Keeping chameleons in natural habitat/climate zone

[Stella]

I am living in Malawi (Lilongwe) and started in December to keep flap-neck chameleons, which were found in our garden. They live in a 4x4x3m walk-in enclosure with trees etc. I am feeding mainly grasshoppers and flying ants and my pets are just doing fine/looking healthy/laying eggs/shedding their skin/walking up to me, catching food from my hand etc.
All literature that I have seen strongly recommends NOT to keep wild chameleons at all and not to put them in an open enclosure.
Well, the Africans kill these beauties out of fear and there are so many predators around that I am quite positive that my pets would have died by now- had I not provided a sanctuary for them.
Questions: What do the specialists think of my rather naïve approach? Has anyone experience with chameleons in their natural habitat? What are the pitfalls? Any recommendations?
Please consider that Malawi is a very underdeveloped 3rd world country and it is very difficult to organize all the recommended appliances/ supplements etc. as all that has to be imported.

 

[Dankmeleon]

its good you just have to remember chams aren't locked up in the nature

should they choose they can leave and go hide, or go seek shade, or go seek water

so you have to naturally incorporate these concepts in housing your chams, allow them to seek sunlight and shade

and during extreme heat, try to give them lots of shade and lots of water

and be careful where the insects you feed come from

obviously they'll be fine coming from the bush, but if there are fields or maintained land around be very careful as there may be pestiside residuals as well as chemical ferts in there system

 

[desultadox]

People kill chameleons out of fear? Growing up my mom always hated whatever kind of crazy lizard I came home with, but she was totally fine with the chameleons. If she wasn't afraid of them, I can't imagine anybody being so!

 

[Professor Booty]

People kill chameleons out of fear? Growing up my mom always hated whatever kind of crazy lizard I came home with, but she was totally fine with the chameleons. If she wasn't afraid of them, I can't imagine anybody being so!

When my veiled gets all puffed up and starts hissing at me I get scared

 

[dodolah]

People kill chameleons out of fear? Growing up my mom always hated whatever kind of crazy lizard I came home with, but she was totally fine with the chameleons. If she wasn't afraid of them, I can't imagine anybody being so!

it's one of urban legend thing.
They represents bad omen and thus have to be killed to get rid of bad luck.
Kinda like Black cat, etc/

 

[Dankmeleon]

i believe veileds are actually evil.

oh yea and you just made me realize how much i take for granted not having to import everything, and importing stuff probably sucks there, its not like some broker picks up for you for a marginal fee

 

[Dave Weldon]

...They live in a 4x4x3m walk-in enclosure with trees etc.

...What are the pitfalls? Any recommendations?

Howdy Stella,

A couple of things come to mind...

When you say walk-in enclosure, I hope that the chameleons have access to unfiltered sunlight; no plastic or glass between them and the sun. You want the sunlight's UVB content to come through. Screen would be fine.

In the wild, they tend to be able to stay away from where they left their poop. There are many parasites that are waiting for the opportunity to re-infect their original host and build-up their numbers. If the chameleon's poop is made available to the feeder insects then it will be easy to complete the cycle of re-infection.

Be sure that the chameleons get access to plenty of wet leaves to drink water.

You are really not doing anything different from what many of us would like to be able to do and what some have done with outdoor greenhouses made of screen material affixed over a framework and filled with potted plants. Good luck!

 

[Stella]

Chameleons in natural habitat

Thanks for your answer.

The enclosure is a sturdy frame covered with wire mesh, there are 2 trees, about one third of the area is covered with a roof for more shade and they can move to the sunny part whenever they wish. Mostly in the mornings they sit on top of the trees to warm up.

A question: Why is everyone so concerned about the misting and watering? I would think that is mainly important for species from areas with a natural high humidity. The flap necks are also happily living in Tanzania and the Lowveld in South Africa where during the dry season the only source of water can be the morning dew.

I only witnessed one animal sipping from a leave once. Is that there normal way of drinking?

I am sprnkling the area once a day and the big curly leaves of the trees accumulate the water/dew. That should be enough??

The food is from the bush around our property, the people are too poor to purchase insecticides.

I also see the problem of a long term accumulation of faeces, although the animals are normally high above the ground. Should I clean/desinfect in certain intervals??

Thanks and bye
Stella
Stella

 

[bucky]

Id like to see a pic of this enclosure you have so i can get an idea of what your talking about.