Enclosure for Oustalets!!

[jpowell86]

Hey Guys!!

I recently came across a Oustalets Chameleon and decided to get him. I have to admit that I've never been that interested in Oustalet's, but when I saw this guy, he seemed to have a needy personality..... so I couldn't pass him up. I know the normal advice for these guys are to keep them similar to panthers, but if there is anyone with first hand experience with this species....I'm all ears.

He has an amazing appetite. He was slightly dehydrated when I got him...slightly. I have absolutely no idea if he was captive bred/born or a wild caught import. His fecal came back with very little parasitic involvement. He was given a dose of Ivermectin just to make sure he was absolutely clear. I have uploaded pics of his enclosure as well.

I hope there are Oustalet owners amongst the forums that can give me some of their personal opinions and stories about keeping this species.

Thanks,

Joel

 

[Lathis]

A vine on those hanging plants and you have a custom made free range I like the cabinet you have for the cage. That's a nice set up.

But seriously... Three pics of the cage and ZERO pics of your new cham??? Don't tease us we want to see your new oustie!

 

[Andee]

From what I understand with Oustalets is they can easily attain 2 feet in length and are one of the larger chameleon species available. I don't know much about them from personal experience but I hear good things about their personalities.

 

[Carlton]

From what I understand with Oustalets is they can easily attain 2 feet in length and are one of the larger chameleon species available. I don't know much about them from personal experience but I hear good things about their personalities.

I've also heard from other Oustie keepers that they tend to be gentle giants. Did you try a forum search on Oustaleti to see what threads come up? There should be some.

 

[Andie]

That cage is amazing! Did you make it yourself?

 

[tadeusz]

I had a few Oustie's. They love to roam. I built some cages that were about 3'x5' and they still wanted out. My males would climb and rub the front for me to let them out. My wife would just open the doors and let them roam. We would find them all the way at the top of our window coverings and they would sometimes stay there all day or move to a different spot. They really are gentle giants. My largest male got about 22" before he past away. Great chams, really under rated, just not too colorful.

 

[jpowell86]

Thanks for the replies guys! I will definitely check out some older posts to get some info from that. The cage is a x-large Reptibreeze, I just built the stand for it go on. I wanted to create a cage that looked as if it were all canopy. I didn't want to waste visual space on pots and floor for this particular cage. Plus, the front swings open and that is where I keep all my feeders....so it turned out to be fairly functional. Tadeusz, I'm glad to hear that they are roamers...I let my Melleri free range and I will do the same for him. As far as his demeanor is concerned,...he is super relaxed and almost too trusting. No complaints there. I'm really curious about routine supplementation with these guys.?. What was your routine with your guys tadeusz?? Anyways, thanks for the information and also, I posted a picture of him getting settled in for the night. I will post more of him soon!!

 

[tadeusz]

I used the regular supplementation schedule of calcium daily, d3 twice monthly, and multivitamin once monthly. Let me know if you have any questions, I'm happy to share my knowledge with Oustalet's.

 

[jpowell86]

Tadeusz, thanks for the information. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge with me. I will definitely regiment my guy accordingly.

 

[jpowell86]

This guy is so calm and relaxed!! I have Nosy Faly, Ambilobe, Veiled, Jackson and Melleri and all are fairly calm animals...especially my Mellers. But none hold a candle to this guy. I was hanging a feeder cup in his cage instead of hand feeding him, as to give him a chance to truly settle in and be left alone for a while. When I was securing it to the branch, he climbed down from his perch and began crawling up my arm to my shoulder. This is where he sat to eat his entire lunch. I had to place him back in the cage on his branch because he really had no desire to get back off. It is true that the color of these guys are not the most impressive or pretty, but the demeanor of my Oustie is amazing!! Here are some more pictures!!

 

[tadeusz]

Very nice, he is still a little guy though!!! haha

 

[jpowell86]

He is!! There are some pictures on the net of some monsters. I can't wait to see how big he will get.

 

[tadeusz]

Yeah for sure. My largest male was a little over 22" full grown.

 

[jpowell86]

That's incredible. Do you happen to still have any pictures of him? How much were your guys eating on average? I have been feeding mine dubia, hornworms and banded crickets and I swear he never gets full. Did you find that your guys were insatiable eaters?

 

[nightanole]

Mine is over a pound at 3 years old. After the first year he is down to 1 adult dubia a day.

Before that oh boy, 3-4 dozen large crickets in a day was not unheard of during growth spurts.

And that cage is not going to hold him for long. I would at least have 2 reptibreeezes bolted together side by side. For a while i had him in a huge ferret cage before i just started free ranging and keeping the door locked.

 

[tadeusz]

Once my guys hit about 12-15 months I went with every other day feeding about 2-5 adult male dubia, with occasional super worms and crickets. Here are some of the pics of my guys.



















Alright... I think I went a little overboard on pics... hahaha - I really miss these guys, they were awesome!!

 

[Carlton]

Maybe its because many of us had our first cham experiences with more of the "drama queen" personalities, but maybe that's why Oustaleti seem unusually laid back in comparison. Funny, it sort of fits their coloration too...nothing too startling or flashy, but subtle so only a more sensitive palate can appreciate it. To look closely at one perched on your shoulder is to see where the beauty lies. As they are finely tuned to the dry habitat they originated from their beauty is there...how well they fit where they belonged.

 

[jpowell86]

Thanks for the info Nightanole! I am going to work on a free range situation for him. Tadeusz, you didn't go overboard..those pics are incredible. I will keep the feeding amounts in mind also. This could be a long shot, but by looking at my Oustie could you guess an approximate age?

 

[tadeusz]

I would say at least a year by his size.

 

[jpowell86]

I think you're right Carlton. They are beautiful animals in their own rights. I am looking forward to raising a chameleon whose shining attribute is personality not coloration. Tadeusz, thank you for your estimation!! I appreciate all the input.