This thread is for the general discussion of the blog entry How to give your chameleon a long life. Please add to the discussion here.
How to give your chameleon a long life
- Thread starter DeremensisBlue
- Start date
nightanole
Chameleon Enthusiast
Id be interest in the increase life span of the Veiled. I hear its down to keeping them cooler in the UK vs the USA. But all my chams die of either kidney failure, or a URI in winter. But they all make it around 6 years.
Germany is reporting over ten years for a Veiled Chameleon, but we won't know whether that is a genetic potential or an outlier until we have more data points. We are exploring old age in a creature that would rarely, if ever, die of old age in nature so I imagine we might run into strange things.
I am thinking, if we keep working at it, we will be able to get our chameleons to live their genetic potential. But I think the benefit is not simply chameleons living abnormally long lives, but that the husbandry that gives them these long lives will ensure that the bulk of the community has chameleons that live good lives - even if they aren't living 15 years. That is really my goal in doing this.
Sonny13
Chameleon Enthusiast
Another great contribution / discussion, food for thoughts. Another question I asked the long term keepers, is the lifespan of egg laying females. I.e. I own a highly active laying girl (Veiled), which has a strict diet 3 times a week 3-4 middle sized feeders, temps around 77-78 with clutch sizes between 20-24 eggs. But, she keeps producing and laying them every 4-5 months. I just can’t slow her down and the max clutches a girl laid from the feedback I got was max 11. My girl is 2 years and 7 months and laid already 6 clutches, therefore I’m slowly getting worried, because theoretically it would only give me another 2 years with her.
MzLaurie11
Avid Member
Well those clutch sizes arent too big for a full grown vieled. They can lay over 60. I imagine you have her near males so you might want to put her in another room and never let her see a male. my panther lays about 10 which is normal as they are much smaller.
Sonny13
Chameleon Enthusiast
Nope, she has never seen a male from the age of 3-4 months (that’s when she came in my care). She lives alone in her free range in the living room.
elizaann2
Chameleon Enthusiast
It’s a wonderful goal. I appreciate you doing this. It’s been so fun to be a part of this community and to try and learn as much as I can in the last year. I’ve really enjoyed it.
elizaann2
Chameleon Enthusiast
I’d also like to learn more about this!
I kept quite a few veiled females over the years. Once I figured out the diet and temperature things most of my females would stop laying eggs altogether and most of them lived to be seven years old. I was even given one from a study that was producing eggs and had her turned off after she laid a couple of clutches with me. She lived to be over seven as well.
I never seemed to be able to do that well with Panther chameleons…but I also didn’t have as much experience with Panther females.
There was some suggestion/talk around about the veiled chameleons only being able to lay a certain number of clutches before they died…but I have never tried to prove or disprove it...and I kind of wonder if it isn’t another fallacy/assumption/theory like the one about them dying if they weren’t mated as soon as they were sexually mature.
Sonny13
Chameleon Enthusiast
It’s just an assumption, I just asked the question here for the long term keepers. What’s the average / maximum clutches your female laid within her lifespan? And maximum was around 11 clutches. Gonna try to find the thread. It’s just a thing I’m wondering about, because I can’t slow her down. And it’s never discussed and contributes in them having a long and good life.
leedragon
Chameleon Enthusiast
Feed them. Just kidding.
I just released a podcast episode that goes into my thoughts on longevity in much more detail. You can listen to it here in the Chameleon Forums by pressing play below. You can hit play and you have great background discussion while you clean chameleon cages!
Fresh…more food for thought I to have to read! 
(Just teasing @DeremensisBlue. I always enjoy what you have to say!)
(Just teasing @DeremensisBlue. I always enjoy what you have to say!)
If I make cage cleaning just a little more enjoyable I have made a difference here on Earth!Fresh…more food for thought I to have to read!
elizaann2
Chameleon Enthusiast
Already listened to it. Excited for tomorrow!
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