Meller chameleon

[cristian]

Hello
I Need To Know As Much Info As Possible For A Mellers. I Need To Know Everything From A Mellers Keepers. Please. And Do You Guys Know Any Breeder That Has captive Bred Mellers. And If Not Are There Any Good Companies That Sell Good And Healthy Wild Caught Mellers?
Thankyou :3

 

[dodolah]

www.melleridiscovery.com

 

[WEGSXXI]

flchams.com ....mike just hatched some cb mellers a week or so ago check his page out and give him a call!

 

[cristian]

Help Me Please!!!!!!!

hello
I Was Wondering, For A Mellers Chameleon Can I Use A 260 Gall. Reptarium As A Permanent Indoors Home Or Do I Need To Get Something Bigger? I Already Tried The Melleri Discovery Website And Couldnt Understand The Wording Of The Article. Please I Need Help. I Already Posted A Thread Called Mellers Chameleon But No One Posted Anything In It, So....... Yeah. Help!

 

[Mcfluffin]

There are some great websites on Melleri. http://www.melleridiscovery.com is great for discussing the benefits of free range and cage enclosures. I hear they do best from free range though as they are prone to rubbing their noses up against mesh causing abrasions

 

[Trace]

Have you chosen a melleri as your first chameleon?

Trace

 

[lbesok]

hello
I Was Wondering, For A Mellers Chameleon Can I Use A 260 Gall. Reptarium As A Permanent Indoors Home Or Do I Need To Get Something Bigger? I Already Tried The Melleri Discovery Website And Couldnt Understand The Wording Of The Article. Please I Need Help. I Already Posted A Thread Called Mellers Chameleon But No One Posted Anything In It, So....... Yeah. Help!

Depending on the size of the Mellers a 175 could work but the 260 would be optimal. I just got a pair and have them set up in a large free range enclosure that takes up a portion of the porch (similar in size to a walk-in closet). It's almost impossible for them to free range, so they have learned how to cup feed. A Reptarium would allow the possibility of free ranging, and I was actually considering picking one up.

 

[studiocham]

It's almost impossible for them to free range, so they have learned how to cup feed. A Reptarium would allow the possibility of free ranging, and I was actually considering picking one up.

lbesok: Do you mean, right now they can't hunt free-ranged prey, but if they were caged, they could hunt prey loose in the cage? I got confused when "free-range" was applied to the prey instead of the chameleon.

Cristian:
Reptariums are useful, particulary the largest sizes, but I customize mine for use indoors. Melleri need a lot of water mistings, so you have to create a way to catch and drain all that water. I buy a roll of 6mil clear plastic at hardware stores/WalMart, and using ordinary staples and duct tape for added strength, I "diaper" and fold an outer shell of plastic around the back wall, one side, and bottom of the Reptarium. If you can place the 260-gallon up on a long table or risers, you can use it in the long shape (horizontal), which gives the chameleon maximum exercise space. The height also allows a vertical drop for waste water to go down into a catch bucket.

The liner they sell for Reptariums will create a dangerous well of waste water inside the cage, with no easy way to drain it. The plastic "diaper" directs water away from the cage and down to a 5-gallon catch bucket. It's much more sanitary than the liner.

To maintain the zipper, put petroleum jelly on the entire zipper length every few months. Zipper breakage will make your Reptarium useless, you'll have to buy a replacement screen.

If you get an adult melleri, there isn't a size too large. Babies are clumsy and prone to falls, so they should not be free-ranged or kept in a cage taller than 30". The MD article about Raising Juveniles talks about their needs.

Before I get a new melleri, my to-do list looks like:

decide and measure where cage will go
get a 6' table or other sturdy stand for the cage
buy a new Reptarium
diaper the Reptarium with 6mil plastic
buy a new waste bucket, 5 gallon
add mist system nozzles for cage
secure heat lamp hood and long UVB ballast to cage
put in largest plants (new and washed with soap and water, repotted)
tie in all long perches
place smaller plants in empty spaces
get an ultrasonic humidifier, add on PVC pipe to direct the mist into the cage

UNLESS I will be free-ranging it. Then I pick a secure room, set up a lamp stand, etc. I did an experimental range this time, by hanging the 6mil plastic from the ceiling at one end, and underneath the plants and rising to a short curb on the other end, at the front of the table. There is loose plastic hanging behind the table, next to the wall, so mist water collects back there and drains into a bucket under the table. Works great! My ranges are pretty bland compared to the awesome ones other keepers have made.

If there is a language barrier, here are MD translations. They are old, they don't match the latest English version.

The Spanish version:
http://www.melleridiscovery.com/Spanish/Spanish.htm
The Dutch version:
http://www.melleridiscovery.com/Dutch/Dutch.htm

 

[Julirs]

Kristina-do you have any pictures of the Reptariums with plastic diapers?-I would love to see exactly how that works.
Thanks!

 

[studiocham]

Here's a really old pic- a cham cage up on blocks!

Full horizontal view:

I finetuned this by connecting a narrow tube from the front curb of plastic (see how it hangs low? that is a drainage point) draining into a 5-gallon bucket just under the table. I learned that was a stupid idea, but it sure looked cool and clean for the months it worked. Eventually, earth and debris will create a plaque on the tube interior and plug the drainage. Don't try tubes. The dark green 5-gallon bucket under the table was the catch for a long gutter along the back of the cage. I kept adding mist nozzles and had to add catch buckets. The white 5-g in this pic is actually the mist system reservoir- ha! Now I have a 30-g reservoir.

The plastic snap-things that come with Reptariums are perfect for holding the plastic to the back wall top frame of the cage. You can order extra ones as spare parts.

The two humidifiers- ultrasonic and evaporative- should be used in tandem. The ultrasonic fogs and raises humidity, the plastic diaper holds it in, and the evaporative is basically a humid fan that prevents the moist air from stagnating. You know it's working when you stick your head inside the cage and it feels and smells so nice, you don't want to leave.

I'm aware of how lame that looked, but I have to be able to build, lift, and tear down all my set ups by myself. There aren't many fellow chamkeepers near here, and hubby isn't into it.

 

[Julirs]

So what did you use for the bottom part of the cage? Just the Reptarium side?

 

[lbesok]

lbesok: Do you mean, right now they can't hunt free-ranged prey, but if they were caged, they could hunt prey loose in the cage? I got confused when "free-range" was applied to the prey instead of the chameleon.

Sorry for the confusion, that is exactly what I meant
Thanks again for these detailed posts, they are very helpful. I will need to plan on setting up something similar indoors soon!

 

[studiocham]

So what did you use for the bottom part of the cage? Just the Reptarium side?

Yes, the water goes right through it. Under each cage corner, and plant, is a cement block for support, suspending most of the floor in free air. I added a long, narrow tempered glass shelf (from a cabinet) stretched across two cement block tops to support several small plants between the large pots. The plants had to be rotated out every few months to encourage growth. The constant moisture of the mist system is hard on some plants.

If a cham fell, it would bounce unharmed on the Reptarium mesh floor and be suspended well away from the waste water.

 

[cristian]

have You Chosen A melleri As Your First Chameleon?

Trace

hello
Ive Only Actually Dealt With Veiled Chameleons. But I Feel Preety Secure Considering The Fact That Ive Been Reading On Them For Almost Nearly A Month :]