue. Instead of using his tongue long range , he runs to insects to be close to biting distance. Overall happy with the quirky little guy. He is not a feisty cham but rather a brooding silent type and let's his colors do the talking.

 

[DonKeesh]

Welcome back!

I also took a long break at one point and was amazed at how much husbandry has advanced in the past few years in large part thanks to The Chameleon Academy. If you haven't checked it out it is the best source of up to date chameleon knowledge.

https://chameleonacademy.com/

 

[ChameleonParadise]

Welcome back Ace and Aloha.....
If anything like before , it wont take long to get used to you being back..

 

[kinyonga]

Hope there's no issue with the tongue.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=welcome+back+meme

 

[Pickle-cham]

Sprained tongue possibly what are you feeding? Any large bugs or such as horn worm grip onto mesh/plants? Has it shot its tongue previously

 

[jannb]

Welcome back Ace! Cute little guy!

 

[Motherlode Chameleon]

Ace

How are you doing? I am glad you are not lurking anymore. I have not seen you post in a long while. However have seen you login often.

Sambava's are a local I have not seen many keepers keep recently. Great choice!

How was UC Davis?

Best Regards
Jeremy A. Rich

 

[Lindasjackson]

Welcome back! I too came back to chameleon keeping after 25 years! Boy have things changed! There’s so much more info now and chams living longer in captivity!

 

[Ace]

Hope there's no issue with the tongue.

Thank you, I hope so too. Just monitoring it for now.

 

[Ace]

Sprained tongue possibly what are you feeding? Any large bugs or such as horn worm grip onto mesh/plants? Has it shot its tongue previously

1/4, 1/2 inch crickets. But he had issues aiming properly from the moment he arrived. I'm considering he might of injured/sprained his tongue on his travel/shipping. I've never seen him aim long range hitting his targets.

He eats similar to a frog or other reptiles by pointing his tongue and shooting at very close range. I'm just monitoring at this point.

 

[Ace]

Ace

How are you doing? I am glad you are not lurking anymore. I have not seen you post in a long while. However have seen you login often.

Sambava's are a local I have not seen many keepers keep recently. Great choice!

How was UC Davis?

Best Regards
Jeremy A. Rich

Hi @Motherlode Chameleon, I've been well thankfully. UC Davis was a great experience, getting my bachelor's in Genetics & Genomics. I'm currently a clinical laboratory scientist, doing some research and assisting with covid testing at children's hospital Los Angeles and LAX airport.

Thank you for the kind words. I made a promise to myself to get a Sambava when I get back, was concerned that not many breeders focus on this local in recent years.

I hope to not be a lurker that often anymore. I am very surprised and happy the amount of new information has developed since 2012. But also glad the basics for furcifer pardalis has also not changed that much.

Are you working on any breeding projects currently?

How have you been these past years?

 

[Ace]

Welcome back! I too came back to chameleon keeping after 25 years! Boy have things changed! There’s so much more info now and chams living longer in captivity!

Wow!!! And I thought my hiatus was long! It is definitely more info and also more opportunities for captive bred offspring being available!

 

[Motherlode Chameleon]

Hi @Motherlode Chameleon, I've been well thankfully. UC Davis was a great experience, getting my bachelor's in Genetics & Genomics. I'm currently a clinical laboratory scientist, doing some research and assisting with covid testing at children's hospital Los Angeles and LAX airport.

Thank you for the kind words. I made a promise to myself to get a Sambava when I get back, was concerned that not many breeders focus on this local in recent years.

I hope to not be a lurker that often anymore. I am very surprised and happy the amount of new information has developed since 2012. But also glad the basics for furcifer pardalis has also not changed that much.

Are you working on any breeding projects currently?

How have you been these past years?

I am great. I am glad you are posting again. Great to hear from somebody from UC Davis. I was actually on campus for the first time last Saturday in a long time and Davis has changed.

I am good here. I am mostly doing the family olive oil company deal with my family. However I have got a couple side local environmental programs I am progressing on. Plus I have talked to people in the field about a couple dream programs about conservation issues in Africa and Madagascar. Other than that I am staying busy (Reptile Forums and Sacramento Aquarium Society).

Things are slow with chameleons. Of course I am about all things that are Calumma and Calumma parsonii ssp. I keep my eye's open for the other chameleon genera too. However first things first I have got to finally finish the greenhouse and that looks as though that is finally going to happen. I finally have got a good UVB lamp that works for my purposes inside the greenhouse for greenhouse enclosure. However they have not made all the right sizes of lamps yet.

Other than that I am good. I have got friends and family. Plus my mentor was making talk about some prospects of grad school. My studies are in a necessary field meaning I am probably going talk to him the topic.

I have actually been considering buying an Ambanja or Ambilobe Panther chameleon. It has been a while since I have owned a Furcifer pardalis.

Great to catch up.

Best Regards
Jeremy A. Rich