My meller Quin
- Thread starter misslush
- Start date
draetish
Avid Member
Your Melleri looks very healthy. Just in case, here is an excellent website for Melleri owners http://www.melleridiscovery.com/.
misslush
New Member
Thanks for the info.
misslush
New Member
yes he's my first...there is A LOT to learn that is for sure ...
misslush
New Member
summoner12
Avid Member
Yes, this is a small cage for a melleri. Reading up on the melleri discovery website is strongly encouraged. There is a lot to learn about melleri, they are not your typical chameleon.
I am curious to know how the shop has identified this melleri as a male, did they explain how they came to this conclusion? Have you had any fecal tests done to determine if your cham has parasites? This looks like a WC melleri to me and a fecal is in order if you plan to keep this guy long and healthy. What are you using for water supplementation? Melleri require lot of water and humidity. Your chams seems to have bits of retained skin from previous sheds.
In general your cham looks healthy for a WC. The black spots displayed while sitting on your lap are from stress and most likely due to it's height in relation to your face. Melleri want to look down on everything. All of mine will do all they can to climb to the top of my head or perch on something higher than me. Most branches or vines in my free range are higher than my head, and no stress coloring is ever displayed when I come near as long as they can look down on me. This is a large part of making melleri feel secure and they are sensitive to this. melleri in general are sensitive to many aspect of husbandry.
I see you have the dual light housing from zoo med... what types of lamps are you using? Linear UVB lamps are better than compacts (the screw in kind). I just posted this in another thread a minute ago... but could give you some ideas if you have the space: https://www.chameleonforums.com/new-free-range-works-31428/
something to consider: https://www.chameleonforums.com/new-free-range-works-31428/
Jimturner
Established Member
Sorry... not to seem negative... I have been to this store and have spoken to the kids in charge... search my post: Pet Store Rant. Their husbandry is poor, and the staff seem to be a great source of misinformation. When asked about basic care, no one really knew a thing about chams, other than a "one size fits all" shopping list. But also were able to tell me all the "sexes" of the animals as well! Good luck with that! Anyway, when I asked I was told none of these animals have received any type of vet care. Seeing how all these wild caught animals were all housed together in very small tanks they surely could use a fecal exam.. cheap at a vet. Is this your first cham? This site is a great source for general chameleon info and as summoner12 said melleridiscovery.com is a great source of info specific to melleri. I'm local, shoot me a pm
FredChameleon
New Member
i found a very informative site on Mellers, a must read!
http://lllreptile.com/info/library/animal-care-sheets/chameleons/-/mellers-chameleon/
http://lllreptile.com/info/library/animal-care-sheets/chameleons/-/mellers-chameleon/
jannb
Chameleon Enthusiast
He looks good but I agree that he needs a much larger cage or a free range.
summoner12
Avid Member
I meant to post this: https://www.chameleonforums.com/repti-sun-cfl-old-vs-new-31927/ instead of double posting the same link.
summoner12
Avid Member
can I just add....you need ALOT of watermore than you would imagine...mine would sit under the dripper for a good 5-10 min...and would go and go and goooooo.....lol
You are right. It is sometimes odd.... I notice my guys will sit in mist and it doesn't look like they are drinking..... but they enjoy to cool mist and the water running down them. But then maybe once a day or every other day they will just gulp the water down and even a 20 minute mist doesn't seem long enough for them.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/enjoying-mist-47486/
Here is sammy getting a drink...
misslush
New Member
WOW what did I get myself into ? my impulse shopping. It's a good think I have a cash flow and can go get the proper home for Quin and while I'm at the pet store I am going to give the kid a tongue lashing ....
and if all that wasn't bad enough my friend bought the other cham that was there and the same cage to house "her" in. as we were told it was a male and female that were brought in as a couple.
guess I'm off to the pet store to get my man a HUGE home ..
thanks for all the info ...this site rocks
and if all that wasn't bad enough my friend bought the other cham that was there and the same cage to house "her" in. as we were told it was a male and female that were brought in as a couple.
guess I'm off to the pet store to get my man a HUGE home ..
thanks for all the info ...this site rocks
KShook
Avid Member
You are right. It is sometimes odd.... I notice my guys will sit in mist and it doesn't look like they are drinking..... but they enjoy to cool mist and the water running down them. But then maybe once a day or every other day they will just gulp the water down and even a 20 minute mist doesn't seem long enough for them.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/enjoying-mist-47486/
Here is sammy getting a drink...
ha yeah I totally agree! hmmmm thinking I should get a melleri again when I move: )
GoFast
New Member
Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
Well, you really can't sex a melleri reliably so the pet store is clueless. They can't claim they know the age either. Looking at the dark marks on the facial ridges and dorsal crest I'd also say it's an import and is very lucky to still have its rostral horn. The dark marks are probably due to rubbing on cage wire or a shipping box. It's a good sign that your cham shows its calm coloration a lot. Some melleri are pretty nasty and others are gentle...almost friendly. A nice melleri is the best cham IMHO!
You can't give a melleri too much water. They do most things carefully and deliberately including drinking. A couple of tips: They often do very well being hand watered (with a dropper or syringe). Get the cham started with either spraying, a dripper, misting, or whatever you use now. Once the cham is actively swallowing or licking its lips, you can start dripping warm water directly over its' snout and often they will lick the stream directly from the syringe. They will drink until they are full and then tip their head straight up or turn away from the water. It's a great way to make sure its getting enough hydration. A well hydrated melleri may not actually drink heavily every day depending on the humidity in the room.
Don't expect to find a large enough cage at a pet store. Consider building one to make the best use of the space you have...larger is definitely best. Or, free range it in a small room in larger potted trees (even the fake Ficus trees work OK. Just connect them together with natural barked branches).
I can't say much better than The Melleri Discovery. There are some free range ideas there as well.
