flapneck chameleon

[baloo]

hi all

i'm lookig to find more info on flapneck chameleons as all the info i found so far conflicts with eachother.
some say its a beginner some say is an advanced keepers cham
well since i'm a beginner and do not have the space for a yemen or panther i'nm looking into smaller species
i have room on top of my stack for (2x) 24x20x36 maximum hight and that leaves little space for a conventional dripper.
for spraying i plan on a pressurised garden sprayer conversion and a few drippers with solenoid valves
with mountain species i would sruggle with overheating in the summer but i also have cresties in the room so it may work out ok
not quite sure about it cos this year we had a 4 week heat wave that gave me loads of headaches

 

[baloo]

anyone?

i hope this is not one of those forums where the new guy with the stupid questions gets ignored?

 

[Will Hayward]

It's not, as you should have noticed by reading through older posts. I also reccomend that you do a forum search on some of the subjects you have asked, as they can be answered through reading older topic threads. If you need further assistance regarding something that was posted before, start a new thread with reference and link to the one in question.

For your stiuation I would not reccomend Chamaeleon dilepis. As for "what you have room for"... do not try and fit a chamleeon to a cage, but rather fit a cage to a chameleon.

 

[kinyonga]

IMHO it is definitely not a beginners chameleon. One of the main problems with keeping it in captivity is that flaps come from such a wide range that its hard to know how to keep the one you end up with. No matter what species of chameleon you keep, you will find conflicting information....people generally do what works for them, or what they think is working.

Here are some sites on flaps...
http://adcham.com/html/taxonomy/species/chdilepis.html
http://www.chameleonnews.com/dilepis.html

You said you were looking for a smaller chameleon than a veiled or panther to keep...I would say that a flap takes up just as much room. I know people who have kept both veileds and panthers in the size of cage you describe.
"Cages as small as 12"x12"x18" have been used successfully with adults but with their large size, a screen cage of at least 24"x24"x36" or 24"x24"x48" is much preferable."
http://adcham.com/html/taxonomy/species/fpardalis.html

 

[fabos]

ive personaly worked with them. and by my experence my Vields and PAnthers are alot easier... i experenced some Health problems with mine.. listen to what the people here have to say. ive learned alot from them

 

[baloo]

thanx for your replies
i did want to reasearch dilepsis because i have a scource that sells cb dilepsis for the 2nd time in 3 month.
http://thechameleonhouse.co.uk/
they seem a decent shop but i have to ask about to find out for sure.
i do not like yemens, i find the casque looks aweful. it may seem silly but whats the point n having an animal you don't like.
i have multiple contacts for panthers but i thin i look deeper into other chams first. no harm in knowing too much i suppose
i have been looking on adcham for a while now and also on the chameleon news
what happened to the chameleon journals?
it says the domain has expired. i hope they carry it on elsewhere

 

[Jordan]

I would keep researching. I again would not say that would be a beginner species but the real factor is the people that are purchasing them. Without experience to pin down problems fast alot of chameleons can quickly be overcome with adverse condition. I guess with some other chameleons there are some "standardized requirements" even these are subject to critism. Regardless of the species you are looking at research their natural enviroment too. Elevations, average highs/lows (in the hottest and the coldest months), humidity throughout the year, possibilities of how food is available, percipitaion throughout the year and the terrain that they live in. In conjunction with information you can recieve from other owners of that species you can usually paint a pretty good picture of what you are trying to achieve in the way of husbandry. Veileds are really the only species I know of that lives in multiple distinctly different climates. That is why they are hardy. Anything else in the way of chameleons will have to be held in strict regards to what their enviromental conditions would have been normally.