My New Desert Side-Striped Chameleon

[Eric_Teo]

Hello there! I'm new to these forums and wondering if anyone has knowledge on desert side-striped chameleons' eating and drinking habits (Chamaeleo Bitaeniatus) I just bought an adult female and she arrived live and well. Prior to buying I did my homework on the species and was able to find some limited information about terrarium size, temperature and humidity, however there was very little information on diet. At the moment I'm using primarily 1/4in crickets and throwing super worms in there to keep her from getting bored. I feed her every other day and always gut-load the bugs, dusting them with multivitamin and calcium once a week. I do know that the species are fairly sedentary and doesn't move around much, so she probably doesn't need large amounts of food, but I'm just not quite sure how much I should give her and how often. Also, she doesn't like being misted and I haven't seen her drink, so if anyone has tips on getting her to drink it'd be much appreciated!

I've also attached a photo of her .

Thanks,
-Eric

 

[Duma]

Wow she is sooo cute! Congrats

 

[jpowell86]

Nice find. They are an interesting species.

I had some years back. I kept their environment very similar to how I keep my melleri. I kept them in glass enclosures as I do the majority of my montane species. It's not a must by any means, just my chosen method of husbandry.

I would let day time temps creep up to around 80. Some say go higher, but I felt they were happier at the 80 mark. The bottom of the cage stayed around 74 if I remember right. I would let the temp drop significantly at night. Down into the lower 60's. I think that is a must for this species if you are wanting longevity.

They are slightly stagnant. Some even find them mundane. I actually quite like them.

You might reach out to @Trace. She is fascinated by the bitaeniatus complex and would probably have some nice words of advice for you.

Good luck and keep us posted. They are really cool chameleons and definitely underappreciated.

Welcome to the Forums!!

 

[Eric_Teo]

Nice find. They are an interesting species.

I had some years back. I kept their environment very similar to how I keep my melleri. I kept them in glass enclosures as I do the majority of my montane species. It's not a must by any means, just my chosen method of husbandry.

I would let day time temps creep up to around 80. Some say go higher, but I felt they were happier at the 80 mark. The bottom of the cage stayed around 74 if I remember right. I would let the temp drop significantly at night. Down into the lower 60's. I think that is a must for this species if you are wanting longevity.

They are slightly stagnant. Some even find them mundane. I actually quite like them.

You might reach out to @Trace. She is fascinated by the bitaeniatus complex and would probably have some nice words of advice for you.

Good luck and keep us posted. They are really cool chameleons and definitely underappreciated.

Welcome to the Forums!!

Thank you for the advice and warm welcome!

 

[Eric_Teo]

Nice find. They are an interesting species.

I had some years back. I kept their environment very similar to how I keep my melleri. I kept them in glass enclosures as I do the majority of my montane species. It's not a must by any means, just my chosen method of husbandry.

I would let day time temps creep up to around 80. Some say go higher, but I felt they were happier at the 80 mark. The bottom of the cage stayed around 74 if I remember right. I would let the temp drop significantly at night. Down into the lower 60's. I think that is a must for this species if you are wanting longevity.

They are slightly stagnant. Some even find them mundane. I actually quite like them.

You might reach out to @Trace. She is fascinated by the bitaeniatus complex and would probably have some nice words of advice for you.

Good luck and keep us posted. They are really cool chameleons and definitely underappreciated.

Welcome to the Forums!!

I messaged @Trace but saw that she has "waves goodbye" as her last profile post and hasn't been active since May.. Do you know of anyone else who I could possibly reach out to in addition to Trace? Thanks again!